Sweet Friend!!

THIS came in the mail today!!! :)





A very sweet friend sent these to Hadley!

Aren't they precious??! Her adorable, baby girl wore them, and she sent them to me so I could try them out on Hadley! :)



Hadley is checking out her new shoes!

Mommy, can we please play outside??!

And, here I am trying to bite my shoes OFF of my feet!
Sweet Baby Girl...what am I going to do with you??! :)

To my sweet friend...thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to mail me these shoes!! I adore them! I was SO excited to see them in my mail box! Yippy!!

This & That & a little Torture!

Fortunately, the last few days have been pretty uneventful! We've gone to grandmommy's house and played outside. Hadley's favorite thing are these two fish pots on the other side of the pool. Little berries & leaves fall inside of them & she loves to dig them out and then hand them to you. I guess it's the little things in life...but, hey (!!!) whatever keeps her occupied, right?!



Sweet Face


Digging out the berries & leaves


Since Hadley has quit nursing, our bed time routine is a little different. We always start it off by going outside to get out ALL of our energy, and then we come back inside, take a bath, and go to bed. Hadley still won't let me read to her at night. It's like she knows that it's time for bed, and she DOES NOT want to sit around and listen to me read. But, don't you worry!! I do read to her...all the time! Even if she's running around the house, then I'm usually following her reading as I go. :) I'm hoping that one day she'll sit in my lap & look at the pictures & let me read to her. :)

Hadley running in our driveway. She's started this new thing where she sticks her tongue out. ??? Not sure what that's all about. :)




I love this sweet little face!!!





Well, onto the torture part of my blog!! Most of you who really know me know that I gained a tremendous amount of weight while I was pregnant! I'm not sure if I'm bold enough to share how much! But, I only have a little left to lose! I started "trying" to lose the weight in January. Before that, the nursing just made it fall off. After that point, it's like I hit a brick wall. Because Hadley was so sick, I could never take her to child watch at the Y, so I started doing Jillian's 30 Day Shred! And, BOY does it work! It is just what I needed to jump start myself back into the exercise routine. As Hadley started getting better, then I started going back to the gym & doing this.....




I HATE every single minute of the class, but I love how I feel afterwards. I have a hard time pushing myself on the treadmill in the gym. I think, "Oh, I will just walk instead of run now." Or, "Isn't 30 minutes plenty of time??" NO!! These classes somehow just push me to push myself! You might ask, "Well, Bonnie, what is your goal?" Honestly, I don't care what I weigh. I KNOW my body will never look the same. It's just different now. Any of you who have had a baby know what I mean. My goal is to fit back into my old clothes! I don't want to have to buy a whole new wardrobe! Geez! Jeremy has also started going back to the gym & this is an encouragement to me. We are eating healthier...mostly because Hadley eats what we eat, so we want her to be healthy too! Only about 1 more month until the extreme heat hits Alabama...I sure am hoping I can start wearing those old clothes!

So, what about you? How do you exercise? Any great tips on how to get your post-baby tummy looking like new again?? :)

AND...don't forget to read my post below this one! Let me know if you're reading my blog!! I'm dying to know who you are! :) I know there are more of you than those who have commented! :)

Come Out, Come Out Whoever You Are!!!

I constantly have people telling me..."Yeah, I read that on your blog." Or, "I've been keeping up with you on your blog." And, "Yeah, I already know because I read it on your blog." Really??! I have no idea WHO reads my blog. I'm not sure if this is disturbing to me or not...I'm still thinking about it. SO, with that said! Y'all comment & let me know who you are!! Don't be shy! More than likely I stalk (I mean read) your blog too!! :)

Yesterday

I knew yesterday was going to be an eventful day, but I wasn't expecting this kind of eventful day....
I had already made plans to pay a drop in fee & leave Hadley at Mother's Morning Out for an extra day this week. I've felt like a hamster in a wheel lately, and I haven't been able to catch up on anything since Hadley has been sick. We had a shelf collapse in our laundry room (which holds a bunch of my pewter trays on it) and another shelf in our master closet collapse. I've had lots of grocery shopping to do too. AND...the deep cleaning in the house has got to get done at some point! It's driving me crazy!

After dropping Hadley off, I decided that I was going to make a big Wal-Mart run and then go home to repair the shelves. Obviously it is WAY easier to grocery shop without a baby in tow, and it's impossible to hang a shelf with a one year old getting into everything. Now, some of you may wonder...why isn't your husband doing this? Well, he works full time & he goes to law school in Birmingham on the weekends. His evenings are filled with studying & trying to squeeze in as much family time as possible. This leaves us with no time for repairs at the moment.

