First day of preschool

Blakely had her first day of preschool on August 11.  

She is still going to MDO but their 4 year old class is now a preschool class with a new teacher.  She still has another year after this year before kindergarten so I was fine with giving this class a shot and not moving her to pre-K at a new school.  

Short back story.  Blakely has had the same teacher for the 2 years she has been going to MDO.  Last spring the 4 year old teacher was let go from MDO and Blakely's teacher (Mrs. Anita) was again going to move up a class and would be Blakely's teacher.  I was thrilled.  I love her and totally trust her with my biggest baby.  Well a couple of months later the director of MDO got a new job at one of the public schools here so Mrs. Anita applied and got the director's job.  I was mildly concerned because that meant they would have to hire a new 4 year old teacher and I am totally spoiled with Blakely having always had the same one!  

But then I met the new teacher at orientation and she is very nice and really motivated to get the kids learning.  She had lots of plans and good ideas for this new preschool class and so far we are loving it.  Blakely is getting structured learning time but still getting plenty of play time (I am firmly in the camp that kids learn A LOT just by playing).  So everything is fine and I worried for no reason.  If this would have been Blakely's year before kindergarten I would have been SERIOUSLY worried with the last minute teacher change but it's not so everything is fine.  

I can't even tell you how big my girl is looking.  Gosh.  It is crazy.  She is such a little girl and no one can believe me when I tell them that she isn't even 4 yet.  They always think she is at least 5.  Here is her on her first day and last day of 3 year old MDO.  

Little miss long legs.  She is so grown up.  I love this "baby" so much.  She has handled becoming a big sister so well and is so helpful.  I can see the sassiness of 3 fading and the sweetness of 4 coming into view!  

Slacker

I have been such a slacker with posting here lately.  My mom tells me this often :)  (She loves reading my blog and the little tidbits about Blakely!)  Anyway, I think I know why I haven't been coming here to write as much.  

Things have been really hard lately.  The last few months have just been rough for my family.  With Lonnie's multiple illnesses and his hospitalization, my mom's hospitalization and her heart issues that we are still dealing with, all of the IVF stuff and then my migraine I AM OVER IT.  

I don't like for this blog to be a downer all the time so when things are shitty I just don't really write much.  I mean I am honest about it all and I will post the negative things about my life I just don't want to bombard you all with "woe is me" constantly!  

Lately when I sit down to blog I find that I just want to vent.  That can get old fast so then I just close the computer.  

But I think we are turning a corner!  We are back on our regular schedule with Blakely going to MDO.  That helps a ton...not sure how I used to do it with her home with me all day everyday because this summer WORE ME OUT.  Lonnie is back to feeling 100% and that helps me out oh so much.  My mom has switched cardiologists and we really love and trust this new one so I feel that she is well taken care of and I don't have to question everything.  And best of all, we are on the path to our frozen embryo transfer!  As long as all continues to go well we are looking at a transfer in just a couple of weeks.  I am so ready.  Now, I just have to keep us all healthy!  We will all be hiding out in our house for the foreseeable future.   

So, since things are looking up around here I hope to get back into my blogging habits.  Since I know you have missed her so much here are a few pics of my girl on her first day back to MDO.  Sassy little thing... 

playing catch up!

Things have been a bit nuts around here.  In a good way.  Lonnie has had some random days off and the weather has been nice so we've had quite a bit of fun family time.  I keep meaning to blog about certain things but I forget!  So here we go with a miss mash of a post and some pictures thrown in!  

• FIRST OF ALL.  I found out late last week that all three of our embryos are chromosomally normal!  Can I get a hallelujah?  I nearly flipped when I saw the clinic number on my phone.  But she immediately told me it was good news.  I cried.  Like full on silly cry.  I didn't mean to do it but it snuck up on me and I couldn't stop.  We have a phone consult with Dr. S on July 3rd and we are tentatively looking at a frozen transfer at the end of July/early August.  OMG.  

• Blakely is still going to MDO 2 days a week.  They aren't usually open during the summer but they decided to give it a try.  I am super happy about that because Blakely would have missed it so much!  I wanted to take a comparison picture of her from the beginning of the school year to the end.  It amazes me how much she has changed.  I mean, I expected it, but, she just looks so grown up!  And tall.  

• We have been going to the pool pretty much every weekend for the last month.  The first few times Blakely didn't really want to "swim".  She had to have me holding her AT ALL TIMES.  She didn't even want to get down in the water much.  Well fast forward to yesterday and all of the sudden she can swim all over the pool with her puddle jumper on.  Deep end, shallow end, jump off the steps, spin herself around, climb up on the floaties.  It is amazing.  I was so surprised at how much progress she made in just one day.  Something clicked with her and she realized holy crap I can swim around here!  Ha!  We are hopefully starting swim lessons soon.

