Makenna Is Starting School: Is Mommy Ready?

On Tuesday, September 6, our little Tootie started school.  I know she's only seven and a half months old.  School?!?  Yes, that is correct.  She will be attending the Day School at our church two days a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays.  And do not - I repeat, DO NOT - call it Day Care.  I will smack you.


Being totally honest, this Mommy was NERVOUS.  I registered her months and months ago, so I knew the day was coming, but I was just not ready.  First, we had Meet the Teacher night.  I LOVED her teachers right away, and they both have the same name, which makes them extra easy to remember!  We learned a little about the two Ms. K's and about what the kiddos will be doing.  The infant class is ages six to 16 months, and their curriculum includes sign language, Bible verses, a color and animal of the month, and themes like sharing, being kind, etc.  They will do "artwork"and play outside.  There are also the all-important lunchtime and naptime.  Their room was decorated in a froggie theme, which was really adorable.  And, God bless them, they spelled Makenna's name right everywhere that it was hung up - in her cubby, on the birthday frog, on the door, on her artwork hanger.  Hooray!


Two days later, it was time for Makenna to meet the teachers.  We arrived early, so we were able to spend time with just her teachers.  She was showing off right away and seemed to really like the toys they had out.  Not that I was surprised.  As more kids came in, Makenna crawled over to meet them, which was really sweet.  The Ms. K's were joking that she was already the class "social butterfly."  That's my girl!


To get Makenna all ready, I of course spent time putting name labels on her bottles, sippy cup, bowls, spoons, clothes, diapers, etc.  We got her an adorable little elephant lunchbox.  I even let her pick it out.  And by that, I mean I held up two lunchboxes at Target, and I went with the one she grabbed.  I love doing that with her!  


The first morning, we were up bright and early to make sure we had time to get everything ready to go.  I was nervous that I was going to forget something, but we managed to get everything she needed into her bag, get ourselves dressed and ready AND get Makenna all beautified.  I think she looked pretty adorable!

From here on out, Chad will be dropping her off in the morning, and I will be picking her up, but there was NO WAY I was missing her first drop off.  We hit traffic on the way there, which was no fun, but still made it on time.  It was fun to see all of the kids going in for their first day, and most of them seemed really excited to be there.  Some friends of ours were there greeting people, which is always nice.  We gave Makenna kisses at the door and handed her over, and daddy snapped a few pictures before we left.  As we walked away, of course, I started to cry.  It was VERY hard to leave my baby girl there for the first time, but I was definitely feeling better knowing that she was already in the room, happily playing with her new friends.  I thought I would cry all day, but really only cried for a few minutes.  


When I picked Makenna up, she gave me a huge smile when she saw me, and I just absolutely love that.  I got to see her first "artwork" hanging on the wall, and I was just so proud of our little artist!

She was so worn out that she passed out in the car before we even got out of the parking lot!  

I left her in her carseat for what I thought would be a short nap...and it turned into three hours!  Regardless, I could tell that she had a wonderful first day, and that made dropping her off on Thursday so much easier.   Even though I had my reservations to start (But *I* want to be there when she is coloring/fingerpainting/playing with new toys, etc.), I know this is going to be great for her.  She will love being with other children and will be learning so much. I am so happy that we are able to give her this opportunity, and I will look forward every Tuesday and Thursday to that beautiful smile when I pick her up!

Sleeping Beauty

 We recently received a couple of offers for free photobooks from one of our favorite photo websites.  Not wanting to let them go to waste, I began looking through our pictures of Makenna to see what kind of fun theme I could come up with.  In doing that, I discovered that we have what *might* be considered an inordinately large number of pictures of Makenna...sleeping.


At first I thought, "Man, what kind of weirdo am I that I have all of these sleeping pictures?"  But the more I thought, the more I realized that it's not really THAT strange.  I mean honestly, what is more peaceful and beautiful than a sleeping baby?   It's innocence personified right there  in front of you!  When Makenna was first born, we were always thrilled when she was able to sleep for any lengthy period of time.  That meant naps for Mommy and Daddy, or catching up on cleaning, and most importantly, peace and quiet.

As Makenna got older, we started noticing that she had some favorite sleeping positions.  

