Eighteen Months

Sugarcube, 

Today marks your eighteenth month of life and wowza, you're just so full of energy and sweet spunk these days! Each week you grow a little bit more in personality and skill, to where I often feel an extra breath is needed to keep up with how fast you're changing! 

You love being in the outdoors, exploring things like bugs, sticks, grass, trees and birds to name a few. Your favorite time of the day is when Daddy comes home and we load you into the stroller or your red wagon, taking the puppy's for their daily walk. You also love that we eat our fill of wild blackberries on these walks! Like most babies, you enjoy playing chase, tormenting the animals who are very good natured about it, dancing to all types of music, watching your favorite baby shows and walking (or running) through the house trying every phrase, voice range or giggle you can muster. It's very entertaining! One of my favorite things you do, is searching the house for flies and squashing them. I love it! We go around the house, in a sing song voice, saying "heeeeeeeere fly'ie-fly'ie-fly. We want to KILLLLLL YOU!" Once we find one, you'll yell out KILL IT (gee it) and then we do. Maybe a bit morbid but eh ;) It keeps you entertained and it's actually productive! Unlike all the messes you like to make, just as mommy finishes cleaning them up...

You talk sooooo much now baby girl. I couldn't even begin to count how many words you know. Some of your favorites are: drink (ink), kitty cat (kee ca), dada, mama, lights (ights), owl, cheese (eese), outside (ah si), hot, hi, bye bye, apple and cookie (kee). You also know phrases and commands like where is, what's that, say____, time for, wipe your ____ and lets go. You love to make animal sounds too. Some of your best ones are a snake hissing, elephant trumpeting, coyote howling, a kitty cat meowing, horse neighing, dog barking and dove cooing. And that's only just a few! As you can tell, mama is very proud of how well you talk and how intelligent you are! 

You have so many facial expressions too. You're a true ham! You've keyed into the fact that you can make mommy and daddy laugh, so you love to get our reactions on the daily. Sometimes that can be bad thing, ha! We certainly shouldn't find your little baby fluffs so adorable, but we do! And you noticed. So now you constantly go around trying to make yourself toot, and immediately look at us with the cutest, most innocent grin when you succeed. THAT is really hard not to laugh at!!! Oh my. What are we going to do with you baby girl...We just love you so much! 

You've certainly made friends with daddy again, since his return, which makes me sooooo happy. It took some time but we've really noticed the past 2 weeks a shift in who you think is the coolest. And it definitely isn't momma! I don't mind one bit. I love watching daddy get "most" of your sweet hugs and slobbery kisses where he missed out on so many during the deployment. You love sitting on daddy's lap while watching him kill space ships on the computer, getting so excited when one crashes and burns, haha! You both also enjoy making shadows on the wall with a flash light, wrestling on the floor and of course, playing chase! Playtime with daddy is just the best...Currently, some of your favorite toys are dinosaurs, little cars and trucks, your stuffed dog that rattles, the dogs leads because they chase you around the house thinking we're going for a walk, your musical piano and your peek-a-boo barn book on mommy's iPhone. You climb everything to chairs, beds, the kitchen table, toilets, couches and the coffee table. This makes me so nervous! I know one day I won't be able to catch you when you fall,  but keeping you off items is just impossible... 

Sleepy sleepy time (bedtime) is probably the sweetest moment of our day; a time mommy really looks forward to and not just because it means I'll have time to sit down... I've worked hard to establish a routine you can count on, knowing what's coming, so going to bed is NOT a battle of fit ands tears. We go upstairs with your blankie (nigh nigh) in hand, a bottle of warm milk, turn on your soft lullabies, the overhead fan, sit in the softest glider ever and just cuddle! You usually drink your milk, then we spend a few minutes, you cradled in my arms, where we explore each others faces and mommy does silly things like making bug eyes ( you die laughing) and trying to catch the baby's tongue. I love it! It really ends my day right where I leave your room smiling and feeling all warm, fuzzy and connected to my baby. Never stop being so fun and sweet Sugarcube. It's one of the best things about you! I hope this routine of our's lasts for sometime...   

