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Mother's Day

I am now 8 months along in my pregnancy. I am 33wks 1day today. I have 7 more weeks to go! Our little girl will be here very soon and we are patiently awaiting her arrival. We have still so much to do before she comes so we are not in a hurry to give her the eviction notice yet. Other than loss of energy, I have been feeling pretty good and there hasn't been much pain or leg cramps or swelling that I had with my first one.

I did, however, have a major scare on Friday. I woke up from a long night of tossing and turning. I had a sore back, probably from Corey having his elbow in my back all night. He usually sleeps well in his room but that night he got scared and we kept him in our bed. I also woke up with a pulled muscle on my left side around my rib cage. Corey and I went through our usual morning routine and throughout the morning into the afternoon, I realized I had not felt the baby kick at all. I drank some sweet tea which usually gets her going but nothing happened. And I laid on my side for a few minutes before I started work and still nothing. I finally called my Dr. office and they recommended me to come in. I got there and they put me on a machine to monitor her heart rate and contractions. I was not having any kind of contractions whatsoever so that was a good sign. They found the heartbeat pretty quickly but after 20 minutes, she still was not moving. The nurse finally gave me Pepsi to drink and she finally started moving. The doctor thought that was good enough so she sent me on my way. I got back home to start work but I was still not feeling her move. I took the rest of the day off per my supervisor. I rested as much as possible. Finally at 11pm, she started kicking and moving on her own. She made me so scared.

Now-today, a day later, as much as she wasn't moving yesterday, she is skipping, dancing, jiggling and swimming in there today! She likes to play tricks on her mama already. I am so happy she is doing good and still active. She thought it was funny but mama sure didn't!

So, tomorrow is going to be my 4th Mother's day. I have to say, I love being a mom. I would not trade this for anything in the world. From the time my son wakes up in the morning until he goes to sleep, he keeps a smile on my face and he makes me laugh so much. He brings joy to me no matter what he is doing. Yes, motherhood is a challenge sometimes but the rewards are far greater. This is all very cliche but you don't believe the cliches until you are living it. I can't wait to be a mother of 2. I know its not going to be all smiles and rainbows, its definitely going to be overwhelming but I'm sure we are up for the challenge. I couldn't do it without my amazing husband, my awesome mother in law and my own beautiful mother.

I want to take a moment to let my mother know just how much I love her. She is my rock-my best friend. The one person I could tell everything to and I know she would not judge me. We didn't get along in my high school years and I left home at 19 to move in with Chris and we just weren't super close. Somewhere around us getting married and having Corey things changed and she has been by my side through everything. She has been my biggest supporter (besides that amazing husband of mine) through everything. I am glad we can joke about the times we didn't get along now :) She is also a really great Nana. Corey loves her and loves camping with her and Pawpaw. I can't wait to see her with her granddaughter soon though! I know she will just be smitten with her! Mom, I love you and again, thank you for always being there for us! You are truly a wonderful, beautiful, amazing person and I only wish I can be the same kind of mother and supporter to my kids as you are with me!!

Life right now...

I can't believe I have a 3 year old. To me, Corey is still my 'wittle wittle baby'. When we look back at pictures, I tell him 'Corey, thats you as a 'wittle, wittle baby!'. It's cute when he repeats it. He is so smart. I am not being biased. I have had a lot of people be surprised at how much he knows. He can spell out words when looking at the back of a cereal box or driving in a car. He will look up a signs and spell out 'W-A-L...'. He is inquisitive and loves to teach and always telling me about numbers and letters and colors. He LOVES to sing. He is always singing songs that are on the radio and jingles from commercials and from his favorite cartoons. I am amazed everyday.  He's always asking questions. Being 3, comes with the WHY? questions. They can be a little exhausting but I know I have to be patient and teach him the 'why's' of the world. It makes me so happy he wants to learn and that he is a happy little man. And he makes me laugh all the time. He has been in the 'repeat everything I hear' phase for a year now. He used to cuss a lot until we started watching ourselves and now he is even telling people, 'Don't say that word!'. And he scolds us when anyone else says it. He's turning out to be a great kid. And I know he is going to be a great big brother soon.

Our little girl is coming closer and closer. I'm 23 weeks and 4 days along. I am feeling great for being 6 months along. I love my belly and everything that comes with pregnancy. I am very uncomfortable but I tell myself as long as I feel her kicking, I know she's ok in there. We had an ultrasound with a really good ultrasound tech that looked and measured every single body part. She took about 10 pictures and everything looks great. It was a huge surprise to not see a 'boy part'. With Corey, I saw it right away. So, I kept looking for it and finally I said, 'I don't see a boy part, do you?' The tech replied 'No, because its a girl!' She is an absolute surprise because I was all for another boy. She was 99.99% sure. Well, hoping she was sure because we have been shopping a lot for her.

It didn't hit me for a while that we were having a girl. It took me awhile to like the pink stuff but I went shopping with my mom one day and she was excited for all the pink and she picked a few things out for her room. Now I am finally excited for her to come. I even bought some headbands and hats in all different colors and starting on tutu's for her.  I'm on pinterest.com everyday to learn how to make bows for her hair because I know she will have a lot. Chris is excited too. He picked out two outfits for her this past weekend and looked at all the clothes for girls and ooo-ed and aww-ed over the Carter's line at Kohl's. He wanted to buy a lot for her but at the end, only bought 2 outfits and said he will buy her more when he knows what size she will be when she comes out. He is an excited daddy!

