This is out of control

"Where's the Neosporin", "Don't I have a right", or "I love American Idol". This is not the place for those things. This is an area that is reserved for Makayla news only. I thought about just starting a new blog on blogger, but decided that it would get more traffic over on my BBC. I am addicted to BBC if you haven't noticed. BBC is babycenter by the way. I always think that everyone knows that, and in reality only true BBC junkies probably know that. I don't think that any of the rest of you are BBC junkies like I am. It is quite sad really. BBC Junkie-Guilty as charged. I have noticed that my blog entries are getting way to long because I am really getting sidetracked. I need a place to vent about me and my stuff. I feel like my head is just full of things to say, and I KNOW that people don't want to listen to all of them. Just ask Ryan, Momma, or Nathan. I feel that they would all like to tell me to shut up sometimes. Well, I guess that Nathan is the only one that won't tell me to shut up when we have been in the car for an hour, and I have not been silent for a single second. He won't usually say much, but will occasionally let out one of his little chuckles. My brother, Ryan, on the other hand would just say "AMANDA, JUST SHUT UP! YOU HAVE NOT STOPPED TALKING SINCE WE GOT IN THE CAR!" in his not-so-pleasant, slightly annoyed ,16 year old, brother tone.

See, I am doing it again! This is not supposed to be about me at all. I have a big problem. You see, after I wrote about that song last night I feel the need to just empty my head to you guys too eventhough I have created a whole new area for that purpose. What to do? I have to get it all out before I just explode!

Storytime with Daddy

We think that it is really important that Makayla be read to everyday. Right now Nathan is reading from My First Bedtime Bible to her every night at bedtime. I don't know what he will choose to read when he finishes this book. We have integrated this into Makayla's daily routine.

Makayla's bedtime routine is as follows:
6:30 Bathtime
6:45 Lotion, Massage, medicine, PJ's
7:00 Storytime with Dad
7:15 Nurse
7:30 Night, Night for Makayla

(Yes, she really does go to bed that early. She is READY for bed at this time. If we put her down later, the entire night will be a nightmare. Well, Not really. From what I remember, sleep is a requirement for nightmares.)

She sleeps much better since starting this routine. I read that the bedtime routine needs to be an hour long to help the baby get very relaxed for bedtime. It has worked for us! We are believers. The book is called the No Cry Sleep Solution. We started using the info 2 weekends ago, and Makayla slept through the night Saturday night for the first time in a long time (over a month). I mean really slept through the night not just like 5-6 hours which some people consider sleeping through the night. I don't consider that sleeping through the night for an infant or anyone else. The book said that within 10 days 42% of the people in the test groups had already had success. I totally believe that! We also got the Ocean Wonders Aquarium that has lights, a motorized fish, and music or noises . I am often able to stand outside her room at night and turn it on with the remote, and she will fall asleep within 10 minutes. I know! This toy actually has a remote control which is very handy for Mommy's like me who absolutely can not show their face in their little one's room after bedtime if the goal is to get the baby to go back to sleep.

I highly recommend that anyone having sleep issues buy this book. She has not consistently slept through the night since January, so we hope that we can have consistent results from this system, so far all has been good. I am pretty sure that we will because our nights have been getting a little better every night even while she was sick. She has only had one night that she didn't sleep though the night since Saturday. I don't really think that night should count though because she had 2 poopie diapers due to the prunes that I knew better than to give her with her supper that evening.

Life's a Dance

I was just looking at my past entries, and I was just listening to the song "Life's a Dance" that I have playing on this blog. I though that I would give a little explanation for why I chose that song to be one of the songs to play on Makayla's blog.
Is is because it refers to a blue eyed girl? No, Makayla has brown eyes like me.
Is it because it talks about milestones like crawling and walking? No. Makayla does not even do those things yet.
Why then did I choose this song? That is the easiest question of the evening.