Oh my, you are just so fun! Looking at this photo makes me smile so hard. You love to eat dirt baby girl, but apparently not today :) However, things you do love to eat are hummus, green peas, green peppers, chicken nuggets, mac'n'cheese, anything labeled a fruit including tomatoes, spaghetti, quinoa, cheese, anything bread like, eggs, pancakes, mini homemade pizzas, graham crackers, otter-pops and raisins. We try and explore new food combinations 1-2 times a week, which keeps mommy motivated to cook yummy dinners. This, daddy also loves and thinks is for him, but it's really for you baby girl ;) It's important to me that we keep you growing, eating healthy and expanding your love of good food choices... But shhhhhh...don't tell Daddy... it'll be our little secret!    

Your last well check up, done at 16 months, you weighed 22 lbs (putting you in the 28th percentile) and stood 32 inches tall ( putting you in the 70th percentile.) You are right on track for development skills and even ahead on some things, like eating with a spoon, drinking from a cup and all the words and phrases you say. Over the last 2 months, you've really perfected spoon eating and drinking from a cup, although you still take a sippy mostly and do a lot of finger food still. You've had seven teeth explode through in less than a month, where you now have 12 teeth! I felt so sorry for you baby girl, although you handled it like a champ, giving mommy yet another reason to brag on her baby :)  Right now we're working on identifying colors, shapes and body parts, counting to three and sorting. You love to learn and are so focused on the task at hand. Very much like both your parents!  

Daddy and I've been doing a lot of "future" talk... Touching on things like, who you'll be when you grow up. What things will you remember and like about us as parents. And what things will you throw out when you have children of your own. Its conversations like these that really make me appreciate you're still just our small, little baby, writing about your eighteenth month instead of your eighteenth YEAR! I really want to freeze frame this time with you, especially now... This age is such a fun period, as you develop your love of laughter, having fun and exploring the world around you. Never forget that Daddy and I love you deeply Sugarcube; more than we knew a heart could love! Thank you for being ours and thank you for being you; a fun, loving, sweet, impish, determined, intelligent, cuddly, absolutely beautiful baby! 

Lighter, Healthier, Happier (Part 2)

Just a quick moment, before we get into this read, to say thank you for the emails, comments and well wishes about my dad. He is in full recovery after having heart stents placed two days ago and currently under going 2 weeks of physical therapy. We are all SOOO relieved after a long week of slow and uncertain answers. GOD IS GOOD!

So last week, after writing a post about being Lighter, Healthier and Happier, I promised y'all a second post on what "saying no to the treadmill and yes to weights" has done for me! So, without further intro, here it is! Be warned. It's a long read ;)  

1 Year Pre-Baby 126 lbs                                                                        17 Months Post-Baby 128 lbs

Currently, I am wrapping up week 7 of Jamie Eason's Live Fit Trainer. Ever heard of it? Or of her, for that matter? I have to say. She is pretty awesome, along with her fabulous FREE program. I love that there are still good people out there, willing to share info without a buck attached to it. ESPECIALLY in the health and fitness industry. Everyone is always trying to sell you the latest and greatest. It's hard to know where to turn or invest your money! So when things like this come along, and there is no money involved, yet has countless, positive reviews from people who have followed the program... Well, that's just gold! But this wasn't meant to be a post about my Jamie Eason crush. So moving onto what I've done to loose the baby weight and tone up! I felt it was important to post a comparison of me at my thinnest, instead of me at my heaviest. I wanted y'all to see just how very little lean muscle mass I had before the kiddo. In the before photo, I was 126 lbs, using all cardio for my mode of fat loss and definitely not educated on the benefits of weight training and eating right. In the after photo, I am 130 lbs, 17 months post-baby, using weight training and light cardio for fat loss and VERY educated on how to fuel my body with the right nutrition. Thank you JAMIE and countless other articles found via Google!!  

