13 going on 30

In 1999 I was 14 and in love with the Backstreet Boys.  Our church went on a canoe trip every Tuesday during the summer.  It was about an hour drive from where we met to where we put our canoes in and all the girls would ride in one van with our disc man listening to the Backstreet Boys singing at the top of our lungs.  It was one of the best summers I can remember.  That fall BSB came to Birmingham and I was pretty sure my life would be over if I didn't get to go.  We found 3 tickets and my parents paid an arm and a leg for me and my sister to be there.  My best friend Kellie went with us.  We had the absolute worst seats in the place but we didn't care.  It was first concert ever.  

Last night Kellie and I and three other friends relived our teenage dreams and went to see BSB again, live in concert.  I'm pretty sure we were just as excited or maybe even more excited than the first time we saw them.  Things were definitely different this time.  For starters we had to find babysitters.  Last night my mom kept my baby until Patrick got off work.  Secondly, we drove ourselves.  In 1999 our moms drove us and dropped us off.  I thought we were so cool. Last night we were trying to find someone to drive us and drop us off so we didn't have to walk. Ha!  

Kellie and me.  I wish I could find a picture of us from the last time we went. 

I was so excited that Kristen went with us! 

Kristen and Bekah

We were in youth group at church together.  There were 6 of us total that were total boy band fanatics but this was all we could round up for the night.

We weren't to close but we were definitely closer than last time.  

The whole group.
We had such a great time.  We laughed because they sang a few more songs sitting down than in the past.  They did several songs off of their new album that were good.  Of course my favorite were the oldies.  I love how a song can take you right back to your youth.  We were all so giddy.  I really felt like I was fourteen again.   This morning I'm feeling every bit of 28.  It was a late night.  I didn't get in the bed until after 2:00 and then it took me awhile to wind down.  Today, I'm exhausted and my legs hurt from dancing the night away. It was totally worth it.

8 Months

Again this month crept up on me.  I feel like we've been so busy lately that it makes the time fly.  We'll be busy right up until your birthday starting this weekend with vacation, holidays and football.  I'm so excited to share all these fun things with you for the first time.

• You still weigh around 17lbs
• You're still also around 26" tall.  (You don't go back to the Dr until 9 months so we'll have a more accurate height and weight then.)
• Your hair is still a lightening up some.
• Your eyes are a kind of hazel color and I think they're going to turn dark but we will see.

• You're wearing mostly 6 month "play clothes" onesies and pajamas,  You're in 9 month dressy clothes (although you still have several 6 month outfits you can wear too.)
• Size 2 diapers although its almost time for size 3's.
• Still no teeth
• Biggest milestone is you're sitting unsupported.  We still put the boppy around you because you don't sit for long.

• You're eating purees twice a day with cereal. Once in the morning and once in the evening.  You eat about 2 ounces of fruit or veggie and 2 ounces of cereal at each sitting.
• This month you tried pears, butternut squash and plums.
• We're still breastfeeding.  You nurse 3 times each day and get one bottle.  You nurse around 15-25 minutes at a time and you take 6 ounces in a bottle.  
• We've tried to introduce water in a sippy cup.  You're not interested.

• You are sleeping amazingly.  
• You sleep 11-12 hours at night.  We have our bedtime routine and put you in the crib and you usually go right to sleep.  You rarely cry at bed time any more.
• Your naps have gotten better.  When we are home you nap great.  2 2hour naps.  At work you have gotten better but you only sleep around an hour. But you don't really cry when its nap time anymore.
• You've started sleeping on your tummy with your knees pulled up underneath you and your cute little tush in the air.  Its the cutest thing ever! 

• You are close to crawling.  You've got the motions you just aren't quite strong enough to put it all together.
• You can grasp toys with both hands.
• You can also move toys from one hand to the other.
• Daddy said you can hold the bottle but I haven't seen it.
• You're starting to hate bath time again.  You don't want to sit up and you don't want to lay in the sling so you just fuss and we hurry through it most nights.

• Ally loves you.  And you adore her.  You smile so big when she gets close to you. 
• You laughed out loud on your own this month.  It's always been at the dogs.
• You will grab Ally by ear, leg, collar or whatever you can get.  She just lets you.  She will cry if you're hurting her but most of the time she just stands there.
• You talk all the time.  

• You went across state lines for the first time this month.  We went to Atlanta to visit your aunt Elizabeth.  You did great.  
• You also went to one of my favorite places, Tuscaloosa.  We got to see Uncle John and Aunt Hope.  
• You sat in a high chair in the restaurant for the first time. 
• You got to meet a new friend this month when baby Cooper was born.  

