stories from my ute.

spring is in the air.

2011-03-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

here in the south, it seems like it went from 25 degrees to 80 degrees in less than three days. there really wasn't that slow transition from winter to spring. we went from hooded coats and furry boots, to fun summer tops and skinny jeans.

we were so excited when we could take vegas to the park for the first time a few weeks ago. it was right after she really started walking without falling every 2 steps. she loved it! she was a little timid because of all of the other kids there. not to mention they probably all seemed 10 feet tall to her.

she's also in the stage now where she wants nothing to do with looking at the camera. so sad for me!

static slide hair!

she l o v e s to swing. if we even go to a park, it has to include baby swings, because she is still so small that we know she will enjoy this.

this last picture with her daddy simply melts my heart. the look on her face is one of pure love for him. <3

ps - mamas with DSLR cameras, how can i get blogger to not compress my pictures so much? i hate how grainy they are uploading.

why hello there.

2011-03-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

well hello everyone! long time no talk, THAT’S for sure! my blogging life [what little i had] got away from me, and it shows by not having a single post since october. i’ll spank myself for that one. ::ouch::

lots has happened on the home front since our last encounter together. there was thanksgiving, a 3 year wedding anniversary, christmas [which included a new camera, more on that in a bit!], me going back to school, vegas talking, walking, and basically running now. and i’m sure so many other things that i am forgetting, as i should have been blogging to remember them all!

to not bore you with the longest catch up blog post ever, i decided to make this a multi part series. so here you go - part uno.

christmas.

this was this FIRST year that cj and i set a limit on christmas gifts for one another. it was $150 this year, and let me tell you that was significantly dwindled down from the past few Christmases. We did this not to spend the excess on vegas, we just did not want to be one of those families that finds themselves in a huge amount of debt come December 26th.

don’t start on me about how that’s not what christmas is about, i know, but again we are not religious and you would be beating a dead horse if anyone tried to preach to me on the importance of this holiday. moving on, i was a good girl and stuck to my budget, almost to the penny. funny thing is, cj seemed to be having a hard time with it. he kept making comments about how it was “hard to find gifts that i would like”, and still have a bunch to physically open on christmas morning. opening gifts around our house is a two hour event; each person opens one gift at a time while the others watch. i understand NOW why cjs family did this, it makes for a longer and more enjoyable experience in my opinion.

let’s fast forward to the good stuff. about five or six presents in and still have a few to go when i get to this box that has that is adorned with about every scrap piece of ribbon CJ could find. needless to say it wasn’t the “prettiest” present under our tree. we like to save our “big” presents to one another for the very end. i start to open it and notice cj get pretty excited. guess what i found?

THIS! [well, almost this] Canon Rebel XSi – someone went over the budget this year!!

He said he got it for me because he knew i would actually use it and im convinced he was just tired of hearing me whine about how i wanted one. i was realllllly shocked that he got it though because i truly was not expecting it. THOSE are the best presents! and this was most definitely the best christmas present i have ever gotten.

im definitely still learning all of the features, even now - but i can say with confidence, that my portfolio of vegas pictures just doubled or possibly tripled.

i’m glad to be back blogging! i missed you all!

*the first two pictures are from my old point and shoot. you will not be missed!

hayrides, pumpkins and pig ears.

2010-10-27T17:30:00.000-07:00

as children, CJ and i had never been to pumpkin patch that either of us can recall. it was a no brainer that we wanted vegas to experience this.

when i refer to a pumpkin patch i most certainly do not mean this.

i'm sorry, but unless you live in downtown NYC there is no excuse for this. why not just go to walmart like everyone else to get your pumpkin, and not waste your money on this "pumpkin patch" experience.

after some much appreciated referrals we headed to carrigan farms for a hayride and a real pumpkin patch! it was a first for all of us! the weather was absolutely gorgeous, 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. the actual pumpkin patch was huge, a lot bigger than i pictured. we definitely had our choice, there were literally hundreds and hundreds to choose from in all shapes, sizes and colors. they were so fresh we had to rip them off of the vine they were growing on. they even had a mini petting zoo which just put the icing on the cake. enough with the blah blah blah, here comes picture overload.

i live for the weekends i can spend with my little family. <3.

happy birthday vegas landry.

2010-10-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

today you are one.

that's 365 days old, which to me... is unbelievable.

how did i ever function before you? what were my goals? what were my dreams? oh yeah, they were YOU. you are my everything. you are the drive that pushes me to want to become a better person. on my worst days, that gummy smile makes everything disappear. you are so innocent and clueless to the real world and i want to keep you that way for as long as i can. all you care about is eating, sleeping and tapping things with your middle finger... which is a pretty awesome life if you ask me. you pass no judgment, i am your mom and that's all you care about. you don't care if i have an important job, drive an import or even pay the mortgage. all you ever want from me is attention, and i really do try my hardest to give you as much as i humanly can because i know you will not be this little forever. while my heart aches just typing those words i cannot wait to watch you develop into an amazing girl. hell, you already ARE amazing, in more ways than your little brain could ever imagine.

you changed my life one year ago today, and for that i am eternally grateful.

i love you [mama].

i know you will not remember your first year, but it is forever etched in my brain. thank you for being awesome!

staircase + mobile baby = trip to the ER.

2010-10-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

oh yea. i'm sure i don't have to go into the specifics for you to imagine what this story entails. but i will.

back story: we live in a two story townhouse. if you have ever been in a townhouse, you know that the stairs are nothing short of a 90 degree angle [okay, maybe i'm exaggerating just a smidge] but needless to say, they are steeper than most. thankfully ours are carpeted - i promise that will play into the story in just a second.

sunday [10.10.10 = a day we will totally remember] around noon, CJ and i were sorting laundry from the washer on the second floor of our house. vegas came crawling out of the master bedroom, and slipped by me obviously. next thing i hear is CJ yelling "BABE, grab her!" i dropped my electric toothbrush out of my mouth and lunged for her. she lost her handing on the top step [which before that day she NEVER went near].

she slid down the first two steps and i was thisclose to grabbing her ankle but she managed to be a half a second faster than me. then it happened y'all. she ROLLED DOWN EVERY LAST ONE OF OUR STAIRS! - there are 12 if you must know. [i just threw up a little telling you that].

i raced down the stairs as she rolled, and it was like slow motion chasing after her. she didn't tumble head over feet, she literally rolled sideways down the stairs - the better of the two options if there is such a "better" alternative, if one is to roll down some stairs.

she landed on her back, but not before banging her little head on the wooden baseboard of our landing. immediately a large goose egg and a small scrape came up on her right temple and i was automatically that much more concerned. i raced back up the stairs with her, where CJ was standing in disbelief of what our curious daughter had just managed to do. i was hysterical and begging CJ to let me call the ambulance. in my fog of emotions i managed to not notice that vegas was acting completely normal. she was crying of course, but not a painful cry from what i could tell. i grabbed her back from CJ and she suddenly stopped crying. even managed to crack a smile.

i was not chancing her having a mini concussion or something worse, so we immediately packed up our stuff and headed to the emergency room, which is less than 8 miles from our home. we get there and are put in a room right away. the doctor comes in and checks her out and says he would feel better if we would allow him to do a CATscan on her head to make extra sure there was nothing cracked or swollen since she fell down so many stairs. i'll skip over all of the logistics of how vegas h a t e d that scan. an 11 month old having to lay completely still... you get the picture. everything came back normal and we were free to go.

during the whole situation vegas did not act any different, like she was in pain or anything. i think i cried harder than she did. in that moment i felt like the worst mother in the world. who lets their ~~child~~ baby fall down a staircase? why wasn't i looking at her as soon as she crawled out of our bedroom? my mom had to bring me back to reality because the guilt and remorse i had was overwhelming me. i couldn't control what happened because i am a human. i make mistakes, and she is a curious baby. i cannot keep my eyes on her 24/7. one thing i can do, AND DID was install a gate as soon as we got home.

you live you learn - but i would like for the little baby jesus in the manger to try his best to not let that happen again. please and thank you.

eleven months old.

2010-10-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

i want to cry while typing this. i'm sure that is why i have been putting this post off for nearly a month. my fresh out of the oven baby is 11 months old and some change. she is growing and changing every.single.day. it amazes me how she picks up on everything. she hit some pretty major milestones this past month.

- SHE STARTED CRAWLING - full force.
- 18lbs 10 oz. and 28 2/3rd inches tall [35th percentile overall].
- she went from two bottom teeth to to eight, literally overnight.

- she eats real bite sized food now. this is so weird to me!
- she went to the beach for the first time!
- she still will not drink from a sippy cup. boo.

- she upgraded from her infant carrier to a big girl Britax [that post coming soon].
- we went to the fair for the first time. she was one inch too small to ride the carousel. broke my heart.
- has a slight infatuation with electrical outlets.
- got her first real "owie" by face planting on our coffee table. a big bruise right under her left eye. [ :( ]

- she had her first eye appointment.. i know right!? she is a smidge farsighted, had drops put her in eyes to dilate them [yeah, that was not fun] was soothed by a finger puppet and doesn't need to come back until she is three years old.
- we moved her crib to the lowest position. [tear]
- she is turning into quite the impatient girl she must get that from me.

i am sure i am missing s o m e t h i n g, but i am still in awe and shock that she is nearly one year [THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE DAYS] old.

enjoy the cuteness that is a baby on a beach.

crawling and sand. not to be confused with crawling in the sand.

2010-09-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

the mister, the little and myself relocated to the beach for a long weekend. this was the first time vegas' little toes touched the sand. there is just something about babies, beaches and uninterrupted time with my husband that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

we had some much needed family time, even if only for three days. we went to myrtle beach, sc. not the most glamorous of beaches, but cj has family that lives there and happens to own an ocean front condo, so it was pretty much a no brainer.

while we were there, vegas decided to become a normal baby and actually starting crawling like, for real. exactly 11 months old before she did it. she was so early on most of her other milestones, but this one... not so much.

she wasn't too fond of the sand at first, so there was no crawling on the beach, thank you baby jesus. she loved the ocean, just not too much of it at one time. it only took one mouthful of saltwater to initiate herself to the beach. she sunned with mom, peed on dad [hilarious] and rubbed sand in her eyes about 578 times, give or take.

she is going to be a golden goddess like her mom was as a kid. WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?! I AM SO WHITE! i guess i will be happy in a few years when i am hopefully not getting a melanoma removed from baking in the sun. but everyone knows that most people look a little better with a little color on them. boo, just boo.

days [211 - 220]

2010-09-21T21:11:00.000-07:00

[211] - i will absolutely not compromise on going to see lady gaga mom! :::angry fists:::

[212] - psht. who do these people think they are telling me not to touch this. what are they going to do? spank me?! HA.