2 Months Pre-Baby 137 lbs                                                              17 Months Post-Baby 130 lbs

  Jumping right in here, I can tell you, I definitely didn't start with weight training to loose the baby weight. (I really wish I had) but that typically requires the use of a gym and being a new, breastfeeding, mom who felt attached to the house, that seemed impossible at the time; there's such small windows of opportunity with a newborn. It literally was like, every 30 minutes SugarCube needed something. A nap. The boob. A diaper change. tummy time. cuddles and soothing because even she couldn't tell us what was wrong, ha! And that's just the baby. Forget about the household needs as well as your needs. So I did what I could! I dusted off my very under used (like only been on it 20 times in 3 years) treadmill for the first few months and actually lost 20 lbs. In that time, I made sure to eat very clean and lean while staying in the fat burning zone 45 minutes out of my day. But then I got bored of the hill, walk, run routine on the TM and decided I needed some more intensity. So I called in my boy Shaun T. We worked hard together 6 days a week for 2 weeks, ha! (I did a real dumb thing and gave myself some major shin splints, which hindered me from doing all the jumping and crazy none sense Insanity is known for ) So, then I decided I needed a new buddy. Someone who knew me better and would take it easier on my ankle. Someone who was KNOWN for at home resistance training vs jumping around like a monkey for 45 minutes a day. Ahhh yes. There you are Tony! P90X makin a come back. However, I didn't have a lot of the weights or the pull-up bar this program required, so I just selected 3 of Tony's dvd's, Kenpo, Plyometrics (definitely not as brutal as Shaun T's) and Ab Ripper, paired that with my trusty treadmill and in 1 month I lost another 7 lbs. Wow. But I still had 13 lbs to go before I would reach my goal weight... Sadly, those 13 lbs were put on hold for 3 months as I packed up our house, said so long to my hubby for 7 months, moved to Arizona, got through the crazy holidays and well into the new year.

This is where Jamie Eason comes in. Hubby had been deployed for 2 months at this point and hitting the weights hard in his absence. Hello even hotter hubby! He inspired me y'all. He was working so hard, eating as best as he could and well... When I'm around motivated people, I cannot help but be motivated myself. So instead of getting left behind, I decided to change with him. I knew this also meant that I needed to get uncomfortable...REALLY uncomfortable. You see. I have NEVER worked out in a gym before. So joining a gym for the first time, learning how to workout properly (alone) plus navigate the scary "MAN"side of the building while looking like a complete NUB! It was scary y'all! I was definitely feeling the pressure to run and try something, not so scary. But then my hubby told me about this awesome site called bodybuilding.com. And that was the game changer for me. 

Week 6 of Jamie Eason's Live Fit Trainer

I perused countless profiles of girls/mama's who also got uncomfortable at some point. They looked so strong and healthy in their after photos; possibly the happiest they'd ever been... And then I found Jamie Eason. Her program seemed to be the perfect fit for a beginner, and I was right. She really eased you into a structured workout regimen as well as hand walked you through the proper nutrition to fuel your body along the way. I WAS HOOKED! From day one, I felt the burn in my muscles and pride in myself. I also learned to like, sorta, the adrenalin feeling of being uncertain and scared every time a new lift or machine was introduced. Jamie's program changes every 2 weeks, you see. I would finally get comfortable with the routine and with my machines, but then she would change it again, and again I looked like a complete nub. But change is good and very important! I've learned that your muscles adapt quickly to a routine, getting bored, and eventually you stop seeing those huge gains your sweating your bunz off for. Not so good. 

After only 4 weeks of weight training, I started noticing a DEFINITE difference in the mirror and on the scale as well. I FINALLY had a lift in my derriere, where this gal has NEVER seen one before. I was that girl y'all. Complete pancake ass. But what could I really expect, when I LOOOOOOTHED squats and lunges and refused to see them for what they are... The GOD's of body sculpting, especially for a nice, firm rounded booty. I kick myself for such stupidity. All those years of hating my hinny and hiding it from even myself, when all it would have taken was bending at the knee! Moving on. I also saw other big changes in those short weeks, like leaner, sculpted arms and HEY muscles in my chest!?!? Even my back was expanding and my shoulders plumping, adding that extra "thin" look to my also shrinking waist. It was changes like this that kept me going. Which I can't stress ENOUGH how important it was for me to take progression photos along the way. I think I would have quite 10 times over, if it weren't for them. I'll admit, they are not always fun to take, especially in the beginning. But when you all of a sudden have that "after" photo or even an "in between" photo like the one's I'm posting today, you feel like you've accomplished so much more then you gave yourself credit for, just moments before. True story.

