We are home

Yes, we made it home. We flew into Honolulu on Feb 23rd where Daddy picked us up at the airport. Brad actually beat us home from his underway. He went out on a 6 week, well actually only 5 weeks, underway. Hence the reason that Eme and I went traveling to see everyone. Anyway, the boat broke and they needed to come back into port and start repairs on it sooner than expected.

All has been well. Eme got back into the swing of Hawaii things pretty easy. I have been pretty productive with my list of things to do so that is why I have not blogged recently. I have actually had to erase some TV shows off the DVR because I have not had time to watch them.

So what has been going on??? I have had a list of things to get done for a while now and have not gotten to them. So I am in a good place to actually get things done. What things do I keep referring too??? Well, let me explain.

Day care for Eme- I have put her in a day care before but she was not crawling at the time so she would spend most of her time away from the other kids and I think this frustrated her. This was back in September. After a few days of picking her up when she was sitting in a corner crying, I decided to pull her and not take her back. Well after my trip to Texas, I realized that she really needs to make some friends her age and get some socialization badly. I mean how else will she learn to share her toys. I don't really share so I am not the best role model for that. I do realize that she will learn some nice behaviors that I probably will wish she did not learn, but that is life right. So anyway, I put her back into the same place because that was the only affordable option for right now. I wanted to see if now that she is mobile would she do better. YES, YES, YES!!! She is loving it. The first day she did not want to come home. I would pick her up and she wanted to get back down and play some more. She has been there for about a week and she is doing wonderfully!!! I stood outside the window and tear up everyday because I see her playing with the other kids or even by herself but she is having so much fun. There has only been one day that I picked her up when she was crying and that was partly my fault because I did not tell the teacher that she had a paci in her bag. So I am going to put her in 3 days a week for 3 hours at a time so that I can get some things done at the house and also so that I can schedule my appointments during this time.

Storage for the house- Hawaii houses are really small. I did plan for this and left some stuff that I knew that we would not need in Texas. Well, we have purged and purged and still have too much stuff. We are down to the things that I don't want to get rid of but really are not going to use here. So I am going to get a storage unit and store those items and some furniture to open the house up a little bit.

Projects for the house- We have a lot of projects that are either started and never finished or not started but really need to get done. I want to finish painting, finish the base boards, re-vamp the kitchen and a few other things. We have been here long enough that we need to get these projects done. I have also promised my parents that I will not have any house projects for them to do on their next visits because the last two they have done some pretty huge tasks for us. We love you and appreciate your help!! It is a shame that Janis and Merle don't live closer because we would love some of their help and knowledge too. Master home renovators they are!!! With Eme around it is a little hard to paint a room or get some other things done. Now that she is gone for a few hours, I have time to get some of this work done myself or arrange to get some help with it.

Getting in shape- Brad and I both need to get into better shape. He has been running at work because he has mandatory PT some mornings. He is really thrilled about this. I have been needing to lose some weight to help with my back problems. Since I have been back, I have started working out on the elliptical machine that is in our living room and I have been doing a little running with the dogs and Eme. My plan is to get up earlier than Eme to work out and start my day early. We will see if I can get that plan going. I have to work out very slowly because I do have major pain in my back when I work out. But I can't get rid of my back pain unless I exercise and strengthen those muscles. It is a viscous cycle but I have gotten through it in the past so I can do it again. I am also in Physical Therapy for my back so that has also jump started my exercise program.

Enjoying Hawaii- We have lived here for a over a year and a half and Brad still has not seen some pretty obvious sites. I have not been to some pretty obvious sites too, but I have played the tour guide to family and friends so I have seen a lot more. So last weekend we toured the North Shore. We had some shave ice, ate at Cholo's (a pretty well advertised Mexican food restaurant, that was not really all that great in my opinion. Yes, I have a very high standard for my Mexican food but what do you expect from a Texas girl??), and went to the Dole Plantation. If you ever visit me here, I will take you on the tour of the island according to this travel tour that tells you all about the sights and sounds of the island, while we drive the island. I did not get it for our trip so I gave Brad the "Lauren" version since I have listened to it about 5 times now. I must say that the "Lauren" version is not as good since I only remember the points that interest me and really butcher some of the pretty important other points. Anyway, point being that we did some touristy things and got out of the house. I hope that we can continue to do this but I have to come up with a list of some things that we can do with Eme that don't always include to Beach.

Go to bed earlier- I want both of us to go to bed earlier so that we are getting the best rest that we need to be fully functional the next day. Easier said than done, but I have been pretty tired at the end of the day so it hasn't been to hard. Another reason that blogging has been lacking as I usually do this later in the evening after catching up on TV shows.

So that is what we/I have been up to. Sorry that I have not been a better blogger. Once I get some of my tasks completed, I will update you. I will try to post some pictures soon too.

Hearts to Everyone

Happy Valentine's Day to all my readers! Love & aloha to you all! Let me know that you were here by leaving me a comment. Also, follow me or sign up for updates on the right hand side.