Right now, we are decorating her room. Looking for the right shade of pink and brown. And the right shade of gray for our room so we can finally get carpet for all the upstairs rooms this spring. I can't wait for my gray, white and yellow room! I love decorating. It kind of feels like scrapbooking to me. I am also helping plan my cousin's wedding in July so I am really busy right now. It seems like I don't have enough hours in the day sometimes but it makes the time go by so much faster when I have all this stuff to do. It's crazy how we only have 17 weeks left, yay!!

Boy or Girl?

As it gets closer and closer to finding out the baby's sex, I find myself daydreaming about this little one growing inside of me. I am so excited to find out and start buying baby outfits, shoes and blankets. I want to make sure the baby is healthy first and foremost at the ultrasound next month but the ultimate goal is the sex. I can't wait and it will be so much more special to have the most important people there with me. Chris, Corey and my mom.

With that all said, I am going further into my daydreams and what it would mean for us for having a boy or having a girl.

What it would mean if it's a boy:

Corey would have a playmate. Someone to be his little shadow. Someone he can look out for in school if his little brother gets picked on.  Someone to gang up on mom with and play tricks on her. Someone to play football, baseball and basketball in the backyard in the summers.

Daddy would have a 3rd musketeer. Again they can gang up on mommy. Play sports together with Corey. Have games of tag and games of hide and seek. Have a 4th San Francisco 49ers fan. And teach him all he knows about sports.

Mommy would have 2 adorable baby boys that would mean the world to her. She would be just like her best friends, Marcee and Betty with 2 boys to each of them. It would mean finding a way to show them the best way to pee standing up. It would mean not having to send them to separate playdates or after school activities because they would be into the same things. IE: karate, JFL, teeball, etc. It would mean not having to share her girl things with like hair ties, make up and shoes...I stole all this from my mom and she hated it!


What it would mean if it's a girl:

Corey would be the ultimate big brother that will teach her to tie her shoes. Teach her colors and ABC's and 123's. He would protect her when someone picks on her in school. I see him going to a teacher and telling them that a bully is messing with his sister. He would be the only person that can pick on her but he would do it playfully not mean.  When they got older, he would be the one to beat up her ex-boyfriends.

Daddy would have a little princess. She would have him wrapped around her little finger the moment he saw her, as Corey had him. He would again have a 4th San Francisco 49ers fan. He wouldn't let her out of his site when it came to boys and friends. You think he is overprotective with Corey now, wait until he has a girl.

Mommy would have a little shopping buddy. Someone she can teach to bake and cook...well, they could learn together.  Someone to be mad at when she steals her hair ties, shoes and make up. Someone she can put tu-tu's on with her jersey that Daddy put on. Someone she could share what she learned from her mistakes when she was growing up. Someone's hair she could play with and to learn french braids on.


Those were my little daydreams and wishes for this baby. I have dreamed of a family of 4, as perfect as that sounds. It has always been my dream to have a husband and 2 kids in a home with nothing but love for one another. A quote that comes to mind is 'We are family. We may not have it all together, but together we have it all.'  That's what I think about when I see this family of 4. I know its not going to be perfect but to me, this is all that I need. Whether it be a boy or a girl. This baby will make my heart completely complete!

Welcome, 2012!

2011 has came and went. It never slowed down and I see that when I signed in I only had 1 post from 2011. 2012 hopefully will be different but lets face it, I am bad at blogging:/

Chris, Corey and I had an eventful year. We visited family and friends as much as possible and we went to our favorite places as much as possible as well.

We are expecting our 2nd baby here in the early summer and can't wait until he or she gets here. We are wanting to know the sex beforehand so we can get the baby room set up. I can't wait to decorate. I'm sure to know sometime in February, so stay tuned. Our summer is going to be eventful with a new baby. We are excited.

I changed accounts at my job in May in hopes that I would be working back at home and December 19th it finally happened. I work at home and doing 2nd shift. So far it has been lovely, sleeping in and hanging out with Corey in the mornings. We like to have a big breakfast of sausage, oatmeal and toast with milk for him and OJ for me. I keep wanting to get up and cook some eggs and toast for Chris in the mornings but he gets up so dang early and can't muster up the strength to get up. Hopefully, I can get into the habit of it soon since my New Year's resolution is to cook more at home.


There are so many things to look forward to that I can't wait for but I feel like because 2011 went by so fast that this time/this year I want to tell myself to take a deep breath, slow down and enjoy each and every single day. I feel as a mother especially, I am waiting and holding my breath for the next milestone or special event. I need to keep telling myself to enjoy the little things because one day I will look back and realize those little things were the big things that I may just miss and wish I had that time again.

My advice for anyone in 2012 is remember the positive, forget the negative. Don't focus on the negative or you will never get to the positive of any situation. Keep a smile on your face, people will either love you for it and those are the people you want in your life or people will hate you for it. Either way, just keep smiling. Hold your head up high and focus on what matters the most to you. Most of this is me telling myself these things but I hope whoever is reading can take something from this. Oh and to blog more...another New Year's resolution for 2012:)

Loving Life

Life is so busy right now! Its hard to sit still. Life is crazy....and we love it!!