Week 6 of Jamie Eason's Live Fit Trainer

It has been a total of 4 months (with some breaks here and there) since I began weight training and I am astounded at the difference such little time can yield. I can tell you, and I hope you have figured this out for yourself or are willing to give it a try, but cardio alone will NEVER give you that shape your looking for ladies. Cardio is good at burning fat, but if there is no muscle underneath that padding, you will always have mediocre tone and mediocre satisfaction. I have done the eat less, do more cardio gig for ALL my life. I can tell you first hand, I never got the body shape I wanted. I literally thought, if I became skinny enough, then all these muscles, I haven't worked for, would just appear. I'd have abs and biceps and nicely toned legs. And a FIRM ass. PAH!! If only I could write a letter and send it back to young and uneducated Becca... It would say something like, "stop looking to rail thin models in magazines as fitness gurus for one. And when you get married, which you eventually will, listen to your husband when he suggests lifting a dumbbell instead of obsessing over that silly number on the scale." Had I of done that, who knows where I'd be!

I can't tell you where I plan to take this. But I can say, I am not limiting my body or mind! Right now, I'm just having fun. Enjoying my little bit of therapy each day as I sweat and exhaust every muscle and brain cell in my body. I definitely have an aggressive image in my head of what I'd like to see once in my lifetime though and it's definitely a strong, healthy, female hard body. But for now. I'm just enjoying the ride, happy to be where I'm at, yet moving forward!

 I will do another update when I'm finished with Jamie's program. I'm hoping these next 6 weeks, I'll see an even bigger difference in shape and tone. Although this week, with the stresses of my dad being in the hospital, has been horrible for my eating. Gotta clean it up if I want the results to keep coming ;) Thanks for reading y'all! Stay tuned for Lighter, Healthier, Happier (Part 3) where I'll be talking about the nutrition plan I've followed along the way! I'll leave you with one of my FAVORITE (altered) fitness quotes. This one really hits home for me and puts that fire in my resolve. I'm not going out with regrets or missed wishes y'all. ESPECIALLY when I AM the wish granter. HELL NO!

AGREED?! 

Currently...

I've always thought the currently posts are fun, so decided to try one of my own. I actually started this yesterday, the last one being from today...AMAZING how my mood can tank so drastically with just one day! Lol. 

Listening: to the sound of silencio and it is GLORIOUS. SugarCube is taking her afternoon nap which means I get to spend time with you lovelies! 

Loving: my new gym/running rubber! Although I'm not sure they love me back. I've had them for 3 days; little by little breaking them in on runs and at the gym. Sadly, my right hip has been in serious pain ever since. But I don't wanna return them. They're so pretty! 

Obsessed: with my zucchini plant and watching how massive it's getting. LOOK AT IT! I planted it where we get the most sunlight and it has just gotten HUGE! I've already counted seven squash. THIS makes me happy! duh. money saved at the store equals happy dance . We eat A LOT of zuch around here :)

Missing: my baby's sweet nature. She's been teething 2 ginormous molars this week which has turned her into a very emotional 17 month old. Poor thing. She's had a fever, blood blisters, congestion, sleepless naps and nights...I guess I'd be a bit cranky too if I had to deal with all of that... Luckily, they have appeared so I'm hoping "happy" baby will return soon ;)

Anticipating: The return of my favorite shows! I mostly like to watch "sweet" shows that do not leave me grasping for my teddy and night light at bedtime. Once Upon a Time sold me with it creative twists on those fairy tales we all love, where as Hart of Dixie is just cute. And easy to watch! However, the show Nashville caught my attention in it's first season last year. I was HOOKED after the first 5 minutes! This is by far, my favorite out of the 3. It's full of drama, yes. But I love it because I love country music. And it does have a lot of great music in it. I also might be a mushy romantic at heart and addicted to Scarlett and Gunner's love story. Le sigh...

