Daddy's little honey

Yesterday I had The Little Mermaid on while playing with Makayla.  Cornell came in and watched a little bit of it.  After about 10 minutes, he goes "wow, watching this movie just makes me REALLY want to color."  hehe!



Our neighbor Wendy took a few photos of Makayla a couple weeks ago.  Once again, she wasn't very smiley.  She just kind of stares when I try and try to get her to smile.  She did smile a little bit though when she saw Wendy's son, Aiden.  She is just loving other little kids recently...it's pretty cute to watch her try and interact with them by talking and making her little noises.

One thing that can get Makayla to smile at a drop of a hat is her daddy.  She is SUCH a daddy's girl!  The other day, I was playing on the floor with her and Cornell came home.  As soon as he walked in the door, her arms started flapping, legs were kicking, and she snorted while breathing so fast because she was so excited! He didn't pick her up immediately, and she started whining/crying! HA! A little excited? One new thing she is doing is reaching her arms out for the person she wants.  It melts my heart when she does it to come TO ME, but if she has a choice between mommy and daddy...guess who she reaches those little arms for? Daddy! 

It's pretty darn cute to watch them together, he does goofy noises or tickles her and she just laughs and laughs.  If he smiles at her, she gives her BIG gummy smile right back to him.  Well one day, he kept tickling her and making her laugh but then had to leave for class.  So after he left, I decided to tickle her and play with her how he was, because, you know, I want her to laugh at me too.  I got no laughs. No smiles.  Just a look like, "Mom, what are you doing? Your not funny." 

My parents tell me how when I was little, I would refer to myself as "Daddy's little honey."  Looks like we now have the 2nd generation daddy's little honey...

Makayla is almost sitting up.  She is like the leaning tower of pisa(as you can tell in this picture)!  I couldn't help but take a few pictures of her in this beautiful fall weather we are having!

I feel like a different woman today.  Cornell is on fall break this week, so he was home this morning and could be with Makayla when she woke up, which means this mommy got to sleep from 3 am to 9:30 am! Wow, I felt so refreshed getting up today! It was WON-DER-FUL(it also helped that Cornell made us a nice huge, yummy breakfast).  Amazing what a little sleep can do!

This shrieking/squealing stuff that Makayla is doing...has-to-stop, PLEASE! It was kinda funny and cute the first couple times, but now it happens on a more consistent basis and it's driving mommy and daddy crazy.  I try putting her pacifier in her mouth, but she just pushes it out after a minute and continues on with the death shriek.  This stage passes quickly? Right?

I had to laugh last night at Cornell.  He and Makayla went to the Wednesday night service at church and I texted him from work to see how it was going...his response was "being naughty in church." Now usually Makayla is great in church.  She is quiet, just likes to look around, and usually just cuddles up on your chest/shoulder.  So I thought now what in the world can a 6 month old do in church to be naughty, especially Makayla? He said "she's bouncing and talking, and punching me too." LOL(she loves to jump up and down if you hold her waist and stand her on your lap, it's pretty cute cause she gets so excited and smiley).  Then he texts and says "she's trying to eat my lips and farting uncontrollably."
She always picks the best places to have gas.
hahaha.
He ended up having to go out of the sanctuary and just watch the sermon from one of the televisions.  That's what he gets for saying the day before, "I can't wait for her to be a toddler." LOL, don't think we are ready for that yet!

Good thing this little stinky butt is so cute.

So my other interesting topic of the week is my horrible baking skills. LOL. You all know my LOVE for baking. So I found this fun new recipe online for these chocolate-peanut butter-marshmellow-crispy-brownie bars.  Yum right?  To make a long story short, I wrecked the brownie part of the bar and got so upset that I started crying.
What?
Yes, crying from messed up brownies.  Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I also messed up 2 loaves of pumpkin bread the week before.  It is really like I've never baked before in my life!? I'm not sure what's going on with that.  Cornell suggested maybe our oven is the problem(what a great husband to find other things to blame except my skills).  Or maybe it's because I have been talking alot about trying to do some holiday baking for others this season and this is the Lord's way of telling me "it's not my plan for you right now Jamie."  Who knows? But thank goodness for Cornell, he still acts real excited to eat my baked goods and makes me feel better. :)

Minnesota trip pictures next time, I promise!! 

