Morgan's Mommy

Update!

2008-03-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

A quick update about our new addition. Madeline Leigh was born January 25 and weighed 8lbs, 4 oz, and was 19 3/4 inches long. She is such a beautiful (and chunky) baby! We had her 2 month check-up today and she is already up to 12 1/2 lbs! Morgan is a great big sister and we are having fun adjusting to life with 2 kids. I haven't made blogging a priority since my computer time coincides with Madline's fussy time in the evenings! I'm sure the blog world has given up on me, but that's OK! We'll catch up later!

We're almost there!

2008-01-20T08:29:00.000-08:00

We made it to 38 weeks! I can hardly believe it. Things felt so different 10 weeks ago when I was put on bedrest. I was stressed, anxious, scared, and felt so helpless. We made it through, however, and now I'm actually wanting Madeline to come out! There have been 2 days in the last 2 weeks that I thought I was about to go into full blown labor, but nothing ever happened. I've been having contractions, about 2 an hour, for the last 6 weeks. I thought for sure I would not make it past 37 weeks, but I was wrong! Madeline is now about 7 lbs (we think) and is very low! My doctor is allowing me to be induced this Friday at 5am, so that's the plan! It's such a relief to know the end is near. The unknown we've experienced the last few weeks has really taken a toll on our family. Greg and I have been stressed and anxious, which has caused Morgan to act out. Bless her heart, she senses all these changes and just doesn't know how to handle them. This caused her to become very defiant towards us and she began throwing tantrums, which she has rarely done before. With our current stress level and low amount of patience, our home turned into the perfect storm! We made it through, however, and with alot of prayer and apologies to one another, we are all doing better.

We have also been potty training throughout all of this, which added to the stress. It is going pretty well. Our main problem is that Morgan does not want to stop playing, watching her show (or anything else she deems important) to go to the potty. So many times she waits until it's too late and then has an accident. I am getting better at watching for cues so that I'm not nagging her all day long about going. I'm sure she will regress a little bit once the baby is born, but that's OK. We'll figure it all out before she heads to kindergarten!

Aside from the craziness of all this, we celebrated the holidays and then Morgan's 3rd birthday! I can't believe my baby is 3. She is turning into a little girl before our eyes. She has become so independent. There are many things she insists on doing herself, and has become quite particular about how she wants things done. She has this huge bath routine that involves Greg's carrying her "like a bowling ball" and then performing a dance in front of the bathroom mirror. We then must toss her pajamas, bears, blanket, etc. to her from across the room. Lately she's insisted on taking her bath in the dark with a flashlight and we all must whisper so we "don't wake up the animals". Now that I see this stuff in writing, it sounds like we allow all sorts of things just to keep the peace. Lately, that has kind of been the case. We have always had a bath/bedtime routine to help with transitions at night, but now we've created an inflexible monster! Bathtime has been such a battle, however, that it's a time of night we've lightened up a little bit, but not too much! We don't allow her to do all the things she thinks of! I know it's a phase and we'll be on to another phase soon.

The things Morgan says these days just crack me up. She absorbs everything she hears and alot of it comes back out in the correct context! For instance, we were headed to the bathroom for her to go potty, which of course she wanted to do by herself. She turned around, pushed me back with her hands, and said, "Mommy, you are discarded!" My mouth fell open and I chose to laugh instead of being offended by the comment! Yesterday, we were talking about monsters for some reason. I said, "I'm not afraid of monsters." Morgan replied, "I am afraid of monsters, but I'm not afraid of butterflies anymore. I'm fond of butterflies!" I couldn't believe she used the word "fond". It's not a word we use alot in our household! I know she picks up things off the tv and at school. It just amazes me how her little brain holds onto them and then spits them back out! She is loving school right now. She knows all of her letters and loves to go to music class. In fact, she reprimanded me today because I said "Hey, Morgan" instead of "Excuse me, Morgan", which she has been taught to say at school to her teachers!

Here are pictures from the last few months-

Telling Santa she wants "special prizes" for Christmas

At church the Sunday before Christmas

Reading books with Daddy on Christmas Eve

Playing her new piano with cousin Brandon

Morgan was excited to go to school on her birthday!

Morgan loved standing on the chair while everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to her!

Daddy brought flowers for his birthday girl!

Celebrating her birthday at Chuck E. Cheese

Catch up

2007-10-28T17:15:00.001-07:00

Hello, blog world. What a crazy last few months we have had. I am now 30 weeks pregnant and am on partial bedrest for the remainer of my pregnancy. I went to the doctor 2 weeks ago to have a routine sonogram. The baby had dropped already and my body was already progressing towards labor, so the doctor ordered "reduced physical activity" and house arrest. It's been hard, but I think we are adjusting well. Greg has been amazing. He is cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, taking care of Morgan (and me), and working full time as well. He has turned into both mommy and daddy! As hard as it is on him, we are both praying that it stays this way for a few more weeks. We do not want our baby to be too premature. Currently we think she is about 3 pounds, so we would like to hold on for at least 4 more weeks! So, while on bedrest, I've decided to catch up on the ol' blog. It may take a few entries, but that's OK. I've got nothing but time on my hands!

This fall was non-stop excitement in the Pirtle household! We had some sort of event every weekend in September and October. Even though it was exhausting, we have had a great time. Here are a few pictures from some of our trips!

Trip #1

Our first trip was to San Antonio back in September. This was our first big family vacation on our own. We rented a big SUV and made the 6 hour drive to the Hill Country! Morgan did great in the car. I had little presents for her to open every hour, which kept her entertained. The only regret I had was letting her open the harmonica with 2 hours left in the drive! Overall it was a great trip. We stopped first in Kerrville to see my grandmother and then headed on to a resort near Sea World the next day.

Morgan catching a ride at the hotel in Kerrville.

The Dora exhibit at the Botanical Gardens.

Morgan insisted on riding the boat on the Riverwalk!

Playing on the "beach" at our hotel.

Here is Morgan's reaction the first time Shamu jumped out of the water. Her expression cracks me up!

Feeding the dolphins was Morgan's favorite activity the whole day!

We were so happy we fed the dolphins!

After a whole day without a nap, Morgan fell asleep on the way back to the hotel while eating her sucker!

On the way home, we stopped at the outlet mall in San Marcos to find "big girl" bedding for Morgan. Here she is at Johnny Rocket's sporting her fancy hat.

Trip #2
In October, Greg and Morgan headed down to his cousin's ranch for a high school reunion. I got a much needed weekend home alone!

Catching some fish!

These were some cute shots Greg took of Morgan on the porch.

Showing cousin Brandon a little love!

Fixing the "tractor"

Fall is here!

2007-09-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love Fall! I love the change of weather, the start of school, fall colors, the return of football season, and so much more! This fall has been especially eventful. We are still getting settled into our new home and trying plan for our new addition early next year. We did find out that we are having another little GIRL! We are excited and not at all surprised. I'm so glad that Morgan will get to have a sister. I hope they are as close as me and my sister are. We are still due on Feburary 3rd, but we will be prepared for a January arrival. I am determined to have everything done by Christmas. So, I need to get busy NOW! I've got to plan and decorate 2 rooms this time around! We are planning to transition Morgan out of her crib in the next couple of months. I want make her room special and a "big deal" for her.

She started at her new preschool a few weeks ago. We are so lucky to have a wonderful preschool at our new church. Greg is able to take her in the mornings, which is great. She loves her new "tiger class" and her teacher Ms. Tiffany!

The official "first day of school picture" on our front porch.

Walking into school with Daddy!

Posing in front of her new classroom!

Morgan and Daddy tried out her new napmat the night before!

Last weekend we had the opportunity to atttend a Family Retreat with our new church. It was geared towards families with young children. It was so nice to be on a retreat with no responsibilities or teenagers! We did lots of fun things as a family and became closer to other people our age at church.

Morgan riding "Painty Boy" while wearing an extra large helmet!

Singing songs with our new children's minister. Morgan went up the the front everytime Ms. Marti asked for volunteers. We definitely have a performer on our hands!

A good ol' church of Christ dance party!

Morgan looking silly and Mommy looking pregnant!

Ch-Ch-Changes!