Corey is now 2 YEARS OLD!! We planned a small birthday party that ended up being huge:) But we were so excited that everyone was able to come!

I am now an independent consultant for Scentsy! I am trying to get my business up and running Right now I'm focused on trying to get my clientele up but its hard when all I want to do is buy all the products in the catalog, there will be no way I'll be making money at this.

Chris and I are really focused on Corey. We make sure hes healthy and happy. He has been sick a few time this winter but it was nothing we could not handle. With the help of Chris' mom, Frieda, he has become a very smart, intelligent, wonderful kid. He pronounces his ABC's really well. Kind of knows how to spell his name (we start out saying 'C' and he will finish 'O R E' and we finish with Y). He is a big ol' sponge! He loves to count his cars, though he has hundreds in a matter of months. 3 days before he turned 2, he spent the night at my mom, 'Nana's' house. With a matter of a day, she managed to get him to get rid of the pacie!! I was ecstatic. That is the start of many new 'big boy' things to come, though. We have potty training and getting him to sleep in his own bed at night. We have a good start as we took the crib part off his crib and made him a 'big boy bed'. He doesn't like that too much. We also have him running around in underwear sometimes but I get scared and hurry up and take them off before he has the chance to practice. I hope I can get over these anxieties so he is able to learn.

Chris and Corey love to watch tv together. They watch sports. Corey loves all things sports!! Wrestling, football, basketball...!! its great to see them watching all that together. It's their bonding time. We also watch Seaseme Street, Sid the Science Kid and Dora the Explorer.

They also like to cook together and the love eating and snacking. They are 2 boys that are gonna eat me (momma) out of house and home! Corey is picky when eating but when he likes something, he cannot get enough of it. Just like Chris.

This is just a little update on how we are doing. Thanks for reading:)

Our Summer

I am upset with myself that I have not posted anything since May. Not only is this blog for my friends and family to read but this is a good reference back when i am trying to record things for Corey. He's getting to be super big. Literally, 'a little man' is what I like to call him. He is 19 months now. Walking around like he owns the place. Going through kitchen cabinet drawers, mommy and daddy's dresser, underneath the bathroom sink, in and around my scrapbook room, up and down the stairs. Everywhere except his bedroom! He hates being alone in there but soon he will have to get used to it. Being almost 2 years old, he should be out of mommy and daddy's bed soon but we love cuddling him so, here he sleeps with us because it is us that need him for comfort. He's our little piece of heaven.

I am happy to report that Corey is up to date in all his immunizations until Kindergarten, which for me, is a great feat that I accomplished that for my son. I thought I would be the kind of mommy who says to herself, 'Hey, I'll get them next month or he doesn't need them now, I'll get them done before this or that' I'm a huge procrastinator, so this surprises me. Also not to mention all the people scaring me with the side effects. Corey did not have any!

This has been a really fast summer as always...it goes by so quickly. Because it was pretty eventful. May, we went to the St. Louis Zoo for the first time with Corey. He loooooved it. We had a trip to Vegas in May as well that we won from a radio station to see a group called Paramore in concert at the Hard Rock Hotel. The trip was great and the time we shared without our little guy was needed but by the end of the 4 days, we were really excited to get back to him.

June, we celebrated our 4th year wedding anniversary. Pretty uneventful as well but we know we love each other enough that we didn't need to make a big deal out of it. 4 years together, wow. Plus the 2-3 we dated and were engaged. Its been a long ride but i'm enjoying every minute as his wife.

July, Corey and I took a small trip to Branson with my parents while Chris took a trip with his dad to California. I stayed with my mother in law some of the days while they were away, to make sure she was ok. We had fun times all around.

August, we made a trip to Chicago for our nephews 7th birthday. It was actually Chris and my first trip to Chicago together. We've gone other times but never together and to have Corey with us our first time together was just great! We went to Shedd's Aquarium and Soldier field for family night.

September, we took Corey down the road to the Pumpkin Festival! We went all 4 days it was in town! We had so much fun and Corey loved all the rides he rode with his cousins, uncle, dad, mommy and friends. We had lots of good food. Hotdogs, ribeyes, pumpkin porkchop sandwiches, pumpkin chilli, pumpkin ice cream, lemonade shakeups, corndogs!! Yum yum!! We saw lots of old friends from school and Corey was a big hit with his big smile and huge belly laugh!

We have been hanging out a lot with our friends Kamron, 4 and Landon, 2 and their mom Ashley whom I work with. We have had a lot of playdates and go to places like the zoo and shopping with the boys. We take them to McDonalds and eat lunch of have dinner usually pizza! We love hanging out with them! Its great to have friends to just have a relaxing day together. The boys get along great. I am very happy we have them as friends.

I am happy that I have so many friends and family to share this summer with. It was a pretty fulfilling summer with lots of things going on. For all of you reading who has been a part of our summer, I am very grateful for you all.

Thanks for reading.

15 months:)

We can't seem to sit still these days! Maybe its the fact that COREY'S FINALLY WALKING!! It was a long process for us to teach him how and I have to say we had been very patient. It paid off in the end seeing him walk on his own! 14 months and 1 day old!!