• I found a co-op in my town!  I can't tell you how excited this makes me.  I have been wanting to find one for a while but I couldn't.  I am not really one to just go to the farmer's market, chat them up and ask if I can buy food from them on the regular.  I was reading one of our local magazines and boom, there it was.  The best part?  Besides farm fresh food obviously, is that you order online!  I just placed my second order and I was so thrilled with my first one.  Everything was so fresh and just beautiful!  This time I ordered some meats as well as veggies and fruit.  Eventually I would like to get all of my meat from them but I am starting slow.  See?  Pretty!

• On Fridays, after gymnastics class we go to my dad's house.  Last Friday we took a little boat ride while we were over there.  Blakely had a blast.  For about 20 minutes.  Then this happened....  I've told you before...boats are magic toddler sleep machines.  

• Last week at MDO they had water week.  They had some little pools and sprinklers set up outside and the kids got to play.  Well since then, Blakely has been begging to "play in the water and play in the little fishie pool and play in the sprinkler and run run run through the sprinkler like we did at school please Mommy please".  Everything is an elaborate run on sentence around here.  So I dug out the little pool I bought when she was a baby and the child was thuh-rilled.  I set up our sprinkler and she was a little timid about it at first but after a few tries she was running around like crazy.  So  much so that I went online right then and bought another ball like sprinkler for her.  I love summer.  

• Lonnie and I have been playing co-ed softball again this year.  Have I mentioned that? It is fun but it is hot.  Last week we had 2 games and it was 95 degrees with like a million percent humidity.  Towards the end I thought I may just lay down in the outfield. I think we have about 3 weeks left.  Good news is that I haven't been injured yet!

• I got Lonnie a Keu.rig for Father's Day.  Why did we not purchase this like 5 years ago? And why did no one tell me that it makes a lot more than just coffee?!?!?  I don't drink coffee so I never paid a bit of attention to the thing.  Hello Kelly (autocorrect tried to change that to Hello K.itty.  WTF).  It it so much more than a coffee maker.  I may have just placed a very large order of tea, cider, hot chocolate and lemonade.  B will flip over the lemonade.  Girl is obsessed.  She helps "make coffee with Daddy in his new coffee maker we got for him for Daddy Day yesterday and I sit on counter with Daddy and help him make super hot coffee".  Love that girl...

• The other night I put Blakely's pajamas on and forgot to pull her hair out of the neck.  A few minutes later I looked over and saw this.  How cute would a little toddler bob be?  Not going to happen but I had to take a pic of the cuteness.  Although I am about to make her an appointment for a trim.  Her very first one.  Just a trim...

Okay.  I think y'all are caught up!  Happy Monday!  

Just a random Wednesday

Linking up with Megan today for a bunch of randomness!

• You want to know what is embarrassing?  Having to go to the doctor and have your ear cleaned out because it is impacted with wax.  Yesterday morning when I was using a q-tip {I know} all of the sudden my ear just sealed up and I could not hear a thing.  I took B to school and then went and worked out hoping it would get better.  No.  It was driving me so crazy that I couldn't even wait for Lonnie to get home with some utensils to clean it out himself.  Off to the doctor I went.  My doctor cleaned it out and it felt amazing.  It was totally disgusting and I wanted to die when I saw what he got out of there but I was so happy even though I was embarrassed.  And then all of the sudden I was not happy....I was insane dizzy.  Like almost fell off of the table dizzy.  Apparently shooting water that is too cold in your ear causes vertigo.  So I sat there for about 10 minutes trying to get back to normal.  I can't tell you how weird it was to be so so dizzy but not nauseated.  I have vowed to never use a q-tip again.  Oh how I will miss them though...
• B is going to school 2 days a week now {which is why I am able to blog in the middle of the day...yay!}.  She loves it and I love that she loves it.  She woke up this morning chanting her teachers names.  I think she probably dreamed about them and school all night...ha!  
• When I picked her up yesterday this is what she did all the way home.  Non-stop.  I think they talked about letters at school?!