The Sprawl (aka, Frog Legs): 

The Cheerleader

The Cuddler

With Uncle Colin

With Daddy

The Naked Napper

The Carseat Crash

And finally, my favorite - The Totally Random, That Doesn't Look Comfortable But Apparently Is

Any way I look at it, I LOVE watching Makenna while she sleeps.  It gets me all warm fuzzy and fluttery inside looking at her and knowing that she is my little girl, that she grew inside of me, and that God blessed us with her.  Just last night, Chad and I stood in her room before we went to bed and just marveled at how beautiful she is.  We are so lucky to be Mommy and Daddy to the cutest, sweetest, most lovable little girl in the world.  

Our Little Water Baby!

Makenna LOVES bath time.  She hears that water start running, and you can just see the excitement in her face. As a newborn, of course, she wasn't a water fan, but once we invested (quite wisely) in her whale bath tub, she was hooked.

She loves splashing, loves every water toy you can give her, loves when Mommy and Daddy dribble water over her head.  She especially loves sucking on her wet washcloth or spongy crab toy (until Mommy pries it from her hands!).  So naturally, when a friend told me that there was a swim class available this summer for little ones ages six months and up, I knew we HAD to get Makenna in it.  Memorial Day weekend, we went to the Hurst Recreation Center and got her all signed up.  I have to admit, I was really excited to go swimsuit shopping for her.  I was, however, a little shocked when I ended up buying 12 and 18-month size swimsuits for my six-month-old baby, though!


On the first day of class, I was VERY excited. I just couldn't wait to get her in the water and see how much she loved it!  So after work, I started to get her ready.

Adorable Old Navy swimsuit - check!

Dora swim diaper - check!

   

Sun hat - check!

Seriously...this child could not look ANY more adorable in her swim gear!  I tried to get her in the sunglasses, suit AND hat, but couldn't manage it.  She was constantly pulling either the hat or the glasses off, but I finally caught her with the glasses actually on her face and not in her mouth!

Sunglasses - check!  Our superstar!

And don't forget the ever-important cover-up and princess towel!

Cover-up and princes towel - check and check!

I packed up her diaper bag, made sure the stroller was in the trunk, and off we went, in the 100 degree plus weather!  We arrived to find that she was the youngest in her class, which I suppose isn't shocking, since the youngest they will allow is six months.  There were only about six other kids, which was perfect!  When we got into that water - which, unfortunately, was tepid and not really refreshing at all (Thanks, Mother Nature, for heating it up so wonderfully.) - Makenna immediately started splashing.  She was so excited!  I knew right away that we were going to have a little mermaid on our hands.

Over the two weeks she had "class," she had such a great time!  She "jumped" off the side, learned to make "scoopers" with her hands, learned how to kick and even got really good at going underwater.  We had fun singing songs, like "The Hokey Pokey" and "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."  She charmed her two teachers and talked up a storm, and she loved chasing the little floating toys they had for the kids.  On the last day, we played in the kiddie pool with Daddy.

Makenna even went down the "big kid" slide and "jumped" off the diving board like a big girl!

Daredevil baby!

Overall, I would say it was a VERY successful two weeks.  She really seemed to love the water, and I was glad that we started getting her used to it so soon.  Sign us up to do it again next summer!

Sleepy Town

Ever since I was a young child, I have always loved writing stories.  In the third grade, I won a writing contest at my school with my story "Hollow Hill Mansion," about a group of kids who go to a "haunted" mansion and run into Dracula.  I had a poem about the seasons published in the newspaper as a child, and I worked feverishly on my old typewriter for months to write a "book" about a boy detective named Art Perspective and his friendly ghost-assistant, Mr. Voodoo.  In high school, I started a story not-so-loosely based on my group of friends about some girls playing with a Ouija board who got themselves into some scary trouble.  (I'm sure you have all noticed a trend here...too much Scooby Doo as a youngster, I think!)

As an adult, I started to focus more on children's stories, although to be honest, I have a terrible time finishing them.  However, a few years ago, I did manage to come up with a story that I felt pretty darned proud of.  It's called Sleepy Town.  When I was young, my mom used to tell us that it was time to go to Sleepy Town when she was ready for us to go to bed.  So I wondered...what was Sleepy Town actually like?  I scribbled this down in probably 30 minutes, in the DFW Airport waiting for a flight to New Orleans for work.  It's been through many drafts since then, but I have to say, I'm happy with this one.  I am really looking forward to reading it to Makenna as she grows older. 