• You still love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
• You have one of those rainbow ring tower toys that have been around forever and you love those rings.
• You're blowing bubbles all the time too.
• You've also started looking at books and seeming to enjoy those especially at church.

I think this month has been the best one yet.  It's been tough.  You're daddy has been working second shift so you only get to see him for a short time in the mornings.  I know he misses seeing you and you miss him too.  We're pretty much in survival mode by 4:00 most afternoons but we survive.  I feel like this month you've looked and acted less and less like a baby.  It makes my mommy heart a little sad.  I love seeing you grow and change but I'd love you hold your sweet little newborn body in my arms again.  This month is going to be fun with the start of football and a beach vacation.  I'm looking forward to sharing it with you.  

Happy 8 month birthday!

Five on Friday

Today I'm linking up with Darci over at The Good Life Blog.  This is one of my favorite blog linkups even though I've only done it a couple of times.  Lately this is how my brain works so it's perfect for me.

{One}

I feel like this boys gets cuter every single day.  I've totally turned into one of those people that posts to many pictures of her kids on social media.  I just can't help myself. I love him so much.  In a week he'll be 8 months old. Time slow down.

{Two}

I've become obsessive over these local trading groups on facebook.  I've gotten Barrett's Halloween costume and a cute little bubble in the last couple weeks. Well this little outfit showed up on one and it was to small for Barrett so I've been trying to find it for a few days and had zero luck.  It doesn't exist online and the handful of stores I've been to only have the matching dress.  It's driving me crazy.

{Three}

Barrett isn't crawling yet but he still manages to wiggle himself off his blanket.  I'm still not really sure how he does it. 

 

{Four}

Our computer is sick.  We aren't sure what's wrong but I think it needs professional help.  Neither Patrick nor I are real tech savy so I'm afraid we're just making it worse.  Plus a month ago we switched our internet and now we have a limit and whatever is wrong with the computer has already used 75% of our data for the month.  Which doesn't start over until 9/7.  Sometimes I really hate technology.

 

{Five}

The weather yesterday was amazing I think the high was something crazy like 78, in August. Unheard of for Alabama. Yesterday after I put Barrett to bed I just sat on the deck with Ally enjoying it.  It felt like fall.  I say it every year but Fall is my favorite time of the year for sure!

-Maggie

Weekend Review

We had a low key weekend at home.  Patrick's shift change has taken its toll on us.He and I have had some sort of sinus/cold mess that took us a few days to shake.  Everyone is feeling better now so hopefully this week will be better.

Saturday, while Patrick was at work, Barrett and I went to his cousins house for a get together with his aunts and girl cousins.  Barrett had a great time with his cousin Taylor.  Taylor is 10 or 11 and he held Barrett nearly the entire time we were there.  Barrett loved him he was laughing and smiling.  It was pretty sweet to see.

This was after we got home.  He was playing with tissue paper and so happy!

Saturday night we went to my parents house to visit with an old family friend and his family.  Of course I loved getting to introduce Barrett to them although the kids we were way more excited to meet Miss Ally.

Other accomplishments this weekend, included finding a spot for our new family picture and getting it on the wall.  I love it.  

Patrick finally finished this frame a few weeks ago and we got it on the wall too.  We moved the deer to the basement. Yay!

Is this not the cutest picture ever.  I just love it.  

Such a sweet boy.

Old man face!

This picture pretty much sums up how we feel about 2nd shift.

After church Sunday.  He did so good until the very end during announcements.  He got really loud and fussy.

He looked like a little old man today.  Those shorts are way to big on him and ride up under his armpits.   Patrick kept him this morning and then brought him to me on his way to work.  I thought that may help him not be so bored with me in the afternoon...I was wrong. Here's to a new week!

Five on Friday

{One}

I don't want to wish the time away but I'm so ready for football season.  I love knowing what my weekend plans are for the next 12 weeks.  I'm also ready for Barrett to wear the sweet outfits I've picked up for him.

{Two}

Patrick's on second shift this month.  It's only been 5 days but Barrett is already sick of me.  Patrick usually entertains him in the afternoons and I miss him.  One day we went to Target just to get out of the house after work.  Barrett sat in the buggy for the first time.  He's still a bit small but it worked. 

{Three}

Patrick's birthday is coming up this month.  I have no idea what to get him.  He is the hardest person to buy for. Ugh.

{Four}

Patrick and I love love love Big Brother.  We've been watching it for the last few years.  This year the people are just mean.  I don't remember a season where the houseguests were so hateful to each other.  It's kinda sad but I can't stop watching.  There's really no one in the house I'm rooting for but I need to know how it all works out and who wins. 

