Stream of consciousness

I've gotten caught up in life. Chasing a now very mobile little girl. Starting one too many projects simultaneously. Volunteering for things that I'm passionate about and sinking my teeth into life.
Last week we got a little taste of this:

It was beautiful, enchanting, and was the perfect excuse to stay inside, cuddle my girl and not get anything done. It gave me a little tease of what my life in the north was like, the frigid cold of winter, the breath taking picturesque ice and snow covering every little twig of every tree in our yard. But however much I love the north and the beauty of the snow 2 days later it was 60 degrees, sunny and we didn't have to deal with the gray sludge that is left over weeks after a white death of a winter storm. Another point for the south!

She thinks that anything that is stationary is acceptable for her to climb on. (Let the baby-proofing begin) We have become her permanent jungle gym's and I'm pretty sure it's about as much of a work out for us as it is her. She tries to help do everything that I do.



I love it when I walk out of my bedroom in the morning and the house is clean, the blanket that we keep in the living room is of course in a wadded ball at the foot of the couch from being use the evening before but other than that the floors are free from random toys, the kitchen has smooth empty counters and I can create my own to-do list for the day instead of playing catchup from yesterday's didn't-get-done list, it motivates me I'm pretty sure I get twice as much done.

Addiston has a new love for her pink blanket (knitted by my friend Rebekah, before Addy was born) she'll be rollin' around on the floor, bouncing from toy to toy and she'll spot her pacifier, make a bee line for it and then lay her head down on the carpet and just look at me like "mom, seriously I'm tired" so I scoop her up carry her in her room and proceed to attempt to rock her to sleep. She'll be slipping fast, eyes closed, hands clasped and she'll barely spot the pink fluffiness out of the corner of a sliver of one opened eye and every time she reaches for it and squirms till I almost can't keep her in my arms, when she finally gets it she pulls it to her face and just rubs it's softness on her cheeks till she gives way to sleep for good.


She's growing like a weed, I know how cliche that sounds but it's so true it's scary. I wish I could freeze time until I get used to the stage she's in before we move on, but the reality is that as soon as I start to catch on to what's happening now she's moved on to something new. Well for now she needs fed, the washer just played it's little tune letting me know that my maid is off duty today and I'm pretty sure something else around the house needs done, but for the life of me I can't remember what.

Happy Monday!

Beautiful music

I am one of those people that loves music. Love having random dance parties with the little one in her room, love jamming out to some 90's music (when I'm alone and nobody can see how bad of a dancer I really am), playing imaginary drums on the steering wheel to everything that has a beat, singing along to anything I can understand the lyrics to (not Jared's music) I am constantly making playlists which are the soundtrack to my current life. I love me some pandora and the introduction to new groovy little artists from southern england. While I was pregnant I had a baby playlist with sweet little hopeful songs, I made a hospital playlist that played on repeat for 3 days strait when she was born and sometimes when she takes a nap I bust it out for a little sentimental trip down musical memory lane, and I swear it makes her sleep longer!

The house I grew up in was always full of music, my dad is like a human juke-box. He has a song for every cliche saying in existence, seriously, at times it got annoying. There were five of us kids so if it wasn't my big brother and I making up songs about mario-kart, it was my big sisters singing along to some boy band that my parents didn't approve of.

Addiston had shots this morning and can it be possible that my seven month daughter is braver than I? She didn't shed a single tear. For the first shot she just watched and then smiled at the nurse and at the second she gave a tiny, short, little whimper and was done. No gasping, no screams, not a single tear. And I'm impressed! Jared tried to give me the "shots are psychological, they don't really hurt" speech, I didn't listen.

Our friend Nathan, whom we followed down here from ohio comes over for dinner and movies as often as possible. He's one of those people that children and animals go right up to, they know he's safe and gentle. He's endured some trying times in his short twenty something years but he's sweet, kind, and one of the best people I know. Last week he brought Addy a present when he came for dinner, as if he needed to bribe her with presents, she adores him.

Through a long process of chain reaction of things associated with nathan we have named the glowing seahorse Kermy! (please don't ask for explanation) It soothes her whenever she's shall we say high maintenance. And it lights up so thats always a distraction. She fell asleep holding onto it the other night-it was precious!



While my parents were here my dad decided that she needed a drum after watching her smack everything with surface space, and with instructions to "buy the kid a drum" I went to Toys-R-Us (I fear returning to that toy heaven once she's old enough to realize what it is) I skimmed almost every isle of that place before I scored a drum I deemed suitable for my blossoming little musician. She loves it.


And even though it's random little beats of a cheap plastic toy it's beautiful.


She also has discovered that if she blows raspberries on the glass table she can feel the vibrations with her hands and she loves it, does it all the time till she giggles and falls down.




She's so fun right now. Mobile and making me chase her all over the house. Learning my expressions and laughing when she knows she's doing something that she probably shouldn't be. Trying to walk and talk. She says da-da when she's giddy and ma-ma but only when she's really crying hard. I can't believe how much she's growing and learning, how much energy she has. Part of me wants to freeze time and stay in this stage of observance and excitement and another part of me already misses her littleness, the tiny little yawns, how all she wanted me to do was hold her, the sweet little coo's and little lambs cry (not that I don't enjoy the belting whales of her now very strong lungs) It's all beautiful, the giggles, the raspberries, the da-da when she's glad, the whimper of not getting her way, the early morning whaling and the long gone coo's of a newborn whose growing up right in front of our eyes.