Corey is now 15 months. He runs around and dances and plays hide and seek. Its his favorite game. We have a glass coffee table and he squats underneath and looks up to see if we are looking for him. Its the best thing when he laughs when we find him! Today I found him and I picked him up and he started hugging me but then started attacking me, laughing and biting me...it was crazy! I had to laugh because he thinks its playing around but it did hurt...i'll have to teach him biting is not good! We let him watch Dora and Diego and he loves Sesame Street. Elmo is his favorite! Ok Elmo's my favorite:) I love sitting there cuddling and watching Elmo's World. It is super cute. Corey loves going outside and sitting in the grass and looking at bugs....he is definitely a boy. He likes to explore. He loves visiting his grandparents. We recently went out of town and left Corey with my mom. He did wonderfully there! Nana Norma took all bottles away and now only uses sippy cups!! He got on a schedule and goes to sleep at 8-9 pm. My mom is great with him! Life as a mommy is good....just this week when we got back, I realized that when he says ma-ma, he's actually asking for me and wants me to pick him up! It took awhile hearing that from my son is so rewarding. Chris loves him calling him Dada too. I will say, give Dada a kiss and he turns and kisses him!

Lots of things going on this month and last but as I always end my blogs, I will try to write more often! Hope all is well with you. Thanks for reading!

Where did the time go??

I would like to say nothing has happened these past couple of months so I haven't posted anything. But just the opposite is true. There has been so much going on that I haven't had time to stop and record them and let everyone know how we are doing! We have a 1 year old now!! Corey turned one Feb 13th! It was awesome that it was a Saturday and we could plan a huge party for it! Thanks to all that came, it made his day! We had a lot of fun spending time with everyone and helping Corey celebrate his 1st birthday. He had fun too, although he was pretty tired since I didn't give him a proper nap that day. What can I say? His first birthday only comes once! Here are some pictures! I also have more on Facebook if you want to get on and look:)

He was so super cute! He wouldn't touch his cake until his Aunt Tammy helped him! Putting his face in his cake was the only way he'd eat it! It was a great day!

We are once again just the 3 of us as our house guests finally moved on and out so we no longer have live-in babysitters but its a blessing in disguise since now Corey is babysat by his Grandma Frieda at her house! He has lots of room to play everyday and he's getting to know his daddy's parents a lot better.

He has 6 teeth now and can feed himself really well with those teeth! He still likes for mommy and daddy to feed him his bottle...I don't mind...its an excuse to cuddle him but it does get tiresome when I'm trying to get ready for work:( He cries when we try to give him the bottle to feed himself...I say pretty soon he won't want me to do anything for him so we give in to it...I'm sure by this summer he'll be off the bottle anyway!

Corey's cruising...big time. He can crawl and walk while holding stuff like the couch and tables. Sometimes he'll get up on the bed and actually try to climb up the walls! He's a big ball of energy...I'm just happy he's healthy and happy!

Being back at the office is going okay...I still wish I was working at home and Chris is working lots of overtime so when we get home its dinner....bath for Corey...and a little tv and bed for the 3 of us...I haven't had lots of time for anything else but after our guests left I took all of my scrapbook stuff back into the guest room and now I have a little space for myself and my stuff so I can scrapbook and check email and listen to music. Chris has a workshop down in the basement, he hasn't really done very much in there but he likes organizing it;) Corey has lots of toys and books in his room...his room is a child's dream but he cries when we leave him in there to play, he wants someone to play with...I tell Chris we need a 2nd baby so he has someone to keep him company...maybe soon...don't hold your breathe people, lol! It will have to be something we both want and when we are both ready.

I am going to try to start blogging more often with extra pictures so please bare with me while I find some time to do that each week:) We love you all, thanks for reading!

10 months already!?!

My baby is growing so fast...where did the time goooo? Corey is now eating solids and today he got pieces of chicken fed to him...wow! I'm excited to see him feeding himself finger foods...which will be next.



Right now we are preparing for Christmas...Corey's first one. I'm going to make it as special as possible for him. It will be my first too...my first time hosting my family christmas! 30+ people in my small house...hope I can do it! I want it to be special for Corey, not only him but all my little cousins...I want them to have a tradition to look foward to as I did growing up...hopefully I can make that happen.



What better way to get into the holiday spirit than to visit my brother in law and sister in law. My sister in law does Christmas like its her job! Her house is beautiful and very festive. The day we went, she baked brownies and sugar cookies that were amazing and had Corey eating them. My brother in law gave him a whole sugar cookie and he loved it...had Corey loving him afterwards, giving him big smiles and laid his head on his shoulder when finished...wish I had a picture of it but I have a small video of him admiring his aunt's christmas tree...

Please excuse the background conversation...it was Sunday...football.

Can you see how big Corey is getting, though. My sister in law can barely hold him up!! He is starting to learn how to stand while holding on to stuff and pulling himself up but hasn't got to that stage yet.

In other news....I'm back at work in the office, no longer working at home. My account closed and so I went to another account but this one does not offer the option of working at home so I'm back to the daily grind. I actually have to get up and pack my lunch...do my hair and makeup...start my car...leave my baby at home with babysitters. Yes...I have babysitters...a live in nanny...2! My brother came back home from Texas and brought his Fiancee and is staying with us until they can get on their feet here. I'm loving it...she cooks, he cleans, they both take care of Corey until Chris gets home from work. I missed my little brother...I'm happy he's here for the holidays.

