Just dropping in...

to let you know who we root for in this house :)  

Well two thirds of this house anyway....Lonnie could not care any less about NFL football!  But don't worry...I'll be sure to raise my girl right ;)

Happy Super Bowl Sunday y'all!  Hope you have a great one.  I know we will.  We are going to chill with some good friends, enjoy a few adult beverages, and cheer Mr. Brady to the win!  Go Patriots!  

Happy Hour

So this is what you were thinking right??

Well that is not the happy hour I am talking about.  Although, I do thoroughly enjoy that one as well!  Some days it even comes way before 5...depends on the level of fussy ;)

This "happy hour" is completely different and it comes at a totally different time.  I call the first hour that Blakely is awake in the morning happy hour because that girl is so smiley and giggly that first hour.  I feed her first thing and then we talk, play, laugh, and kiss for a whole hour before we come upstairs and it is always my favorite part of the day.  I let her play in her crib for a little bit before I go in but then when she finally sees me she just lights up. It makes me feel so good!  

I have never been a morning person in my life but knowing I get to play with this sweet girl makes me look forward to 730 each morning.  Don't get me wrong, it is still hard to roll out of bed BUT once I see that pretty smile I forget how tired I am.    

This happy hour makes me feel like I am doing a good job as a mother.  I'm not sure why.  I guess because it is our special time together.  Even though we spend lots of time together during the day, this morning time is different.  It is just me and her, in our jammies, hanging out.  It's our little thing.  I like to think that she looks forward to happy hour as well :)

Sometimes we just snuggle...

Sometimes we giggle...

Sometimes we laugh...

Sometimes we smile at mommy's funny faces...

Sometimes we chew on our hands... (most of the time!)

Sometimes we just concentrate really hard on figuring it all out...

And on super awesome days we fall back to sleep!

Every night when I go to bed I can't wait to wake up and enjoy our happy hour together.  I love this sweet girl more than words can even express.....

It's everywhere....

Can you see what is wrong with this picture????

How about if you look a little closer...

Yes, my friends, that is shit.  And a whole lot of it.  

Blakely decided that going to Hobby Lobby with me and Aunt Sarah was the perfect time to release the load that she had been holding on to for days.  I could not agree with her any less....

The super fun part about this was that I didn't even know that it had happened.  We had been there over an hour when I noticed.  She was starting to get fussy so I picked up her giraffe and saw that.  Might have been why she was getting fussy?  I don't know...just a guess.  Poop turns to glue after an hour in case you were wondering.

So I took her to the car to change her and that is really when the shit hit the fan...errr the roof....

I had to change her with us both inside the car because it was FREEZING outside.  Normally I would have laid her down on the seat while I stood up outside but that was a no go.  So I was trying to squeeze her in between me and the car seat to do this.  Horrible idea I tell you...horrible.  

This pictures doesn't even really do it justice.  It was all the way up to her neck in the back.  When I took her shirt off she then had it in her hair.  There is only so much you can do with a travel case of wipes.  In the end she was still covered in shit, my back seat was covered in shit, and I was covered in shit as well.

But have no fear!  We continued our shopping trip!  We had to get some stuff done for the shower we are hosting next weekend.  Blakely was ok with that because she is starting to enjoy going places in her car seat.  She loves to look around.  Mommy was ok with that too because, ya know, being a mommy changes you.  I have no idea if Aunt Sarah was ok with it, it really didn't matter at that point ;)

Needless to say we all got a long hot soapy bath when we got home.   
I'm lying....Blakely got that and mommy got a quick and very cold wash cloth "bath"   :)

One Year Ago

One year ago today my sweet and precious Blakely Ann was created.  What a miracle!  I can't believe that was a year ago.  I wrote this post that day and this post the next day.  When I think back to how I was feeling that day I get very emotional.  I was so nervous because I wanted the egg retrieval to go well.  Everything up to that point had gone better than before so I was so hopeful yet so very scared.  If IVF #3 didn't work, I wasn't sure what we were going to do.  I tried not to think about that but it is hard not to think about your backup plan...your plan B.  We had been through so much in 2010....4 failed IUI's, 2 failed IVF's, and more heartbreak than I care to even think about.  I didn't know if we could keep going.....