Stalking: A box of honey wheat Ritz crackers. It's definitely not on the menu this week, and once I get started I have a hard time stopping. So I will a wait the hubby's return and then eat a few...I'm completely confident in his ability to tackle and (or) wrestle them from my grip should my "I don't give a crap if I eat this entire box" hunger monster appear. I love fail safes, ha!

Hating: That I live so far away from family. Especially right now...

Mourning: The death of milk in my diet and all the yummy things it makes! New york cheese cake, cheese in general, CREAM CHEESE, cakes, cookies and ice cream...AHHH! Can you tell my brain is on sugar at the moment?  I'm completely flabbergasted that after 28 years, I'm just now finding out I'm allergic! I mean really allergic. Thinking back, there were definite signs, but nothing like anaphylactic shock to get your attention, ha! I will be taking a moment of silence, to pay my respects this evening, as the reality of my situation just sank in... This sucks!

Trying: To salvage whats left of my day. You see. My morning didn't start out so great. Or rather, it started out okay but then got worse and I'm praying it stops between now and. oh. NOW. I always HATE when I wake up late. And today, that's how it started; 30 minutes late because I didn't hear my alarm, reminding me that there is this magic pill you take that discourages another bouncing bundle of joy. Oie! I wouldn't be so worried if this pill wasn't extremely low dose. Moving on. I get ready for the gym. feed myself. By this time SugarCube is awake and we go through those same motions for her. I down a pre-workout drink, grab the diaper bag in one hand and the baby in another and then realize I don't have my keys. Already 30 minutes behind schedule, I proceed to look around the house, in my usual spots, but there nowhere to be found. It's about this time that my pre-workout is kicking in and I realize my sweet child has gotten a hold of those damn keys and hid them. OH MY LORD. They could be anywhere!!! Pre-workout kicks it up a notch. Fidgety, must workout Becca is starting to appear. Forty minutes later, we find the keys in her junk drawer. A bit irritated. Okay a lot irritated but we get into the truck and off we go! Oh wait. The gas tank is sitting on "E." Another damn rolls through my brain but we fix that too, THEEEEEEN we go... Pull up to the gym and I instantly feel better because relief is just moments away. I drop the kiddo off in child watch, gave her butt a pat, said I love you and have fun! YES. The next 1.5 hours will be full of glorious sweat, screaming muscles, loud angry music and "ME" time. My day was looking up! However, fifteen minutes into my suffering, one of the daycare ladies taps me on the shoulder, because baby girl had a poop. Is it just my gym, or does your gym ALSO not handle dirty diapers? I think that is so strange but I handled it, not allowing the "you mid'as'well just go home" demon to win. I go back to my workout, pick up the barbell to finish those awful, AWFUL walking lungs and I kid you not. TEN steps into the set and this lady waves me down from the machine right next to the other machine I'm ALSO on. I unplug my, super awesome I don't hear a thing ear buds, and this is what I get. Lady: "Hey. Mind if I hop on that machine?" Me: Looks at the description on HER machine, a little confused, because I KNOW it's the EXACT same machine as I'm on. I quickly give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she doesn't know these machines are one and the same. So I respond with a smile "These are the same machines." Another smile follows from me, as if to say "It's okay. There's so many machines in here. I have a hard time keeping them all straight too." Lady gets up to change machines while giving me a, I don't give a crap about your superset routine and I'm not gonna back down, glare... Lady: "Yeah. I know. I just like that one better." WHAT!?!?! In case you guys are wondering, I was 2 SECONDS away from jumping back on that machine. And I really am considerate when it comes to super setting. I get that it annoys people. It's like hoarding cookies or toys or something. And I agree! To an extent... I think it's rude to super set when you have a hella busy gym or a particular piece of equipment that is mega popular, but that was NOT the case today...
I responded energetically "Oh! Yeah no problem. We can just trade." But inside I really just wanted to give her a wedgie, spank her spoiled ass and tell her to go home. Yes. I just said that. And you're welcome... I need to eat more carbs...