Chris has been working lots of overtime at Cat. He is loving being the head of the house! He's a good daddy and plays with Corey from the time that he comes home from work to the time we go to sleep for the night! He's having fun this season, watching football with Corey and teaching and talking to his little boy about the games. Recently, Chris taught Corey how to high five, very cute!

It has been bitterly cold out this week and we have not taken Corey out at all. I'm hoping this weekend or sometime next week before Christmas, we can take a trip out to the Festival of Lights in East Peoria. I would love to see Corey's eyes when he sees all the lights! Lots of stuff to be excited about:)

9th month in November:)

I feel like I never really had a little baby...Corey was big when he was born and he's always been a big boy... Right now, it seems to me that Corey is a full blown toddler. He's always had a mind of his own and wants to be independent all the time. In the past month of November we've gone through milestones like they were nothing...

November 1st he started waving bye...he doesn't know the concept of it yet...that you leave and you wave, no he'll do it randomly and at the wierdest times. Maybe he's just waving 'hi!' to us.

We also got him started on 3rd stage foods. It requires lots of chunks and chewing so he's starting to eat table food like eggs, banana's and teething biscuits. Not that he hasn't eaten teething biscuits before but he actually chews them instead of sucking on them.

November 13, Chris lowered his crib because he's been sitting up and lifting himself up on things...that was a moment I knew I didn't have a little baby anymore...like I said, not that we ever did have a little baby but it really hit me then. I am very proud:)

Between the 13th and the 15th his upper left tooth broke thru and he now has 3 teeth! That is amazing!! I don't know the exact date of the tooth but it wasn't there before the 13th and it was there on the 15th and plus he didn't make a big deal out of it...it must not have been too bad. Corey is a tough guy!!

For the past month, I have been teaching him to point out the nose, eyes, ears, and mouth....He's got the nose down pat and when you ask him where his nose is, he'll point to yours, lol. He doesn't have the concept that he has a nose and where it is. He'll get it soon.

And the big announcement: In the past 24 hours Corey has crawled!! Wednesday the 18th, I was getting all my scrapbook stuff out, my brads and stamps and buttons and Corey was so curious that he started crawling, he took 3 big crawls and stopped, I screamed and everyone came running in but he didn't do it again probably because I scared him. Then today Thursday the 19th, he got tired and just started crawling... anywhere and everywhere, to the picture frames on the floor, to the PS3 remotes by the tv, to the dvd stacker, just everywhere. I got it all on video and I'm so happy I got it! Thats the one reason why we got the camcorder and I'd be really upset at myself if I didn't use it.

Its been a whirlwind of milestones and firsts so I told myself I'd better get to blogging before I forget the dates!

Next week will be his first Thanksgiving! I'm making sure that every year he knows that I'm thankful for him and his Daddy...Happy Thanksgiving, All!!

Wowza!

It has been 2 months since I last wrote. I can't believe how time is passing by so quickly, it just gets away from you. It is both sad and exciting. When I'm here counting down Corey's milestones and waiting for the next one to happen, I realize that I must be patient and let it happen on its own...who cares if he hasn't crawled yet, he'll get it soon and I will wish he'd be back to his little self playing around on his tummy and back. Its so exciting to see him learning and playing! He is at the stage now where he is trying to figure out how to sit himself up. My poor baby's abs are going to be hard as rock soon, he only goes halfway up then gives up, kind of like a sit up!

Corey now has 2 teeth! His first tooth he got on September 17th on the bottom middle and the 2nd he got on the 28th of September to the left of his first one. Its hard to get pictures of them because of the trauma to his face he had since birth. It has gotten much much better but when he smiles, his mouth is still slightly crooked so no toothy grin yet that you can see real well. I know he's proud of them either way! When he spent the night at my mom's house one day around the first week of October, she gave him a bit of pancakes...he looooves pancakes now! and then on October 6th, he started eating Cheerios and little Gerber cheese puffs! It is sooo cute how he eats them...its crazy how babies know what to do as far as gumming/chewing their food up before swallowing and I love how he says 'mmmm' with every bite! He's so smart!

He likes to play by himself on the floor with all his toys! He has a ton with what I buy him and what my friends send our way. Taking books from my sister in law's garage sale was the best thing I could have done for him. He gets so excited when I pickup a book because he knows I'll sit him on my lap and read to him. Then he'll steal it and 'eat' it...boys! Speaking of which, I love that I have a boy. He is so rough and tumble and he already likes wrestling on the floor. Well, we don't wrestle we roll and I have him pinning me but he laughs and laughs. Just the other day, we were at my aunt's house and her little 15 month old girl Mariana walks around and runs and stuff. Well, she ran right over Corey and it didn't phase him at all! It was great to see that he can handle his big cousin!

Mariana is his only friend for now. We haven't really found any one we can actually go and make playdates with. My friend Stephanie who lives in another state came home for a visit and we got the boys together in September, they are only 2 weeks or a week and a half apart. Corey had lots of fun and it was so cute how they (didn't) interacted. Corey was so excited at one point that he screamed really loud and he scared his little friend Dominic. It was too cute though. Anyways, there hasn't been really anymore friends...I guess that means I have to get out more!