• I have no idea what to do with myself when she is gone.  I am literally able to do things around the house that used to take me hours when she was here with me.  For example, I paid bills this morning in less than 30 minutes.  That used to be an all day process full of interruptions and toddler "helping".  I am so much more productive and when she does get home I am able to focus on her instead of trying to do other things during my time with her.  
• Ok.  I am saying it.  She is potty trained.  The last time she wore a pull up was on our trip to Pittsburgh.  She did well the whole trip but did have a wet pull up a few times.  But she wasn't scared to go potty in the airport, on the airplane or at Bridget's house.  She even showed off her potty skills to Emily!  It was pretty cute.  I was nervous about her regressing on the trip and once we got home but she hasn't.  So I ditched the pull ups and we are panties full time now.  Even at school and she has stayed dry.  I do not miss cloth diaper laundry!!! {fingers crossed this doesn't jinx us!}
• I finally decided on a theme for B's 2nd birthday party.  I am excited about it after not being able to get that way for a while.  I think I am going to do a Sunday afternoon party that is a little more low key.  The Saturday of her birthday weekend the Razorbac.ks play at home so I wanted everyone to be able to go to the game {3 hours away}.  And if I do Sunday afternoon then I don't have to have as much food so maybe it will be less stressful?
• I still haven't gotten my refund for our last IVF.  I was supposed to get a check in the mail soon after I spoke with the nurse about it.  Well, that was 6 weeks ago.  To say we are frustrated would be an understatement.  They have had plenty of time.  Lonnie is calling today and demanding answers.  He is doing it and not me because 1) I would probably cry and 2) they will be way more scared of him (I hate confrontation and am terrible at it anyway).  
• Y'ALL.  This is the most important bullet in this post.  NFL football starts tomorrow!!!  OMG.  You know I love me some football and I may be a *little* obsessed with fantasy football.  I am in 2 leagues this year.  The one with all of my girlfriends that we do every year and then another one with some people Lonnie works with.  I used to work with them too so I know most of them.  There is only one other girl in that league so I named my team A Woman Among Boys.  HAHA!  I am seriously so excited and I will try not to talk about it on every post.  Unless you want!  Who do you root for?  Do you hate football?  Lonnie hates it but I think it is mainly because I love it so much.  He is more of a baseball guy.  :)

Happy day before the NFL season starts!  

randomness during nap time...

• B had a great first day of MDO yesterday.  Until about 3:00.  Her teacher said she noticed that Blakely was just looking different than she had all day and so she went and held her and felt like she was hot.  They took her to the office and took her temp.  104.  Great.  They were calling me to come pick her up right as I was walking in the door.  They brought her to me and my girl looked so pitiful.  We are heading to the doctor in about an hour.  
• Potty training is going well.  She is in panties most of the time now.  I do put her in a pull up for MDO and for gymnastics class on Friday.  Mostly because I think she is having so much fun she forgets to tell me/her teacher that she needs to go.  For the most part, the pull up stays dry.  We spend a lot of time like the picture below.  She will wait to pee just so she can play in the back seat.  Oh, and it is about 100 degrees with the humidity of a sauna.  So this is always fun.  No...

 {isn't she going to love this picture later?}

• Lonnie has had an amazingly rough stretch at work.  2 terrible weeks and a call weekend in between.  When his work is crazy, everything is crazy.  He is off for a week starting this weekend and it can not get here fast enough!  Although he may sleep the whole time...
• Do you use the Timehop App?  You can sync it with your FB or Insta.gram and it will tell you what you posted one, two or three years ago!  I love it but must it make me tear up every day?  This is what it showed me the other day.  WHO IS THAT BABY???

• B is obsessed with this pink hat.  If she doesn't know where it is then she roams around whining "Boppy pink hat" until I find it for her.  {Boppy=Blakely}

• I can't seem to get motivated to plan B's 2nd birthday party.  What is wrong with me?  I have an idea of what I am going to do and I have made a few purchases but no planning beyond that.  Get with it mama!
• One more random thing.  This little family of mine is taking a weekend trip (4 days) pretty soon.  Any guesses where we are going?!?  {It is in the US}  Happy Wednesday!  

First day of school...

I am writing this while sitting at my kitchen table.  Alone.

Because Blakely is at SCHOOL!!

Wait...I haven't mentioned this yet?  

Well let me back up a bit then.  

At the beginning of the summer I started thinking about getting B into a Mother's Day Out program here in town starting in the fall.  Apparently MDO is a southern thing because I have mentioned it to a couple of non-southern blog friends and they had no idea what I was talking about.  (cough cough, Bridget, cough cough).

I mean it is basically a day care but they don't have the hours of a day care?  I really don't know much about day care in general so I can't really compare.  I can just tell you about this MDO!  It is from 8-330, 4 days a week.  I can take her when I want and pick her up when I want.  I guess you could say it is day care for stay at home moms!  

To start, I am only sending her one day a week.  Eventually I may send her 2 days a week but I would have to get on the waiting list so it probably wouldn't happen until the spring anyway.  She is also going to be spending one day a week with my friend Juanet.  Have I ever mentioned Juanet?  I can't remember but she needs a whole post so I'll do that later.  Anyway, starting now, B will be spending one day a week at MDO and one day a week with Juanet.  

Can I just tell you how excited I am about this?  For real.  It is going to be so good for her.  One of the main reasons I wanted her to go is because I think she needs more interaction with kids.  She only really plays with other kids at the gym day care and she loves that so much that I knew MDO would be a hit.  

I am also, of course, nervous.  Someone else is taking care of my baby!  I am pushing through my fears because I know it is what is best for her and for me.  I mean, I just ate a huge breakfast and I didn't have to share!  I am blogging and I haven't been interrupted one time!  Mommy win!  

And because you know she had a special outfit for the occasion....

She, of course, decided to sleep in this morning so she wasn't all that happy about pictures at first.  {always twirling that hair}

Then she warmed up a bit...  Can we talk about how big she is?  

And now I am off to take the hottest and longest shower ever...because I can!!!  Yippeeee!