2007-07-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

Many changes have taken place in our world over the last couple of months. We FINALLY moved into our new house in Allen last week. What a stressful event moving is! As crazy as it was, I can't complain too much because it went very smoothly. We put our house on the market May 1st and sold it on June 2nd. We were asked to move out by June 27th. So, we frantically started searching for our new home. We found the perfect house in Allen soon after that, tried to buy it, but were outbid by someone else. I was so devastated! So, we found another one and after much offering and counter-offering, the people graciously agreed to moved out within 2 weeks so that we wouldn't have to move twice! Greg had started his new job in Allen on June 1st, so he was living up here with different families during the week and coming home on the weekends. I packed up most of the house, OK all of the house by myself and we moved on June 28th. It actually stopped raining that afternoon, which was an answered prayer! We did hire movers to move the furniture, which was well worth the money. We got a U-Haul for all the boxes and had a slew of new youth group kids here to help us unload the night we got here. It was really sweet. So, we've been in for about a week now and we just love it! I'm glad the other house did not work out because this one is so much better for us. We are less than a block away from the neighborhood pool and very close to Allen's biggest park. On the 4th of July, we watched fireworks from our bedroom window! We are so glad to finally be here.

In the midst of all the chaos, we learned back in May that I am pregnant again! It was definitely a surprise. We were wanting to be pregnant, but not during moving time! We were going to wait until we got settled. I guess God had other plans, however, and I am due February 3rd, 2008. This is 3 days later than Morgan was due. Of course, she came 3 1/2 weeks early, on January 8th. I am hoping that this one will wait a little longer to make his/her appearance. We want their birthdays to be a little spaced out, but not too close to mine (February 4th). We'll see what God thinks of all my planning! As of today, I am 10 weeks and 2 days pregnant, though I look like I'm further along than that. The tummy has popped out so quickly this time! The nausea has been out of control, but seems to be getting better. Now that we are moved, I feel like I can take care of myself a little better. I have a wonderful new doctor here and will go see her again in 3 weeks.

Morgan seems to be excited to have a brother or sister (when I remind her about it). I don't think it's quite in the front of her mind because she doesn't talk about it unless I bring it up. She does say that she has a baby in her tummy, too. She has done really well with all the changes. She loves her new room and the big gameroom upstairs with all her toys. She also has a playroom downstairs for more toys, so she's really got it made! We are lucky that she is such a resiliant and flexible kid. She has made this transition so much easier than I thought it would be. She makes us laugh more and more everyday. She is also discovering what makes us laugh, and she tries to be funny. One night after she was done with her bath, she told Greg, "I'm ready to get out, hon!" We were cracking up. Where did she get the word "hon"? Neither one of us use it, I don't think! Anyway, she saw what kind of a reaction it got and now she uses it alot more. So cute. She is officially 2 1/2 today! Happy Birthday, hon! : )

Happy Spring!

2007-04-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

Finally here is an update!

Happy Springtime from the Pirtle's!

At the zoo with Kirklyn
Art time with Daddy

Afraid of the Easter Bunny!

We've had a crazy but fun last couple of months. The Spring seems to be flying by and it will be summer before we know it! Our family will be moving to Allen, TX this summer for a new job. So, we are in the middle of trying to sell the house, pack, etc. What a stressful event moving is!

Morgan still amazes us everyday with her spirit, humor, and sayings. Tonight she had an especially cute prayer. Usually Greg puts her to bed, but I did it tonight since he is at the Mavs game. They have their normal ritual of prayer and songs. Morgan came up with the order randomly one night, and insists that they do it the same every night.
The songs are as follows (and never out of order):
1. Hush Little Baby
2. Jesus Loves Me (complete with sign language)
3. Jesus Loves the Little Children
4. Oh Morgan, Yes Morgan (Greg made this one up!)

Before I sang all of those, I began to pray, but Morgan took over. Here was her prayer -
"Dear God,
Thank you for Kirklyn.
Thank you for Pattycake. (Kirklyn's grandma)
Thank you for Nana. (Amanda)
Thank you for Target.
Thank you for my car.
Thank you for Kirklyn's car.
Thank you for Pattycake's car.
Thank you for my phone.
Amen."

Morgan had such a fun night. Her favorite band was on American Idol tonight! She developed a small obsession with Bon Jovi after we heard them on the radio one day in the car several months ago. The obsession has since grown and is now little out of control, but still funny. I knew we were in trouble when I heard her say, "Mommy, I wanna hear Bon Jovi!" I nearly lost it. I never imagined my 2 year old daughter enjoying rock from the 80's and 90's! We have to listen to our "Greatest Hits" CD everytime we get in the car, now.
She usually requests 1 of 2 songs:
1. "Whoa, Whoa, Whoa song" (Livin' on a Prayer)
2. "The Cowboy Song" (Wanted Dead or Alive)
Luckily, both songs were sung on the show tonight. She danced her little heart out!

Here are some more pictures from the last few months-

Resting with AJ

Dress up time

Easter Sunday

Easter egg hunt after church

"Helping" Isaac gather some eggs

I'm Back!

2007-02-05T17:05:00.000-08:00

It has officially been way too long since I last blogged. I have come up with many excuses for my lack of blogging (laziness, feeling a lack of creativity, forgetfulness, too busy). Who knows why I don't do it? Anyway, let's start anew in 2007 and get caught up! When I last wrote, it was September and Greg and I were about to head off to Puerta Vallarta. We had a great vacation and a wonderful Fall. Morgan has grown up so much in these last few months. She turned 2 on January 8th and was 27 1/2 pounds and 34 1/2 inches tall! She now speaks in 4-5 word sentences, which blows my mind! She knows all her colors and can count to 13! She is doing really well in school. She loves to great all the office staff by name as she comes in the door. We are amazed everyday by her spirit and excitement for life. It's been so amazing to see her develop right before her eyes. She seems to change everyday and we never know what will come out of her mouth at any given time! In fact, just now she said, "Mommy, I need a rope!" Apparently she saw a little boy tie his shoe on tv and she wants to try it to! Too funny. She has also become fiercely independent. She wants to do everything herself and becomes a little dramatic when you don't let her! She will also tell you exactly how she wants to play (where you should sit, etc.) One thing to notice in these pictures is...she finally has hair!

Here is a recap in pictures of the last few months-

SEPTEMBER
The booster seat is always more fun on the floor!

OCTOBER
The cutest bumble bee ever! One of our youth group girls took this picture. It's one of my favorites!

NOVEMBER
This is at Matt Jones' (Greg's childhood friend's) wedding.

DECEMBER
Morgan's first snow experience in Crested Butte. We had a great time until the Blizzard of 2006 hit. We were stranded in Denver for 3 days and barely made it home for Christmas! This picture was taken before the blizzard.

Here were are making ourselves at home in the airport!

We are very grateful to be home for Christmas!

We had our first Christmas with new cousin Brandon Scott Kasberg (born in November).

Santa brought Morgan a tricycle!

JANUARY
Lunch on Morgan's birthday at Chuck E. Cheese with BFF's Macy and Kirklyn (who chose to wear the birthday crown for this picture).

Blowing out candles at her snowman birthday party. The snowman theme ended up being very appropriate due to the icy weather that weekend!

This picture is from Western Day at school a few weeks ago. I thought it was so cute!

School Daze

2006-09-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

The lazy days of summer have come to an end, girls!

Wow, what a bad blogger I've been! I'm not sure what all has kept us busy this month, but it sure went by fast. School is back in session, which has all sorts of meaning in our family. It means Friday night football (Lamar), Saturday football (UT), Sunday football (Cowboys), back to work for me, cleaning the summer out of Greg's office, cool breezes, open windows, and most importantly, Morgan's first school experience!

Here she is posing with her new backpack.

She is attending Sonshine Bible School at Pleasant Ridge on all day on Tuesdays/Thursdays. Yesterday was her first day. Kirklyn is also in school there, and we are carpooling so Amanda and I can continue to work one day a week. Yesterday was our turn to drive!

There were some pre-Bible school antics before we left.

We made it to school. They are trying to carry their lunch boxes and hold hands at the same time. So cute!

Morgan cried quite a bit as Greg and I left, but her teacher said she stopped pretty quickly. I'm proud to say that Morgan was the first one asleep for nap time and she slept 1 1/2 hours! I have no idea how they even got her to lay still on a mat on the floor, but more power to 'em! Morgan had a wonderful time. She was in a great mood when I picked her up. She talked nonstop about her backpack and lunchbox. Now we get to do it all again tomorrow!