Sleeping is pretty much the same. We have him in his crib which we will be lowering pretty soon so that way he doesn't fall out from him sitting up on his own. He'll get up occasionally at night because he's either hungry or cold and I am too lazy to rock him back to sleep in his room so I just put him back in bed with us. Chris hates it but I tell him if he doesn't like it he'll need to go in there and rock him then. I haven't seen that happen yet so...my way so far. He'll wake up in the morning and go back to sleep after his bath and lunch then will wake up and take an evening nap. and if we're lucky a 3rd nap in between. Pretty much this is all we do eat, sleep and play...no wonder I haven't written for 2 months...nothing to report I guess!

Can you believe Corey will be a year old in 4 months...okay, okay... no more looking ahead!!

Corey's 6 month shots.

Last Thursday, Corey received his 6 month shots. It was the first time mom did not come with us for a doctor's appointment and so it was kind of nerve racking but I got through it.

Corey got recircumcised, his foreskin grew back and he needed to get it pushed back. The doctor said it was going to hurt big time but it didn't phase him one bit. He's a strong little boy!

We then had to put him through getting his shots. I had to hold him down which really sucked and it was my first time doing it. Right before the nurse gave him the shots, I had remembered I needed to give him Tylenol for it to not hurt as much and to avoid fever. It didn't help much but I gave it to him before he got the shots. He screamed and cried. I was so sad for him. We got home and he slept the whole day. When he woke up, I had to go to work but I let Chris know he needed Tylenol, a whole dropper and a half. HE ONLY GAVE HIM A HALF A DROPPER. And by the time I knew about it, it was time for his next dose of medicine. But he was asleep so I waited a whole hour before giving it to him. I gave him that dose and we all went to sleep. By the time, we woke up, Corey had a fever. His first fever since he was born...I felt so guilty for not taking care of him well enough. He had a fever until Friday night.

Saturday, my mom took him so Chris and I could go out. She called me at one in the morning saying he had a fever of 100.3. I was sooo tired and I could have sworn she said 100 and 3! I was like 'Mom! We gotta take him to the hospital, his brain is frying!!' Mom was like, 'Listen carefully, he has a hundred POINT three temp, he's fine, I'm just calling to let you know.' I was very relieved. When I went to go get him that morning, he had no fever and he hasn't had a fever since.

So, I survived his first fever. It was scary but we got through it!

Happy

I am loving life. I have a lot to be grateful and thankful for.

Tomorrow (8/21/09) at 11pm will be the start of a 9 day vacation off work. Its going to be amazing, awesome, incredible and enjoyable. I'm so excited. I have everything to look forward to and nothing that needs to be done or anywhere I need to go. I know I have plans to see people and go to some places but most of the time I will be home playing with Corey and making dinner for Chris. I plan to take long walks with them and cleaning the house top to bottom also fixing the spare room. I plan to go see my grandma and play bingo with her and party with my friends over the weekends that I'm off. I plan to go shopping a lot, not that I'll buy anything just window shopping but who knows!? I also plan on doing a lot of scrapbooking but right now its feeling more like a chore so I'll get to that when I get to it.

I have gotten down to my weight from before I got pregnant! It took me all of 5 months...5 not 6 since I've been this size for a month now. I actually weigh less then before I was pregnant so thats good! Now I'm not sure if I'm under weight but I assure you, I eat! For example, today I ate a hot pocket, chips and a cookie for lunch and Mcdonalds for dinner...yuck but I'm on the go with Corey and work so I'm not really watching what I'm putting in my body so hopefully on vacation I can find some simple receipes to do when I'm working.

I'm seriously so happy that I hope its not too good to be true...so as usual I'm praying that everything stays good and I pray that my family and friends are safe, happy, and loved.

Good night:)

Corey is 6 months old

A half a year old...half a year and he'll be a year old. It has gone by so fast and its going even faster now that falls almost here. Fall is always so busy for us with football, pumpkin festival, spoon river drive, & holidays. It seems we have something going on every week! I can't really keep up with Corey's pictures and upload them to facebook and myspace because they require lots of descriptions and dates and why i took them so I haven't uploaded any. I have lots of milestones on camera and camcorder and I can't wait to make a mini movie of it...for his birthday, yes, I'm already planning it! I'm thinking of displaying tons of pictures on a poster and having the mini movie playing! I have a method to my madness is what I tell Chris everytime I ask him to start the camcorder up:)

So now that Corey is half a year, he's not just laying around looking cute anymore. Yea, he's still cute and he gets cuter everyday but he's got a big personality now. He likes his toys and he sits on the floor and plays with all of them like they are brand new! He sits up...he's been sitting up since he was 5 months old but now he is moving his body left and right trying to get toys.

He says words...but still not 'mama'. He is getting the 'mmm' sound though so probably very soon. Dada is his favorite word still. I think before when he first started saying it, it was just a word to him but now he can look at Chris and actually say 'dada' to him. Chris is now getting the VIP treatment from him. He only used to give it to me and my mom but now whenever he sees Chris, his whole face lights up and he'll get excited. With anyone else, he will cry and get mad if anyone but us is holding him...the only 2 people he's absolutely content with is me and mom. Don't ask why its mom, maybe we look alike or something.

Corey eats a lot! I'm still nursing but he'll have cereal and fruit for breakfast. Fruit and a veggie for lunch and a meat and fruit for dinner. He's heavy!! He loves his bananas and sweet peas but he hates broccoli and chicken and chicken noodle dinner, lol. He makes a gagging noise and face when I make him eat it. I'm not letting up though he'll have to get used to it. I refuse to have a picky eater!

