February 5 - My Little Valentine...

Who loves my little valentine??? I do! I do! He he he! :O) Alaina wore her Valentine outift from Grammy today to daycare and got LOTS and LOTS of compliments on it. She is pretty cute huh?? I think so but I am a little partial...
If you enlarge this picture do her eyes not look super green? Weird... They change all the time but I couldn't believe when I looked at this picture how green they appeared. So anyway, now I have shared my pictures of Lainey.
Today was another long day. I think I have said that pretty much every day this week. That is because this week has just drug on and on and on. I can't wait until tomorrow is over because work has just been horrid this week. I got home from work and our neighbor and her baby that is two months older than Lainey were outside so we went out to visit for awhile. It was GORGEOUS out today and tomorrow is suppose to be even better! We had to run an errand to Target tonight. Nothing exciting to get. Dog food, cat food, people food, etc. Then we came home and I washed bottles and all that fun stuff. And I FINALLY had time to update my blog! Hooray!

February 4 - LOST

Ugh - another busy and stressful day at work for me. I was really glad to get home and just spend some time with Alaina which ended up being most of the evening and I didn't get my blog done. Teddy had bowling last night so he was gone. Alaina and I spent the evening getting bottles washed and stuff ready for today and then at 8:00 everything stops because LOST is on. He he! I love the show. I have watched it since the day it started and I love that I have no idea what is going on half the time. It makes you think, a lot, and theorize and to me that is entertainment. My other favorite show Criminal Minds is also on at 8:00 so I have to DVR it so I don't miss anything but it was a rerun last night and it actually wasn't even on here because they were showing the Drake vs Creighton game. It is a great show but sometimes it freaks the crud out of me. I know eventually as Alaina gets older it is going to have to be DVR'd because it is way too scary for her! Anyway, not much else to talk about. I need a good story for the week but I don't have one yet! Ha ha! :o)

February 3 - Best Friends

Cuddle time for Lainey and Duncan!! Alaina was all smiles and then she pulled her arm up in front of her face. You can see part of her smile and you can see the eyes are smiling! He he! Duncan is pretty happy too. Lainey loooooves Duncan. She watches him all the time and smiles whenever he looks at her or licks her. It's a mutual love as Duncan always has to make sure she is okay and he never wants her to cry!! I think they will continue to just be better and better friends!
Today was a loooooong and stressful day for me. My job just has me pulling my hair out at the moment and I hate that feeling. I want to come home happy and lighthearted to my family but today it was really hard to just leave work at work. Ugh. Teddy had a better day thankfully. Alaina had a great day at daycare. They said she was in a great mood and really "talkative." AND Lainey gets to be "Baby of the Week" next week which means she gets her own bulletin board to post up to 5 pictures and information about her. That should be fun! Hopefully I can get a picture for the blog sometime next week! Anyway - it is late. I had to catch up on blogging and now I need to get things ready for tomorrow, a day that I don't even want to think about yet. He he! Thankfully, Lainey is being entertained by Daddy right now!

February 2 - Trying out the Big Bed

Today we started another milestone. Learning to sleep in our big girl crib!! We are starting off with nap time and working our way up to nights. (Eeee! Not ready!) I took a picture of our monitor instead of trying to take a picture with a flash in her room. I wasn't taking any chances cause I needed some free time to get some dishes done!! Anyway - it is black and white because the sun was pretty much gone and it goes to night vision when it gets dark. I know it will be nice when we get there but I am not sure how well I will sleep with her not in her bed right beside my bed at night! Anyway - not much else to talk about for the day. We both went to work and Alaina went to daycare. We came home and Teddy had a basketball game at 6:30. Alaina and I cooked dinner, got bottles ready, some more laundry done. Boo - nothing exciting! Maybe tomorrow...