Next week, Greg and I are taking a much needed vacation to Mexico (Puerto Vallarta to be exact). We are so excited we can hardly stand it. I always wanted to go there because that's a trip they used to give away on Price is Right when I was little. It always sounded so fun and exotic. I hope I'm not disappointed! So, barring all hurricanes (John nearly hit PV last week), Greg and I will be there over next weekend. Morgan will be passed between Grammy and Grandpa and Mike and Katie. I'm sure she will have a blast!

That's all for now. Days is starting. I'm excited to hear that they have a new head writer who is going to change things up a bit. He claims that he doesn't write about demons, aliens, and mysterious gloved hand story lines that carry on for months. We'll see!

Found this on Katie's myspace

2006-08-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

In My Arms

2006-08-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

Morgan woke up an hour into her usual 2 1/2 hour nap today. Great, I thought, there goes watching "Days" in peace today! By the tone of her cry (and past experience), I figured she was not going to go back to sleep. Kirklyn was sleeping in the guest room across the hall from Morgan at the time, so I ran to Morgan's room to get her before she woke Kirklyn up. I noticed as I walked in the room, though, that she wasn't her normal perky post-nap self. I usually go in to find her bouncing up and down while holding onto the crib rail. I swear one of these days she is going to launch herself over. Today, however, she was just sitting there clutching her bear with the pink blanket still wrapped around her. She was kind of in a "I don't think I'm supposed to be awake yet" daze. So, I picked her up and laid her in my arms. Surprisingly, she didn't object to being horizontal, so I sat down in the rocking chair. Lately when I try to hold her like that, she will have nothing of it. She squirms and arches her back to be released from the grasp of my arms. Toddlers just do not want to be confined - even for a minute! Today was different, though. She was lying so still and was snuggled up next to me just like old times! I couldn't believe it when she fell asleep a few minutes later. It seems like an eternity since she fell asleep in my arms. We have been so concerned for the last year about "putting her down while she's drowsy, but not asleep", as all the books instructed us. In all my haste to teach her to sleep on her own, I forgot what it used to be like when we rocked her to sleep. It really touched my heart today to hold her in that way again. I realized a few things in those few moments as I rocked her...

The distinct shape of her eyes - they are so much like my sister's.
The softness of her eyebrows, which are white and perfectly compliment her eyes.
The way her nose angles up perfectly at the tip.
Her white hair resting on my arm. She didn't have much hair the last time I rocked her to sleep. Today her cowlick was being blown softly by the ceiling fan.
The way her lips are perfectly shaped - this was the first feature Greg and I noticed in the hospital when she was born.
How much she has grown - she is 34 inches long and her feet now hang off my legs as I'm sitting in the chair
How she looks like an angel when she sleeps. She has always looked that way to us.

Most of all, I was reminded of the precious gift God blessed me with 18 months ago. Morgan brings so much joy and happiness to our lives everyday. She has such a friendly personality, which she shares with EVERYONE we come in contact with from the teenagers at church to the grocery sackers at Kroger. We are the luckiest parents in the world to have been blessed with a child who truly makes our family complete.

So, after gazing and Morgan for those few minutes which seemed like an hour, I decided it was time to put her back in her crib. I wiped the tears from my face and then realized I didn't remember how I was supposed to get out of the rocking chair without waking her up! Those early motherhood fears came rushing back to me very quickly! I definitely took a few minutes to psych myself up for the task. I planned my strategy and prayed I could get all 3 feet of her her, as well as the bear and blanket, in the crib without tripping over the toys in the floor and/or ramming her into the side of the crib. It went very well and she stayed asleep for another hour or so.

Our family life has been so chaotic this summer with trips, events, everyday busy-ness, and the nature of an 18 months old a.k.a. the Tazmanian Devil (as I like to call her). I think that God was telling me today that I needed to STOP in the midst of the chaos and remember what is truly important. I wouldn't have all the chaos if I didn't have this precious little girl. She is why I choose to stay at home instead of working full time. Her physical, emotional, and spiritual growth should be my focus daily. Don't misunderstand, I don't feel like I've neglected her in any way. I just realized today that it is way too easy to get caught up in other tasks that we think determine our success as moms (laundry always done, gourmet dinners every night, dirt free floors, etc.) I pray that God helps me focus on the big picture more and the everyday business less.

Thank you, Morgan, for waking up early from your nap today. It was just what I needed! : )

Happy Birthday Isaac!

2006-08-03T06:16:00.000-07:00

We were so excited one year ago today when we welcomed you into our "family". You have such a sweet spirit and a wonderful smile. We love you and your mommy and daddy very much and we can't wait to celebrate your birthday with you!

Love,
Greg, Alison, and Morgan

Summer Fun

2006-07-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been a month since my last post. Time has flown by. We've been out of town quite a bit, which has been fun, but tiring! We're settling back in now and we're ready for the rest of the summer. Here is our month of fun narrowed down to 13 pictures...

1.) Morgan's 1st haircut. This is Marty, our family hairdresser. She has cut my hair since I was 5 years old.
2.) 1st trip to the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, TX. My sister and I pretty much learned to swim in this river near my grandparents' house. It was so neat to have Morgan share a piece of my childhood like that, although, the water was too cold to swim that day!
3.) Hunting ladybugs at her friend Marlee's birthday party. Morgan enjoyed squishing them between her fingers after catching them.

4.) Enjoying ice cream and cupcakes at the party with Kirklyn.

5.) After the party, we dropped Greg off at the church for a mission trip to Houston. We then headed up to Aunt Katie's house in Frisco where she was having a Kojie roommate reunion! They were so nice to invite us! Morgan made a new friend, Ashlyn (17 months), who belongs to Katie's roommate, Andrea (Hise) Whiteside. The girls are enjoying beverages by the pool.

6.) We then headed over to Jamie (Sommers) Schlegal's house in Plano for "Pancake Night".

7.) Morgan and Ashlyn playing with Jamie and Steven's dog "Biscuit"

8.) Morgan can hardly stand all the excitement!

9.) We came home from Frisco and attended our Bible Class swim party at the Howard Moore Splash Pool in Arlington. Here, Morgan is posing with her new friend Kasen Underwood, who is Kevin and Lacy (Litton) Underwood's 3rd child!

10.) Next, we headed down to Houston to spend time with Greg while on the Mission Trip to Impact. We stayed with Greg's dad and did lots of fun things. Here, is Morgan with her new pal Andre at the Astros game. He is one of the interns with the Impact Church.

11. In Grandad's backyard with Aunt Leigh Ann, who is due around Thanksgiving with Baby #1! His name will be Brandon Scott Kasberg. Morgan is excited to finally have a cousin! See how green it is in Houston? That's because it actually rains there!

12. Back at home with her BFF Kirklyn. They were twinsies that day! This was 2 days after Morgan turned 18 months old!

13.) Greg and I last weekend in Chicago, where we attended a friend's wedding. Morgan stayed at home with Grammy, Grandpa, Mike and Katie! It was our first time to leave her for more than one night, but she did great and we had a fun, relaxing weekend!

Lots and lots of girl time!

2006-06-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

Having a husband as a youth minister has it's privileges. For instance, you get an extra set of keys to the church building (handy for mid-errand diaper changes), you always get invited to the church sandwich suppers even when the party doesn't directly apply to you (I happen to love the token pimento cheese sandwiches), and you also get the most wonderful wedding and baby showers thrown in your honor. With the perks, however, come the disadvantages. Most youth ministers are gone to camps 2-3 weeks sporadically during the summer. Our youth minister, however, is gone for 4 out of 5 weeks straight. Therefore, Miss Morgan and I are trying to keep busy without being outside too much, yet without getting cabin fever! What a task it has been! Luckily we've got 2 weeks down, 2 to go!

13 Creative Ways Morgan and Mommy have kept busy while Daddy's gone

1. Made a picture bulletin board of Morgan for church (it was her turn to be featured outside the nursery)

2. Story time for babies 0-18 months at the library followed by...

3. Story time for 2-3 year olds at the library - I felt Morgan was advanced enough for the older group (and I was desperate last Wednesday)

4. Stayed in for 3 days with a stomach virus

5. Weekly swim time at Carrie (Holley) Foster's house

6. Weathered our way through Morgan's daily "independence declaring" fits. Today it was because I wouldn't let her suck toothpaste out of the tube.