Thank you Baby Einstein...

...for entertaining my baby while I make dinner.

This picture makes me giggle.  She's so relaxed.

I sure love that little girl.

October ALreAdY??

Makayla is 6 months old today.  
Which makes her closer to turning 1. 
That means I've been a mom for half a year already...


So does this mean I have to put away my maternity pants?   
*sniffle sniffle*
boo
When does it really get too long to be wearing your maternity clothes? I only wear the pants just because I can't fit into my old jeans still.  I mean, I can at least pull them on now over my thighs and butt... and button the waist! yesssss!  But I still have quite a few pounds to lose before they will look like jeans and not jean-spandex.  Why is losing weight not fun and not fast?


So anyway, back to Makayla...6 months old! Yay! We are now giving her rice/oatmeal cereal and she is loving it.  Next week she can start baby food, I can't wait, she will LOVE it! She is a wonderful eater.  Although all the good eating, has given me a little constipated baby.  But that's a whole other post.


Here's a few new things I'm noticing from her: lots of adorable smiles when she notices people she knows(especially mommy and daddy), caution around new places/faces, LOTS of fun playing for longer periods of time in her Baby Einstein toys, wants to grab ev-er-y-thing that is near, does this stomach pump thing like she is trying to dance, can hold herself up by herself in her toys too(no more blanket wrapped around her waist), likes to screech and very loudly when excited or wants someone to pay attention, continues to LOVE her changing table, drinking 8 oz at a time, good sleeper, trys to jump/bounce with her legs, very good at rolling over and then back.


Makayla and I just got back home from a trip to Minnesota.  It was wonderful of course and got to spend time with friends and family.  I will blog about that trip next time.  Here are a few pictures that Kim, my wedding photographer and good friend of my cousin Meg, was so nice to take while we were home.  I think these are the only 2 smiley shots from the whole session...

Don't let that cute face fool ya, she was not in a good mood that night! But I love these! Kim is so so so talented and always has gorgeous pictures!

Okay, more on the trip and wedding next time!

This is Makayla yesterday after her first college football game!

Lindsey Wilson College has a football team this year. We wanted to be supportive so we went with our neighbors, and it was such a fun afternoon! Only problem was I got so so so sunburnt! I'm talking the lobster look, seriously, it's painful and embarrassing...this Minnesota girl didn't even think twice to put sunscreen on in September!? And I hate not being able to put it on Makayla(doctor says no sunscreen until she is 6 months old). Good thing she doesn't have my skin!

Cornell is off of school on Monday, so we decided to take a little trip to BG, aka the nearest "real" city for us, aka Bowling Green. It has a Target, a mall, and a TJ Maxx! Doesn't get much better! Although the real reason for going was to pick up my dress for Sarah Herricks' wedding! Yay!

But let me tell you, I have never felt so much like a mom as I did today....