Here's the very long answer. I chose this song because it just portrays so well the way that I feel my life has unfolded. I never had things come easily to me. I never was the smartest, prettiest, skinniest, or most talented girl around among my high school or college friends. I have always come in contact with so many people who could perform better than me while only putting out a minimal amount of effort. I have always had to work hard for any of my achievements whether that achievement was finally making the dance team after trying out for the first time just to reckon with the dissapointment that I was just not good enough (yet) to be a part of the team or whether it was graduating with my masters with only one B after struggling to write that not so perfect paper. I always was the one who felt like I had to crawl again to get where I needed to go only to realize that I was usually the one who unexpectedly ended up being the leader when I was once a follower. I was the long shot many times, but I always finished the race even if I was not the winner. I have many regrets about things that I have done or wish that I had done. I just look at those things as part of the dance that is my life. Everything that has happened to me or that I have created for myself (intentionally or unintentinally) has molded me into the person who I am. Still today, I find myself running backwards half the time when I have taken only one step forward in the first place. I have always understood that giving was receiving. I was in 4-H for 10 years, so I learned the value of serving others. Now I am a social worker listening to other people's depressing problems day in and day out. I may complain a lot about my job and wanting to stay at home with Makayla, but I think that some moms just need to go to work as others just need to be at home with their children. I am one of those moms that needs to work. This world would be a sad and lonely place if all the social worker moms decided to stay at home with their babies. I really want to be able to stay at home with Makayla, but I have always believed that social work is a calling not a career. Am I to ignore my calling? I feel that I should not. I am needed by many. I KNOW that I have saved at least 1 life of a suicidal client since my return to work in January, so why is everything still so hard for me?

Anyway, I find myself singing this song to Makayla all the time for some reason. Do I just like it that much, or maybe it is just embedded deep inside my being? I just feel some sort of connection everytime I hear or sing this song. How is that possible? Isn't this song like 15 years old or something like that? Anyway, I just want to teach Makayla that life is about working hard and building character. Well, That is all I have to say about that.

Go Dance your life. Goodnight my family and friends.

Many Faces of Makayla!

THIS GIRL HAS SO MANY FACES!!!

Makayla's "Just practicing for my close-up" face.
Makayla's "To-Die-For-Lips" face.

(Really this is no face. She actually has these beautiful, pouty lips all the time courtesy of her father.)
And the classic..."Pout".
Makayla's "Sleeping" face.

Makayla's "I have a cold" face.
Makayla's "oooh! I'm Telling" Face.
Makayla's "What are you people trying to do to me?" face.
And back my popular demand..."Makayla's Big Smile"!
Makayla's "Excuse Me, People. What did you say?" face.

I know. She is adorable. I just thought that I would say it, since I know that you were thinking it:)

This was just a small sample of Makayla's Many Faces! Trust me. There will be many more to come.

Makayla's Pretty Dress

Makayla wearing her cool shades! They match her dress if you didn't notice.

Her pretty dress. The picture is not great. I just got a new camera, and I didn't get to take many pictures before the battery died. I thought that it was already charged when we got it, but I guess that it was only partially charged. That battery took all day to charge! By the time I realized that we didn't get any good pictures in her dress, it was too late to take more.

The hands of 4 generations

We took this picture today. The hands of Makayla's Great Grandma, Granna, Mom, and herself are in the picture. There is also a picture of Makayla with her Granna.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Ryan

Ok, Well happy belated birthday. Here are some pictures from our birthday party last weekend. We didn't get many.

Makayla and Grandma

Makayla watching Uncle Ryan blow out his 16 birthday candles. She may have needed to help him actually because I think he had some trouble. I guess that he is just getting old. That old fart.

Playing outside

Ooh, This grass is interesting!
I think I want to pull it up and eat it!
Doing push ups!
Watching the worker people at anthony's.
Seahorse is a delicacy. Didn't you get the memo?

Last Friday, Makayla and I played outside and watched the people fixing Anthony's house next door. We did not take any pics of that though. Only Makayla got to have her picture taken that day. She really enjoyed the grass, but she was quite squinty because it was kind of bright. I think that she eventually adjusted. It was a very enjoyable afternoon.

It's a Bird...

It's a Bird!
It's a Plane!
No! It's Superbaby!

Never Wake A Sleeping Baby!

I almost did tonight when I was taking these pics. The flash is very bright in the dark. Makayla is not sleeping very well these days. She is doing much better now that I am feeding her again before I go to bed. When I get her out of the crib she will nurse without ever waking up! How cool is that? I don't even have to get her back to sleep. Here are some pictures of Makayla sleeping.

Just some BBC Business today.

TAG. You're It.

Where is your mobile phone?
On my lap

What is your favorite gadget?
TIVO

What did you dream last night?
Don't remember

What do you prefer to drink?
water

Dream car?
I don't really have one.

What room are you currently in?
Living Room

Your husband?
Nathan

Your hair?
Brown

Your mother?
talkative

Your father?
busy and hardworking

Your ex?
who cares?

Your biggest fear?
Something happening to Makayla

What do you want to be in 10 years?
I have no idea. I feel like I just need to get through today right now.

Who did you spend last night with?
It seems that I spend most of my nights with Makayla these days.