February 1 - Super Bowl Sunday

Today was a nice day. Alaina was feeling better and was in a better mood. We got up and went to brunch with our friends Luke and Molly. It was delicious! Alaina slept through most of the meal but woke up towards the end in a great mood. She didn't decide until we had returned home that she was STARVING. All afternoon she thought she needed to eat. Mommy and Daddy tried EVERYTHING to entertain her but until she got her Mommy and food she was NOT happy. Tonight we went to our friends Michael and Tara's apartment to watch the Superbowl. Alaina was awake for quite awhile and we watched the majority of the game without incident but then she got hungry. I had pumped a bottle before we left and she sucked down all 4 ounces in nothing flat. It took A LOT of convincing to make her think she wasn't still hungry. I couldn't believe she ate all that. Thankfully, we got her to sleep and she slept through the whole last half. (Which was amazing because if you watched the Superbowl you know the last half was the best half and with all the yelling I couldn't believe she stayed asleep!) It was a lot of fun but by the time we left she was ready to go home and she CRIED all the way home until we made it to the chair and I fed her. This picture is after we got our jammies on and were relaxing and getting ready for bed(and she was temporarily happy - ha ha). What a little cutie and what a fun day!

January 31 - A Duncan Proof Door

Hooray!! The door is fixed!! (Thank you Dad!) The Door shuts now and the trim is all back in place. Best of all, we have a Duncan proof door knob with a TWIST lock. Now we just need to touch up some paint and we should be pretty much back to normal.
Lainey didn't sleep all that well last night. She normally sleeps through the night without eating but last night she got up 3 times to eat. Then she was cranky most of the day and slept sporadically. She didn't want mommy to put her down but Grammy and Grandpa did get some time in with her before they left to go home. Grandpa also helped Mommy hang the rack to hold the quilt from Grammy.
Grammy and Grandpa left around 2:30 and I finally got Alaina to sleep for a couple of hours in a row but she has been terribly cranky all evening. Speaking of that, Daddy is looking a little helpless so I better cut this short. More tomorrow!! Goodnight!

January 30 - Sick Day for a little Cowgirl

So, Alaina woke up with a fever this morning. Not, that I was feeling the greatest, but, I could have made it through the work day if I had to. She had slept pretty well all night. She woke up a lot due to the stuffy nose. Problem was since she couldn't breathe out of the nose, she would drop her binky out of her mouth to breathe, then she would go to suck and binky was gone, and then she would start crying. I would wake up, put the binky back in, and we started all over. *Sigh* That got old but she never actually "woke up." Well, anyway, can't go to daycare with a fever so I had to call in to work and call in for Alaina at daycare. They were sad to hear she was sick, but, not surprised given how she was Thursday. So, Lainey and I spent the day at home resting. Daddy got home around 2:00 from his trip. He brought Alaina a surprise! Her very own cowgirl hat!!
Obviously it's a little big yet...but, she will grow! The Indian blanket thing is actually a poncho Daddy got when they took all the guys from the conference to the rodeo one night. Daddy did not wear his and I can't say as I blame him!!! Grandpa and Grandma Durfey came out tonight because Grandpa is going to help Mommy fix the garage door Daddy broke down a few weeks ago. They got a little cuddle time in with Lainey in between her being cranky...

January 29 - Darn the Cold and Flu Season...

Since Alaina and I have both been sick I am a little behind on blogging... I got my pictures taken but the actual act of sitting down and writing the blog got put off. Thursday night was no fun. I stopped at HyVee on my way home from work and picked up some medicine for me. Not much Alaina can take other than baby Tylenol and have her nose suctioned, so, just medicine for mom. When I got to the daycare they said she had been pretty fussy the last couple of hours and didn't act like she felt well. They had been suctioning her nose and everything, but, she just wanted her mommy! (Don't we all just want our mommy when we don't feel well??) So Alaina and I ventured home to wallow in our stuffy noses. Needless to say, Thursday night we spent most of the evening snuggling on the couch and trying to feel better and went to bed early! Here is a picture of all our stuff on the coffee table. Looks like fun huh?

January 28 - "It's a happy day, but, kind of sad..."