Chris and I let him sleep with us occasionally but sometimes he really just likes his crib, probably because we don't crowd him when he's in there. He doesn't wake up when he's in his crib but when he's with us, he'll wake up 3 times a night either because he smells his milk or we are moving around trying to get comfy with him in the middle. I like that he can sleep without us but we sometimes like him to sleep with us when the weather's bad outside or when he's sick.

He likes going over and visiting people. He likes short drives and he likes taking bites from ice cream and cookies. He likes homemade tortillas and teething biscuits. He loves gerber juice but he refuses to drink it from a bottle so we have to give it to him in a cup...not a sippy cup, a juice cup! He's worn a size 6mos. since he was 3 months and now he's in size 9mos now that he is 6 months. I get him an outfit every week...poor 2nd child...will have all hand me downs! I'm hoping for a girl for my second one but I have a feeling its going to be a boy so I'm saving everything!

Corey is rough and tumble and I'm thinking he will stay like that, he's a boy...a very mischevious and curious little boy and I can't wait to keep watching him grow up!!

Love & Marriage....

I am in love with my husband all over again!

I have mad love for him and its all just starting to come back. No, seriously, Chris and I have been focused on Corey this past 5 months (not to mention the 9 months waiting for him to come out) that we have drifted apart.

One drunken night, it all came out and I told him there was no spark and that we aren't even intimate anymore. When you're drunk, the truth comes out whether you want it to or not. Chris said some choice words to me but I hurt his feelings really bad that night and ever since then we are making up for it to each other.

Another eye opener was when a friend was having a fight with her husband and I had asked if she was ok. Her response was "We're okay, we are just having one of your and Chris's fights." She was saying their fight was comparable to our fights. It kind of upset me that she would say that but I had it coming when we argue out in the open in front of people. All couples fight, but its the ones that are out in the open that really counts, not because you'll remember them but other people will remember them and so will you. I don't remember that we fight about who's doing what around the house but I do remember the fight we had when we were at his uncle's wedding in '07 and I drove off mad (I didn't leave him, he got in before I could drive off, door dinging his brother's car along the way)

So, with those events taking into play, I realized he's my husband and I wouldn't trade him for anything ...okay maaaaybeee Tom Brady. But until Tom comes along, I'm really appreciating Chris a lot more now for what he does. And man, does he do a lot. My husband cooks, cleans, does laundry, vacuums, takes care of the baby, takes out the trash, does grocery shopping, mows the lawn, etc. I have talked to him about this and he says he appreciates me, too, which makes me happy. I asked what he appreciates about me and he said the way I take care of Corey, the way I take care of myself. He loves my body which is crazy since I just had a baby. He loves that I'm independent, that I can go have my fun while he has his. He loves that I work and bring home a pay check. He says thats why he does all the stuff I mentioned above without complaint. He knows that one thing we compromised when having Corey was that I would go to second shifts but he also knew I would not be cooking and laundry when I had to work. He is a sweetheart and I am so lucky to have him. Its made me realize I can't let him go so he's stuck with me and vise versa.

So we are fighting less and wrestling more...if you know what I mean!!


OOOOHHHH! One other thing I keep forgetting to blog about

Corey has said his first word!! Dada...!

He started saying that on July 17th. I had a small ping of disappointment but I'll give Chris this one thing since Corey looks just like me. And of course because like I said above, Chris really deserves the honor for all that he does for us!

We love you 'dada'!

Seperation Anxiety & My Grandmother

It is happening...Corey won't let me put him down and when he is with people and I leave his sight, he bawls and bawls. I knew it would happen one day but I didn't know it was going to be this early on. The good news is that when we leave him somewhere with a grandparent or a babysitter, he doesn't seem to be phased. Its only when I put him in someone else's arms and right away he realizes those arms aren't his mommies. And I have become one lazy mommy putting everything aside from scrapbooking to cleaning to even shopping just because I don't want him crying in his swing in the living room or even stroller because I can't hold him or carry him around. So, I do nothing at all and Chris comes and the house is messy and the groceries aren't there. I need a maid or a nanny. No, I need some balls and just let him cry, right?!

He got this way because of me always having him in my arms. He is spoiled because I have spoiled him. So I shouldn't complain. I love the little guy! In all seriousness, Corey will be growing and crawling and walking soon so I should cherish the time where he wants to be in my arms!

Like I said, I'm getting to be pretty lazy at things and I know Chris is getting upset about it. He picks up the slack though and I really really appreciate it and love him for it. I'm hoping he knows how much I love him. I'll get there someday where I have the energy to feed, bathe, and play with Corey along with clean, cook, and run errands.

Last week was a really hard week to live through. My grandmother came to Illinois on the 16 of June and has been struggling to adjust. The last weekend in June, she had lots of stress build up on her weak body and was rushed to the hospital that Monday. Tuesday I was waiting to go see her while the doctors did a stress test on her. She was to be in there for 3 hours and barely and hour later the doctor called my cousin whom I was with at the time and told her to get back to the hospital asap. We were freaking out. The dr said her heart stopped beating for 15 seconds. We were in shock. The doc said he was going to put a temporary pace maker in her for that day and sched the next day for surgery for a permanent pacemaker. At that time, all my aunts and uncles rushed to her bedside along with most of my little cousins and my aunt and her family with my brother and his girlfriend who all live in Texas. I went in late to work that day, not wanting to leave but knew I had to. The next day my family from Texas came right before she went into surgery. It was terrible seeing her cry from being so scared and watching her be wheeled out. I freaking cried and cried. But it was kind of a distraction when I finally saw my little brother and him finally meeting Corey. It was so cute how he wanted to keep him all day. I decided it would be best to stay in Bloomington to see my grandma and spend time with my family in the light of her surgery so I called in and I am so happy I did. I was able to see my grandma come out of surgery and hang out with my brother and his girlfriend for a while.