[213] - pink leopard eskimo bay bay.

[214] - i bet everyone thought i was standing allllll bymyself. yeah, i'm totally being held up by the wall and my badonk a dipe.

[215] - and its only going to get worse mom, only going to get worse.

[216] - where are my hands dad?! i just woke up and cannot handle all of these technical toys.

[217] - a girls gotta have choices.

[218] - a smidge big for the bumbo thats for sure.

[219] - my gammy always puts me to sleep, even in mid conversation. i love her!

[220] - allllll of these toys and this hanger is my favorite thing of all. i'm easy to please.

sometimes... she's just not the little lady i hoped for.

2010-09-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

she is a learning machine these days. she takes e v e r y t h i n g in.

she learned to clap and wave with little to no instruction. she's pretty much a modern day genius [minus the no crawling thing]. then she goes and pulls this shit.

EXCUSE ME, who taught you this?!

she thinks it is hilarious, her father and i... not so much. its her new favorite thing to do in public.

when you go to push her hand away and say "ewww, vegas... that's nasty", she DOES IT AGAIN. i thought they didn't start being dirty little kids for a few more years?

here she is doing it at lowes. she has no modesty.

sorry for the craptastic quality [well, they could be worse], but she only does it when i have my droid handy.

ten months old - and [hopefully] an end to my blogging rut.

2010-09-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

as most of you know, I HAVE NOT BEEN AROUND. and you know why?

i don't have a good reason. i am lazy, i feel like i have lost my blogging momentum, but with a little push from my wonderful husband and a child that does something new daily, i feel as if i can see the light at the end of the tunnel. i can only hope i have a reader or two left.

so to kick off the "new blogging me" here is miss vegas' 10 month post, seven days from her 11 month birthday. ha.

oh, and i even made a fancy new blog header to spice it up a little. :)

here are the highlights.

- you have gotten FOUR new teeth within the past week, bringing the grand total to six! [two on the top, four on the bottom].
- you wave, clap, do the [pirate face] and say 'dada' on command.
- with your new teeth has came an undying love of puffs.
- you crawled, ONE time for me, and no one believes me, lol.
- you have become so vocal. if you don't like something, you let us know.
- you still tap everything with you middle finger. cute as can be.

- you have started to self feed, SO CUTE.
- you point your play remote towards the tv. this may be a problem.
- you can go from belly to butt and vice versa, so you rarely get stuck in one spot anymore.
- daddy and i think you are going to be a tall lady, we are anxious to see your length at your next pedi appointment.

- it is almost car seat upgrade time. the newborn chicco is not cutting it anymore.
- recently, you have been pulling your bows out of your hair. this is not okay little lady!
- you call for your "mama" when you are sad. :) :) :)
- you have discovered a new hole on your face... your nose. ew. keep that finger out of there please!
- you still are a mini me clone of your father.

- and i see a baby mullet growing on that head of yours.

you are our soul and the glue that holds us together. you have been nothing short of a miracle to our lives. we love you more than anything in this world.

[xoxo]
mom and dad.

"my dada would like to speak now." -vegas

2010-08-25T12:14:00.000-07:00

Hello ute stalkers (or lack thereof, considering my wife has failed to keep you regularly updated with text). This is CJ. The husband. The boyishly faced, pushing-30 (I’m only 26), sometimes pale sometimes tan, witty husband.

I wanted to give a bit of a husband sorta viewpoint into the life of Crystal, Vegas and myself, as well as how our lives have changed since Vegas’ arrival to this planet (forgive me if I reference space or technology too much- I’m a dork).

For those of you that remember, throughout Crystal’s pregnancy Vegas was surrounded by a lower than normal amount of amniotic fluid. Crystal, I noticed, got increasingly nervous over this, but to tell you the truth, (Crystal doesn’t know this yet either) I never worried one bit. Of course, I made it seem as I did, because that’s the husbandly thing to do right? I don’t mean for it to come off as uncaring... that isn’t it at all. I just knew deep down nothing was wrong and that everything would be smooth- and it was.

The birthing was reminiscent of the birth scene of the zombie baby in Dawn of the Dead. Ok, not really. I didn’t watch. She wouldn’t ‘allow’ it. Nor did I even want to. I just sat patiently by her head and played Scrabble for hours, made fun of the chicken broth and yellow Jell-O she had to eat, played on my Blackberry, watched TV, chatted with my brother, mom, and mother-in-law, and sometimes pretended to be playing on the Playstation 2 the hospital promised would be in the room, but wasn’t. Grrr...

Fast forward a bit to our gorgeous baby girl sans blood and mucous and ‘fluid’ all over her body. She’s been SUCH an easy baby, that we love being around, that we love showing off, that we love buying things for (even if it is a ‘farm dress’ daddy bought her that mommy doesn’t like), and just staring at her face. Neither of us could have gotten this far without the other and I’m so thankful for Crystal’s [most of the time] patience, attention to detail, style, and [most of the time] attitude. Yes, it’s more difficult to just up and drive to the movies- we aren’t those people that bring an infant to a theater- or head to the bar for some drinks- we don’t take a baby to a bar . However, we do have an array of people we graciously trust with Vegas and can call upon for these things if the desire to see some Angelina Jolie or Jake Gyllenhaal takes over.

I’m really excited about her 1st birthday and 1st Halloween she can wear a costume for. If you don’t already know, a lot of ideas regarding Vegas [including her name] come from me. Crystal probably doesn’t share that too much. She’s the physical creator, I’m the visionary. I’m brainstorming birthday party themes now, and have had a costume idea for months. Both things must be non-traditional and unexpected. No offense to anyone, I just don’t want tiaras or pink butterflies or Dora the Explorer party favors all over my house, nor do I want her in a ladybug costume. You’ll see later on if my hopes come to fruition in these aspects.

Fatherhood is not at all what I expected. I had never changed a diaper before Vegas, and that’s easy. I am NOT a morning person, but it’s fairly easy once I see her darling face in the morning to just get out of bed. I don’t try to over-protect Vegas by not letting her see the TV or constantly spraying hand sanitizer on everyone. She’s just a mini-me that I’m enjoying watching grow up so fast with Crystal. I love the moments we share as a family and look forward to the many more to come. Crystal, too, is an amazing mother, wife, lover, daughter, sister, phlebotomist, real estate licensee, and human being. She’s creative, strikingly beautiful, has amazing hair, and never ceases to make me laugh- sometimes with her contagious laughter alone. Anything she involves herself in only gets better. Neither of us would be the person we are today without the other. After all, just ask her... I made her what she is today. ;-)

Thanks for taking the time to read my rants and raves. I’m sure it could have been better, but probably could have been worse too. Maybe DW <--- did I do that right? (Dear Wife?) will let me contribute to her blog more often.

(if you’d like to donate to Vegas’ Bentley fund for her 16th birthday party, just ask for my PayPal contact info)

days [201 - 210].

2010-08-22T17:12:00.000-07:00

[201] - waaaaa? YOU gave it to me woman, and i have teeth, what did you THINK i was going to do with it?

[202] - good thing mom lets me play with cords, because this is my favorite toy evvvver.

[203] - yes, that indeed is a sharpie in my hand, so.

[204] - subway?! but i only have two teeth! fml.

[205] - here is my handle, here is my spout.

[206] - cheeeeeeeeeese. preferably swiss.

[207] - new pearl earrings and wispy hair.

[208] - rawr. haaaaaaaay baby boys!

[209] - boogie? ew.

[210] - nine months old and sophie is a hooch.

nine months old - nearly one month late.

2010-08-15T17:01:00.000-07:00

There is no excuse that outweighs the fact that i have simply been a bad blogger here lately. i am hoping to get out of this blogging [slump] i have been stuck in for some time. i am lucky if i can tap out a "days of vegas" post every other week. boo to me, boo!

here are the fun facts of my nine month old priss nearly one month late.

- at your nine month appointment [at the end of july] you weighed 16lbs 14ounces [40th percentile] and were 27 inches long.
- we have orders to "plump you up a bit" before your 12 month [OMG!] pediatrician appointment.
- you can stand independently if propped up by a wall. you would stand there forever if we let you.
- you still show no signs of crawling anytime soon.

- you are in love with your daddy. he can simply look at you and make you smile.
- you are a chatter box. apparently you get that from me. lol. words of choice include... dada, baba, mama [sometimes], and mmmm when you are eating.

- you can still wear some 3-6 onesies, but are pretty dead on when it comes to pants. you are a long and lean lady.
- we have been trying to introduce finger foods and a sippy cup, neither of which are going very well.
- you will do things on command now, like shake your head and say "dada".

- you get at a minimum of three comments a day about how cute you are, from complete strangers. :)
- you are 95% sleeping through the night.
- you are super selective with your smiles and who you show them too! daddy says you inherited my [bitch face]. ha! i am completely okay with that.
- you are finally getting hair, but it is more blonde than brown. wtf?!

vegas, you are most certainly the light of your daddy and i's life! you are not going to be a small little baby forever, so i want to soak you up as much as possible before you hate me because i embarrassed you in front of your first boyfriend, or won't let you dye your hair like all of the other first graders are doing.

days of vegas [193 - 200]

2010-08-08T15:32:00.000-07:00

[193] - usb cord?! please and thank you!

[194] - yea, i'm never going to crawl, and that's that.

[195] - maybe if i hold my mouth juuuuuust like this, the nipple will levitate to it.

[196] - moms pretty sure this is not sanitary, that's why i do it!

[197] - painted toenails?! absolutely.

[198] - such a silly girl these days.

[199] - yes, its true. this is the same tutu i wore in my three month pictures. i am a petite priss for sure.

[200] - ballerina in training!

days of vegas [186 - 192] and her cutest video to date.

2010-07-26T18:12:00.000-07:00

[ 186] - this is the summer of mini skirts, even if you're a sweet babe.

[187] - craisins make me craaaaaazy!

[188] - finally, a decent tooth shot!

[189] - can't read my... can't read my... no he can't read my pirate faaaaace.

[190] - spirit fingers or jazz hands? you decide.

[191] - i make the rules at meal time.