Today Alaina is 3 months old! Wow - that went by fast! What a big girl she is getting to be! She isn't the tiny cuddly infant I gave birth to three short months ago. Now she is the wiggly, smiley, you-better-entertain-me-or-else baby! This stage is fun too, and thankfully, she still likes to cuddle too. It's a happy day since my little girl is doing so well, but, today was also my grammy's birthday. I had to take a picture of Lainey with the quilt that Grammy bought for her without even knowing who she would be, in fact, Lainey's mommy was still in high school when that quilt was bought. But, the mommy knew when she had a baby someday that she would do her nursery in precious moments noahs ark, and I did. And now this quilt is going to hang in the beautiful nursery that grammy helped complete. And, I know she sees it there. I always thought my grammy would be around to spoil my kids. I know that she would have been the first person at the hospital on October 28, but, I also know she knows Lainy. I think she helped God pick her out! God does know the desires of your heart, but, so do grammys... ;o)

So today... I just want to share some memories for Grammy's birthday. I love you Grammy! And I miss you every day! *Kiss Kiss*

Grammy Always Shared...

She was never too busy to play with you...

She sparked my love of Precious Moments

She lived life to the fullest (age was never a factor!)

She was unpredictable! And hilarious!

And she was beautiful, inside and out!

*!Happy Birthday Grammy!*

January 27 - Mommy is boring...

So tonight I had to get Alaina's bottles washed and dinner made so I took her up in the kitchen with me and strapped her in the high chair which has quickly become a great source of entertainment for her in the kitchen. She watched her toys and talked to them and watched me while I made dinner and started on the dishes. As I was doing the dishes I suddenly noticed the baby chatter had stopped and turned around to see what the deal was. Apparently Alaina got bored and decided sleep was better than watching mom do boring dishes. When she fell asleep in the high chair her nose came to rest on the tray which soon became her forehead before I could put my camera down and get her out. The mark on her chin is from the zipper on her sweater. Awww...poor baby. :O( Sorry I am so boring Lainey!

January 26 - *{Lainey Bug}*

Today was exceptionally boring and there is not much to blog about. I just went to work and it was a typical boring looooooong Monday. I was counting the minutes until it was time to go home. Thankfully, the snow that fell this morning was all cleaned up and people drove like semi-normal people. I got to the day care right after Lainey finished eating and getting her diaper changed so she was in a fantastic mood! She didn't even cry when I stopped at stop lights today! Normally, she gets very aggravated with me when I stop the car, for any reason, including traffic laws. She thinks if she is in her car seat that you should either be carrying her or the car should be moving. If she is in there and one of these two things is not happening, you are in trouble! So anyway, we got home and she was in a great mood so we sat down and had a little talk. He lady bug was lying close by, thanks to Sam dragging it off the shelf, so I picked it up and sat it next to her, which, as you can see, she really enjoyed! :O) So, I thought since there wasn't much to post about tonight I would just post a picture of my Lainey bug with her lady bug! Awwww! Hopefully tomorrow is more eventful!

January 25 - There is nothing better than a Family Dinner

Mmmmm! Is there anything better than a roast cooked in the crock pot all day with potatoes and carrots??? I was so excited to eat it I could hardly take the picture!! And it was delicious! The best part of the whole thing was that we had our FIRST family dinner at the table as Lainey Bug sat in her high chair for the very first time!! What a BIG girl she is getting to be!
Normally, we hurry up and eat while she is asleep or mommy eats with one hand or something and tonight I decided we would try the high chair out. I think she might have too many toys on her tray as she seemed a bit over stimulated. She didn't know what to look at first!! But it was nice because she was content sitting up to the table with Mommy and Daddy while she played and mommy got to eat with both hands!! Hooray!
Overall today was a busy day but we got a lot done. I got the whole kitchen cleaned, had the roast on all day. We did laundry. (Yuck) And I got to spend time with Alaina which was the best part! Also took some time to work on a little project that I can't talk about just yet. (It's a surprise!!) Anyway...not much to tell other than we are really excited for another first to add to the list!