Lauren & Eme

I am so proud!!

I am such a proud mommy!! Eme said Mama Feb 10th, 2009 at 7:20 am. We were in Little Rock, Arkansas waiting to board a Southwest plane back to Houston, Texas. I was so proud even though I think it was said in protest. I had just pryed her mouth open to retrieve the napkin piece that she was eating. She turned away from me and tried to get into her diaper bag while in the stroller and went "mama mama mama" while crying. I asked her what she just said and she looked at me and said "mmma". I will take it even in protest!!! i have only been waiting 11 months for that moment. I called here daddy's cell even though I knew he would not pick up to share the joy of the moment. She says it off and on throughout the day. Her little face is so cute when she makes the sound as she purses her lips to say it.

We were just in Memphis, TN visiting with GrandDad and Grandma D. We also visited with Brad's Uncle Jack & Aunt Nancy and Aunt Heather & Uncle Fred. Kristin, Brad's sister, also joined the fun. We had a great time and it was great to catch up with all the family. I am so glad that they were all able to see Eme. Eme did really well with all the new faces.

We are now in Hallettsville, TX visiting with Grammy and Gramps. We have seen Brad's grandparents as well. We will be here until the end of the week. Eme is having fun playing with the big dogs, Storm and Natasha. Each time she sees them she says "da Da".

I am so amazed at her every day. She is learning so much and showing us what she has learned. I need to do a list of what she can do before her first birthday so that I have a record of it to put in her baby book. I will put that on my list. I am making notes of that dates these milestones are happening on for record keeping.

Anyway, I thought I would update my readers with what is going on during our vacation. More later with pictures too. Heading to bed for another big day ahead.

Leaving on a Jet Plane-

Hey all, We are packed and ready to take our big trip. I hope to post while I am gone but if I don't get a chance I will post when I get back. I look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Packin' up and ready to go!!!

So we are packing up for our big trip to Texas and Tennessee to see family. I am very excited to see everyone. I am totally stressed trying to pack and get ready. The dogs are being pills because they know something is up. I don't blame them but it makes things even more difficult. At least the have helped keep Eme a little entertained while I work. Anyway, I better go get more things done before we leave.

Vet Fiasco

I really have a love hate relationship with the Army vet clinics. I have had nothing but difficulties with them. The only reason I continue to use them is that they are so cheap compared to the civilian clinics. I do not understand why it costs $150 per dog to have three little shots and a heart worm test. The Army is able to do this for $84 for both dogs. Hmmm, $300 vs $84. I guess the fiasco's will continue to save us money but give me the biggest headache ever. This visit has us standing in the rain for a hour just to get into see the techs to get shots. It would have been three or four to see the Dr and get the health certificate that i needed to board the dogs. I decided that I was not going to hang out in the rain with Eme and the dogs for a piece of paper up an hour from our house. I did stop at the clinic that was closer to our house that only sees animals by appointment that you have to make like two months in advance. They were very nice and were able to fit us in to see a vet to get the stupid health cert. I guess I could have been proactive and made an appointment a few months ago but really I don't do much in advance. Besides, I did start a week in advance of my trip so I tried to plan ahead a little bit. Rain and headache aside, Eme did really well and loved seeing all the dogs. She kept saying Da and squealing when she saw a dog.

Cool!!!

Someone at blogger must have heard my plea for a non orange nav bar. Anyway, I found a not so ugly nav bar to use. Yeah!!!

I am off to the army vet to get the girls their annual shots and health cert for their boarding. I need a shower too so while Eme is down for her nap I am going to hop in the shower! Now that everyone knows that, I am off to do it.

More later when I get back from the vet.

Silly me and a sign

So I posted a fix to take the nav bar off my blog because is was ugly and had orange in it. For those of you who don't know I really dislike the color orange. No it is not because I am an Aggie, I just don't like the color orange. Anyway, the point was that I thought the nav bar was ugly and I removed it. Well, I did not think that one through very much as I just tried to update the blog and I could not figure out how to log in without using the nav bar. I finally figured out a way but it took way to long so I put the ugly bar back on. Ughhh, whatever.

So I had a doosey of a day on Saturday. I got up and ready to go in the car by 9 am, which for me was a huge accomplishment. So I loaded Eme in to the car and realized that I had taken the car paci into the house the last time we were in the car and did not bring it out this time. So I went back into the house to get one, got it and locked the house up and was walking back to the car when all of a sudden I was on the ground in pain. I ate it big time on the sidewalk. Luckily no one saw but I was now gushing blood from my knee. So I got Eme out of the car, went back into the house and cleaned my leg up, while chasing Eme down since I was not watching her. She can crawl really fast when she wants to. Anyway, I did actually take pictures of my banged up knee but I will spare you the goriness. I am sporting the latest in Band Aid fashion, a huge 2x2 bandage. Well, it hurt like heck but I sucked it up and limped back out to the car to load little bit in her car seat so we could head off on our day of shopping. I did get everything that I needed so tasks were accomplished.