[192] - tacos again mom? rawr.

and i now present you, my heart breaking because the word is "dada" that she is saying, but our pediatrician does agree that it take more brain cells to say "momma". you better get to using them quick girl!

watch that jaw go! ha. and excuse mr. maddox please, he's always an attention whore.

video[s] - teeth, no desire to crawl and moms home!

2010-07-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

while i was at work the other day, cj decided to put our video camera to good use. i came home to six new videos. SIX. in an effort to not bore the crap out of everyone with my child's minutes of simply cheesing at the camera, here are the best three.

[the last one is the best in my opinion, but i may be biased.]

in this first video, miss vegas wants to show off her clapping skills along with flashing those two pearly whites.

in this video all i can say is my child is lazy, with a capital L. - i mean seriously, the child gives up around one minute into the video. even bribing her with electronics does nothing for this girl.

for obvious reasons this is my favorite video, and i promise you, cj does not sound like a creep in real life. i'm seriously surprised he didn't scare this crap out of v with that voice. enjoy.

days [178 - 185]

2010-07-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

[178] - 'i have teeth now, and i'm going to show you how i use them woman!'

[179] - 'obviously because i obeyed your request to clap after your mediocre jokes, i will be expecting a new outfit in return.'

[180] - if there was ever a picture where she looked like her dad, this is it. minus the polka dot romper of course.

[181] - dreaming of all the things her daddy will buy her.

[182] - 'clapping was fun the first 54 times you asked me to do it. noooooow, not so much.'

[183] - napping with my gammy, is my favorite pastime.

[184] - 'you mean i cannot sleep in between you and dad? i'm already dressed for the occasion.'

[185] - 'stop your damn singing dad, i'm trying to eat here!'

eight months old.

2010-07-11T16:16:00.000-07:00

per usual, i am late with this post.

i cannot believe that my teeny baby is doing things that [in my opinion] should not be happening until she is around 13 years old, such as saying "dada". thats when they start talking right?

here are a few other milestones i don't want to forget.

- you sprouted two bottom teeth this month. so damn cute.
- finally caught your [pirate face] on camera! proof below.

- you clap on command.
- say "da da da" - dad is over the moon with that one.
- say "maaaaa" sometimes ::rolls eyes::
- still have no desire to crawl. you simply throw a fit when left on your stomach.
- are getting so much better at sleeping in longer stretches.

- will stand only when assisted by mom, dad or a wall.
- have the cutest cheeseball smile.
- are becoming a bit attached to mom and dad when new people come around. [i'm hoping this is a short stage].
- you do not like any sort of solid food yet. i tried to give you a yogurt melt the other day, and you literally gagged the second i put it on your tongue. silly girl.
- you started rolling over in your crib and sleeping on your stomach.
- like to watch cartoons with daddy in the morning.
- still love bathtime.
- are starting to grow hair [mom is sooo happy about this one].
- you are still a petite little thing - under 17 pounds.
- are getting a bit long for your baby carseat, looks like a big girl one is in our future.

i added a new picture to the right for your viewing pleasure.

ALSO - again i am going to ask all of you lovely readers to do me a favor. i entered vegas into yet another baby contest. PLEASE vote for her. its in abc order and you are only allowed to vote on one baby picture a day [there are nearly 250!] per user account.

vegas and i thank you in advance. :)

myrtle beach 2010.

2010-07-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

cj and i had our first break away from being full time parents since vegas was born. we were gone for nearly 5 days over the fourth of july. it was extremely hard on me personally when we first left. i had enormous mommy guilt. vegas stayed at our house while my mom came over to watch her.

before this trip we had not been away from her for more than a day or two.

we considered taking her with us, but since we were going with one other couple [childless i might add], we figured we would attempt to be good company sans a baby.

we went to myrtle beach, sc and had the most beautiful weather. high 80's, no humidity! it was crazy town though because of ALL of the people migrating to the beach to see mediocre fireworks. and crappy they were. we will not even touch on how i feel about that subject. [can you sense my disappointment?].

cj and i had a great trip, but we missed our girl like crazy! im so glad my mom sent us about five pictures a day to our phones to hold us over until we could kiss her cutie cheeks.

enjoy the pictures.

ALSO - again i am going to ask all of you lovely readers to do me a favor. i entered vegas into yet another baby contest. PLEASE vote for her. its in abc order and you are only allowed to vote on one baby picture a day [there are nearly 250!] per user account.

we could win a $500 visa card if we can get the votes. i know its a long shot, but i know we have a cute girl, and apparently you guys think shes cute as well because you come here to read about her! look for this picture vvvvvvv

please and thank you from vegas in advance. :)

days [170 - 177]

2010-07-03T15:50:00.000-07:00

[170] - "it's a hard job keeping me entertained mom, don't you have any more interesting toys?"

[171] - "oh, i'm just relaxing and eating my chicco strap cover taco."

[172] - with daddy putting fresh flowers on my grandpas grave.

[173] - "what the hell?! this thing vibrates?"

[174] - "let me inspect the flavor of this here camera case."

[175] - "am i seriously related to you idiots?!"

[176] - i.don't.have.any.desire.to.walk.

[177] - poor little hot baby.

days [161 - 169]

2010-06-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

[161] - prunes again?!

[162] - this must have been a very informative dream.

[163] - she was focused on the cute neighbor boy. I was hoping this phase would come a little later in life.

[164] - this is my good side, mom.

[165] - two teeth and counting! bring on the steak.

[166] - i'm pretty sure she had a sore neck after this one.

[167] - anyone want to take a guess what this face implies? i'm pretty sure its obvious.

[168] - the carseat = instant nap. :)

[169] - hawaiian themed party, and miss priss didn't want to touch anything. i hope shes not a germ-a-phobe.

guess who has two teeth?

2010-06-22T16:48:00.000-07:00

THIS GIRL!

the first picture was from thursday june 17th and the second one is from monday june 21st, a mere 4 days later and look at the growth difference.

is it me or are they coming in at super speed? probably making up for the fact that she is eight months old and just now getting the chompers. who knows?!

post summary: [my child has two ivory nubs poking through her gums and nothing is off limits now in terms of being tasted by her.]

fathers day 2010

2010-06-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

fathers day was pretty low key around our house yesterday.

the three of us woke up way too late, snuggled in the bed, ate breakfast at lunchtime, laid around at the pool, took vegas to see her grandfathers grave and put flowers on it for the first time, met up with CJ's brother and sister, then headed to dinner at cheddars.

it was a perfect way to spend his first fathers day in my opinion. :)

and completely off subject [ineedatan], but i got my hair chopped off saturday. does it look like a "mommy" cut? maybe the humidity was making it poof out, idk. boo!

my child #!&% in the tub.

2010-06-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

yes, that totally happened last night.

and i went all "mommy mode" and reached in and grabbed the nugget WITH MY BARE HAND! did you hear that?! no kitty litter scooper in sight [but that would require me to have a cat, and ew]. i didn't want my child floating around the tub with her water baby turd.

i thought i would be lucky enough to bypass this special stage in most childrens life, but big fat fail. at 7.75 months old, she has broke me. BROKE me i tell ya!

to be completely honest, i wouldn't reach in and pull my own poop out of the tub. i hope she feels lucky.

i was thisclose to taking a picture, but i figured that wasn't so much of a kodak moment that i want to stick in her baby book.

post summary: [my child is gross, my hand has magical powers and poop is still not cute even floating in two inches of water.]

days [148 - 160]

2010-06-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

this is totally going to be my catch up post. i have been taking pictures everyday, but "updating" part is a little lacking. i'm still trying to figure out this now routine i am in.

[148] - put the cell phone away mom! i'm trying to nap with dad, can't you see?

[149] - this is how cj keeps her entertained. sad.

[150] - "i can yell at you if i want!"

[151] - it is simply exhausting being a drama queen all day long.

[152] - seven freaking months old.

[153] - a double chin on vegas? adorable. a double chin on crystal? not so adorable.

[154] - in only a diaper, playing with a hair brush and a lays stax lid = redneck. i am sorry.

[155] - mom let me play with the usb cord. mother of the year.

[156] - what?! a justin bieber sighting at my pool?!

[157] - being a bum in my first pool float.

[158] - looks like someone got into the bathroom basket! ooooops.

[159] - ahhhh, this is the life.

[160] - again, dad tried to keep me entertained the best he could. oh, and my hat just gave mom a flashback to the tv show Blossom..... whooooa!

seven months old.

2010-06-06T16:27:00.000-07:00

so you are seven months old. um, yeah - not so sure how i feel about that. you are growing a little faster than i would like to admit. please slow, thats pretty much an order.

so much has changed about you in the past month. here are a ~~few~~ bunch of the highlights. equipped with the mandatory photo shoot.

- you have discovered your high pitch voice, cute and not so cute at the same time.
- you completely sit up unassisted all of the time.
- you are showing no signs of crawling anytime soon, you still hate being on your stomach.
- are still a toothless beauty.
- love going in the pool!
- grab for EVERYTHING. nothing is off limits, including moms flat iron [happened, but mom intervened just in the nick of time.]
- finally growing some dang hair!

- put EVERYTHING in your mouth.
- take shorty naps, as opposed to the marathon 2 hour ones you used to take.
- are thisclose to sleeping through the night, every night.
- are so excited to see mom when she comes home from work. melts my heart, every time.
- eat 6 - 8 ounces of baby food a day.
- you are turning into quite the diva. i wonder where that comes from?!
- splash more water out of the tub than you probably should.

- are becoming so vocal! i cannot wait until you say "ma ma ma ma".
- have the cutest [pirate face] that mom trying to catch on camera. [sidenote, your gammy said that your mom used to do the same face when she was little!].

i think she may have been a little sad that i took my necklace off of her.
i also added a new monthly picture to the right sidebar for your viewing pleasure.

days [145 - 147]

2010-06-05T19:04:00.000-07:00

[145] - finally caught that 100 watt smile!

[146] - my lips are sealed. like, literally. you cannot even see my bottom one.

[147] - im thinking she may develop a widows peak. not so sure how i feel about this.

i'm baaaaaaaaack.

2010-05-31T17:48:00.000-07:00

whew!

what a crazy two week transition it has been! going from a full time stay at home mom, to a full time - baby missing - working mom. man i miss her while i am gone, but it it slowly getting easier by the day. i live to see her cutie face when i beg cj to send me like five pictures a day of her. going back to work has been a blessing for my entire family! it could not have came at a better time.

i cherish the few hours we have in the evening together while cj is at work. she makes me complete and not being able to physically see her at my desire makes me appreciate those special hours that much more.

who would have thought just a mere two years ago this is how we would want to spend our saturday evenings? with a bald little lady, in a swing in a park, watching run-a-way ice cream man flee for his life!

just look at those dangling feet.

it seems that every time i want to video her, we dont have the video camera. sorry for the crap quality.

days [138 - 144]

2010-05-28T23:20:00.000-07:00

[138] - no more baby bathtub for this big girl!