7. Began a new season of MTV reality shows with The Hills (love it!), Cheyenne, and Fresh Meat (I watched these, not Morgan)

8. Rejoiced as Patch and Kayla returned to Days (Morgan and I both did this!)

9. Shoplifted a .99 cent water bottle from Hobby Lobby on accident

10. Found ACU and Lamar High School alumni on My Space

11. Killed our beautiful hanging flower baskets due to excessive heat (and forgetting to water them)
12. Faithfully watched every Mavs playoff game in its entirety

13. Above all, Morgan and I have grown closer and are more mother/daughter bonded than ever. It has really shaken her world with Greg being gone, but she really has handled it the best she can! She is so precious to me and I am learning to treasure our alone time together rather than feeling anxious about being an only parent for a month!

Happy 17 months!

2006-06-08T19:24:00.000-07:00

Morgan's most recently learned words at 17 months!
(written in Mavs blue in honor of Game 1 tonight)



1. Hi buys (guys)...mama...dada...tadie (Katie)...diddy (kitty)...the list is endless
2. Babis (Paci)
3. Bible
4. Ice
5. Elmo
6. Ree Ries (french fries)
7. Buhfies (butterflies)
8. Bots (blocks)
9. Pay pays (toothpaste)
10. Ray Ray (Rachel Ray)- thanks Auntie Lynley for getting us hooked on that show!
11. I-dis (Isaac)- in connection with #10!
12. La La (puppy)- strange, I know
13. Choos (shoes)
 
Morgan turned 17 months old today and is a mere one month away from graduating from the nursery class at church. I can hardly believe it! So, to honor her tonight, I've written my Thursday Thirteen in honor of her. As a speech pathologist, it's been so fun to see Morgan's language develop these last few months. In my profession, I only get to work with kids with speech problems, so of course Morgan seems brilliant to me! She seems to pick up new words everyday and is starting to repeat us more often.  I can't wait to see what her next 13 words are!

Sunday Seventeen

2006-06-04T14:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I missed posting my Thursday Thirteen last week for several reasons. We had a very busy week last week cleaning and running errands for our 1017 Roommate Reunion. So, when Blogger would not cooperate during the small timeslot I had set aside for this on Thursday, it unfortunately got pushed to the bottom of the to-do list! To make up, I've decided to start a new fad called "Sunday Seventeen" for those of us who miss Thursdays! You could also do "Saturday Sixteen" or "Tuesday Twelve". I don't think it matters, as long as aliteration is involved!

We had so much fun on Friday all seeing each other again. Lynley, Leigh Ann, Laura, Kara, and I had not all been together since Kara's wedding four years ago! Now we've added 3 kids to the group, which definitely made for a more chaotic meal than we used to enjoy back in Abilene.

Morgan, Elizabeth (Kara's daughter), Isaac (Lynley's son)
Unfortunately, this is the best picture I got of the three of them! Elizabeth looks as if she is about to attack Morgan while Isaac looks on innocently.

Here are 17 fond memories I have of our "1017" days...

1. Tuesday night is Pancake night- tap, tap, tap, tap. This tradition was carried on by my sister and her Kojie roommates. They still have a Pancake Night at their roommate reunions!
2. Hosting "Pajama Rush" - our house was way too small and stuffy for this event. Why did we choose to host an event in which everyone would wear flannel?
3. Brandon Sheets' revenge - involving limbs against the front door, the police, and Laura screeming
4. Doug Crum risking his life to put a Happy Birthday Lynley sign on our roof. I'm thinking that a letter was written backwards on that sign, but I can't remember exactly.
5. B.O. "Peeps" Youngquist - enough said
6. Soldier Lady
7. Blind Man
8. The "Friendship Chair"- a touching ministry to those in pain (e.g. Rusty)
9. The Jackson 5 - I'm sure we could have tried out for American Idol with that routine!
10. The Tish wig - not only stealing it from Tri Kappa, but the hours of fun we had trying it on. I remember crying so hard due to laughing whenever Shelly put the wig on and asked "Anyone got any bread?"
11. Doing a group session of Tae-Bo in the living room. I still have this on video and may use it as blackmail in the years to come!
12. Our baby pictures on the mantle. Why did people say mine looked like Tracy Baugh?
13. Beware of this memory!
14. Leigh Ann side-swiping the house with her car. Apparently she couldn't drive and eat a banana at the same time! Isn't that what happened?
15. The chore board - such a clever idea, yet so poorly executed by the roommates
16. My 2 surprise birthday parties our senior year and being embarassed in chapel without actually being there.
17. Our post-graduation dessert we threw for our families. Such a fun and memorable, yet strangely awkward event to close out our college years together!

Living with those 4 girls was such a blessing to me in college and their continued friendships are an even bigger blessing to me now that we've moved on to the next phases of our lives.

Ironically, these are the same faces Lynley and I are making in our Kojie picture in our senior yearbook. What a touching legacy of being photogenic we have left for our children!

My favorite sounds

2006-05-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

Some of my favorite sounds


1. Morgan's sweet voice saying "Hi mama"
2. The sound of Greg coming through the front door after work
3. Morgan's squeal of excitement when she hears him!

4. Morgan's first cry the day she was born

5. My cats purring
6. The sound of the ocean
7. Morgan's cackle laugh
8. The chirps of the baby birds that live outside our kitchen window
9. The sound of thunder in the distance
10. Morgan's attempt to meow
11. Greg saying "I love you"
12. The beep of the oven timer when our cookies are ready
13. The sound of the ice cream truck coming down the street

April 2006 - Easter

2006-05-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

April 2006 - Rangers Game

2006-05-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

March 2006

2006-05-22T10:48:00.000-07:00

February 2006

2006-05-22T10:28:00.000-07:00

January 2006

2006-05-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

Morgan's 1st Birthday

Catch Up

2006-05-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of catching up to do, so let's tackle this month by month!
Here's December!

Testing, Testing 123

2005-12-23T19:30:00.000-08:00

Lynley introduced me to the program to make these collages, so I thought I'd try! Here's a collage of our Thanksgiving (and week after) activities!

(1) Christmas card picture taking
(2 &3) Uncle Mike's birthday party / UT vs A&M game
(4) 1st taste of Thanksgiving turkey
(5) Being silly with Daddy at Grandma's house
(6) Bath time
(7) Big 12 Championship game (both loud and tiring according to Morgan)
(8) Morgan's gangster pose - she rolls with the big bucks!

Next we'll try Christmas!

A rough night

2005-12-10T20:33:00.001-08:00

"Eeeesh!" That's Morgan's new word. That and several other C-V-C combinations that make no sense. I love to hear her connect new sounds together. She sounds like she's speaking in sentences, which is so cool. This shouldn't surprise me, as a speech pathologist, however, it's just much more interesting to actually see language developing than to read it in a textbook! Anyway, back to eeeesh, as in "eeesh, this has been a long night". Morgan woke up this morning with her first fever. I knew from the second she woke up that something was wrong. So we checked her temp, and it was 100.7. We went to the doctor and they said it's the same virus that Kirklyn had last week, just without the mouth ulcers (so far). So today was spent holding Morgan as she slept and giving her dose after dose of tylenol. Her fever got as high as 103. Poor thing, I can tell how bad she feels. Selfishly, I do like how she is only comforted by me. She has become so independent in her old age of 11 months. It's nice to know that she still needs dear ol' mom. : )
In the midst of the sick child, I realized tonight that I hadn't seen our cat Vince all evening. This isn't too uncommon, but I just had a bad feeling. I guess I have motherly instincts for my cats, too! So, Greg got home from his party and I headed outside with the flashlight. I just started sobbing as I called him up and down the street. I started having flashbacks of when Vince lived in Abilene with Jennifer and Katie. He had gotten out and was hit by a car. They found him under a bush injured pretty badly. Anyway, as I'm walking up the street in Greg's houseshoes and coat sobbing (I'm surprised I wasn't reported), I hear a faint meow coming from the other direction. I turned and as I headed back toward the house, I saw Vince sitting on our sidewalk meowing at me! I can't express the relief I felt. So, I joyfully pick him up and I carry him into the house while I'm still sobbing controllably. I anticipated a great family reunion to commence in the bathroom where Greg was bathing Morgan, however that was not the case. Morgan was screaming in the bathtub, drowning out my sobs and scaring the crud out of Vince. At that point, Vince scrambled out of my arms, scratching me in the process. So, the reunion was defunct, but I was joyful none the less.

After days like today, I need to thank God for those not-so-eventful days, even though at the time they seem crazy. I am thankful that my family is all together and hopefully on the road to recovery!