So I think this was a sign of what is to come in the very near future. I am convinced that I needed to go through a skinned knee to help Eme get through hers. She is getting braver and more daring with her cruising. She is pulling up onto everything and will be walking very soon. That being said, I am sure that scraps and bruises are to come any day now. I guess I needed a reminder of how to take care of them so I was tested. Now I know that it hurts like heck and is a pain in the neck too, as I can't get down on the ground very easily without bending my knee.

I gave a friend a baby shower on Sunday, hence the shopping trip on Saturday, which was a lot of fun. Eme got to play with new friends, Ava, who is almost 2 and donates many clothes to Eme, and Skylar, who is 4. I loved watching her interact with the big girls. I have to get her into a day care with other kiddos in March so that she can learn social skills and make friends.

Today, I had Physical Therapy, aka Pain and Torture. Nothing much else going on. Oh, the PT was not for my little fall but for my back that has been giving me lots of pain recently.

This week will be filled with preparations to see the grandparents and family.

So here is a picture from New Year's Day. I need a thought bubble above her head most of the time just to see what is going through her mind. The caption for this would probably go something like this - 'What - I sure did not make this mess with the Cheerios. By no means, did I reach into my diaper bag, pull the baggie out, and chew on it to create a hole to let the Cheerios out all over the floor. But since they are on the floor, I guess I can help clean them up by eating them. Maybe the doggies would like a snack, too. '

Have a great Tuesday!

Here's Eme!!!

So here are some pictures that I took today. I just changed over Eme's clothes to her 12 month stash so we have a bunch of new clothes to show off. We also just received a lot of hand me downs from some friends here on the island. I can't believe that she is 10 1/2 months old. She has grown like a weed.
I missed her perfect smile because I cut her head off. Okay so photographer is not my calling. It is hard getting her to smile just right.

She was not too sure about being on the coffee table but she managed to give me a few cute shots.

Here is my cheese ball shot. She gives me this smile all the time. I am glad I captured it on film, well digi film.

Look at all those teeth!!! She has 8, 4 on top and 4 on bottom.

I am too cute and I know it!!

Cheese!!! Hey mom put that camera up - here is the case, enough with the pictures.

How is she so darn cute??? She is going to be hard to stay straight faced in her naughty times!!!

Where have I been???

Well, after almost a year of motherhood I am finally finding my groove to get back into the swing of things. Where did I go? Well, I have this lovely black hole that I retreat to some times and that is where I have been. Things got really overwhelming and I just could only deal with certain things and everything else went by the way side. Blogging was one of those that was easy to push away. I did not really have anything positive to say so I did not say anything.

2009 is a new year. Yeah, yeah, new years resolutions smosions. No, really, I have figured some things out for my self with the help of some professionals and I have a groove that I am really liking. So I am trying to emerge and join society again.

Eme is doing great. The dr's and I have found a great solution to her discomfort and pain so she is a very happy baby now. It was very rough trying to figure things out but we finally have things under control. She has acid reflux and delayed gastric emptying, with possibly a milk allergy. Really long story so I won't go into it but it is really under control.

Huge mistake in parenting, letting my emotions and the need to help my baby get the better of me when it comes to sleeping. I spent the last 9 months of my life on the couch with Eme in the swing, on my chest or propped up on a pillow at the foot of the couch while she was sleeping at night and during the day for nap time. I also let her dictate her bed time. Why is it that I let a child of less than a year dictate her sleep times and mine??? How is it that I could crate train both of my dogs but I could not train myself to put my child in her crib??? So at the end of Dec, I did sleep training with her all by myself. It took 2 days for her to get on schedule and she only cried for about an hour each night. Nap times took a week but she is totally on a schedule now. She still cries when I put her in her crib but by the time I come downstairs and get the monitor she is out. I really wish I had done this a few months ago but hind sight is always 20/20. Anyway, I have found several hours that I did not think I had and I have regained some Lauren time, which has really helped emerge from the blackness.

So, my goals for this blogging thing? I hope to keep up to date at least once a week. If I don't achieve this I won't beat myself up about it, I will just pick up where I am at that moment. I have this thing about needing to catch up which tends to get overwhelming and then the black hole starts looking really good. So if I disappear, bear with me I will emerge sooner than this latest episode.

I do want to update and let my readers see Eme's first year in retrospect. I have even figured out how to upload video too so I have pictures and video from the past year for you too see. The catch, you have to wait for me to get around to posting them. Remember the overwhelming thing, this is very huge task so I will get there just have patience with me.

So, I am making this a permanent post at the top for the next month so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle. Keep checking back for updates or you can subscribe by signing up with your email on the right. It will send you an email when I post something new.

Sorry for the absence and thanks for your patience with me. Thanks for your support too. I appreciate it.