[139] - i spy, out of the corner of my eye... justin bieber!

[140] - out to eat mexican with mom and dad, showing off my super sweet standing skills.

[141] - nooooo teeeeth.

[142] - i just cannot handle this anymore! is mom home from work yet?!

[143] - mom actually found me a clean swing this time!

[144] - baby butt cheeks and a chubby tummy?! oh em gee.

can i beg for votes please?

2010-05-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

and it is ironically not for top mommy blogs. rofl.

i entered both of my cuties in a local papers "daddy and me" photo contest to win $100 gift card to a thai restaurant for fathers day and a $100 gift card to a local furniture store [moma needs a new dresser!].

i am asking you to go to the link below, register [you can opt to not get emails, but the vote will NOT count if you don't register], vote and vote again every hour on the hour until june 10th. no seriously, the website will let you vote once an hour. might as well, since you are registering and all. im not too proud to beg!

CLICK ME! - baby leggins and a handsome dad inside.

i seriously will love you forever if you will do this for us. cj is a great dad, and i really want to win this for him!

don't be surprised when you see the random "daddy and me" link at the bottom of all of my posts until june 10th! im one determined mom.

<3, crystal

days [131 - 137]

2010-05-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

[131] - trying out allll of my new hair bows from allthingsgirly on etsy.

[132] - look at my new trick!

[133] - pool time. with a cute hat of course.

[134] - oh, i'm just eating on my bottle lid hanging with my seven week old boyfriend, gavin, who is like, seriously my size.

[135] - i can finally fit in my birdie tee that audrey from kansas sent me. chirp chirp. i named him ramone.

[136] - nothing about this picture makes me look like a girl, mom.

[137] - naps while its raining - are where its at.

can we talk about this video?!

2010-05-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

cj and i fully intend on putting vegas in dance pretty early. it was something i wish my mother would have done for me, but i just wasn't raised where that was an option. we want to give her the opportunity to experience dance, and if she likes it great. if not, i wont try to force it on her.

BUT i came across this video earlier today and i must say there are not many things that offend me when it comes to kids. but seven year olds [dropping it like its hot?!] in hot pants - not my cup of tea. when i first started watching the video i thought "wow, these little girls are cute", but that lasted a whole .04 seconds until i saw the first little girl frame her tiny boobies with her hands! completely age inappropriate! i will say that for their age, they are very talented, but geeze.

what do you think?

EDIT: boo for copyrights. they removed the video from youtube.

before vegas, there was maddox.

2010-05-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

he is our first born [son] dog.

here is a little back story on dalmatians. they are not a mean breed like some people tend to think. i guess this could be a half truth because any dog can be mean, with the correct owners. anyways, they are extremely needy, like big time. ours is at least [i think we got a defective one!]. and they shed. A LOT. at first we assumed since he was a short haired dog there would be minimal shedding, but when we had to buy our second vacuum in our old house with all wood floors, we knew we had a problem. the first one could not handle the amount of hair he was shedding. funny thing is, his coat never looked any thinner. [piss me off], i tell you.

fast forward five years.

it was always just me, cj and him. when we decided to have a baby we were worried about how maddox would handle it. in general he is a really good dog. we were afraid he was going to be one of those crazy dogs that drags your baby out of its crib at night and hides it so no one will find it. maddox is jealous by nature and that really threw a red flag up for cj and i.

the day we brought vegas home from the hospital he was eager to see this little bundle and started sniffing her immediately. we kept a watchful eye on him at all times because, well, hes a dog. he left her alone for the most part, for the first 4 months or so, then he really took an interest in her. he lets her pet him and touch his tail [which no dog likes]. he sniffs her, she sniffs him - a truly friendly relationship.

i won't lie and say that he hasn't had his moments of jealousy since she arrived, he's had quite a few. i will also admit that i do feel a tiny bit bad for him because he used to be the center of our world and now hes not. we still love him to pieces, but y'all, hes a dog. and people who love their dog the same way they love their children are, well - weird.

its moments like these that melt my heart.

days [124 - 130]

2010-05-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

[124] - i'm so excited about the new season of the hills mom! heidi is such a plastic pool float.

[125] - how in the heck am i supposed to eat this mum mum?

[126] - i'm probably still a little short for this contraption.

[127] - i'm his cougar girlfriend, he's just so precious, i must pat his widdle head.

[128] - floppy hats and stunna shades. yep, thats how i roll in the bjorn.

[129] - moms first mothers day with an [outside baby].

[130] - prom night with uncle ryan and aunt kathy. i'm ryans number one girl, shhhh don't tell the lady in the polka dot dress.

mothers day - with my mother of course.

2010-05-09T14:44:00.000-07:00

there are not nearly enough words in the english dictionary to describe how i feel about my mother. those would be good words, not bad.

i am lucky to have a pretty awesome relationship with my mother. i know that is not the case for so many others.

this mothers day we went to lunch where she gave me this beautiful "mother and child" bracelet. it is dangling on the keyboard as i type this. i was completely not expecting a gift from her, so it was extra special in that sense.

vegas was a little on the crabby side today. she didn't get the memo that she is supposed to be on her best behavior. i guess she thought that since she gave me my present last week [got my hurrr did!], that she was off the hook.

ps. my mom is not a midget, all though she does resemble one in pictures sometimes. oh, and no i am not adopted, ive asked a few times because i look nothing like her. im all my dad. just like vegas, i guess.

nothing in this post has to do with the other.

2010-05-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

so let me just start out by saying i had a fantastic time meeting [mrs. trophy wife] and her a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e flirt baby, sully. did i say he was adorable? well, he is! we met today at california pizza kitchen and chatted about everything from cloth diapering, to how close we lived to each other, and MUST meet again. soon. all while our kiddos were munching on mum mums and flirting with one another.

i look like some ethnicity that i am not [caucaisianese?] and what is my left arm doing?! gosh i'm weird. please excuse my child, she doesn't like anyone stealing her lime light.

she is just as charming in person, as on her blog. seriously y'all. i know that not everyone is truthful in their blogs. not necessarily with the content, but more like the person behind the keyboard. some people use blogging to channel an inner part of ones self that is hard to emit in real life. you could be ridiculously witty in your blog-o-sphere, but dry as a corn flake in real life. i was a little apprehensive about meeting her, not because i was scared, but because i was afraid we would have that awkward silence every now and again. totally didn't happen. she is such a breath of fresh air i cannot wait to do it again!

..............................................................................................

in later news, i got another job offer - that i eagerly accepted! that's right... two in one week?! is the sky falling? and the best part of all, its a job in healthcare as a phlebotomist! what a way for me to get my foot in the door at a company that i sooo wanted to work for! i was so excited i thought about ordering this douchebag ed hardy wanna be phlebotomy shirt.

whoever designed that shirt, needs to be shot. or stuck with 1,000 needles.

but i didn't because, well. LOOK AT IT!

hard part is, i have to tell the first company that i must retract their offer. any tips? advice? the first job offer was part time but closer to my house. the second was further, but full time. i really struggled with what would be the best decision for my family, since this will be my first real post-baby job.

..............................................................................................

right now, i officially hate my phone. well, for today, and probably until tuesday when my replacement comes. to have a phone that is marketed with "crystal clear reception" my droid sounds like my voice is being put through a tunnel, then bound and gagged. i literally had to spell my first name to the rude receptionist lady that called to confirm my doctors appointment yesterday. it went a little something like this. i think.

"c" - as in i cannot talk any louder.
"r" - as in i really hate you right now.
"y" - as in i am yelling through my phone at you, puta.
"s" - as in skank, this is getting ridiculous.
"t" - as in time to look for another receptionist, mr. doctor.
"a" - as in apple :)
"l" - as in you have lousy phone etiquette.

i wish i could be that rude in real life sometimes.

little lovelies winner.

2010-05-06T23:19:00.000-07:00

since i am doing one million and fifty six things all day today, including meeting this lady IRL and her cuddle baby sully [so excited!] i figured i would post the the winner in the weeeee morning hours, while most other [normal] people are sleeping.

the winner of the $15 etsy shop credit to little lovelies is...

#76 Alice said...
Okay, I am now following your blog! yay!

Alice - email me asap at littlelotero@aol.com to claim your prize!

thank you all for participating! and thank you even more to morgan - for hooking a girl up!

i got a job y'all!

2010-05-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

at a financial institution, with real dress clothes and best of all - a paycheck!

its been over a year since i have had a real job and i am so excited, i start on monday!

most of you read i just finished school for phlebotomy and one day i hope to actually get to practice, but right now i am just so excited to have gotten an interview! after MONTHS of applying someone finally called, and not just one call... i got three in one week! three!! when it rains it pours, right?!

thanks for all of the encouragement! i really appreciate it.

oh, dont forget to enter my giveaway! it ends friday.

days [116 - 123]

2010-05-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

[116] - first park visit with mom and dad. mom almost died when she saw how dirty the swing was. i decided to touch every part of it to piss her off :).

[117] - six month photo shoot - with my mommy clone sunglasses.

[118] poor little ham hocks got the works at the pediatrician today.

[119] - this is my "i can handle this lemon maybe" face.

[120] - mom you really should have removed those jeans from the shower curtain rod. what will your readers think? more importantly, what will they think of that stank face you are making that i am clearly not amused by?

[121] - not so sure about this whole - sitting in a cart - thing.

[122] - puppy love.

[123] - she was being amused by a flying baby orajel tube. sucker.

ALSO, do you want to win some REDICULOUSLY awesome handmade jewelry? who wouldn't? jump on over to stilettos and diapers to enter her giveaway!

giveaway: little lovelies.