They're back

With the holiday's tucked away and winter tucked under our belt what it's about time for is a little spice in our life. Short and sweet, my parent's are here.

Grandma and pa-pa have arrived which means, a full pot of coffee early in the morning,slightly competitive hand haled electronic games, overly competitive board games, ridiculously competitive card games, ok just competitiveness all round.

They arrived late late thursday night and have succeeded in spoiling our little girl rotten! They brought with them two of Addiston's great grand parents and it is so wonderful to see multiple generations love on our little one. As always they're amazed with the things she's learning and how much she has grown. Not to mention the fact that she totally knows who to be sassy with and how to get what she wants, (like getting her grandma to pick her up and totally ignore dinner, and the rest of us!)

More to come later!

All quiet on the...

So for the first time in almost two months, life is normal. For now that is.
I've gotten caught up on laundry and cleaning. Addiston is finally back on a normal schedule, except for the extra feeding at night she added about thanksgiving time and is continuing to enjoy.
Nothing big is happening. Life is slowly moving along and can I just say, praise the lord for relaxation and being able to sit down and take a deep breath. I did get to have a lil girls night in with some friends Friday night and that was great, relaxing and I got to paint my nails, all of them in one sitting, (that hasn't happened in quite some time!)

I'm type A. Through and through, I can't help it, when I try to be all cool and laid back, indifferent and casual I feel like a poser and eventually snap. So today in true Lindsey fashion, I double checked the alphabetization of my DVD's, scheduled a few things while I had the calendar handy, filed last years bills away, organized coupons by when they expire, and washed my hands 17 times.

ok so I may be lying about that last part, I'm not that compulsive but I know it's a close call.

While I had the calendar out I couldn't help but look back at what I was doing this time last year. I was in Ohio visiting Kara, Jared's sister (and one of my best friends) during an epic snow storm. I was getting ready to go to Washing D.C. for a poly-sci credit, and we had just been through this,

We had just found out that we were having a girl, (even though I had already predicted it) and I was making the rounds to family to make the announcements.

That's Jared's sister on the Left, and Aaron on the right; and just so I can throw it out there, at this point in time two years ago we were in Italy, and we took these pictures in Aaron's honor!

(yeah, I know we aren't tough at all!)
Today Addy is seven months old. She has perfected her crawl and is now pulling herself up onto everything that is with arms reach which has given me a great reason to redecorate a few little places! She is so fun right now with her continual banter, the way she squeals in delight whenever we play peek-a-boo is something to behold. The way that my heart beats a little differently for that little girl and the way her smile grows over her whole face is a feeling that I never knew I couldn't live without. She is a miracle. A precious blessing and I love that I can be with her and watch her grow.


I love that she has a daddy that loves us both so much that he sacrifices little things that he loves, (like dorito's and video games) so that I can be a stay at home mom. But seriously you should see the way she grins a flirty lil smile every day when he walks in the door, she clasps her hands together and pulls her shoulders up and sometimes the tongue peeks out. She loves him. And he loves her.


I remember last year when things were starting to get real, I could feel her moving inside of me, the count down to her arrival turned to two digits and the nursery was almost complete, sometimes we would sit down to dinner and we would talk about how different our lives would be when she arrived. What it would be like to be parents, how things would change.

Last year/This year

I remember and I smile, because no matter how close we were in all of our predictions, the lack of sleep, the disappearance of dates, the tightening of the purse strings, she changed us, not our lives. And really I like my new life like a billion times better!

And we're back

Blogging took an unexpected break in my life as the whirlwind that is the holidays swept in. Through traveling, a white Christmas, house guests, a seventy degree new years eve and then more than 20 people coming over to bring in 2011 with us there is just far too much to cover. So brace yourself for the randomness that is to come.

Addiston was of course spoiled rotten, which unfortunately has led to her high maintenance, demanding spree, which began yesterday. I'm not used to having a child that is not easy going and needs to be coddled every other minute but whoa thanks for the glimpse of what my life could be like. Hopefully she tones it down soon and we can go back to chill baby with the contentment to play with spatulas and empty sprite bottles.

Throughout everything I couldn't help but realize how blessed we are. We have a great support system in place. A family that loves. Friends that make me smile. And a whole lotta people that love to love my little girl.

Ah 2010 was beautiful, breath takingly beautiful, truly settling into, our first little one and so many trivial things that I can't even think of because of the high on life low of sleep thing going on right now.

Jared and I sat down together and made some new years resolutions together, for ourselves and for our marriage. I think they're totally attainable and can't wait to see what 2011 has in store. I couldn't help but get choked up the other day when I realized it's not the year that Addy was born in. I don't know why but something about the changing of a digit at the end of the date brought a lump in my throat and Jared just laughed and told me that I seriously wouldn't want her to stay small forever. And as much as I hate to admit it, he's right. I can't wait to see her take those first steps on her own, and learn to tie her shoe, jump in the waves of the ocean, go on her first date (which will not be at age 30, no-matter what her dad says) not to mention, I totally don't want to be changing diapers forever.

Well for now it's off to sweep up the crumbs on the kitchen floor, take down the tinsel and make some new memories.

It's so sweet how she loves her grandpa miller.

Bring it on 2011