Out of 19 eggs retrieved we got 6 embryos.  Four of those embryos made it to day three.  Two of those four were transferred in to me and the other two were frozen.  Out of the two that were transferred we got our Blakely!  WOW!  She was such a little fighter.  I remember from the day that I found out that I was pregnant until the day I gave birth to her I would tell her every night how proud of her that I was.  Proud that she kept growing, proud that she made it, proud that she was hanging on, proud to be her mommy.  I am still crazy proud of her.  I hope that one day she will be proud of me.  


So tonight I will snuggle my miracle a little tighter, hold her a little longer, kiss her until she falls asleep, and tell her over and over how happy she makes me...with blissful tears streaming down my face...

date night, bottles, and a milestone...

My honey took me on a date last night.  I can't even tell you how great it was!  I have decided we need to do this at least every other week.  We went out after we put Blakely to bed so I didn't have to worry about anyone giving her a bottle.  It was so nice to just hang out with Lonnie and talk and drink wine!  It had been so long and it made me feel so good.  Must do it again soon for mommy's sanity :)

Blakely did good while we were gone.  My aunt came over to watch her and to hang out with my mom.  She did wake up and cry about 45 minutes after I put her down.  Jenni rocked her and she eventually went back to sleep.  

She has been doing that lately...waking up screaming...what is the deal with that?  I don't think she is hungry although if I give her the boob she will eat, of course.  Also, the past two nights she woke up at 330 to eat.  I guess it is a growth spurt...

Last night when she woke up at 330 I was afraid to feed her.  I only had one cocktail and a glass of wine but still....I worry.  So I had Lonnie try to give her the bottle.  She took it like a champ and drank 4 ounces!!!!

She has been doing better with the bottle lately.  I can get her to take it with minimal screaming and Lonnie has given it to her the past three days with no screaming at all.  So now I just need other people to do it!  I think I am going to start having my mom give her one tomorrow.  She likes the tommee tippee the best so I am sticking with that.  That is good news because it has the least amount of parts to wash!  Yea!  I think it is just a matter of me being consistent with it.  I have to give her one every day.  

At first the only way she wouldn't scream at it was for me to speed walk in circles around my kitchen while bouncing her.  She would at least keep it in her mouth then, playing with it and chewing on it.  After about 30 minutes of this she would latch on.  I can't even tell you how sore my arm was after this.  I did this for about 5 days.  Then she started latching on sooner.  Then I would only have to speed walk until she latched on and then I could sit down.  Then after a few days of that I could get her to take it while she was in the bouncer.  I think the key is to keep her happy.  If she gets upset then there is no way she will take it.  You have to get/keep her calm to even have a chance.  We have made loads of progress and it is getting so much easier.  Thank goodness....

On another note, my girl is growing up so much!  She ROLLED OVER yesterday!!  I put her on her tummy for some tummy time and she just ducked her head and over she went.  Lonnie and I both saw it and we started clapping and yelling.  She was quite surprised but I'm not sure if it was from rolling over or from our reaction.  She did it two more times after that and we got it on video.  I can't believe she is growing up so much....I love it and it makes me sad all at the same time....

Totally random post but that's all I've got for a Sunday :)  Go Patriots!!!

Happy Birthday to my BLOG!

One year ago today, I started this blog.  What a fantastic idea that was!  I had been reading some infertility blogs for about a year before that and I thought starting my own would help me through my third IVF.  It was a place where I could vent, get support, and learn from others.  I had no idea how awesome starting this blog would be.  I have met so many great people that have helped me through the most life changing year of my life.


Over this one year my blog has changed a lot.  When I started it I was right in the middle of IVF number three so I blogged about that.  Once I got pregnant my blog changed into a pregnancy blog and I am so happy that I have all of my pregnancy stuff written down here.  Then I became a new mommy!  My blog is now about my little family.  I could have never imagined such a great year and I am so happy to have shared it with you guys!  


I really appreciate all of you who read and follow Candid Confessions of a Southern Princess.  You guys never cease to amaze me!  Y'all cheer me up when I'm down and encourage me when I'm doubting myself.  I really don't know what I would do without the support I have gotten through this blog.  I love being able to document my life here.  I wanted to be honest on this blog when I started it and not make my life always look like rainbows and butterflies because that would just be a huge lie!  I promise to keep on keepin' it real with you guys and I hope ya keep reading :)


By the way, I put a couple of tabs up at the top of my blog.  One is all about our journey to our sweet Blakely...what a long one it was!!  The other one is a list of all of my weekly Kelly Belly pregnancy updates.  I am working on a few more so be on the lookout for those.  