2010-05-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

the first ever giveaway through my ute!

about a year and a half ago i came across a blog that i fell in complete love with - mrs. priss. well, i actually had a girl crush on morgan the blogger, but same difference. through random blog stalking and the occasional message about our asses looking wonderful in old navy jeans, i discovered she was quite crafty and just plain awesome. so we teamed up to give you this little giveaway.

she makes some of the cutest flower accessories you have ever seen!

one of my lucky readers in going to win up to a $15 credit on one item for her etsy store little lovelies!

here is all you have to do to enter - do one or do them all!

become a follower of my ute / or if you already are, tell me [1 entry].
blog about this giveaway and link me [2 entries].
head on over to little lovelies and tell me what your favorite lovely is [1 entry].

to make sure random.org gives you credit for each entry make sure that you put each entry in its own message in my comments section. i want everyone to have a fair shot at looking fabulous!

i will announce a winner this friday [may 7th]. good luck!

recipe: baked southwest chicken egg rolls.

2010-05-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

since cj and i were having our nightly ~~argument~~ discussion of what we should have for dinner last night i decided to be a little brave and make something out of the ordinary. these are JUST as delicious as they sound. promises.

what you will need:

1 or 2 cooked chicken breasts [chopped in teeny bits].
2 cups of frozen corn - thawed.
1 [10 oz.] package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry.
1 [15 oz.] can black beans, rinsed and drained.
2 cups shredded mexican cheese blend.
1 [4 oz.] can diced green chiles, drained.
4 green onion tops, chopped.
1 pkg [about 24] egg roll wrappers - can find in fresh vegetable section at store.
1 tsp. ground cumin.
1/2 tsp. chili powder.
1 tsp. salt.
1/2 tsp. pepper.
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper.

directions:

preheat oven to 425.

1. in a large bowl combine all ingredients minus the egg roll wrappers. mix well.
2. lay an egg roll wrapper on on a work surface so that to you, the wrapper looks like a diamond.
3. place about 1/4 cup of the filling in the center.
4. fold tip closest to you over the filling, roll a bit, then take the two end points of the wrapper, and fold them towards the center. continue rolling until an egg roll is formed.
5. dip finger in water and rub over final flap to seal.

lightly oil baking sheet with cooking spray. place egg rolls on baking sheet seam side down and spray tops of egg rolls with cooking spray. bake for about 16 minutes. serve warm with salsa and sour cream.

so easy, yet so delicious. enjoy!

six months old.

2010-04-28T21:03:00.000-07:00

points to new blog header. you like?

SIX MONTHS OLD. - like last week, but i am in denial.

i.cannot.believe.this.

she is growing like a weed here lately. watching her explore and learn new things never gets boring for dad and i. here are a few things i don't want to forget, fully equipped with pictures from our six month photoshoot.

you weigh 15 pounds / 7 ounces [50th percentile].
you are 25 inches long [50th percentile].
pediatrician said you have a big head like mom and dad.
you are trying to master the unassisted big girl sit. almost there.
you laugh anytime your dad sings "imma be" - by black eyed peas. weird, i know.
you pay close attention to our lips when we talk to you. i wonder how long it will be until you talk?
you get antsy the second you get bored. impatient, just like your mom.
you eat like a champ. sweet potatoes, bananas, pears, prunes, oatmeal and squash.
apparently you are a beautiful baby because it seems like you get an abnormal amount of compliments. not like i am bragging [okay, i am].
you have miraculously decided that you will take a paci, but only the avent variety. kinda late dontchya think girl?
you got your ears pierced - you're welcome.
you have recently discovered your furry brother maddox, and watch his every move.
you still don't sleep completely through the night, but i cannot complain, you are a great napper.
you sat in your first restaurant highchair, and it swallowed you whole.
you prefer to be carted around in the baby bjorn when we grocery shop so you can look at everything.
you are finally growing hair!

dad needs to shave his face.

mom needs to brush that hair.

yes, those are baby sunglasses. TY old navy.

bargain momma review: up & up diapers.

2010-04-27T21:57:00.000-07:00

before vegas was born, of course we wanted everything name brand. who wouldn't, especially when mostly other people are buying it for you?! all she wore were pampers swaddlers. we had enough to last us nearly 5 months and then the inevitable happened. we ran out. sure, i continued to buy the pampers but then my coupon supply started to dwindle and i just couldn't bear the thought of spending nearly $21 on a jumbo box of diapers for a name that nobody but mothers even care about.

being the avid target go-er that i am, i'm not a stranger to their product line - up & up [which is fancy verbiage for "off brand"]. i have never been disappointed with any of the off brand house items i have gotten at target including medicine and paper towels. i decided to go out on a limb and buy a small package of [36] - size two diapers for $7.34. i was a wee bit sceptical because that is a major price difference from the pampers, so i figured they may be junk. sometimes you get what you pay for, everyone knows that wisdom.

as my "test", i loaded vegas up with formula and strapped a cute ass green and blue polka dot up & up diaper on her sleepy butt, and put her to bed. [sidenote] vegas pees a ton at night, but has never leaked through a pamper in her short six month life. she woke at 2 am and the diaper was still going strong. i decided to be a ~~bad~~ mom and keep the diaper on her until the morning to see if she would leak through. we all know in a perfect world we would change our babies the second any body substance hit the diaper, but that's just not physically possible, not for me anyways.

in the morning, when she beckoned me on the baby monitor, i fully expected to have to be washing sheets. i de-sleepsacked her and felt the mattress - dry as can be! her diaper weighed like 8 pounds but every bit of pee was still in the diaper.

she has been in them a little over three weeks and i am completely sold.

I FREAKING LOVE THESE DIAPERS!

yes, i was yelling.

not to mention the jumbo pack of up & ups at $13.69 for a case of 94 size 2's. that's roughly .15 a diaper as compared to the $21.00 i was spending on 84 pampers, which came out to about .25 a diaper. not only are you saving over $7.00 a box, you get 10 extra diapers for the same thing.

i am in no way being compensated to review these diapers (but if they wanted to, i would certainly not mind), i just thought i would share my findings with all of you bargain moms and dads. but mostly moms.

days [112 - 115]

2010-04-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

[112] - wtf are these things?

[113] - baby + reaching for the camera = half-head-eyes-only picture.
[114] - probably my favorite vegas and daddy picture ever. EVER. oh yeah, and ever.

[115] - deuces.

q & a - part dos.

2010-04-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

Q: why did i mutilate my daughter by piercing her ears without consulting her?

A: ahh, the controversy. hey there delilah, lets just start by saying that the choice to get her ears pierced was not part of a “tradition” nor was it done for “cultural” reasons. i am in no way [hiding] the reason why we got her ears pierced. the truth? because i am her mother and i have the ultimate choice, but more importantly i didn’t get my ears done until i was a kid and i remember the actual day they held me down and stabbed both of my tiny lobes. i am in my 20s and still remember it vividly. in that moment, i wished my mother had done it earlier. i didn’t want vegas to have to go through that. so when she grows up and thanks me for doing it so early, i will feel great that i didn’t leave her with such a horrible memory like i have. earrings are not permanent. if she hates them and takes them out, my life will go on.

don’t even get me started on the topic of circumcising because those are “mutilation” as well if you want to get all technical about things.

Q: what did we put in the three white frames in vegas’ room?

A: right now there are two dainty pictures of our cutie, and one enormous belly picture of me. i would snap pictures but a certain baby is fast asleep right now. never wake a sleeping baby, well – at least that’s what they say.

Q: what is the best thing about being a mom?

A: knowing that i am completely responsible for my own tiny human. having her give me those big 100 watt smiles when in walk in her room after a long night of sweet dreams. having people coming up to me and commenting on how “cute” and “well behaved” she is. feeling the love she has for me that no one else gets to experience. shall I name a million more?

Q: do i have any other mom friends and how did i meet them?

A: in real life? no. <-- im quite sad about this one. on the internet yes. i met them mostly through the bump. here are a few of my originals: heidi, sally, morgan and karly. enjoy them as much as i do, but i will cut a bitch if you become too friendly. just a heads up.

Q: what has been the biggest challenge in my marriage thus far?

A: my whole no job situation. we have defiantly had to learn to live on a shoestring budget.

Q: can you give us photo tour of your house? you seem like a great decorator on a budget and i’m curious what the rest of your house looks like.

A: thank you! i am going to get all fancy and give you a complete home tour in pictures or a video, i have yet to decide. but that will be its own post altogether. so for now, here are a few pictures to hold you over.

Q: what has been my biggest challenge in motherhood thus far?

A: adjusting to baby time.

Q: what is the daily routine in the house?

A: right now, we don’t really have a daily schedule other than a bedtime routine… is that bad? lol. it’s usually, she yells, I answer accordingly [or cj].

Q: what activities do you do with vegas?

A: she really enjoys when we sing to her, well – cj more than me. we go for stroller walks in the evening, play on her play mat, play with maddox [our dog], watch us brush our teeth with our electric toothbrushes [she is totally amazed by them], and whatever other weird games I create throughout the day. right now, every day is different.

Q: you seem to be quite picky about clothing and both fashionable...where are your favorite places to shop? and what brands do you love?

A: i am extremely picky, more than i should be. i like to look good for a deal, so i tend to shop at moderately priced stores such as target [ILU!], old navy, gap and forever 21 occasionally. most people do not like the way old navy fits them, but their jeans hug my ass very nicely, so that is where i buy all of my jeans. and hello, they are under $30 full price [which i never buy], but i wouldn’t think twice about paying $30 for them because they make my ass look pretty nice. i have never even tried on a pair of designer jeans because i am sure i would be hooked. i will say i do have an unhealthy love of shoes [specifically nine west] and purses!

cj, on the other hand has a little more expensive taste in clothes [i blame this on his parents and their inability to say no to him when he was growing up]. he has a few pairs of designer jeans and will spend upwards of $40 on a polo. he has about 10 different colors of the same express dress shirt, and he's a whole bunch of hot when he wears them. rawr.

Q: what kind of vehicle do you drive? what do you want for your next ride?

A: right now i have a red Volvo s40 t5. i love it! i have had it for about 3 years now, but seeing as cj’s car is paid off and we really need to get a bigger vehicle i am eyeing the new body style ford escape. i am afraid to make the move from a car to an SUV solely for gas reasons so that is why i like the size of the escape.

Q: what do you use for hair products, makeup? you always look so good!

A: thank you! hair products: sexy hair and brilliant brunette. Makeup: bare minerals and nothing else, i LOVE LOVE LOVE the stuff.

Q: how did you handle the stress of losing your job and being pregnant?

A: i won’t lie, it was very stressful. every worry was running through my head, then CJ knocked some sense into me. luckily we had money set back from the sale of our previous house and that made it a lot more manageable for me. as cliché as it sounds, i do think that everything happens for a reason, and i look at that as just a chapter in my life, but most certainly not the last chapter.

