thankful challenge

Tiffani informed me that I'm not updating this blog enough, so here I am. With a thankful post, because that seems like fun! 1.) A is healthy. I worry so much about her little coughs and sneezes and it never turns out to be anything. I know that no one "deserves' to be sick but it's really not fair when little babies or any children, really, get all these terrible diseases before they've even had a chance at living their lives. 2.G. I really could not have picked a better father for my baby or a better partner. I think I take him for granted sometimes but I'm trying to appreciate even the smallest things because I know he's really good to me. 3.New hair! Really, just having a baby makes you nitpick and every little thing on your body. Even if it is just my hair it makes me feel pretty again and who doesn't want that? 4.The oppurtunity to start beauty school soon. I think I've been putting it off for long enough and I found out today that they do have federal financial aid for it now! Well, I'm excited. 5.Nice ladies at Tirzah! The one that does my hair, Rhonda, is also a mommy and we're supposed to go to some Mommy group on Thursday. It is impossible to make "mommy-friends" or any here, really. It is nothing like Utah and that's probably what makes me the most homesick. But anyway, she's super nice and I'm glad I finally met someone with a baby that doesn't live 6+ hours away. 6.Texting! I do not know what I'd do without it. Oh wait, I'd have awkward conversations with people and struggle trying to find a good excuse to get off the phone. Well ha! I have baby now, I would use that.. if I ever had to call someone, which I don't. Okay, my communication skills are probably lacking now but still, it's convenient. 7.My parents. It's funny how your relationship changes after you have kids of your own. 8.The internet, Google especially. I never have to wonder about ANYTHING anymore. Google is my new smart best friend, I just ask him how the world works and he tells me. I am extremely grateful for this since, in a few years maybe less Aiden will be asking ME. 9.Vinegar. Yeah, random but really you can use it to clean almost anything AND it's good for the environment. 10.My brothers. Yes, they're thirteen years apart but they're both so good to their niece. I wasn't sure how'd they take it but they both care so much and are constantly calling/texting to check up on her. It's adorable. 11.Leg-warmers. I have a semi-nudist baby so this is pretty much the best idea ever! 12.Tiffani, for making me realize that I have MORE than fifty things to be thankful for. 13.The Montanos, for everything they do and especially for what they don't. 14.COFFEE and all it's goodness. 15.Memories (the ONE scrapbook store in Flagstaff) mostly just for existing but also because they have cute cupcake paper. 16.Kodak's website. We only had pictures on our phones and on the computer so when I found this Ta-Da! we now have prints. 17.Heaters! I think that's self-explanatory. 18.Tax returns. We, and by we I mean G, will get to fix the orange beast and make it sounds mean. He's excited about this. 19.Seat belts. 20.Sakura's. The teppanyake place here, it's wonderful. We ate there today and it was delicious, that's all. 21.Those cute little bows for A's head. 22.The cute flower headbands Brielle made for A's little head. (: 23.Blogs. 24.Being healthy! 25.Ice, because contrary to what you may have heard it DOES make soda taste better. 26.Pow wows! Okay, so I'm not Navajo but my family is and it's been such a blessing to be able to see another culture. They are so proud of who they are, it's contagious. 27.G's job, raises, and promotions. Mhm. 28.Formula that is pretty close to breastmilk - or at least better than it was twenty years ago. A is big and strong and I am beyond grateful for that. 29.Aquaphor and it's magic. I no longer have a scaly-eczema baby. It's a good thing. 30.G's sister's, who have somehow become mine. 31.Hand sanitizer and soap, enough said. 32.Make-up and all the fun things you can do with it. But also being makeup free.. I have an extra 30 minutes to play with baby almost every day. 33.Flat Irons. I love my Chi and it's bronze-loveliness. But I want the new flower one at Trade Secret. 34.Dreft. I put into all of our laundry and we all smell like a baby, which is a good thing. For me anyway. 35.Good music. 36.A will soon be able to fit into her pretty dresses. I'm probably more excited about this that everyone else but she looks so cute in them! 37.I am thankful for life. I just got some bad news and I know death is a normal part but that doesn't make it any less sad. I am glad that our families are, for the most part, healthy and active. 38.My hidden cooking abilities. I'm no Paula Dean but I've learned I'm not half bad. (: 39.Fafsa and financial aid, period. 40.Education. I think it's awesome that there is so much to learn in the world and it's ALL there for us if we take the time to look for it. 41.Check cards, so convenient! 42.Phones that take pictures. 43.The woman's body. WE CAN MAKE BABIES! HOW AWESOME IS THAT? 44.Disposable diapers, seriously. 45.Green Apple Jolly Ranchers 46.A decided she didn't like the binky so that's one less thing to worry about. Yeah, I told you she was amazing! 47.Parenting magazines, no matter what a certain someone says they are helpful sometimes. 48.Potoatoes. Seriously you can make everything with them. 49.Scissors and glue. 50.Toothpaste and toothbrushes!

teething, promotions, and pajamas. oh my!

I have literally spent the last three hours on craigslist. I like this wasting my life away on the internet thing, it's cute. I'm pretty sure A is teething, she is showing all the signs and this is the most unhappy she's been umm, since she was born. She never cried and now she gets so fussy. I feel bad :/
Oh, and on top of that, today I had to make the appointment for her next round of vaccines.
Who's excited?

Not I.

Today has been long and I'm so tired. We woke up early because a certain little misses can't sleep if the lights are on.. or if the lights might turn on.. or if she hears the word light.. or words at all really. Basically, the girl doesn't like to sleep. So we were up and started making fish and fries. When we finished that and ate I started on the Chinese food. Yes, greasy (but homemade so that should count for something? Maybe.) Chinese food but it was delicious and someday I will tell A that's it's okay to love bad food. Because I do, and you can't help what you love. Or something like that.