A wild week!

2005-11-29T19:53:00.001-08:00

I think we have finally recovered from Thanksgiving! Morgan has been on overload since last Wednesday and I believe she is beginning to come down. Bob came up from Houston on Thursday morning and my parents then came over for lunch. Since lunch in my family = late lunch, we didn't eat until 2:00, right in the middle of Morgan's nap. This worked out, though, because by the time she woke up, we were still eating. She sat in her little high chair looking quite confused as to why almost every familiar face she knows was staring at her at the table. We gave her a little turkey, which she promptly spit out, as she did the sweet potato casserolel. She did enjoy the roll, however, which I guess can be considered an accomplishment. We then went over to Greg's Uncle Jamie's house where many of Greg's cousins were. They all descended on Morgan as if she were an alien! They haven't had a baby in their family in a long time, so they were quite excited to see her. All of Greg's cousins on his dad's side are in their 40's with teenagers. We are actually closer in age to the cousins' kids. Anyway, from there it was on to Garden Ridge to find the perfect pre-lit tree, however, none were to Greg's liking (price-wise), so we left and I was a bit dejected. The tree we decided to get was going to be $50 cheaper on Sunday, so why buy it on Thursday? Deep in my heart I knew it was going to be gone. Sure enough, Greg went back at midnight Saturday night and it (along with all the other non-skinny trees) was gone. I resisted saying "I told you so" and we ended up getting a tree on Sunday at Target!

Friday was spent up in Frisco with my family + Bob+Mike's dad for Mike's 26th birthday. We watched Texas almost get beat by A&M and then Katie and I hit some stores. Saturday we traveled to Stephenville to visit Greg's grandmother and Brad and Leigh Ann. We had a good time and Morgan had fun crawling around Grandma's giant (all couches around the perimeter) living room. Sunday was a normal church day except we had nothing that night, which was nice. We got 2/3 of the lights put up outside as well as the tree (the whole tree that is). So far, Morgan has ignored the tree, which I am thankful for. We'll see what happens when we decorate it!

In addition to the crazy Thanksgiving weekend, I had Kirklyn from 6:45am-5:00pm yesterday and Mom, Morgan, and I went to McKinney today to meet Aunt Mary and Aunt Molly for shopping and estate settling. Morgan slept for 2 hours in her car seat on the way home and after we came in the house!

Needless to say, we are all pooped. We need to stop and breathe, but we still continue to press on. Morgan will go to Amanda's tomorrow so I can have some much needed alone time. I don't have to work, so I guess I will decorate the house for the next whirlwind holiday! I am really looking forward to Christmas this year. Having Morgan has put a whole new spin on it. It will be so much fun!

I have to say a prayer for Lynley tonight. Her grandfather passed away somewhat unexpectedly tonight. I know how close she is with all her grandparents, especially him and her grandmother. It's hard to say goodbye to someone who's been there your whole life. It's especially hard to watch your parents mourn their own parents. I know exactly what Lynley is feeling tonight and I know how hard this week has been for her already with Isaac being sick.

I love you Lynley!

Thankfulness

2005-11-22T07:46:00.000-08:00

Let the cleaning begin! Morgan is at Amanda's today because they are going out of town tomorrow. Luckily I don't have to work this week, so today is cleaning day! Bob is coming tomorrow and I'm hosting Thanksgiving at our house. It will only be him and my parents, but I want the house to be clean none the less. I don't feel that smashed peas and ravioli on the kitchen floor are appropriate for a holiday meal. Speaking of food, Morgan has tried many new table foods lately. Most have been at restaurants when we are trying to find anything to keep her occupied while we eat. Don't get me wrong, she's wonderful in public. She loves smiling and talking to the people around us, but sometimes she gets a little too excited. That's when the squealing starts. Most people think it's cute, but I'm convinced that if it goes on for more than 2 minutes, we might start to get dirty looks! I don't want to be that mother! Anyway, back to the food. Morgan has tried fried okra, pancakes (aka Morgan's first pancake night), peas, ravioli, carrot bits, chicken, french fries, rolls, peach cobbler, mandarin oranges (later I found out I shouldn't do citrus until 12 months, oops), grapes, pickles, and many others I've forgotten. She seemed to like everything, except the pickles. She thought she liked them at first, but then she sucked on one really hard and made a really funny "bitter beer face"! She's still eating mostly baby food, but I'm having her chew at least something at every meal so she gets used to it.

That's all for now. The clock is ticking and I've got to get started. Overall, we are really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. Bob hasn't seen Morgan since August and she has changed sooooo much since then. We also get to see Brad and Leigh Ann on Saturday. We also get to remember all we have to be thankful for. I get teary eyed thinking about all God has blessed us with this year. We have a healthy, happy, beautiful baby girl who just adores us. She has taught us to love in a different way than we've ever known before. She brings us more joy than we ever could have imagined. Greg and I are truly proud of our accomplishment, but we know she is a miracle from God. I can't imagine my life without her!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Morning Praises

2005-11-07T08:29:00.000-08:00

1. Both girls are down for naps simultaneously!
2. Kirklyn is leaving early today (I love her dearly, but a little break is good)
3. Our friends Ryan and Amy Gibbons are coming over tomorrow night to watch Morgan so we can have a night out. No strings attached!
4. Kirklyn's daddy, Dewitt, has a 2nd interview today for an AP job in Everman.
5. Greg comes home early tonight - no FCA!
6. I think AJ's anxiety and stress are getting better.
7. I got all of the poop out of Morgan's new swimsuit!
8. Christmas parties are being scheduled right and left!
9. The weather is gorgeous (though warm for November)
10. I'm taking lunch to a friend at Crow on Wednesday.

It's good to start the day counting little blessings. God blesses us every moment of everyday. It's so easy to get caught up in minor frustrations (i.e. poop in the swimsuit). I'm going to praise God for the good things instead of focusing on the bad!

Crank up that monitor!

2005-11-04T14:35:00.000-08:00

Ahh, finally a moment to myself. I love naptime! I only wish I knew exactly how much time I had before the little darling wakes up. After she goes down, I live as if she is going to wake up in 20 minutes, which happens sometimes. Any longer than that is a treat. What do I do first? Hurry, go to the bathroom! Next, dry your hair! Go warm up your lunch so you can eat without someone tugging at your pant leg! Maybe you'll get lucky and get to fold some laundry! Before I became I mom, I never had to prioritize my daily (and hourly) activities!

We had fun on Monday night (Halloween). We went to a few houses, but Morgan mostly sat in our entry way and dug candy out of the bucket. I attached a picture that Lynley liked. Next year I need to find a costume that is a little more obvious than the strawberry. All night we heard, "Awww, what a cute tomato or apple or watermelon". Jerks! Just kidding.

Morgan has started this disappearing act several times a day. We'll be in the living room playing and all of the sudden, she's gone! She has followed a cat out of the room and usually ends up in her room playing. It's funny that she bypasses the guest room and bathroom. It's like she's knows which room is her's. Once I realize she's gone, I have a split second where I unrealistically think, "She'll be OK by herself! She's a big girl now!" These crazy thoughts stem from exhaustion, I'm sure. So, after a brief moment of insanity, I go find her. She thinks it's a fun game. More than anything, I think she just likes to play in her room. I'm glad since Mike and Katie spent so much time painting it!

Tonight we are heading out to the Lamar/Arlington game. It's the last game of the season, and I'm pretty sure Lamar's going to lose. Greg has 5th quarter afterwards, so he won't be home until 1:00am. Another night of putting Morgan to bed on my own! I don't mind it nearly as much as I used to. I used to get really uptight and dread it because Morgan and Greg have their little routine and she goes right to sleep. She will go to sleep for me fine, but I hate for her to miss out on being with him. It really has become a special time for them. Someone at the football game last night leaned over to us and said, "That baby must be a daddy's girl!" because of the way Morgan was looking at Greg. I think it's sweet and I know how lucky we are to have Greg so involved in every aspect of her upbringing. I couldn't ask for more!

Oh sweet, I hear Chicago's "You're the Inspiration" coming over the baby monitor. No, no, they aren't performing a private concert in Morgan's nursery, though I think that would be fabulous! They are actually on 103.7 KVIL. Morgan tends to nap better with a little background noise, so I turn on the radio very soft. I chose KVIL because the music is soothing. At first, I had it on KISS fm, but I didn't think that 50 Cent's "In Da Club" was the best message for Morgan to hear subliminally as she slept. So, I'm going to crank up the monitor and have a moment to myself!