January 24 - Productive Saturday

Saturday was a productive day that, as you can see, wore me and Alaina out! I didn't even get my blog posted last night, so, catching up today. Yesterday morning we got some stuff done around the house and then had to run errands. We had to go to WalMart AND Target. Thankfully, the weather was still nice out. We got everything we needed and went home and then of course had to put it all away. Then it was off to MORE housework. By Saturday evening we were worn out!! I sat down to feed Alaina and she went to sleep so I decided we would just cuddle for awhile and got very comfortable in the chair and just dozed off. Teddy woke my up around 11:30 for bed. Thankfully, Alaina stayed asleep when I put her in bed. :o)

CYCLONES RULE - HAWKEYES DROOL - GO STATE!!!

The Whole Outfit

I love the Cyclones!!

This is what I think of the Hawkeyes!

Like my hoodie?

!!Go State Go!!

(You can't be mad at me Aunt Ashley! I am too cute!!)

January 23 - My Little Roo

Daddy took this picture...not the best one but it will work. ;o) I tried to get him to wear the baby carrier, but, he refused. I think I said the other night when I was talking about going to Babies R Us that I bought one of these. Alaina seems to really like it and it has been really helpful to me. She can be happy because she is getting attention and I am happy because I can get stuff done at the same time. I never thought I would be one of those moms that wore their baby like an accessory, but, now I can see where this is at least helpful around the house! Right now she still has to face forward because of her size but when she gets older she will be able to face out without the neck thing behind her and I think she will like that even more because she will be able to see more of what is going on! It is pretty fun.
Not much happened today. Went to work. Came home. We did do a little shopping tonight at Old Navy and the Mall (Baby Gap - we had gift cards!) and we got Alaina some new clothes. Why do little girls clothes have to be so darn adorable? We are running in to the issue that she has loooooong legs but a tiny waist. Length wise she is easily in 3-6 months but in her waist 0-3 months is still big. So, its fun trying to buy her things sometimes. Teddy is ok with this though because he wants her to play in the WNBA... :OP Nerd.

January 22 - Swimmin' with da Fishes

I didn't get this uploaded last night. There was so much I wanted to say and not enough time to do it in! And, it was a crazy evening that just got away too quickly! You know how those go. So yesterday Teddy went back to work as he was feeling better. It was a busy day for both of us at work so we were glad to get home and relax last night. I had dishes to do, bottles to wash, milk to get ready, etc. Alaina was a tad cranky again. Not as bad as the other night but I think she was just craving some mommy attention. She didn't want daddy - she didn't really want to play - she just wanted me! :O) *Big Smiles* So anyway - on a lap through the living room with her (she was riding in her pouch like a little Roo) we stopped to admire the fish. We made this fish tank with the help of my brother and my dad almost 2 years ago. It is an old console TV that we gutted. My dad and Chad built a stand inside and made the top of the TV hinged so we could open and close it. When we got it back to Omaha we bought a fish tank that would fit in the "screen" area and mounted lights on the inside. I LOVE it. And, you may think we have a gorgeous coral reef in there as well, but alas, that is just a background bought at PetSmart. I know I know - so realistic even the fish don't know. So we bought about five fish to get us started. We have a little bit of turnover in that department, but, for the most part the fish have done well. The cats LOVE the fish tank - especially Maggie. She will sit for hours in front of it just watching the fish swim. It has been a great source of entertainment and is always a conversation piece when people come to visit. So anyway, as we are admiring the fish tank I see a fish is floating...sad day. Well, I won't touch it. #1 I have Alaina in her pouch and #2 YUCK - I don't touch them. I don't like to touch them when they are ALIVE. So I summon Teddy to flush the fish to his wattery grave. (I am sure it is not just water down there but lets not discuss that!) Anyway - it was the algae eater that died. Now we have to get a new one or the tank is going to be DISGUSTING. This one did a really nice job so I hope we get another good one. This one cleaned like a professional - she must have been employed with Merry Maids or something. I say it is a girl because she did all the cleaning and you know a man wouldn't do that. Anyway - I called her Rosie after the robot maid on the Jetson's, and, Rosie is now dead.
My favorite fish, however, is the black striped Angel fish who I named Tony Soprano. He is no angel - he is the mob boss of the fish tank, I'm serious. Nobody messes with Tony. We had a little molly that chased him around all the time when we first got it and it turned up dead pretty quick. I am pretty sure Tony took a hit out on it with the red-finned shark, aka Jaws. Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase swimmin' with da fishes now doesn't it? Anyway - this is Tony Soprano:
Beautiful isn't he? Can't you just imagine him talking in a Jersey accent? So aside, from Tony and Jaws we have this sea dragon thing that I named Jetsam because he looks like one of those eel things that Ursala had on The Little Mermaid. Then we have a little leopard catfish named Leo. We also have this weird little black fish and I don't know what it is but it is spastic. It irritates Tony sometimes because it swims really fast all over the tank and other times it sits in the corner of the tank. I think he does that after Tony has a few of his bottom feeding thugs "deal with him." But, I don't know. He could just be bipolar. We used to have this fun blue and silver shark, but, he also had a little "accident." I used to have this sponge bob square pants in the tank that blew bubbles out of his mouth through an obviously fake bubble wand. Anyway - the blue and silver shark decided one day that he would try to jump/swim through the hoop/bubble wand and he got stuck because he was too big and he later died from his injuries. I don't think Tony had anything to do with this, but, it was sad. Apparently he was an amazingly talented fish who knew how to jump through hoops and I had no idea. We could have had our own little fish circus or something. But, I did not realize his gifts. Either that, or, he was just stupid. Who knows with fish. So...that about covers the fish. I think Rosie was only our third fatality in two years which, with fish, is really not too bad and it would probably be less if it weren't for Tony... And you thought fish tanks were boring huh?