Makenna visiting Sleepy Town. :-)

Sleepy Town by Amanda Morrissey

Little Laney Lou was an angel by day,

The sweetest young lady was she.

But at night, when it came time for bed and not play,

An unhappy child she could be.

“But Mommy!” she cried, her eyes tearful and red,

“I’m really not sleepy, it’s true!”

And Mommy would nod her wise Mommy head

And say, “I have a story for you.”

Mommy told her the story of old Sleepy Town,

Far beyond all the stars in the sky.

Where the blankets are all made of soft, fluffy down

And the Man in the Moon sings a lullaby.

With pillows of clouds, and swings hung from the stars,

It is surely a beautiful sight.

And nightlights of lightning bugs, snug in glass jars,

Will brighten up anyone’s night.

On beds made just for jumping, kids have all kinds of fun,

They laugh and they giggle ‘til dawn.

And before night is over, a contest is won,

For Sleepy Town’s most wonderful yawn.

There are flannel pajamas for the townsfolk to wear,

In all colors, like blue, pink and plaid.

Soft, fuzzy bunny slippers, each child has a pair,

To soften their steps just a tad.

And as a companion, each person will find,

Chosen with the most tenderness and care,

A furry friend, with a face so gentle and kind,

Their own personal snuggly teddy bear.

To drink every night, the hot chocolate flows,

With or without marshmallows, as you choose.

And in the wee hours, long before the rooster crows,

Is a beautiful moonlit cruise.

“Mommy,” Laney said, eyes now shining and bright,

“Tell me how I can get to Sleepy Town!”

Mommy answered, “It’s easy, you can go every night.

But you first must be still and lie down.”

“Now just close your eyes,” Mommy said with a smile,

“And breathe slowly and deeply, my dear.

Then think sleepy thoughts, and after a while,

The town will begin to draw near.”

Laney did as Mommy said, with no fuss and no frown,

And saw the stars in the far-off sky.

She felt the down blankets of old Sleepy Town,

and heard the Man in the Moon’s lullaby.

A Heavenly Baptism Day

Yes, on Sunday morning, our baby angel was baptized!  What a truly beautiful, blessed, memorable moment for our family.   But of course, like most beautiful, blessed, memorable moments, there was a lot of preparation involved that was anything BUT beautiful!


First, of course, came the invitations.  For weeks before the big day, I searched and searched for ones that I liked - if you know me, you know I like to have things JUST so - but really couldn't find one that jumped out at me.   So I decided to make one.  I tried several different angel pictures and other types of designs, then finally settled on this.  

Simple and sweet, which is what I wanted.  I printed them off, and off they went!  Forget that I completely forgot to put OUR names on it!  


We decided to have the reception at our house, so that we could easily set things up beforehand and just have to run home and pull out the food the day of.  I got to work planning what we needed - chips, dip and salsa, of course, plus sandwich meats, cheeses, rolls.  Vegetables and fruit would round out the spread, along with sodas and bottled water.  I made multiple lists to remind myself of everything we needed.  Why multiple lists, you ask?  I'll tell you - I don't know.  Of course, there also had to be cake.  There was no doubt that I would make it myself.  Mom came through with her old cross cake pan, and I got to work looking for a design.  I found a stained glass cake on the Wilton website that I feel in love with, so stained glass it would be.  


The week of the baptism, I took a half day off of work on Friday for cleaning, errands and food prep.  My first order of business was making the icing for the cake.  Quick and easy, into the fridge it went.  Then I loaded Makenna into the car, and we headed out to shop for a gift from mommy and daddy.  We then hopped over to Party City for a tablecloth and some serving trays, then hit Michael's for the piping gel I needed for the cake.  That night, I baked the cake and cleared out its spot in the fridge.