Q: i like the nursery! where did you get the ideas? also [sub question] who did the painting? i figure it was DIY since you are the guru of saving $$ and still being fab! any helpful ideas on how to paint my son's room?

A: we love our nursery too. its so neutral and easy to change for when she is growing up. if there is one tip i could give you it would be keep the wall paint to a manageable color. bright blue or green may be cute, but it will get old looking very quickly. vegas’ room is dark beige, with one corner being outlined in a coral pink color. we wanted a little girl touch, but baby pink is not our style. cj and I both painted the formerly mint green nursery. it was his idea to do the pink corner [which he painted],and we get soooo many compliments on when people see it for the first time. you could do a variation of that for your little boys room! how cute would that be?!

thank you ladies for all the great questions! my fingers are literally falling off at this point.

days [104 - 111]

2010-04-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

[104] - dad said this is one of his favorite pictures of me, i beg to differ. ALL of my pictures are cute.

[105] - i could stare out of this window all day long. its better than watching that completely ridiculous 16 and pregnant show my moms addicted to.

[106] - friends til the end!

[107] - just eating a little duck face.

[108] - caught off guard with my midget legs.

[109] - it's my 0.5 birthday today and all i got was a bumbo picture. fml.

[110] - practicing my moms signature drunk move, the water sprinkler. [edit from mom, that was ONE time, geeze.]

[111] - i'm pretty sure tongue kisses are meant for people aged 25 and up, at least that's what dad is telling me.

i have camera envy.

2010-04-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

bad!

my point and shoot is just not cutting it anymore. obviously my camera envy comes at a time in which it is just not feasible for me to spend that kind of money on the camera i really want. these two are on my immediate wish list.

canon rebel xsi

canon rebel t1i

i want to venture over to the world of DSLR [digital single lens reflex]. i have always had a "thing" for photography [even though i know my knowledge of the subject is pretty small] but after having vegas, my want turned into a ~~need.~~ NEED.

the obvious difference between the two is the price. the xsi is the cheaper of the two, but if the differences outweigh the price, i wouldn't mind upgrading to the t1i. i would love to know if any of my readers have either of these and what they love and hate about each one.

i obviously won't be getting one tomorrow, but i will have one before the end of the year. promise.

someone is 0.5 years old today!

2010-04-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

q & a - part uno.

2010-04-18T23:37:00.000-07:00

longest post ever.

Q: how did i meet my husband?

A: on the internet, in 1999. creeptastic to some, best decision of my life, for me. it was a national chat room and through further discussion past “A/S/L” we found that we lived a mere 10 miles from each other. [sidenote, i was 14 and it was before the internet was hyped up to contain pedophiles galore.]

Q: how long were you & CJ together and married before you decided to try to have a babe?

A: cj and i dated for eight years [never broke up!] before we got engaged in 2006. engaged for one year, then got married december 1, 2007. we decided to go off birth control when my prescription ran out in august 2008. buuuuuut, we didn’t start “trying” until january 2009, and well…. lets just say, his little tadpoles knew where to go. first time was a charm. ;)

Q: How did we come up with name vegas?

A: truthfully, we have had the name for over six years now and it has never changed. the day we went for our “big” ultrasound and they told us it was a girl, she has always been vegas. we never had a backup for it either. cj was the sole creator of her first name [he MADE me tell you that]. her middle name [landry] came from a very short list including: merit, kimber and ember. also, she was not conceived in vegas, as we have never been, and we certainly do not aspire for her to grow up to be a stripper. we both wanted a name that was unique but not made up, and not trendy or hard to spell with a bunch of added letters. i think we achieved the perfect mixture of the aforementioned.

Q: what do you and cj do for a living?

A: cj is a realtor.

i also have my real estate license. right now i am currently a stay at home mom. [the reason for this will be answered in a different question] me staying home was never in the cards for us financially. sure, we could down-grade our lifestyle, but neither of us want to do that unless we absolutely have to. i have guilt for not being able to find a full time job. i have had a job since i was 16 years old, so it’s been pretty hard on me. however, i will say that i feel extremely lucky to have been able to be home with vegas for the past six months. cj has been so supportive as well, he never pressures me about the whole job situation, but we both know i need to find one soon. i cannot stay home forever. where is publishers clearing house? i want my balloons and over-sized check! lol.

Q: are we planning on anymore children, if so when and how many?

A: yes, at least one more. ideally it would happen around the time vegas is 2 or 3. i want to be able to enjoy all of her milestones before throwing another child in the mix.

Q: how long have you and your husband been together?

A: on july 8th of this year it will be 11 years together total. 2.5 married.

circa 2003ish.

Q: why don’t i have a blog archive drop down menu?

A: i used to, and then i got a search bar. however, i am reconsidering adding it back. i never really thought about how hard it would be to back track if you are not really sure what you are looking for.

Q: how is my new career aspiration going? and are you still in school for it?

A: i am indeed finished with phlebotomy school! yay. i have been on a hardcore search for the past three weeks for a job since school ended. come on land of healthcare, crystal's knocking!

Q: is my hair naturally this dark?

A: yes and no. it is naturally really dark, but I do make trips to the salon to keep it this dark. It tends to have a red/brown tint when I go too long without a touchup. barf.

Q: what names did you consider if vegas was a boy?

A: this is a funny one, because i guess we never really thought we were going to have a boy so we didn’t have many names. we did like westen and kiser as first names. we never really got into thinking of middle names. bad, i know.

Q: what is my biggest fear?

A: my complete honest answer would have to be - being poor. i know there are people who are going to think that is vain as hell for me to say, but its not like i am a millionaire now. i just want vegas [and future kids] to have more than i had and cj completely agrees. i have normal fears like everyone else of losing a loved one, or being hurt, but being poor is pretty high on my list too. right below that would have to be being ugly. maybe i am being a little TOO honest. bwhaha.

well, thats all until later this week.

a quick note about my q & a.

2010-04-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

all of the questions i have gotten so far are awesome! [minus a certain comment by a flower, but i will address that later].

i have gotten so many, that i am planning on making it a two-parter. keep the questions flowing, so i can be sure to bore you thoroughly with my life ramblings. ;)

i'll make the first post sometime over the weekend, i want to be sure to get in as many questions as possible.

i'm excited to start writing and find embarrassing pictures to go along with it!

so, imma do a question and answer post.

2010-04-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

here lately, i have been at a loss of what to post. i know posting pictures of my cute kid all the time isn't going to cut it. i have also realized that i have a lot more lurkers than i thought, as i have been getting a ton more [first time commenters] WHICH I LOVE!

what are the burning questions you want to know about me? my husband? my life? my baby? my dog? my shoe collection? my unhealthy love of coffee? i'm an open book, just ask.

i really hope i don't get like 2 questions. that would be embarrassing. le sigh.

aaanddd GO!

days [98 - 103]

2010-04-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

[98] - no matter how many toys i accumulate, im pretty sure my limbs are the best.

[99] - doe-eyed sleepy girl.

[100] - stretching out that ham string, you know, working on my fitness.

[101] - yes, your vision really is that bad.

[102] - my best imitation of dad, like... everyday. oh wait, let me get my laptop and droid.

[103] - peaches and oats again?! wheres the steak mom? geeze.

picture frame bow hanging thingie.

2010-04-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

every once in a blue moon, i like to craft. i used to do it all of the time, and i slowly hope to resurrect my old crafty self.

vegas has very little hair [i know, i'm sad about it too] but many bows. they were daintily sitting in a white porcelain flower shaped bowl collecting dust. so what does this lady do? i made a picture frame bow hanging thingie. dur.

totally just noticed vegas has a bow on her shirt in the picture, ironic?

so simple, i figured i would share.

what you need:

a rad picture frame.
an equally awesome picture.
ribbon
hot glue gun

thats totally all you need. i told you this was going to be simple.

1. put picture in the frame. [specific much?]
2. cut desired length of ribbon - you will need two pieces.
3. on the back of the frame add two dots of hot glue [about an inch apart] to one piece of ribbon and attach about 2 inches from the bottom. [if you are me, you will burn your finger, ouch.]
4. repeat step three for the second piece of ribbon.

i added a little something something on the bottom to keep the ribbon from curling, as it is in her bathroom as opposed to her bedroom. thanks mrs. priss for this ridiculously cute idea. she's my west coast bestie, btw.

they tag team [ninja style] - double needle stuck my daughter today.

2010-04-08T16:38:00.000-07:00

and this was the end result.

NOT before she let out the most deadly shrieks i have ever heard emitted from her tiny lungs. sadness, i tell you. but fear not, they lasted a mere 60 seconds, tops. i was a little bummed that they didn't have little baby pearls, but i will live... for the next six weeks anyways.

i know it is a "controversial" subject, but every parent is different. some get it done six weeks after the exit from the ute. i am actually surprised in myself that i waited until she was one week shy of six months old.

i told her that any other peircings she wanted would be at her own will, after she turned 35 of course.

days [92 - 97]

2010-04-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

[92] - um yeah, i totally have a $20 chew toy - my mom didn't buy it obviously, shes far too cheap for that. somebody in Kansas loves me! :)

[93] - lemme take a few noms off the ends, i can totally make it fit on that plate.

[94] - oh hai! i'm just standing, sort of.

[95] - you try looking upbeat after gazing into the grey leather of your back seat for the past hour.

[96] - this is the most comfortable sleeping position ever.

[97] - maybe when i am 16 i will get the concept of this jenny jump up. probably not though.

easter 2010

2010-04-06T13:14:00.000-07:00

every year for easter [and most other holidays] we spend it traveling from house to house. this year was no different. no cute easter dress pictures in this post because somebody chewed, slobbered and destroyed it before i could snap a picture. boo.

we got up and headed to vegas' gammys house [my mom] where she had the cutest little basket waiting for her, fully equipped with these... i cannot wait until her little hands can use them. she also had a basket for cj and i, because we are 25 and still get a basket from the easter bunny. my mom made the traditional easter meal featuring ham and her infamous burnt sweet potatoes.

not that she meeeeaaaaannnnssss to burn them every time [charcoal briquettes anyone?], she just always does. once she scraped that layer off and browned the new marshmallows to a wonderful shade of sienna it was eatin' time, and man was it good.

next we headed to vegas' mimis house [cjs mom] where she got yet another basket of goodies, including two summer dresses that after i washed and dried turned into summer shirts. they shrunk like 5 sizes.

this was her face after riding in the car all.day.long.

later that night we headed to some new friends' house and got drunk on wine while playing balderdash. what a great easter.

days [88 - 91]

2010-04-01T16:49:00.000-07:00

[88] - look mom, "can't touch this", my tribute to mc hammer, now get me some parachute pants STAT. hammer time!