For real this time

2005-10-31T14:42:00.000-08:00

OK, I'm really going to keep up with this starting today! i'm not going to catch up on everything from the last 2 months. Once I start blogging more regularly, we'll catch up on everything eventually. I know I said this last post, but where does the time go? Morgan is going to be 10 months old next week. She still does alot of the same things as last post, but even more! She started crawling 3 weeks ago and can now pull up on things. She has mastered going "up" the step, but not "down". She is having fun playing with her friend Kirklyn twice a week (at least). Kirklyn likes to sit in Morgan's lap and use her as a bouncy seat. They get along really well, which is good considering they see alot of each other! I went back to work last week. I'm doing 2 days a week until Thanksgiving. Then in January, I'll do one day. It works really well that Amanda and I trade off. Don't get me wrong, it's not easy having 2 under the age of 14 months all day long, but it's managable. So on Monday's Kirklyn comes here. On Tuesday's we go to Ladies Bible class where they have a nursery. Wednesday's Morgan goes to Amanda's and Thursday's she stays home with Greg. Friday's are a day of rest (sort of)! Once football season is over, Greg will be home Friday nights, which will be nice. Saturday's Morgan is in swimming at 9:00 am, then we usually watch football all day. Sunday's are crazy as always, but Morgan still loves Bible class. Oh yeah, I've been teaching her class (birth-18 months) on Wednesday nights. It's fun, but tiring! In November, I will be doing KICK with the 3's -2nd graders.

We went to Fall Festival last night at church. Morgan looked very cute as a strawberry. It was a little much for 2 hours, but we enjoyed seeing all of our friends. We may go to a couple of houses tonight, but we'll see. Putting on the costume is sort of an ordeal! Saturday we took her to the pumpkin patch, which was fun. We got some really cute pictures!

I'm going to quit for now. It's been a rough afternoon. Morgan has been super fussy and I'm counting the minutes until Greg gets home! I sure hope she's not teething again! I need a break before the top 2 teeth come in.

2 months later!I

2005-09-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

Wow, where do I begin? It's been nearly 2 months since I wrote last. Where has the time gone? We've been so busy and I just haven't made time for this. That needs to change! Speaking of change, Morgan is so much different than the last time I wrote. I think I'll just list what all she's doing-

Gross motor - rolls over easily from back to tummy. Doesn't roll from tummy to back much, but she has done it before. Sat up by herself on Wednesday, August 24th. Her upper arm strength is improving. She tries to "crawl" by burying her face into the ground and moving her legs forward with her bottom in the air! She'll do it for a few seconds and then look up to see if she got anywhere! She loves to swim and is good at kicking in the water. We've submerged her 3 times and she doesn't seem to mind. She began swimming lessons at Emler last Saturday. She is in the Waterbabies class with 2 little boys. She loves to bounce in her bouncer and watch Baby Einstein. Her legs have gotten really strong! She will push herself backwards while on the changing table. She turns her whole body when standing in your lap. She throws herself backwards when she's getting mad. She sat up straight to eat on Thursday, August 25th. She sat in the seat of the grocery cart last week and in a restaurant high chair on Saturday, September 3rd.

Fine motor- Uses her fingers to grasp things. Will hold a biter biscuit in her hands, examine it, and put it in her mouth. She thinks that everything belongs in her mouth!

Eating - She is eating 3 meals and 2 bottles a day. Breakfast (9:00) is 1/4 cup cereal and 1 jar fruit. Lunch (12:00) is 1 jar fruit and 1 jar vegetable. 6 oz Bottle at 3:00. Dinner (6:00) is 1/4 cup ceral, 1 jar fruit, and 1 jar vegetable. 6 oz Bottle at 9:00. She likes every single food we have tried. She shows alot of interest in our drinks, and drank water from a cup once.

Language - Said her first "word" on Friday, September 2nd. It was "da da". She repeats it over and over. She sticks her tounge out, usually to her left when she speaks. She blows lots of raspberries with all her drool. She consistently responds to her name. She seems to understand "Where's daddy or mommy?" She smiles at everyone she meets except for when she's tired or hungry. She loves people with glasses and beards. She loves to see my mom and laughes at her alot. My parents left town for 2 weeks and she cried when she saw my dad, but she remembered my mom. She only did that a few times, though.

Teething- I feel like she's been teething for weeks now, but still no teeth! She drools a lot and chews on everything.

Other -

Morgan absolutely loves Bible class. She is one of the most alert, excited, and attentive babies in the class. When they bring out the different materials (especially the flowers), she opens her mouth really wide (looking like Greg), her eyes get big, and she throws her arms out! The teachers love her and they think she is always happy and fun!
Morgan also loves to play "chase" around the house. One of us will hold her and chase her or she will chase us. She kicks her legs like a frog and laughs!
She also loves the cats. When they move quickly, she laughs hard. She talks to them and always wants to grab them. Although, it's more like a pinch, which they don't care for.
She is in her new carseat, but her head dangles forward while she's asleep. We may try to put a towel under it to tilt it back. For now, we have both carseats in !
We have had several play dates with Kirklyn Smith, who turns 1 next week. I may start keeping Kirklyn once a week (and vice versa) so Amanda and I can work.
Morgan loves little kids in general. There is a little boy at church named Dawson Foster who Morgan likes. He has a very expressive face.
There are lots of songs we sing to Morgan. She likes "Where is Morgan", "Ring Ring Hear the Bell", "God made creatures...", "You are my sunshine", and "Morgan, yes Morgan" (the song Greg made up). At night, Greg puts her to bed by reading "Guess How Much I Love you" and she smiles every night when he starts reading it. She love is voice and seems to be very soothed by it.
On TV, she likes to watch "Blue's Clues". She smiles whenever she sees Joe (the host). She doesn't watch much else besides Baby Einstein.
She loves for Greg to blow on her tummy and she loves bathtime. Anytime we walk into the bathroom, she smiles. She is so comfortable being in the water. The evenings have become a really fun time, when I used to dread them! We play chase, do bath at 8:30, Greg plays with her while she gets dressed, then bottle, then bed around 9:30. She sleeps until 8:30 or 9:00.

That is alot of stuff! I'm sure there's more. I didn't even try to write about how much joy she brings us. What did we do before her? I love her more and more each day. I am so proud that she's my daughter. I think she is such a happy baby because of the happy environment she's in at home. Greg is such a wonderful father. He is silly and animated with her and I know that is helping to develop her vibrant personality. I feel like I'm growing as a mother. I feel like I've been doing it all my life! The house is a mess, but we are so happy! And I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Happy 6 months!

2005-07-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

Morgan turned 6 months old today! We kind of had a rough day, but she's in bed now. She was really tired from getting up early and not napping this morning. Greg left for Mission Trip today and will be gone until next Saturday. I was really sad when he left. I'm excited about the opportunity they have, but I don't like being left behind. I rely on him so much when he's here. I have to be so strong to make it without him and I'm not starting out strong this time. I've been depressed about several things lately, and I just can't seem to climb out of this hole. I am happy about my darling Morgan, however, and that's what's important.

Morgan has had several milestones this week. On Tuesday morning (7/5), she woke up at 6:45am and was on her tummy in her crib! Later that day, I left her on the floor on her back. When I came back in the room she had rolled over! I finally saw her do it by herself later that night. She had her 6 month check-up on Wednesday. She weighed 15 lbs, 13 1/2 oz and was 25 1/2 inches long. Only half and inch away from the bigger carseat! She is 50th percentile in both. The doctor said Morgan is a happy, average baby. Dr. Rasmussen always compliments us on a job well done, which makes me feel good. She was concerned with a scratch in Morgan's right eye that hadn't healed. She put some orange dye in her eye and looked at it with a black light. Morgan didn't cry at all! The scratch had healed up today, so I didn't have to take her back in. She also got 3 shots and didn't cry then either! Her leg swelled up around the shot site, but otherwise she wasn't affected. Also, the doctor said not to worry about Morgan not eating well lately. The cereal could be keeping her full longer. She will go back at 9 months.