Anyway, back to my story. I finished up at Wal-Mart, and I had loaded my last bag into the trunk. I was getting excited because I was making good time & I thought I might even get to squeeze in a few minutes for a quick nap this afternoon. With that thought, I slammed the trunk, and I hear my car beep!!! Yikes! Like a dummy, I had laid my keys in my truck while I was loading everything up. I NEVER do this!!! Well, I'd locked myself out of the car. Jeremy was at a work function yesterday and was away from the office, so I knew he couldn't help. My mom was teaching at Faulkner yesterday, and I knew she wouldn't really be able to help either. I decided to call my mom anyway to vent out my frustration. Of course she offered to come get me & drive all the way to my house in Wetumpka (I was at the Wal-Mart on Chantilly Parkway). This would have been ridiculous, so I just called the insurance company & filed a roadside assistance claim...much more convenient for all of my loved ones involved! After getting off the phone with the insurance people, I was so upset because I didn't know how long it would take them to get to me. I had a trunk full of groceries, and I was worried about them spoiling before the locksmith could get to me and I could get all the way back home! This was really the least of my worries yesterday.

I had called my mom again, and it was then that she told me that Nana had been at work & passed out. She had been teaching a class, and her students said that she told them she was feeling dizzy. Someone had gone to the office to get help, but before anyone could come to help, Nana had already passed out on the floor. She fell backwards & hit her head. Nothing had broken her fall. She had been unconscious for about a minute before she came to. My mom said at first they were thinking she might have had a stroke. At this point, Nana had lost all of her short term memory. She didn't know what month it was or who the president of the United States was. I was really, really worried.

It was just this morning that I was talking to my mom about how I wanted to spend more time with Nana. Life is so busy, and I wanted to make a point to invest in time with my grandmother. I want Hadley to know her great grandmother & have fond memories with her. We are finally at a time in life where we all live in the same town, and I feel like we don't make the most of it like we should. Everyone is busy, but I feel like that is not an excuse.

Finally the locksmith came, and got my car unlocked. SIDE NOTE...if you ever want to buy a car that someone can't break into or has MUCH difficulty breaking into...buy a Volkswagen!!! It was crazy trying to get into my car!

I rushed home to put the cold stuff into the fridge, and I was headed to the hospital. I called my mom on the way, and she told me to turn around. The hospital was only allowing Nana to have one visitor at that time. I was so upset. I wanted to see her. So, I went back home & tried to stay busy building my shelves & putting all the groceries away.

The doctors decided to hold Nana for 24 hours. So far all the tests for Nana have come back negative. The doctors say this is a great sign! However, I want to know why Nana passed out. They did an EKG last night (all you medical people out there...I think that's the name of the test. ??? They were testing her heart.) We are still waiting on the results of that test. Nana has a heart murmur, and the doctors said that when you get older sometimes the heart murmur can cause the valves in your heart to mess up & this can make you faint.

Yesterday was a VERY emotional day for me. I feel like my life cannot slow down. I feel like I have so much weight on my shoulders. I feel the stress in my chest. I'm trying to let go.

Matthew 6:34
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

God is good, and I'm resting in the fact that HE is in control. But, I sure do like to pretend sometimes like I'm in control. This is a hard lesson for me to learn.


Nana, I LOVE you so much!!! I'm praying for you & praying for your quick recovery!!





me & Nana at Hadley's birthday party

Stats & 12 months continued

We went to the doctor today for Hadley's 12 month check-up, and boy, it sure was nice to sit on the well side of the waiting room for once!!! I'm such a freak. I never let Hadley play with any of the toys or books at the doctor...much less let her get down on the ground & crawl & walk & put anything in her mouth...this freakishness is magnified by 1 million% when we are forced to sit on the sick side of the waiting room. Does anyone else feel the same way I do? Everyone else in the waiting room seems to let their kids do whatever...including scream & throw fits...BUT through this experience, I have learned to never judge. So don't get me wrong, I'm not judging...just observing. :) Anyway, for some reason, we had to wait like 45 minutes today. This was especially difficult now because Hadley wants to walk ALL over the place. We still haven't bought her any shoes because she hasn't really mastered walking yet...until the last 3 days. I tried some on her the other day, and when I put her on the ground she just stood there & refused to walk. She got down on the ground & then tried to shake them off her feet! Anyone else have this experience? Maybe this means I should put some shoes on her ASAP. Anyway, if we are somewhere that I feel like is unclean...like the doctors office or public restroom...then I refuse to let Hadley get down on the ground, which makes for a very, very loooong wait. :)
Hadley got 2 shots today, and of course she cried, but overall she did extremely well. I guess after everything she's been through this seems like a piece of cake!

Height 30.5 inches-- top 20% (this means she's grown 10 inches since birth!!! that's insane!)
Weight 21.5 pounds-- 45% (she's gained 14.5 pounds since birth...mama is getting a workout buddy!)