• First, I am in TJ Maxx trying to browse around but keep Makayla entertained at the same time. To do this,of course, I have to make silly noises and faces so she laughs. It's amazing how you really don't care what you do in public anymore, just as long as your baby isn't crying and is happy.
• Next was lunch at Panera bread. I am still not all the way comfortable breastfeeding in public, but who knows if I ever will be. Makayla loves to eat so once she is in the cradle position with me, she gets really excited and starts kicking her legs and waving her arms cause she knows what is about to happen. So try having a "hooter hider"(thanks Kari Shak) on, a wild baby flapping their arms and legs underneath it, lifting up your shirt, un-clasping your nursing bra, and all while trying to NOT show the world your enire boob. I don't think anyone saw anything. So after she's done eating, I'm burping her and she burps, but up came ALL the milk she just ate too...ALL OVER ME! All over my arm, shirt, and skirt. Plus all over her outfit too. Normally I would just wipe her up and keep it moving but she was like saturated in spit up. Of course no extra outfit in my diaper bag today, just a zip up hoodie. So I took off her little dress, and she left Panera wearing her little white tights and a hoodie.
• Then we head to the mall, and Makayla and I go to Gymboree. (FYI... We had given her an UNopened bag of chips from lunch to play with since they make so much noise and are great entertainment for a baby..anything that isn't a toy is). Makayla decides that Gymboree is a great place to just let loose and pass some gas. Not just a little gas...sounded like there were firecrackers in her car seat. Loud enough for the moms standing around us, to all stop, and look over at me and stare. I didn't know what to do, so I smile and say "oh my MAA-kayla, excuse you!" One mom must have felt bad for me because she said, "don't worry, I understand, I have a baby too."

Time to go home.

We leave and I see my reflection in the glass...my hair is pulled back in a claw clip but hair has fallen out all over and is hanging in my face, I have big white patches of dry baby spit up on my chest and down my black skirt, I smell like vomit, no purse because our stroller and diaper bag now carry my belongings too, I'm the color of a tomato except for my snow white colored legs, and my baby has no pants on, holding a bag of chips? Is this what I have become?

haha. Wow.

Of course, Cornell is at our side looking handsome as ever!

haha.

But I wouldn't change any of it for the world.

*Smiley Makayla*

Hey, hey you!

What are you doing?

I just can't hold it in any longer....

I think I'm about to show you my gums...

...aka, SMILE!!!

Can being a mommy seriously get any better than this? There is nothing like a big old gummy smile from your baby! Just makes your heart melt!

Makayla is just so fun to be around, she's a pretty happy baby all around. I find myself thinking, "Can I just stop time at this stage, I don't want to miss something." She laughs, giggles, talks jibberish, makes noise just to make noise, recognizes our voices, rolls over and holds her head up so strong, and loves to try and grab our food/drink as we eat thinking that she wants some. Also, she wants to grab or touch everything in her reach whether it be a toy, a face, a hand, or whatever! Yesterday I was holding her and standing in her closet trying to pick out her outfit...well she look her long little arm and was grabbing the door and pulling it in so it was bumping me in the back! I mean, how fun can a door be? LOL, she's just so curious! Cornell and I like to think we have her cries figured out too...the hungry cry, the sleepy cry, the I just want to be held cry, the wet diaper cry, etc.

Next week she'll be 5 months. I'm getting really excited to start feeding her some baby food because I think she'll really enjoy it! The girl loves to eat! Breastfeeding is continuing to go well. I remember when I first started breastfeeding, and different moms would tell me what a great bonding experience it is and how much they enjoyed spending that time with their baby. Well, I'll be honest...I didn't find it very fun for the first couple months! I felt like I would spend about 90% of my day breastfeeding and it's just exhausting. Especially since Makayla was one of those, "my mom makes a great pacifier" babies. She would just take her sweet old time, maybe take a little nap if she felt like it...haha. Much better the past month or so....she gets right to the point and finishes in no time! And it really is a great bonding experience for us both, I love spendng that time with her. :)

Cornell started school last week...where did the summer go? I'm so excited for him though, this is his last semester and will graduate December 11. Yay!! But now that means he is busy busy busy with basketball too. I started a new job...i'm working as a nurse at Amazon.com. There is a fulfillment center about 15 minutes from us and its an evening/night shift. I love it so far, much better than my last job in the OR. And I was just freaking out about putting Makayla in daycare for such a long part of the day, 5 days a week. So this way, i am home during the day with her, and then when i'm leaving, Cornell is coming home to be with her all evening. We will need a little help when Cornell has bb practice but I like 2 hours of someone watching Makayla versus 9-10 hours. God just continues to be so faithful to us...

We have a computer now again so I will be updating more :)

Just my two favorite people...

Enjoying family time today! Happy saturday!