Saturday, Chad and I were up bright and early, ready to clean the house from top to bottom!  He got to work on the yard, and I got to work on the cake, getting the icing base down.  Over 100 degrees outside translates to at least 80 degrees inside...which translates to melting icing.  But fear not!  I just popped it into the refrigerator when necessary, and all was well!  We cleaned bathrooms, did laundry, dusted, shoved items in closets (yes...I'll admit it), straightened counters, swept floors.  We had our shopping list all ready for the last-minute items...and then Chad was called into work.  WHAT?!?!?!?  We almost had a Major Mommy Meltdown, but I tried to stay calm.  He headed out, none too happy about the situation, and Makenna and I hit up good old Kroger.  Once we were back home, it was cake time!  I knew that I could clean when I was groggy and sleepy, but there was no way I could finish that cake half asleep!  It turned out pretty darned fabulous...if I do say so myself.

When Chad made it home, we knocked out some more cleaning and got our fruit and veggie trays ready to go.  After a little bit of relaxing, we headed to bed in the hopes of getting some decent sleep before the craziness of the morning.  


Makenna woke up much earlier than usual Sunday morning, at 6:52 a.m.  I know this because she woke up crying, which is VERY unlike her, and I immediately looked at the clock.  We both stumbled out of bed to get started.  Feed the baby, shower, vacuum and mop floors, pick up toys that are laying around, get dip bowls ready to go, get OURSELVES ready to go, pick up the meat trays, ice the drinks, set up the table...WHEW!  We dressed up our little cutie in her beautiful baptism dress, then raced out the door to get to the church. 


Once we were at the church, our family began to arrive, and Chad and I guzzled down sodas to get some caffeine into us.  We were TIRED.  I still had that nervous, slightly stressed, nauseous feeling that you have when you have been rushing around and are just starting to come down from that high.  When it was time to be seated in the church, I didn't even have time to look around or think about what was coming at all.  I just rushed in and sat.


Not long after, our pastor called us up, and the choir began to sing their song: "Makenna Paige, God claims you.  God helps you, protects you and loves you, too."  I barely heard them as our family and Makenna's godparents got up and took places at the front of the church.  Chad held Makenna while we renewed our vows and promises to God and to the church.  Then, our pastor took Makenna, put water on her head and baptized her in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  She was very confused about what was going on, but such a good girl!  After that, we all placed our hands on her head for another blessing, and Dr. McKee walked her down the center aisle for everyone to see her.  He let her know that she was now a disciple of Jesus, and that in order for her to become a faithful follower, she would need to know the stories of Jesus, so those stories could become her stories.  Makenna cooed and talked, looking up at him with her sweet little face, and I could not have been prouder that she was our daughter.  All of the stress from the weekend just melted away, and I was just plain happy.  THIS was what it was all about, not the food, not the party, not the house cleaning.  Our little girl was officially being welcomed as a child of God, with our families and her amazing godparents there to celebrate with us.  There is no feeling like that in the entire world.

Six Months!

Dear Makenna-


Today, you are six months old.  I can't believe it has been a whole half a year already!  You have grown so much and been such a wonderful blessing in our lives.  Each day, it feels like we couldn't possibly love you any more, and then the next day comes, and we DO!  


Your first month was quite exciting.  The day you were born, we were so happy to see your sweet little face for the first time!  

You came home and met your kitty friends, and they were not so sure about you!  We went through ice storms and being "snowed" in your second week, and endured VERY little sleep so we could make sure you were always being taken care of.  We gave you baths on the towel on the bathroom counter, which you were not always very happy about, and you ate and ate so that you could get bigger and stronger.  We took turns sitting in the living room chair with you night after night, groggily puttering on the laptop while you had your bottle or slept in our arms (since you didn't want to be put down!).  I will never forget one night when I was up with you, and "Mamma Mia" was on TV.  I was watching Meryl Streep sing "Slipping Through My Fingers" and just BAWLING thinking about when you would be grown up and getting married.  It was a very emotional time!  You celebrated your first Valentine's Day with mommy and daddy, having lunch at Red Lobster.  You slept the whole time and were a perfect angel.  <3


Your second month, you were getting bigger and really started to interact with us more.  We tried on your tutu for the first time, and you were adorable!  