{Five}

I've been trying to plan ahead.  Again I don't want to wish the time away but I want to be prepared.  I want to enjoy the holidays and not be stressed so I've been trying to iron out some plans for Barrett's 1st birthday party.  I've got a theme and date, hopefully all the other details will fall into place.  I also got his Halloween costume today.  I'd been looking at them and someone was selling the one I wanted for really cheap so I had to go ahead get it.  It's so cute!

SO happy its the weekend.  Trying to soak up these last few weeks of summer. 

American Girls

Back in the nineties my sister and I had a bit of an obsession.  We were lovers of all things American Girl.  We started with the books.  We would go to the library every week and check out all they had (which at the time there were only about 30 books).  We'd get so excited when there was one we hadn't read.  I loved Molly McIntire, her father was a doctor in WWII and she showed us life during the 1940's.  My sister quickly grew attached to Samantha Parkington, the orphan who was adopted by her wealthy grandmother. (which now makes me wonder if maybe she'd been wishing for a similar story).  We read the other girls books and stories but these were the ones we loved.  For Christmas we each got a doll.  I don't even remember when we realized there were dolls but it wasn't until after we fell in love with the books.  

When I think of my childhood, these are some of the most vivid memories.  My mom, sister and I would pile up in our bed and my mom would read to us for hours every night.  Thankfully my mom kept our dolls all these years (at least 20 years, we can't really remember). 

{Side note, I saw the author/creator of the books and dolls on Oprah a few years ago and she said she wrote the books because her daughter hated history.  She wrote about the girls in different time periods so that her daughters could learn history while enjoying the story of their favorite American girl. Made me love them even more}

 Since we found out there was a store and bistro in Atlanta we've wanted to go (I'm talking years).  So this year Elizabeth invited us to spend the night with her in Atlanta and make a girls trip for brunch.

Let me back up and just mention our trip to the ATL.  It takes three hours to get from Gardendale to the area of Atlanta that my sister lives.  We left Gardendale at 4:00 which put us arriving at our destination around 8:00 their time.  I fed Barrett around 2:30 so I'm not really sure what I was thinking.  I thought he'd be happy until we got there and he probably would have been if we hadn't gotten caught in traffic.  He was fine as long and the car was moving.  While we were not moving in traffic he was screaming at the top of his lungs.  It was awesome.  I'm sure everyone else thought it was too.  I was about to lose my mind.  We finally made it after I almost had a come apart with my mom (this was after n

she'd mentioned that we should do something next year for my 30th birthday, problem is I'll be 29 next year.)   But all survived and we arrived just in time for pizza.  I had to feed Barrett and I put him in the floor and he was out.  We stayed up chatting and eating it was a fun evening.  I went to bed a little earlier because I was exhausted after the drive.

Elizabeth woke me up Saturday morning saying that she'd already put Samantha in her birthday dress for brunch.  I was sad because I didn't have Molly's birthday dress but I didn't let it get me down.  We all got ready and were out the door by 8:30.  I was proud of us.

When we got there people were lined up to get in.

My sister and I with our dolls. 

I was so upset because Molly has a cute little hat, purse and glasses that I still had and we brought to Atlanta but we left them at the apartment. 

The group minus mom.  Barrett wasn't really impressed.  I let Harper carry Molly and she was thrilled.

I love this picture of my sister, mom, Barrett, me and of course Samantha and Molly.

We sat at our table and they put the dolls in their highchairs.

Then they brought them each a cup of air.  Harper was in the bathroom when they brought these out and she was so concerned that they didn't have anything to drink.  Elizabeth told her they'd already drank it.  Then she wanted to pour them some cream but Elizabeth stopped her.

Harper is so funny.

Ava's not really into dolls so she thought we were a bit nuts.

Barrett wasn't really impressed.  He did enjoy watching all the pretty girls though.

We got a group picture in the princess chair. 

I'm sure when Barrett is 18 he'll love to tell his friends he got to have his picture made in the princess chair and the American Girl store.

We hung out in Atlanta for the rest of the day and headed back to Birmingham around 7:00.  It was a bit of an overwhelming trip but I had a lot of fun.  I loved seeing Elizabeth in her "natural habitat".  It was fun to see where she lives, works and goes to church. I loved seeing Harper so excited about something we loved.  As annoying as it was, it was special seeing how excited my mom was to get to do this with her girls.  She loved telling anyone that would listen how that this trip has been 18 years in the making.  I could tell that it really meant so much to her.  I loved getting to relive one of my favorite things from my childhood, with my sister.  She and I had so much fun just walking through the store looking at the new dolls and new stuff.  We also had a pretty in depth conversation at the doll salon on whether it would be worth it to spend the $20 to have their hair worked on. (I'm thinking when I go back I might splurge). 

 I kept telling Barrett he better hope he has a sister one day or that may not be his last visit.