So I'm sitting here texting G and guess what? He got the supervisor job.
Honestly, he deserves it more than everyone else that they were interviewing and I'm not just saying that because he's my boyfriend. He's been doing the job and not getting paid for it, really not even getting paid enough for doing the bare minimum of what they're required to and he's been doing more than that from day 1. Plus, he's attractive and attractive men should just make more money. Especially attractive men with attractive babies.
They require new cute clothes, you see?

It's obviously late because I'm rambling on and on about nothing and everything. Anyway, so yesterday I decided it was time to shop for A because she's growing out of her 0-3 things and well, let's be honest I will find any excuse to shop for her. We get there and I did the soda runs as always (G's mama wants a large Pepsi, I want a large Diet) and of course the girls are always so happy to be working at Copper Coyote. So, I order the drinks from the miserable girl and of course I don't think about the size of the cupholders vs. the size of cups so she hands them to me and none of them fit. The only ones they'll fit intoare the ones next to A. So I'm like, Dillards is only a minute away I can put them in there until then. We get to Dillards and I realize the lid wasn't put on properly and there is soda everywhere. Wait, scratch that, not on the washable white furry thing, but all over A and she never even made a sound. So we have to change in the bathroom which is always awkward - they need to make it more convenient for people with strollers, honestly. And by the end of this I think she's worn out because she usually enjoys shopping, looking at all the colors, and giving me her opinions (even though I can't understand her!) but nope, she was OUT.

Until of course I started finding the good stuff, then she decided that she didn't want to sleep or be in the stroller. It's sad really, they spent a pretty large amount of money on this stroller and she's rather have you hold her, next to it. Hopefully as she gets older she'll get used to sitting while the rest of us have to walk. Or daddy can just push me in that thing, whatever works.

Anyway, I managed to find some things I liked. Things I'm thinking she can grow into because they look impossibly long. I mean, I'm short but I'm not that short.

Or maybe I am. We get home and after doing laundry I put them on her and they fit perfectly. She is literally half my height already. I saw this picture of Reese Witherspoon with her 9 year old daughter who is almost about to pass her up and I joked saying that'd be me. Apparently A thinks nine years is too long. I am not going to be very intimidating ever. I don't like this at all.

December 11, 2008

“Birth is the sudden opening of a window, through which you look out upon a stupendous prospect. For what has happened? A miracle. You have exchanged nothing for the possibility of everything.” - William MacNeile Dixon My little strong girl. I think she wore those mitts for a total of two days? She was too tiny to for the elastic to do it's a job and she'd always manage to hide them in the couch or under things.Her Tio Gabriel absolutely hated seeing her in this. We were both so paranoid. I like to think I was being a little bit braver than daddy though. He didn't even want to change her diaper because he thought he was being too rough with her!

bath time fun

This week the girls are in Europe and I decided to try this whole cooking business. I'm not that bad! I think I could do this whole domestic thing and a certain someone should probably just propose already. Ahem. But really, I have the dress picked out and everything.. PLUS a bridal magazine came in my name the other day and I didn't even order it so I'm thinking it's a sign..

Bath time for A. We have a cute little bathtub for her but I have pictures in my mom's sink so I thought it'd be cute.. and it totally is. I need a new camera because my phone and it's amazing crappiness doesn't really do the job. Well, anyway here are these for the meantime. Yeah, she's loves her baths and now she's actually getting into her little ducky.. or monkey.. in a floatie. It doesn't make sense but it lights up and she thinks it's awesome.

The boys are currently playing Gears way too loud and A woke up. But she just wants to look at pictures of herself so it works out. So excited because the pictures finally got here so I can work on the baby book. All our pictures have just been on the computer and the phones, I haven't even touched her book since before I had her. It's horrible. At least I'll have something to do now because this whole not having a job thing is getting really boring.. someone should hire me.. someone that isn't terribly grumpy. That'd be nice.

I'm pretty sure I have been saying for oh, 10 weeks that I would start a diet and actually stick to it. I have been to the gym a total of (wait for it..) four times. It's not so much the losing baby weight but I don't eat well at all anymore and A thinks she needs to be a little adult already.. I think he diet needs to be a little more wholesome than Monsters and sweet potato fries.

Okay A is done being patient..

new beginnings.

I thought I should introduce myself before we get into my whole life, my name is Amanda. I'm 20 years old, I have a daughter. We'll call her A. I'm the oldest of three children, I love my two brothers so very much. I miss them a lot, they're still in Utah. I'm currently living in Flagstaff, Arizona. It's so beautiful but it isn't home. I had a beautiful baby girl on December 11, 2008. I never thought I'd turn into one of those women who says that this is what they were meant for but I truly believe that's the truth. I love being a mommy, I've never felt the way I do when I look at her. I know that I'm here to protect her, to show her how good the world can be and to try to protect her from the ugly. She is three months old as of Thursday which is absolutely insane. Time has literally flown past me. She just grows and grows and I guess I don't really notice until she outgrows something (again) and I just can't believe how much she picks up on. Honestly, I could go on about her all day. Chances are if I have your phone number you get at least one picture of her a day. Oh and pictures, she loves those. Anytime you pull out a phone she thinks it's picture time. It's hilarious she's a little diva already. She's actually starting to eat baby food and gets very angry if we eat without her. There's a place here called Black Barts and it's a steak house but all the waiters/waitresses are a part of the drama department at NAU. Well, they sing while you're eating and stuff.. she loved it. She really enjoyed the Twilight books, which is really inappropriate but she wouldn't sit through the Velveteen rabbit.