January 21 - Big Girl in her Bumbo!!

Alaina has been doing so well holding her head up lately that I thought I would try putting her in the bumbo. She likes to sit up and look around as it is and she LOVED it. She talked to me while she was sitting in it and she was soooo smiley!
Today was an interesting day. Unfortunately, Teddy stayed home with the stomach flu. His parents had it on Monday, and today Teddy and my dad both came down with it. Ick. I am really hoping and praying that Alaina and I can both escape it! Alaina still went to day care and I still went to work. I picked her up this afternoon and she was in a great mood so we did a little shopping and had some girl time. Fun! I also bought one of those baby carrier things that you wear and the baby can either face you or away from you. We tried that out tonight too and she really enjoyed being able to walk around with me while I did things in the kitchen! Anyway...not much else to talk about today. I better go because LOST is on and I have been waiting for this to start all year!! Woo hoo! Talk to you tomorrow! :O)

January 20 - Watch out for dryer elves and spiders!!

Wow...what a day! The historical inauguration of our first African-American president! I missed most of the coverage due to the fact I was at work but I did catch a good portion of his speech during my lunch break. I am praying for a new direction in our country and it sounds like we are on our way! However, no matter how historic the day, when I got home there was still a bunch of laundry to be folded! We do laundry on Sunday afternoons for the week and because of all the crankiness last night with Alaina it did not get folded or put away. *Sigh* Does anyone hate laundry as much as I do?? I am really good about getting it washed and dried but after that...blah. The ironing, the folding, the hanging...I despise it. Yet - it has to be done. So I came home feeling all motivated and decided I wanted to fold in the family room since Alaina was playing and it is too cold downstairs for her. Therefore, I had to carry all the laundry up. I piled it on the love seat and set about getting it folded. Alaina was entertained as she was playing on her activity mat as I folded. I piled the socks down next to her and set out getting all the t-shirts and pants folded and other things put on hangers. Alaina happily played. After all the clothes were done I started on the massive pile of socks. Okay, #1 people always joke about the dryer elves that steel your socks. I don't think it is a joke. I put pairs of socks in and I get one brown, one black and a couple different white back out. What the heck?? And baby socks are even WORSE! They are so tiny!! #2 How does my husband manage to get holes in brand new socks? Does he walk around with nails in his shoes? It takes me months to get a hole in my socks. I just don't get it. I must have thrown out 8 socks today. (Yes, an even number. I get irritated when he throws out ONE sock because then I am forever looking for his mate. I have to buy you a new PAIR anyway - throw two out.) So anyway - this is not the point at all. The point is, while folding the socks, a spider suddenly comes FLYING out of the pile. Yes, a SPIDER. I HATE spiders. I am horribly, deathly, allergic. I carry around a epinephrine shot just in case one bites me. (It has happened - I will dig out the pictures from the archive and post at a later date!) So anyway, the sock pile is right next to Alaina. (see picture above taken PRIOR to the spider incident.) I would like to say I was mother of the year and reached down to scoop up my child as the massive 8-legged freak was flying across the floor, but, I didn't. I jumped up, screamed, did the heebie jeebie dance, screamed some more, more heebie jeebies and then scanned the room for anything worthy of smashing that thing. At this