You started babbling and cooing, which was the most wonderful sound in the world.  You lost your umbilical cord, so we started baths in the sink, which you DEFINITELY did not like at all!  Once we got your bathtub, you started to LOVE bathtime, and you still do!

We visited the doctor, and you did so well with your shots!  I was such a proud mommy.  We celebrated your first St. Patrick's Day at a party with some friends, and you were looking adorable in all of your shamrock-covered finest!

During your third month, you started being able to control your head much better, and you were really reaching and grabbing for things a lot!  You were the smiliest, happiest baby ever and loved playing on your Baby Neptune play mat.  You liked to see your reflection in the mirror and play with the rattles.  As soon as you turned three months old, we moved you from your bassinet to your crib, and you started sleeping through the night!  We were so happy, because we were ALL getting much better rest and feeling much better in the mornings.  You started really wanting to pet the kitties, especially Kashka, and interacting with some of your toys.  Tummy time was not your favorite, but you did well for a few minutes at a time.  Such a big girl!

We cheered for the Mavericks and got excited for Texas Rangers opening day.  It was a fun-filled month of sports, for sure!  Luckily, you had an outfit for everything!


Just a few days shy of being four months old, you rolled over from your back to your tummy for the first time!  You sneaky girl, you did it when mommy wasn't even looking!  We got your jumper all set up for you, and you loved playing with all of the toys around the edges.  Plus, it gives you a great leg workout!  You really started laughing out loud during your fourth month, and you apparently thought sneezes were the funniest thing in the world! 


Daddy's sneezes


In your fifth month, you have become a little rolling machine.   You will just roll yourself all the way across the living room and are trying to get into everything you can get your little hands on!  You have really started "talking," your favorite "words" being, "Mamamamamama."  (Needless to say, this makes mommy very happy!)  Occasionally, we get "ba" in there, too.  You had your first "sick" visit to the doctor for pinkeye and a sinus infection, but the whole time you were sick, you were still as sweet as you could be.  You never acted like you felt badly at all, and we were VERY thankful!  You have also become - GASP! - a champion hair-puller.  The first thing you want to do when anyone picks you up is pull their hair, and it HURTS!  You've discovered a love of watches and are always trying to get them off people's wrists.  You especially like watches with lots of bling, of course.  :-)  You are trying SO hard to crawl, but haven't quite figured it out yet.  But you are sitting up by yourself and really getting your balance down!  We celebrated your first Fourth of July, and you were totally fascinated by the fireworks.

We could not be happier to have you in our lives.  You are truly the most wonderful little baby we could ever have asked for, and we want to snuggle you and hug you and kiss you all the time.  Your smiles just make our day, and your laugh is the most amazing sound in the world. We can't wait to see what the next six months will bring!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Road Trip, Baby! - The Sequel

Sorry, folks, but this is a long one!  I can't help it - it was one jam-packed weekend!


After months of patiently waiting for a good time to go, and one successful road trip under our belts, we took Makenna down to College Station to meet "the gang."  We had been dying to get down there to see everyone, so we were more than excited that the time had finally come.  Chad's mom, Maria (aka, Grammy), decided to hitch along with us, so she could visit with Chad's brother, Colin.  It was a great plan - we would take her car, which has more room in it than mine, and have some extra company for that three-hour drive. 


Packing the car was all kinds of fun - multiple bags for Makenna, her pack and play, her Bumbo, the doggie crate for Grammy's new dog, plus all of OUR bags for the weekend.  Cramped?  Just slightly, but we managed.  As we started to pull out of the driveway, I remembered we had forgotten Makenna's cooler of bottles inside.  Maria put the car in park, I hit the garage door opener, Chad ran in and grabbed it, ran back out.  We started to pull out again...and Chad was missing his phone charger.  Repeat.  FINALLY, we were on our way.


Makenna did great at the start of the trip.  She was happy and comfy in her carseat, and we had lots of peek-a-boo time before she fell asleep briefly.  