Love you all and Happy Friday!!!!!

TVT

I was going to do a separate post for most of these but I don't have time.  Life has been crazy hectic lately.  

TVT for you :)

• I can't seem to shake this cold.  I have had it for almost 2 weeks.  I feel better but I still have a terrible cough that keeps me up at night.  Good news is that Blakely has not gotten sick....fingers crossed.  

• We went to visit some of Lonnie's family last Friday.  They live about 2 hours away and had not met Blakely yet.  We had a great time and B was sooooooo good.  She wasn't fussy at all and pretty much showed off the whole time.  She slept the whole way there and the way back....great!

• Saturday we had a surprise 30th birthday party for my bestie Sarah.  I think she was actually surprised and we had a great time.  I didn't get to stay very long because I had to come home and feed the baby (who was, of course, refusing a bottle).  

Birthday girl!

 decorations...

cake

centerpieces that I made...thank you Pinterest!

all of the girls!

• My 30th birthday is two months away....EEEEK!!!!

• I got my Erin Condren life planner last week....I am so excited!!!  

• My mom came home from the hospital Tuesday and she is staying with us for a while.  She has to be non weight bearing for 6-10 weeks, they aren't sure exactly how long.  I am happy to have my mom here as long as she needs to stay.  She can't get around very well but a physical therapist is coming a couple of times a week to help teach her how to get around easier.  She is actually doing a lot better than I thought she would be doing.  Since she can't put any weight on it, she kind of has to hop on her good leg but she can't go very far doing this.  She probably hasn't hopped in 20 years!  She just makes it to the bathroom and then back to the bed.  Then we come to the living room and sit in the recliner for a bit.  She is in pain most of the time so we are trying to keep that under control.  I think once the pain gets better she will start to be able to do more.  I really hope this recovery goes smooth for her because I know she hates having to depend on me for everything.  I really don't mind and I would take care of her forever!  She thinks that she is being a burdon but we really like having her here.  Even though she can't take care of Blakely, she can play with her on the bed while I get some things done.  So helpful!

• I broke my toe on Saturday.  It feels awesome.  I slammed it into Blakely's swing.  It hurt like a mother but I was too scared to look down at it.  I thought I might faint.  I can't even imagine how my mom felt when she fell and shattered and dislocated her ankle...I am such a weenie!

• Mom had started Weight.Watchers before she fell so I have been inspired to help her to lose weight (and us too).  Bad news for her is that I control all the things that she gets to eat since she can't get up ;)  I didn't know anything about WW before now but I have been researching for the past few days.  As far as cooking healthy meals goes, it seems like this will be pretty easy...Pinterest helps ;)  And, hey, if it will help me lose those 10 IVF pounds I won't complain!  

• Since everything has been so crazy, Blakely has gotten COMPLETELY off schedule.  The other night she just pretty much wouldn't go to sleep.  Her naps were off, her feedings were off, just everything was off.  She has also started waking up 45 minutes to an hour after I put her down for the night.  She just cries and cries.  I thought she would just cry for a few minutes and go back to sleep but not so much.  I rocked her back to sleep and the second I put her down she would cry.  Lonnie would do the same thing.  The other night I was pretty desperate and gave her the boob like 4 times in just over an hour.  Usually that is the magic fix  boob=sleepy baby.  She would fall asleep but then cry the second her butt hit the crib.  My nipples haven't been that raw and sore since the first week of breast feeding!  Starting today we are getting back on schedule and I am going to be a strict momma!!!

• Speaking of Blakely, she has been packing some serious power behind her poops recently.  I mean wow!  We've had quite a few blowouts in the past few days....

• The bottle situation is getting better.  Although she will only take a little and only from me or Lonnie.  Pretty sure that doesn't help us very much....

check out that latch!  I had her tricked....she thought she was sucking on Sophie the Giraffe the whole time :)

• Does anyone else think Sophie the Giraffe is really just a dog toy???  My dogs FLIP OUT when this thing squeaks...

That's all I've got for today!