[89] - baby burrito. literally.

[90] - this is my "im ready for a vodka" face.

[91] - hand trumps the paci, any day.

oh what a beautiful day.

2010-03-31T19:52:00.000-07:00

::: picture overload ::: you have been warned.

it was a ridiculous 78 degrees today. i mean, this morning it was 41 degrees, the weather is retarded to say the least. i decided to saddle my munchkin and hit the pavement. what a great activity thing to do with her, even though she was sleeping like three minutes after i strapped her in.

it is so refreshing to live in a neighborhood that has curb appeal and side walks. thank you HOA, thank you. you guys have no idea what our previous neighborhood had to offer in terms of aesthetics. um, a gravel road, over grown ditches and chicken wire fences. classy, i know.

the one where i summon the higher powers for a job.

2010-03-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

we won't get into any religious viewpoints on my blog, i'm sure mine are much different than most.

this whole "being unemployed" thing is not working for me or my ego anymore. i have been busy with school and clinicals for the past ten weeks so it hasn't seemed that bad, but if you have been a reader for a while, you may remember THIS. i have not had a full time job since. le sigh. eff you economy, eff you.

don't get me wrong, if it were in the cards [so to speak] for me to be able to be a part time SAHM, i totally would, but i need to "work hard for the money... so hard for it honey". to keep up with our lifestyle and to keep up with my sanity.

with my final exam for Phlebotomy this week, thursday [april fools day, who does that?!?] i am feeling the pressure even more to get a job in the field i have decided to pursue. maybe pressure was the wrong word. no one is pressuring me, especially cj, but i have been applying to various sites with no avail. everytime my phone rings, i am hoping it is a number i don't recognize with a friendly voice on the other line saying, "what time would you like to set up an interview?". or even better "your resume format is outstanding, you must be a spectacular person, you've got the job!".

i live in the land of healthcare, or so i hear. i'm just waiting for that call to get my foot in the door.

be thinking about me on thursday morning, and until i make an obnoxious blog post about my new job. i will love you forever.

smooches.

look what $18.28 got me, well vegas.

2010-03-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

many times i have admitted my love of all things [on sale]. i am super proud of my consignment sale finds from this past weekend.

see. i know, right?!

obviously in the pictures it looks like a jumbled mess, but let me just let you in on the consignment goodness.

top picture L to R: pink old navy bathing suit cover-up, old navy monkey sleep and play, carters strawberry sleeper, gap jeans, brand new pink robeez! [hello, these particular ones were $30 new, and i paid $2 whole dollars for them], brown flower robeez, two blue sheet savers and a cute flower sundress.

bottom picture L to R: eight bibs, white childrens place shrug, white old navy tunic, white carters cardigan, white cherokee sweater [i have a small white obsession], dishwasher basket, formula divider [yes, she drinks formula, gasp.] freaking adorable pink and blue gap sailor skirt outfit fully equipped with a hat with anchors on it, squeeeee!, handmade patchwork handmade cardigan, and red and white gap onesies.

i am quite proud of myself actually. i wish i was a rich momma where i could buy all brand new, but i'm not to proud to use second hand.

352 days of vegas.

2010-03-28T19:12:00.000-07:00

for your viewing pleasure.

[82] - daddy 2.0 sans the bow.

[83] - global warming, in yo face.

[84] - peaches, peaches everywhere.

[85] - i'll slap you until those sleepy eyes go away, dad.

[86] - i'm pretty sure this is not the correct way to hold a baby, mom.

[87] - pretty as a flower.

five month stats.

2010-03-24T21:09:00.000-07:00

and it wouldn't be my style to post them on her actual monthday. i am only five days late this time. tisk tisk, i know. at least there are pictures at the end.

- no doctors appointment this month, so if i had to guess a weight... maybe 15 pounds? idk.
- we moved miss ba donk a donk up to size two swaddlers.
- you nap wayyy less.
- you do this weird spit lip thing [proof below].

- you suddenly need to be held all the time, or you flip out. where did that come from?!
- you respond to your name. and why shouldn't you? you are so inquisitive.
- saying you are a mellow baby is an extreme understatement.
- you have discovered the octives of your voice, wow.
- like to stick your tongue out, and lick.... man, do you like to lick.
- you are mesmerized by electric toothbrushes.
- you break free from your swaddle, so on to the sleep sack it is.
- you can sit up like a little lady, no assistance needed.
- you finally rolled over - seriously, you were a little late on that milestone.
- you have eaten the following foods: peas, pears, prunes and sweet potatoes.
- you love your feet, especially when they are in your mouth.
- when daddy sings to you, you belong to only him.
- you laugh at anything we do, and what a captivating laugh you have.
- your personality seems to be like mine, you like what you like, end of story.

rawr.

ever had an itch you just can't scratch?

aaaaand almost three hours after i started, i am half way done.

2010-03-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

with this.

look what time it is. le sigh.

i procrastinated a little too long and now my genius idea to consign vegas' old clothes has a deadline. tomorrow, well, i guess today is technically "tomorrow". i've known about this for seriously a month, but now my poor dining room table looks like a craft store nightmare.

i cannot help but get a little misty eyed packing up her newborn stuff.

do any of you consign? i have some pretty stellar sales where i live. i mean, i got homegirl a Dior onesie for $1 last fall.

life is good on the cheap side.

points to new header.

2010-03-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

you like? i do. she's getting so big. :::tear:::

that picture was taken with her 5 month photo shoot that i will be posting tomorrow, but for now, here are some more days of vegas. enjoy.

[78] - excuse me miss modest, pull that skirt down - love, your mom.

[79] - seriously like the first time she enjoyed laying on her play mat.

[80] - i wished i looked that cute when i slept.

[81] - as long as i'm all up in your business i am a happy camper.

i cannot stand crystal or her blog.

2010-03-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

really? me either. she is such a bitch.

i don't write for anyone other than myself. true, its out there on the interwebs for anyone to see, but seriously joanie, is it? if you take the time to make my rating on mommyblogs go down [i'm so devastated obviously], and actually write a comment, i must be memorable. ::bats my southern eyes::

if being "full of myself" translates to disclosing clues to my real weight, my handsome husband or my ridiculously cute offspring, then yes, i am guilty.

if there is one thing that [real] people know about me... it is that i don't give a shit what anyone thinks about me. its the same case for this blog.

lets hug it out.

days of vegas.

2010-03-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

[74] - my first jeans, look at my face. i'm stoked. rofl.

[75] - showin' a little leg. rawr.

[76] - bumbo in the tub?! yes, that did happen.

[77] - i have dumbo carseat ears.

i actually saw her roll over today.

2010-03-14T20:41:00.000-07:00

being nearly five months old, i figured this day would have come a little sooner than now, but i FINALLY saw vegas roll over today.

i'm sure if i would have been a little more stern on the tummy time, maybe it would have happened a little earlier. i was beginning to think she was going to skip that stage altogether.

oh, and four posts in one day. i know, right?!

[video] - this kid better never get out in a wind storm.

2010-03-14T17:31:00.000-07:00

when i blow on her, she acts like it takes her breath away. weird.

sorry for the youtube box being cut off.

recipe: creamy chicken and black bean enchiladas.

2010-03-14T16:01:00.000-07:00

sometimes i can be domestic, regardless of what the word on the streets may be.

what you will need:

1 can (10 3/4 ounce) cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 cup pace picante sauce
2 tsp. chili powder
2 - 3 cups of chopped cooked chicken (seasoned with whatever you like)
1 1/2 cups shredded monterrey jack cheese
6 flour tortillas (6"), warmed
1 can of refried black beans, warmed

1. stir the soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder in a medium bowl.
2. stir 1 cup of picante sauce mixture, chicken and 1 cup of cheese in a large bowl.
3. spread desired amount of black beans on a tortilla, then place desired amount of chicken mixture on top of the beans. roll them up and place, seam-side up in a greased 2 qt. shallow baking dish.
4. pour remaining picante mixture over filled tortillas, cover with remaining cheese, and cover with aluminum foil.
5. bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until enchiladas are hot and bubbly.
6. garnish with sour cream and lettuce.

although the finished product did not photograph well, they were amazing.

weekly dose of vegas.

2010-03-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

[69] - i have crazy eyes because my winkle is so de lish ous.

[70] - flashing.... lights lights lights.

[71] - no hair, but the bow sticks. magic, i tell ya.

[72] - shortcake anyone?

[73] - smiles aren't smiles, unless you have a wet chin. oh and fat baby cheeks.

[vegas] - the past six days.

2010-03-09T20:10:00.000-08:00

we got a new laptop and dummy me couldn't find the camera software so the pictures have just been hanging out in the old canon waiting to be uploaded to the world.

[63] - that hand must be somewhere around the face when she sleeps. weirdo kid.

[64] - puuuuuleeeease dad, google lady gaga all you want, she is a tranny, like it or not.

[65] - my signature hand.on.face. pose.

[66] - got milk?

[67] - don't be hatin' on the thighs.

[68] - um, excuse you. [inherited that bitch face from mom obv.]

miss layla grace.

2010-03-09T19:54:00.000-08:00

i recently came across this story and was immediately touched by it. i scan through many blogs a day, some interesting, some not so much. this one was different, very different.

it tells the tale of a mere 2 1/2 year old little girl named layla grace who is was battling stage 4 high risk neuroblastoma. i immediately found myself diving head first into the life of this little girl that her parents so selflessly shared with the rest of the world. they want to make people aware that this world is simply not filled with joy all of the time. that the mark that this little girl left on the earth, in her short stay here, was enough to touch strangers from all over the world.

here is her story.

most of you have probably heard the news now if you were following her mother and father via twitter.

layla lost her battle with neuroblastoma this morning. some may find this news sad, but this little girl was so sick. i find it hard to feel anything other than relief for her family and for her sweet little body. in her final days she lost all control of her ability to live and her parents were suffering beyond comprehension.

it was so hard for me to read that her parents would take different shifts sitting with her so she would not have to be alone when she passed. i cannot even fathom the idea of where strength like that comes from. watching your child die before your eyes, and not being able to do a thing about it, is something no parent should ever have to be put through.

rest in peace sweet layla grace. your story has touched more people than you will ever know.

i love you, but i cannot hold you twenty four hours a day.