What are you not?
Skinny

The last thing you did?
put makayla to bed

What are you wearing?

jeans, green long sleeve shirt, and white socks

Favorite book?

N/A

The last thing you ate?
mandrin oranges

Your life?
stressful right now

Your mood?
anxious

Your best friends?
scattered everywhere

What are you thinking about right now?
money

Your car?
Dirty

What are you doing right now?
isn't that obvious?

Your Summer?
What summer? Summer is not summer when you still have to work.

Marital status?
married

What is on your TV right now?
Reaper

When did you last laugh?
During Idol.

When did you last cry?
This morning

School?
I am not in school.

Playdate with Luke

Yesterday, Makayla went over to Luke's house for a playdate. I think that they had fun playing together. I really think that they recognized each other from daycare. Luke slept most of the time. I really wish that Makayla would nap like that! Here are some pictures from after Luke woke up.










Those Silly Kids







Doesn't it look like they are having fun?














Makayla is posing for the camera!










Me and Jennifer with the Little Ones

Smile! Smile! What is that?

Peaceful Smile!
Goofy Smile!
What is that?

Presley came over to play

Yesterday, Presley came over to play. They played with their toys together and tried to stand and sit up. Makayla was in a really happy mood and was very talkative.

Tornado pictures

Here are some pictures of our house from this morning.


Our house-it took off much of the roof under the tarp our garage
garage ceiling
View of the tarps from inside our attic. One of the tarps is blue and the other is black.

The insurance adjuster is coming sometime tomorrow. He said that we should get our money in a few days. We look forward to having a roof and garage door again.

Tornado update

We are officially building a safe room in our next house. We took cover in our bathtub and covered ourselves with pillows. Makayla was in a sling on my chest and I held her really tight. We heard the "freight train" noise that I have been told was the sound of a tornado, and we felt a sudden suction and heard a pop. We actually felt our bathtub contract due to the suction. A minute or two later Holly (friend from sunday school that lives 2 doors down) called to ask if we were ok. I told her that we were, and they said that they were fine, too. I asked her if it was over, and she said that she thought that it had passed. Makayla did great until after the suction and then started to cry. I would assume that her ears popped because mine did. We are all fine though, luckily.

Our house has some damage. Our garage was sucked in, so we can't get our cars out. Our roof was also taken off above our garage. At least it was not taken off above the actual house. The stuff in our attic may get ruined because we can not pull the ladder down to unload it, but there is nothing very sentimental in there. Looks like Nathan got out of work tomorrow. The situation is less than desireable, but I am sure that he is glad that he gets to play hookey:) We were very lucky. Only our house and our neighbors house had major damage. All other homes had only minor damage like fence damage and minor roof damage. Most of the neighbors were out in the storm helping us and Anthony (next door neighbor) get our roofs covered with tarps. They may not hold up, but at least we did what we could to prevent the water from coming into our attic.

I posted the previous post before while we were just watching the storm on the weather. I have had to take cover numerous times, but I think this is my first actual tornado. Unfortunately, Makayla got her first experience early. I think that she actually got scared, too. I am sure that she just knew that we were both scared.

Tornadoes scare me

Tornadoes really scare me. I always hate having to take cover. I remember, When I was a little girl (before Ryan was even born), there was a really bad storm. I think it was a Saturday night because I went to Sunday School the next day telling people that my trampoline blew away. We had to get up in the middle of the night to watch the weather and take cover. I think that Momma may have hurt her arm trying to close the storm door out front. I don't know.

When we build our next house, it will have a safe room that we can stay in when the weather is bad without having to go outside. It may be expensive, but that is a small price to pay for safety. Nathan doesn't agree, but he has never had to take cover before either.

I am not usually afraid of storms, but the kind that makes tornadoes always worries me.

Makayla having Daddy time

Here are some new pictures of Makayla. I did some editing on them. I hope that you like them. There are some of just Makayla and 1 of her and Nathan.

I forgot

You guys won't have to look at any of my new scrapbook pages anymore unless you want to. I started a new blog specifically for her scrapbook. I plan to print the pages, but they will be posted on her scrapbook blog whenever I finish a new one. If you want to look at her digital scrapbook, the link is http://amandasdigiscrap.blogspot.com, or you can just click on "Makayla's digital scrapbook" with my links on the right side of this blog.

Makayla is 5 months old

I just can't believe that she is 5 months already. She will be 6 months in only 1 month. That is half way to her first birthday, and we still don't eat out in the evening. Here are some new pictures of her.