Anyway, Hadley never got to finish telling what's been going on with her, so here she goes...
23. I love to point at everything!
24. Every time I go to my grandmommy's house I make her give me a tour of all of my favorite things around the house...pointing at everything as I go along.
25. I've gotten very good at walking & I practice, practice, practice!
26. Did I mention that I love the water?? My new thing at bath time is to put my face in the water & hold my breath. Does anyone else do this? Don't worry. My mommy watches me VERY carefully while I do this.
27. Hide & GO Seek and Chase are two of my VERY favorite games! I could play them all day long.
28. I still don't like to watch TV, but the other night I did sit in my mommy's lap for 20 minutes to watch. Mommy was completely stunned! (side note...it's not that I WANT Hadley to watch TV...but I would be lying if I didn't say that I wished she would watch 30 minutes of Praise Baby while I scrubbed the bathroom or something!)
29. I notice everything. If something is new, then I will pick up on it right away.
30. Especially when it comes to the floor...if there is a tiny crumb or speck of anything...I will find it & try to put it in my mouth.
31. I am TERRIFIED of the vacuum cleaner. Seriously. If I even see it in the closet, then I will start screaming. I'm even scared of the toy vacuum cleaner at my grandmommy's house!
32. I spent the night away from home for the second time (aside from my hospital stay) the other night. My grandmommy & granddaddy kept me while my parents went to my Mommy's 10 Year High School reunion. It was so much fun!
33. Speaking of spending the night...we're going to the beach soon, and I can't wait! I'll get to play with my cousin Sophie & Karlie! I sure do hope I like this sand stuff everyone keeps telling me about.
34. I'm much more vocal these days. I make lots & lots of sounds. My mommy even thinks that I tried to say "Thank You" the other day. We've been working on please & thank you. It's never to early to start! :)

Well, that's all I can think of for the moment...I'm sure I'll be walking around doing something & then I'll remember something else, but for now...That's all Folks!

This is me after my shots today. I took a TWO hour nap! For those of you who know me...this is pretty incredible!


This is what I do when I "love my bunny." Aunt Julie gave me this bunny & it's my favorite one!



My mommy thinks I'm beautiful!




Here, have a block! This is something else Hadley does. She wants to give you something all the time. Her green bean, her block, the grass she just picked from the ground. I think it's pretty sweet. :)

12 Months

I know you've all heard me say it um...probably a million times, but I canNOT believe my daughter is a year old. In some ways, it seems like yesterday that she was born. In other ways, I can't remember what life was like without her! :) The Lord has certainly taught me so many things this past year...like patience & how to be selfless & most importantly how to trust Him more. I'm so grateful for these lessons. It is my prayer that He continues to mold & shape me for His glory!!

Hadley wanted to tell a few things that have been going on...
1. I'm really, really tall. I go to the doctor on Tuesday, and I can't wait to see how tall I am!
2. I'm still wearing a size 3 diaper.
3. I can still wear some 9 months clothes, but mostly, I wear 12 month. 18 months are really too big, but my mommy bought lots of this size last year when they were all on clearance. I hope I can grow enough to be able to wear them.
4. I like to feed myself. I prefer to eat things that I can pick up with my hands. I'm still learning to use a spoon & fork.
5. My mommy was so excited because she thought that I wasn't going to be a picky eater. Boy was she wrong. I don't really like to eat much....unless it's a carb or something sweet.
6. I also hate white milk. I spit it out of my mouth & refuse to drink it. This has stressed my mommy out quite a bit. She's tried everything...1/2 milk 1/2 formula...and (and before you judge my mommy try walking a mile in her shoes) so we called the pediatrician & he said to just add a little chocolate. I guess chocolate milk is better than no milk at all, right?
7. I was in the hospital for almost 6 days. I was very sick with a bad strep bacteria in my ears. But, Jesus was with me & he gave me a calm spirit.
8. Because of this little experience, I've become a little spoiled, and my mommy is having to re-train me. Boy! This is no fun at all!!
9. I took my first steps exactly 1 week before my birthday. I've still been a little scared of falling, but now I'm getting the hang of it very quickly. Sometimes, I think I'm a pro & start to run & then fall down. I'll get it though!
10. I still go to bed around 7:00. I wake up between 6:15-7:00.
11. I still LOVE my paci...
12. and I've become more & more attached to my lovie (the one that Aunt Julie gave me is my favorite). I call him bunny. My mommy & daddy realized that I will walk a looooong way to get "bunny." So, I've practiced walking more this way.
13. I say mama & dada...I make lots of other sounds & noises, but I don't say too many other words. I can bark like a dog & moooo like a cow.
14. I know some of my animals already & I can point to them in my books!
15. I love Peaches the Cat & she is very sweet to me & lets me pet & annoy her. This surprises my mommy very much! Peaches is normally a very mean cat & doesn't like new people...especially children. My mommy thinks that Peaches knows that I belong to my mommy.
16. Did I mention that I LOVE the water??! Every time I see the swimming pool I'm dying to get inside...it doesn't matter how cold the water is!
17. I love to be outside too.
18. It melts my mommy's heart when I give her hugs & kisses.
19. My mommy has been weaning me, and I only nurse once when I first wake up in the morning. I think my mommy misses it more than she thought that she would.
20. I started going to Mother's Day Out, and I LOVE my teacher Mrs. Deb Deb. She takes such good care of me, and I love playing with all of my friends.
21. I really like my new car seat, and I like to ride facing forward.
22. MUSIC! I love it, and I will dance when I hear it.

Well...I'm awake from my nap, so I will have to resume this list in another post!

Happy Birthday to Hadley!!

DiAnna Paulk Photography came and took pictures on Hadley's very special day. I was so relieved to have Mrs. DiAnna there because I knew she would capture all of the special moments of the day. I wouldn't have to worry about whether or not I was missing the action or the photo moment! It was a relief! I'll write more about the day later, but I just wanted to share these images first!