2010-03-08T17:30:00.000-08:00

i am not sure where this constant need to be held came from.

we intentionally didn't hold her all of the time for fear of this very reason, well.... the day has come. out of the blue. sometimes you cannot even sit her down for one tiny second and she straight flips out. being the new mom that i am, i have no idea what the heck her deal is. obviously i don't let her scream for hours on end, but i physically cannot hold her all night long.

gimme some pointers here ladies. have you suddenly had a "wanting to be held all the time" baby? what did you do to break the cycle?

i love to cuddle on her, but dang. it's not very attractive taking a baby to the bathroom with you. her dad doesn't even get to witness that, why should she? yeah, it's that bad sometimes.

haaaalp.

2010-03-07T11:38:00.000-08:00

they reset all the voting on Top Mommy Blogs. don't forget to click on the badge. i'll love you forever. i just need to stay in the ranks, yo.

i'm sorry, last time i checked, i was the parent.

2010-03-04T16:53:00.000-08:00

sure, everyone wants to "ooooohh and aaahhhh" over your little bundle of joy. that's fine with me, especially when you know you have a cute kid [like me]. there are, however, those people that love to think that they are the exception to the rule. that rule being - [sharing].

when in a group setting your child should not belong to one single person [except you or course], especially when there are people who do not get to spend time with said child as much as some. most of us have been in this awkward situation of snatching your child from the very firm grasps of that possessive person.

how do you deal with these situations? do you do the simple "grab and walk away" or do you explain to said person that everyone needs a little baby time?

day [60] [61] and [62] - censored for the creeps.

2010-03-03T18:58:00.000-08:00

[60] - jenny jump up, sort of.

[61] - my popsicles bring all the boys to the yard, and damn right, it's better than yours.

[62] - um, yeah.

day [58] and [59]

2010-02-28T15:23:00.000-08:00

[58] - neck tickles from the dad.

[59] - uncle ryan, holding me like i'm a china doll.

four months old - seven days late.

2010-02-26T19:41:00.000-08:00

notice my growing lady on the left of your screen. another notch in her belt to becoming a toddler.
le sigh.

bitty bow courtesy of the $1 offer via mrs.foreste and her fabulous blog. my baldy can now look like a little girl.

day [56]

2010-02-25T19:48:00.000-08:00

[56] - soul patch of peas.

homemade baby noms.

2010-02-24T17:56:00.000-08:00

and by noms, i mean food. peas to be exact.

we received a baby food maker at one of our showers and decided to try it out since we are slowly introducing "p" fruits and veggies to vegas. you know, prunes, peas, peaches and pears.

making the baby food was super easy and completely budget friendly. i made roughly 10 meals for under $1. i would have preferred to use fresh vegetables [when available] but peas are not necessarily in season so the canned variety is what we went with.

here is what you will need: - to make peas - a stage one food.

- blender, food processor or baby food maker.
- one can of no salt added baby peas.
- a touch of water.
- one ice cube tray.
- plastic wrap [i used press and seal]
- a freezer.

1. place peas and juice from the peas in the processor of choice.

2. blend until a creamy consistency - add water here, if the pea juice was not enough.

3. spoon peas into each slot of the ice cube tray.

4. cover tightly with plastic wrap.

5. allow to completely freeze.

6. pop out of tray and place in a freeze safe baggie - they are good for up to 3 months in the freezer.

i cannot wait until she can eat fun stuff like chicken and rice, and steak and potatoes, although i am sure they will not be as appealing in baby food form.

ps. she LOVED these.

day [55]

2010-02-24T17:35:00.000-08:00

[55] - my bald sleeping beauty.

day [54]

2010-02-23T18:47:00.000-08:00

[54] - i made this.

4 months old.

2010-02-22T14:55:00.000-08:00

vegas landry -

i most certainly cannot believe that you are four months old [2.19.10]. you are turning out to be the most beautiful little girl, your dad and i still cannot believe you belong to us! you are such a gem, and we fall deeper in love with you every single second of the day. you have so many things going on at this time that i simply do not want to forget. so, here they are in no particular order.

- weight 12 pounds / 14 ounces. [30th percentile]
- height 23 1/2 inches. [25th percentile]
- head 16 1/4 inches. [50th percentile]

- you have discovered how very flexible you are. i mean, seriously you can bend completely in half.

- you tap everything with those dainty hands of yours. so much, that your father thought for a split second, it may be a mental thing. don't worry, the pediatrician set him straight. your dad is a piece of work, but you will find this out soon enough.

- you took your first spill this month. i hurt more than you did.

- you started on your first solid food - prunes - i know, so interesting, but you needed them. SO bad.

- you still hate tummy time, this has not changed, but that neck of yours is getting so strong.

- you can still wear quite a few of your newborn onesies, but the pants have to be 3 - 6, no high-waters for my girl.

- when you whine, it sounds like you are saying "ma maaaaaaaa ma maaaaa ma". melts my heart.

- you have officially moved up to the eight ounce bottles, the little shorty 4 ouncers are not cutting it these days.

- you look more like your dad everyday. he doesn't "see it", but you do. no worries though sweets, hes a fine looking human himself.

- i personally think you have a mullet. grow some hair [in the front] m'kay?

- you follow your father and i around the room, never letting us leave your line of sight. i'm not sure if that is good or bad, but it's cute nonetheless.

- oh and last but not least, you got your social security card. you're a legal tiny human!

happy four month birthday cuddle [that's your pen name from me, your welcome].
xoxoxo <3,
mom.

day [51] and [52]

2010-02-21T20:19:00.000-08:00

[51] - i don't know who you are, but you're not my mom.

[52] - starting those crunches early.

prunes.

2010-02-19T18:47:00.000-08:00

so our pediatrician suggested that we start spoon-feeding Vegas as soon as we feel comfy. lucky her, she's constipated and prunes were what she got to eat on her four month birthday.

before.

she got more on her arms than in her actual mouth.

day [47] [48] and [49]

2010-02-19T18:39:00.000-08:00

so, im officially [that] mom.

2010-02-18T17:03:00.000-08:00

you know, the one who turns her back for ONE tiny second and her too old for her own good daughter decides that she is going to roll over for the [first time], and roll right off of her changing pad right on to the FLOOR. i mean, face first.

i died

like d e a d.

at that moment i realized the days of taking my eyes off of my ~~newborn~~ baby even for one second, flew out of the window and i'm pretty sure i heard the swoosh as it went right on by me.

obviously all maternal instincts came rushing to me at once when i scooped my teary eyed baby girl off the carpet and into my lap. she cried for a whole 43 seconds, and then laughed at me. i was too busy checking her limbs, face and head to notice that she didn't have a scratch on her, and she was acting normal. i felt like the worst mother in the world. i mean, who lets their 122 day old baby [almost 4 months, if you don't want to do the math] grow up and decide that she is going to learn how to roll over in the most inconvenient spot imaginable?! i felt so bad, vegas got to snuggle with mommy way past her bedtime.

to make matters worse, the needle lady at our pediatrician has a date with miss v tomorrow - her actual 4 month birthday - to give her the 4 month cocktail of vaccines.

oh and she is getting her ears pierced this weekend.

mother of the year, right here. ::points double fingers at myself::

at&t is the devil.

2010-02-18T15:46:00.000-08:00

i have been without the internet for 48 looooong hours. i seriously, almost died. what kept me sane was my trusty blackberry, without you my love, i would have choked a bitch.

at&t turned our house stand alone internet off by "error", but it took them TWO DAYS to resolve the "error" and turn it back on.

needless to say, i got quite caught up on my tivod shows. there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, i guess.

day [46]

2010-02-15T21:20:00.000-08:00

[46] - weekend at gammy's yields a happy baby monday morning.

the great earring debate.

2010-02-14T21:22:00.000-08:00

vegas will be getting her precious little ears pierced in the coming weeks, but my concern is as follows... where should we go to get this done?!

i am not keen on the idea of taking her to the neighborhood claires and letting a snot nosed 16 year old stab my baby in the ears with needles because she "aced" the test on the video about ear piercing she watched. i think i will pass on that option.

i was contemplating taking her to a tattoo/piercing place because i know they have strict restrictions on the sanitary measures they have to abide by, even if the guy doing the job is named 'snake' and has a full body sleeve. butttttt, will they even pierce a baby's ears?

suggestions anyone?

day [45]

2010-02-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

[45] - will you be my valentine?

day [44]

2010-02-13T20:22:00.000-08:00

[44] - baby shower with mom. the last time i was at one of these, i was still in the ute.

day [43]

2010-02-12T20:29:00.000-08:00

[43] - my just woke the eff up face.

day [42]

2010-02-11T20:28:00.000-08:00

[42] - please get this gigantic scary ass chick out of my crib.

day [41]

2010-02-10T20:08:00.000-08:00

[41] - where are the heels mom? these flats will never do.

day [40]

2010-02-09T19:46:00.000-08:00

[40] - this chew toy just wears me out.

day [38]

2010-02-08T15:50:00.000-08:00

[38] - sleeping in my bumbo with my 80's looking sleeper on.

day [37]

2010-02-07T20:03:00.000-08:00

[37] -"they are D&G helllllloooo" (bruno anyone?) -the sticker on my lens is so not fashionable.

skinny jeans. i cannot believe it myself.

2010-02-06T14:31:00.000-08:00

i have always been secretly envious of the rail thin girls that can wear skinny jeans. on the other hand i am also repulsed by the girls that squeeze their fat asses into jeans that are two sizes too small because they refuse to succumb to the reality that they are not the size on the label. "i wear a size 10", that's what they think, but in reality they probably need a size 14. they would NEVER even consider it because they cannot get over the number on the label. if there is one thing i have learned about clothes it is to dress the body you have, not the one you want to have.

i caved last night and bought a pair of skinny jeans to wear with my Uggs, and let me tell you... i love them. i have hips and an ass, but these fit me like a glove with no muffin top to boot. they are ultra low rise - so they close at the widest part of my hips, so in order to avoid said muffin top i had to get a size bigger, and when i took them to the register i had absolutely no regret. i would rather buy a pair that fit and i feel comfortable in, rather than pulling them up every 2 minutes to cover my fat ass.

my milkshake might bring all the boys to the yard, but at least they won't be coming for muffins.

[36] - "look ma, no thumbs."

day [34] and [35].

2010-02-04T12:44:00.000-08:00

[34] - naptime with daddy. oh, and my neck hurts.

[35] - pout couture.