2 milestones today... 1.) We started fruit! We tried pears with her cereal at lunch. She liked it, but she got fussy halfway through. She was really hungry, and didn't understand that the cereal was going to fill her up. So, I gave her a bottle and then she finished the cereal/fruit. I made the same mistake at dinner and waited too long to start. Morgan was really hungry and cried during the feeding. I just kept going, and eventually she finished and was happy. I gave her peaches with cereal this time and she loved it. I'm supposed to do the same food for 3 days straight to watch for allergic reaction. I was going to do pears for 3 days, but I read that it can cause constipation. So, we'll go get more peaches tomorrow! I'm trying to figure out a new feeding schedule, but we'll have to do trial and error. I talked to Michalle today and she's giving me pointers.
2.) Morgan had her first bus ride today! We rode with Greg and the kids to the airport this morning. She liked watching the cars go by and all the kids around her. It gave Greg extra time with her before leaving. She had a great time!

Morgan is changing day by day. She grabs everything put in front of her. She tries to put everything from napkins to remote controls in her mouth. She loves watching the cats. She smiles and talks to them, though they're not sure of her! She automatically rolls over to her left when on her back. However, she gets frustrated quickly because she can't roll back over! She moves her legs while on her tummy as if she's going to start crawling soon. We're having to wean her off her swaddling blanket now that she can roll. We're trying it with one arm out for awhile. So far, so good! She is doing really well in Bible class. She loves to see the flowers and bubbles.

I can't believe it's been 6 months already. It feels so long ago that we were in the hospital, but it's gone so fast! She is so amazing and love her with all my heart.

Morgan's meals

2005-07-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

I don't have much to write about tonight. We had a good weekend. Lynley, Laura, and Leigh Ann came over on Friday for Lynley's baby shower. They had fun playing with Morgan. Last night we went to Chad Johnston's wedding and saw Shane and Abby, Jamie and Steven, Ed and Patty, and Scott Hawkins (random). Of course they all thought Morgan was beautiful! Today we spent most of the day at church. We came home and tried out the Jumpster again. Morgan loved it! She bounced for about 15 minutes before getting tired. She laughed and spun around. It was so cute and I got it on video. What a difference 2 weeks makes. Last time we tried it, she just dangled there and chewed on the tray!

I'm mostly writing to document Morgan's eating. I will do it the next few days until her appointment on Wednesday. She's not eating as much, so I want to be able to share exactly what she's been doing.

Sunday 7/3 - 9:00am - 3 ounces
12:00pm - 2 ounces
3:00pm - 2 ounces
2 tbsp cereal (2 oz formula)
6:00 pm - 1 ounce
9:00pm - 5 ounces

Tomorrow we're going to Mike and Katie's for the 4th. In the words of one Stacy Carosee "Fun, fireworks, that's the 4th".

The Gerber-Cabbage Patch Baby

2005-06-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

I have had numerous people in the last few weeks say that Morgan looks like both the Gerber baby and a Cabbage Patch Kid! I'm sure they mean it as a compliment. It has been awhile since I wrote last, but Morgan continues to be the cutest baby in the world! We had a good trip to Houston last week. It was short, but I think it's better that way. Morgan was pretty tired and fussy the day we left. She had stayed up late the night before "performing" for the Villarreal's, who had come over to visit. She was making her deep voice grunting sound for like 5 minutes straight. She sounds like the "Waaassssuuuppppp" guys. She slept alot better on this trip, which helped her mood. We took her up to Oak Forest (Carolyn's school) to meet Mrs. Lacefield and Mrs. Haynes. They just adored her. We then went outside to look at the progress on the arboretum they are building in Carolyn's honor. It's going to be really nice. They will have a dedication for it in October. We got home on Saturday night (6/25) and let Morgan sleep in her crib for the first time. She did really well, but I did not. It was so weird without her next to me. I woke up every time I heard her on the monitor. The next night was better. However, the last 2 nights, she has woken up at 6 am and can't put herself back to sleep. I put her in bed with us (just so I can get some rest) and she goes back to sleep quickly. She sleeps on her side facing me, even if I try to roll her over. Although she takes up all the room on my side, I don't mind. I know she won't be this little forever. She has still been eating cereal mixed with apple juice, although today I put some formula in it as well. Yesterday we went out to lunch with Amanda and Kirklyn and Morgan tried some fruit crunchies. It was a pretty wild lunch with both kids. Next time we will eat in a house! Leigh Ann is coming up tomorrow and Friday we are throwing a roommate shower for Lynley. I think it will be fun! It will be nice to have an extra set of hands in the house to play with Morgan!

Back to normal

2005-06-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in a week! Last week was very tough. Morgan was extremely fussy until Thursday, so I didn't have the energy every night to write. Greg got home on Friday and we had a restful weekend. We had a good first Father's Day yesterday. We spent the day at my parents house eating and swimming. It was Morgan's 2nd time to swim, and she really liked it! She wore her new pink sunglasses for the first time. We gave Greg a sports trunk organizer for his car and Home Improvement Season One on DVD. Morgan has become much more vocal in the last few days. She makes this grunting sound over and over that's pretty funny. She went to Bible class again yesterday. The teachers said she is very alert and loved watching the bubbles. We are still on our good routine of eating at 9, 12, 3, 6, and 9. She is eating 4-6 ounces each time. I will give her cereal if she gets hungry before the next bottle. She is still loving the cereal mixed with apple juice. She grabs my hand really hard and tries to shove the spoon into her mouth! Last week she started waking up at least once in the middle of the night and I would re-wrap her and she would fall back asleep. It was getting very tiring. Last night, though, she slept all night until 8:30am. For naps she likes to fall asleep holding a flannel receiving blanket against her face. She is wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes, although she can still fit in some 0-3! Alot of people say she is starting to look like a "little person". She is getting really long, too. I am excited to see what her measurements are. We go for her 6 month appointment on July 6!

Another week

2005-06-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend with Greg. It was really nice to have him home. Morgan had several milestones this weekend. On Saturday, we fed her cereal for the first time. She seemed to like it! She pushed alot of it out with her tongue, but I'm sure she ate some of it. She got fussy after a while, and I think it was because she wasn't able to eat very fast with a spoon. That night we went to Buck n Loon's and then for a walk as a family! On Sunday, I got up extra early to make sure we got to church early so I could feed Morgan. So, I fed her at 8:45am and then took her to Bible Class. It was her first time to stay in class by herself! The ladies were so excited to see her. She sat up in the swing for awhile, but then got a little fussy. So, they reclined her and she was fine! It was a big deal for me to leave her alone. Everyone has been asking when I was going to do it, but I couldn't do it until I felt like I was OK with it. It's weird how a peace about something just comes over you. I finally felt good about leaving her last week, so I didn't give in to the pressure of everyone else. I'm proud of myself. I know that it seems like a small problem to worry about, but my purpose now is to do what is best for Morgan (and me).

Physically, Morgan is growing everyday. She still only has the 2 teeth, although I think the bottom one has gone back in. She has had some tummy problems today, but I'm going to call the doctor tomorrow to see what I can do. She is still so pretty. Someone at the vet today said that Morgan looks like the Gerber baby! We spent alot of time with church people yesterday, and Morgan seems to be their favorite subject. The adjectives that most people use to describe her are: laid back, easy going, always happy, cute, pretty, adorable, and a good baby! Wow, am I a proud mom or what? I don't feel bad about bragging. I'm so proud to be her mom. I get teary eyed just thinking about how much I love her and adore her.

Greg left today for Goddard and will be back on Friday. He sang to her this morning before he left. We will be glad when he's home again.

We did it!

2005-06-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

Our first week on our own is officially over! Actually, Greg doesn't get home until tomorrow morning, but now that she's asleep, we're home free. I'm really proud of how I did this week. I never got frustrated with her and we got into a good routine. I was able to do a few things around the house and exercised quite a bit. Greg will be home for 2 days, then will be gone again from Monday until Friday. I'm sure it will go fast.

Morgan has definitely learned cause and effect. This afternoon, whenever I would leave the room, she would fuss. As soon as I came back, she would stop and smile! Oh my, it seems so early for such manipulation! I left the room on purpose several times just to see if the fussing was a coincidence or premeditated. It was definitely the latter! We went to Target this afternoon and Morgan winked at the checker. We went on our daily walk tonight and then I exercised only for a few minutes because Morgan woke up in her stroller and fussed. Morgan really seems to like being outside. I've taken her out on the sidewalk a few times a day just for a change of scenery. She immediately stops fussing and looks all around. She loves to feel the wind in her face! I've also noticed the last few days that she is taking her pacifer more. Her new thing is to try to talk with it in her mouth! It seems to calm her down to have it in.