point, I thought of my defenseless daughter lying on the ground and scooped her up and set her in the swing. The only thing I could find to smash the spider with close by was a plastic snowman toy Duncan got in his stocking at Christmas. I wish I could say I thought to take a picture of the carnage that ensued. In fact, I am sure you wish I had video taped it. Me, smashing a spider with a plastic snowman squeaky toy, the spider not cooperating with dying, me screaming at it to die, I think it's dead, nope, still twitching. Beat it some more. Listening to the toy squeak each time it hits the floor. Ugh...finally I smashed it enough that I was satisfied it wasn't going to run and I grabbed 10 kleenexes to pick it up (So I don't have to feel it through the kleenex) and I smashed it the rest of the way. Ugh. I hate hate hate hate hate spiders. Thankfully, Teddy missed my show, Alaina found it entertaining, and most importantly, the spider is dead. After that, I was very careful as I picked through the remainder of the socks and I am happy to report the rest of the socks got folded or rolled without incident. ( I roll my socks and Teddy likes his folded - ah, the sacrifices we make for each other...) Although three socks are still without mates... Stupid dryer elves...

January 19 - Better late then never...

So...I didn't get this posted last night. Alaina was amazingly very cranky. I was lucky to get the 10 minutes I got to scarf down my dinner! I am still not sure what the problem was, it must have just been one of those nights?? Anyway...my picture is one of the few moments she was actually calm and happy last night. We took a bath and she is always very happy when she is in her tub and for awhile afterward. So, I took advantage of the short-lived good mood for a few pictures!! I love this one because I love her little "duck hair" after her bath! Around 9:15 she decided she was hungry so we laid down on the couch to nurse and we both fell asleep!! Maybe we were both just a little tired...

January 18 - On the Road Again

Ahhh....more driving today on the way back to Nebraska. I think we could easily do this drive in our sleep by now, but, oh well. It was a fun weekend and well worth the trip! Alaina woke up around 7:15 this morning and wanted breakfast and then we went upstairs to see Grandpa and Aunt Ashely before they left for church. Lainey and Grandpa had another fun conversation of "Ooo's and Ahhh's" and then Grammy snatched her away for some cuddling! When Daddy got up we got everything loaded and headed over to Grandpa and Grandma Hutchinson's to see them before we left. We got on the road around 1:00 but stopped in Stuart to drop off maternity clothes for Laura! She had let me borrow her clothes when I was pregnant with Alaina and so I was returning them plus returning the favor! (Maternity clothes are so expensive! If you can share it is so worth it!!) Alaina had never met Eric, Laura or Owen so we went inside for a short visit. Owen is going to be a GREAT big brother! He tried to entertain Alaina, didn't want her to cry, and he even shared his blankies and a lot of his toys!! It was so sweet!! I sooooo wish I would have thought to take my camera in... :O( It was packed in the car and I didn't even think about it but, they are coming out to Omaha sometime here soon and I will have to take pictures then! After that we made the rest of the trip home and unpacked the car. By then Alaina was more then ready to eat and we were getting laundry started, dishes done, stuff set out for dinner, etc. Where did the evening go?? Sorry for the short post tonight, but, it is after 10:00. Alaina is ready for her bedtime snack and some sleepy time so I better go. My picture for the day today is Alaina very proud of herself for sitting in Grandpa's lazy boy this morning with her cowgirl boots on. Enjoy!!