We stopped in Bellmead for dinner, a diaper change and a potty break, and then it was back in the car.  After another 30 minutes, Makenna started to get hungry again.  And she CRIED very pitifully (and LOUDLY) to let us know.  Trying to be the resourceful mom, I pulled out her bottles to give them to her in the carseat, since we were in the middle of nowhere and didn't have a place to stop.  Yeah.  GREAT idea, Mom.  It calmed her down briefly, but then the real trouble started.  She had to BURP.  Middle of nowhere, no place to stop.  I had no way to do it!  She SCREAMED and bawled her little eyes out for at least a good 20 minutes.  And yes, Mommy bawled her eyes out with her.  It was terrible not to be able to help her!  Finally, we reached Calvert, TX and were able to pull over.  After a big burp, she was feeling much better and ready to keep going.  


As we continued, Makenna started rubbing her right eye, and there was greenish-yellow gunk coming out of it.  My immediate thought was, "If she has PINKEYE, I'm going to FLIP."  We got into CS pretty late, dropped Grammy off and briefly said hi to Uncle Colin and Amy, then headed to the house of the Wallace Clan, where we were staying.  Even though it was over an hour past her bedtime, Makenna managed to stay up and entertain Damon and Krissy for a little while before we got the pack and play set up and got her to sleep.


Saturday morning, Makenna woke up in her usually happy, quiet mood.  But one look at her confirmed my fears - her right eye was matted, pink and swollen, and she was stuffy as could be.  We had been fighting a stuffy/runny nose all week, but this was worse.  We cleaned her up, and while Chad fed her, I called her pedi.  An eye infection and possibly a sinus infection.  Since we were out of town, the nurse suggested taking her to an urgent care facility or the ER (ER?!?!?) to get checked out.  NOT how we wanted to start our day, but we threw on some clothes and headed to Brazos Valley Urgent Care, where we were the second people in the door.  Diagnosis - pinkeye and a "sinus" (nasal) infection.  (Did you know babies don't actually have sinuses yet?  I didn't!)  The PA let us know that the pinkeye was probably just the infection from her nose that had moved up.  I was so sad for our poor little baby, but of course, she was in a delightful mood, and you would never have known she was sick.  So we headed to Target for her Amoxicillin, and it was back to the Wallaces' to rest up before lunch.


Makenna napped for part of our Wings 'N' More lunch (YUM).  Luckily, she woke up in time to visit with Mikey, Pam, Mike, Leslie, Damon and Krissy for a little while!  After that, it was up to The Theatre Company to try to catch some folks there.  Bad luck - most of the people we had gone to see weren't there!  We visited for a little while, then had time to kill before dinner.  So what did we do?  We had dessert!  A DELICIOUS, AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL Strawberry Tart at LaBodega.  Man, I miss those.  Makenna hung out and watched us eat, and even chewed on Daddy's finger for a little while.   SO CUTE.

We hit TTC one more time for a few minutes, then off to dinner at Chicken Oil Company (YUM #2).  Makenna entertained the Pettys, Grammy and Uncle Colin as we chowed down on fries, burgers and Texas toothpicks.  We hit Spoons for dessert #2, then went to the Wallaces' to settle in for the night.  After a quick bath in the "big kid" tub, Makenna was in her PJs and ready to settle in - we thought.  Her poor little nose was SO stuffy that it made it very hard for her to fall asleep.  She fussed and cried, which made us all VERY sad.  I was gearing up for a long night sitting up with her in the living room chair, but lucky for us, the Wallaces had a humidifier that we could set up.  A few minutes after that was ready, she was out like a light!  She didn't move a muscle ALL NIGHT!


Sunday morning, it was breakfast with Damon and Krissy, then chicken fingers at Layne's with Adrienne, Grammy, Uncle Colin, Amy and Michelle.  Makenna was still sniffly, but still sweet as could be.  We went back for one last visit to Spoons (and a visit with Miss Mandy!), then hit the Wallace house one last time to visit with their boys, Braden and Liam.  I think Makenna liked Braden just a bit.  :-)

By then, it was WAY past time for us to head back home.  We were sad to leave all of our friends, but glad to be getting back to our own beds.  We had some fussies on the way home, but nothing like Friday night had been.  She was just worn out, so she slept pretty well!

Overall, it was a great trip, even with the urgent care visit.  It only served to remind us how blessed we are to have such a wonderfully sweet and good-natured baby, who can smile and love on everyone even when she isn't feeling well.  


So, how about road trip number 3, you ask?  I think we'll just stay home for a while...