I talked to Michalle yesterday. She, Matt, and Jeb are about to move to Nashville. I'm excited that they will only be 9 hours away! I can't wait to meet Jeb. Maybe we can take some family vacations to Seaside with them!

Greg comes home in 11 hours! Yeah!

2 nights in a row!

2005-06-09T21:13:00.000-07:00

Yeah! Morgan has slept through the night for 2 nights now. I'm hoping this is a new phase she's going through. It's been nice not feeding her at 6am! I'm probably jinxing it by talking about it, but we'll see. Today Morgan and I went to Hobby Lobby to buy supplies for a "bow holder" I'm making. We saw Libby Wren there, and she talked about how they love looking at Morgan during church. Everyone seems to look at her when Greg holds her on his shoulder. After that, we went to Ella Bella to find shoes for Morgan, but none fit. Her feet are still too small. I really wanted to buy her some of those Robeez, but we we'll have to wait another month or so. It really doesn't bother me that she doesn't wear shoes, so I'm not going to worry about it!

Today I noticed Morgan examining me quite a bit, especially when I was eating. She seems to be mesmorized by it. She looks so cute while she's watching me. I also got some good video of her laughing today. My mom came over and Morgan was laughing at her really, really hard. I think Morgan was just excited to see a new face in the house! We waited until 8:30 tonight to take our walk. It was just too hot to go earlier. I wasn't very motivated, but I was glad we went. We passed a house that was blasting the soundtrack from "The Bodyguard", which I thought was very strange -not to mention so 12 years ago! Morgan fell asleep in the stroller, so I was able to do 20 minutes on the Elipical when we got home. I do feel better when I exercise, but it's hard to make yourself do it!

Tomorrow we are planning an exciting trip to Target and I am going to try to clean up the house since Greg is coming home Saturday. I am really looking forward to having him home for a few days!

5 months old!

2005-06-08T21:47:00.000-07:00

Wow, I waited way to late to write this, but I'll do my best. Today Morgan and I stayed home most of the day. I feel like she was more fussy today. Does she do better when we're on the go? She didn't nap well until this afternoon, so that was part of the problem. Also, Morgan all the sudden is not taking her bottle well. She thrashes around and acts hungry, but won't eat. Is it time for something else? We'll start cereal soon and see if that helps. I accidently poured a bottle of formula out on her today. Apparently I didn't have the lid on correctly, so that was a first! This morning started out so perfectly. Morgan slept straight through until 8:30 and woke up in a very good mood. I left the room for a minute and when I came back in, I looked in her crib. She saw me, smiled really big, and threw her legs up in the air grabbing her foot! She froze in that position for a minute just smiling at me. It made me laugh so hard. She's adorable.

This afternoon we went and bought her some more bows. My mom gave her a pink tank top with a longhorn on it made out of diamonds. Tonight we went to church by ourselves. I took her to the nursery class and tried to feed her a bottle, but she wouldn't take it. She had a great time watching the lesson and the other kids. I think I'm ready to leave her in class by herself, but the problem comes when she must eat during that time. We'll just play it by ear. I need to get back into an adult class for my own well-being!

Well, it's time for bed. We made it through another day. It's not as hard as I thought it was going to be. I love Morgan so much that I feel it in my soul. She is my precious, precious gift from God and I am so blessed to be her mommy. I tear up just thinking about how deeply I care for her. I can't believe she's already 5 months old. The time has gone so fast!
Happy Birthday, sweetheart! : )

3 days down, 3 to go

2005-06-07T20:53:00.000-07:00

Morgan and I have made it 3 days on our own! I am very proud of us. Morgan has not been fussy at all (so far). I think her teething has subsided for the moment. Both last night and tonight we went for a 20 minute walk around the neighborhood. Morgan seems to enjoy looking at the trees, houses, and kitties. Tonight she turned her head when a dog barked, but then she fell asleep. I reclined her stroller seat so she was laying down and she slept for about an hour! I was able to come home and do the elipitical machine for 20 minutes and do ab exercises. The she and I took a bath, she ate, and then started to fall asleep. Just as she was dozing off, she got the hiccups (of course). So, she didn't fall asleep until 10:15. But that's OK. Bedtime has gone well all 3 nights this week. Last night, she was asleep but I accidently turned on the radio and it woke her up and she stayed awake for awhile. I had a gut feeling that I should just put her down, so I did and she fell asleep about 20 minutes later.

We had a good day today. Morgan went to my mom's for awhile so I could finish up at school. I shredded a huge amount of papers that I had filed for the last 4 years. I wish I hadn't saved all of it, but that's OK. I got it done. Tracy helped me finish packing and labeling things. She was ready to go, so I felt rushed. I hope I didn't forget anything. I wasn't sad to leave, and I didn't look back as I drove away. I got teary-eyed on the last day of school, but not today. I have been at home with Morgan for 2 weeks now, and I'm loving it. I don't miss work at all. Also, alot of drama has happened with Sally this year, so I'm glad to get out. I will miss my friends, but it turns out that several of them are leaving as well!

My mom said that Morgan's voice sounds different and that she has alot more hair. I've noticed that as well. Today I noticed that Morgan is blowing raspberries quite a bit. That may be the "b" sound I was hearing yesterday. I saw online some language milestones for a 5 month old. Morgan is right on track. She is even doing some things that a 7 month old should be doing! We are practicing rolling over every day. Even though the doctor said not to worry, I will still feel better once she can do it. She is sitting up really well. I think the practice in the Bumbo is helping. She sat up straight in her Boppy tonight for a good 15 minutes while I was on the phone with Adam. Speaking of the phone, I held the phone up to Morgan's ear and Greg talked to her. She turned her eyes toward the phone and then looked up at me and smiled. It was so sweet that she recognized his voice. I almost cried!

Tangent...I am watching something right now on Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. They are the new hot couple now days. I think it's so weird that she is so much taller than him. She has to look down to see him as if he were a munchkin. Bizarre.

Well, it's time to go to bed. Maybe Greg will call before midnight. If not, that's OK. I'll wake up to talk to him! We miss him so much!

A good compromise

2005-06-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it. I actually started a blog! It came to me as I was laying in bed last night. I read an article in the paper yesterday about these ladies who are scrapbooking freaks. They document all the little thing that their kids do and journal them in these extravagent albums. This overwhelming guilt came over me. Am I a bad mother for not getting into this scrapbooking thing? All the girls at church seem to be into it, and I want to so bad! It just seems like such a big investment of time. money, and energy. Is it wrong to feel that way about my precious child's memories? So, I decided that this blog will be a good compromise. I can write every night about me and Morgan's day. Since I am now a stay-at-home mom (that's weird) I don't think many will find my entries all that exciting. In fact, it's doubtful that anyone (except maybe Greg) will be reading this at all. I just like to pretend that I'm writing to a vast audience!

Greg left yesterday for Kadesh and will be gone until Saturday. Saying goodbye wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. He did get teary-eyed when he said goodbye to Morgan. He sang his song to her and gave her hugs. It was very sweet. When I got home, I actually felt empowered like all the sudden I had to be this "supermom". I put together our eliptical machine, cooked dinner, did laundry, etc. It was very weird putting Morgan to bed since Greg does it every night. She did very well and went right to sleep. I think God knew how anxious I was and helped me out a little!

This morning Morgan slept until 10:00 and then we went up to Crow to work on my room. Several teachers came by to see Morgan. Ortiz said she was beautiful! There was no A/C, so it was very hot in the building. I got alot of work done, but I will have to finish tomorrow. Melanie Moseley and I found a fox family in the courtyard and called a wildlife rescue person to come and get them. I'm going to miss Melanie's daily animal rescues! Then we came home and took a nap. Morgan is in a very good mood right now. I've noticed recently that Morgan pays close attention to things that I do (making her bottle, eating dinner). I read that it's time to start cereal when she starts watching us eat. She has also added the "b" sound to her speaking. Also, the last few times we've gone in her bedroom, she has started talking. I think she likes being in there! After Greg gets home from his trips, we'll start letting her sleep in there.

Tonight I think I'll try out the eliptical machine. I'm determined to get back into shape. I want to feel better about myself and feel pretty again. I'm planning on taking Morgan to my mom's tomorrow. Hopefully it will work out.

We miss Daddy!