Needless to say, when you have an elderly in the hospital there is going to be fighting among family and ours was the worst. Everyone fought and I just stayed back and stayed out of it. For the most part, I was just happy to see family and to see my grandma come out of it alive and well. She is truly the strongest out of anyone I know and I'm so happy to call her my grandma.

I have

Corey's 'guest book' is done. Here are some a couple of pages of it:

Why am I so stressed?

I am so stressed about something but don't know what it is...I've been fidgety and nervous since the start of the week. Last night, I couldn't go to sleep until 2 o'clock. Some reasons may be...

*Work...of course.

*I looked down at Corey today and realized how big he is. He's practically sitting up on his own and looks around like a big boy of a year old would. He's growing like a weed. He holds his bottle up on his own and takes his pacifier and will take it in and out of his mouth.

*My grandmother is coming to visit for the summer from Texas. She will be here on the 15th and it can not come soon enough. I'm so excited to see her...and have her meet Corey! I missed her so much it kinda hurts to think about.

*My mom went back to work after having 3 weeks off and seeing her everyday for that amount of time...I miss hanging out with her.

*I went to the dentist yesterday before work...no cavities but my wisdom teeth are coming in kinda funny. Kinda worried about that but even before my appointment, I was worried about actually going to the dentist and being late for work since it was hour before I had to start. It was all good, though.

*I've been stressed about family...I don't like it when people think of me in a bad light. People say I've changed, yes I've changed I agree but I know thats not all me and people should understand. I guess what needs to be done is to fix myself and that is exactly what I'm going to do. Not because I think I have to but because I want to. I want to be my old self and be lovable, huggable Rosanna. I don't want Corey growing up hearing how big of a bitch his mommy is!

As I'm writing this, all I want right now is ice cream...

I don't take stress very well. I never have. I talked to my mom about this at some point when I was pregnant. She recalls when I was a teen that I would just break down and shut myself in my room and cry and cry. Can't really do that nowadays...I guess I grew out of it. I do remember the day we were talking about it when I was pregnant, I did cry, she said it wasn't the pregnancy, it was me just being me. I think she's right because right now I want to cry. Just one more day of work and I have the weekend!

Zoo & Bridal Shower

We had a jam packed weekend. We took Corey to Glen Oak Zoo in Peoria for their grand opening of the new Africa part. I was so excited about it. When I was younger, I lived less than a mile from the zoo and the park and always walked there. For visitations, my dad always took us there. I don't remember my mom ever taking us but I do remember getting a picture taken sitting on the big lion outside of the building, I wish I had that picture but I'm sure my dad took it and he has it. When I was about 9 or 10, I remember walking to to the zoo with my little friends. I thought I was so grown up! My mom found out and she freaked out. I would have too now that I think about it. My little niece is about that age and I would be freaked if she ran around the middle of Peoria...scary!

ANYWAYS...so we went Saturday and got there right in time to see the cutting of the ribbon. I made Chris record it with the new camcorder...not sure why...but we have it. We got lots of footage of Corey looking at the animals, but we aren't sure if he was actually seeing them. I also took lots of pictures to scrapbook of Chris holding him up to see the lions and tigers and monkeys! Its going to be fun to scrapbook. I bought paper for this 2 months ago so I'm excited to get going on that layout. Unfortunately, it will have to be after I get done with his hospital pictures...FROM WHEN HE WAS BORN!!!

I also went to my friend, Courtney's bridal shower after the zoo. It was so nice to see her and her family as well as the other girls we hang out with, Carrie & LeeAnn. We try to see each other as much as possible. I had lots of fun playing the bridal games like Name the Spice and dressing up Leeann in toilet paper to see who can make the best bridal gown. Of course, the bride's team won but I think we did an awesome job! I took Corey and everyone was just gushing over him...he loved the attention and didn't cry once.

Sunday, we were at Wal-mart contemplating on what we should do with the anniversary money his parents gave us. It took us an hour to figure out we wanted to start painting rooms in our house and then we had to figure out which color we wanted our spare bedroom to be. I chose this cute purple. I'm excited to see it when its finished. I'm going to put up sayings in every room in the house with vinyl lettering. Corey's saying is "Set your goals high and don't stop until you get there!" He has a sports theme in his room so it goes with the theme. My room will be blue and I want our saying right above our bed and it will say, "Always kiss me goodnight" I'm not sure what the spare room's saying will have. I'm getting ideas online but I'm excited to use my new die cutting machine, the Silhouette, to cut out the lettering!

All in all, it was a great weekend. I want to say we are the perfect little family but I know thats not true and everyone has problems...neither one of us, Chris or I is perfect. I just know that we can overcome any obstacles that comes around. We love each other and our families and that will never change.