But I'm gonna reach here because I'm trying to dig myself outta this negative "GRRRR" pit...She probably wasn't intentionally trying to sabotage my superset and she probably really DID like that machine better and didn't think I'd mind her preferance. She also didn't know my nails have been whittled down to nubs, waiting/hoping to hear good news about my dads current, scary heart attack that landed him in Vanderbilt hospital 2 nights ago. Or that my day had ALREADY been full of invisible "you shall not pass" sludge... Ehh... Tomorrow WILL be better :)

I leave you with this...

Current FAVORITE saying of the day: "Squat that ass to the grass!" HAHA! That just tickles my funny bone ;)    

What is one pet peeve you have in the gym?

Lighter, Healthier, Happier!

After 14 months of on and off work and 17 months postpartum, I DID IT! 

BEFORE 166 lbs                                                                               AFTER 130 lbs

I've lost all of the baby weight (and then some) and even took it a step further where I've worked to get in the BEST shape of my life! I'll be coming back during the next few weeks to write posts 2 and 3 on everything I've done to get here, things I've learned and things I'd do differently! It's all just one one big learning experience :)  I just wanted to show y'all quickly what I've been up to in my blogging absence ;) See. I've been a productive mama!

I actually hit a point, 3 months ago, where I made it to 128 lbs. But having all four wisdom teeth extracted, the hubby's home coming and moving back to Washington, all in the space of 1.5 months, kinda put a halt on the gym. Sadly, I also allowed my eating to slide big time and it showed! Regardless though, I am back on track, hitting the gym 6 days a week and having the time of my life! Stick around if you'd like to see what, saying no to the treadmill and yes to weights, can do...

I Could Out Shine Mr. Sun On A Day Like This!

I have no direction for this post. Just warning you, ha! But this morning has been fabulous. The kiddo just went down for her 2 hour nap, which means I'm spending my coveted free time with y'all! Yes. Feel special. If you're a mom, you totally get what I'm talking about...In fact, you probably imagined me snarling my teeth and growling as I said "coveted free time." Am I right!?

I don't know. Today just had the feeling of sunshine and rainbows where I wanted to skip around and  sing "It's A Wonderful Life." While I AM an upbeat, positive individual most days (or at least I like to think I am) there are just days that feel more awesome then normal; where it feels like NOTHING can touch you! Admittedly, after typing that, I had a moment of fear. I also might have ducked my head, looking to the skies for signs of death by lightening??? I AM sorry if you experienced whats known as fearful association, just now, yourself. And for putting that evil on you, if you weren't already thinking it ;)

So why is my day so awesome.. Well it started with a kick-ass workout, which is always a mood booster! But while doing my fourth round of dishes this afternoon, it just hit me. I am completely blessed in life. I am happier then I have ever been. I have a wonderful child to call my own who is also happy and healthy. I have a marriage to be proud of and a husband who is, and has been, a source of strength for me. He has definitely added quality of life to my years, as it should be with one another! This realization has struck me many times in recent months and I'm not sure that I have the words to express it's emotional impact on me. Very blessed comes to mind... That someone sure knew what they where doing with the collision of our hearts. So yes. Life is good. I am blessed. And I cherish the day these two came into my life...

Excuse my daughters stoned expression :)

I won't stop there though! But only because I'm dying to share this news and maybe a bit premature but, Eh :) Blessing number 100,000,356 would be the FACT that I am returning to school. Let me just repeat that. I AM RETURNING TO SCHOOL! Y'all don't even KNOW how excited this makes me. Or maybe you do? I've worked all week (during baby naps) at getting applications submitted, fees paid, transcripts requested and FAFSA started. I have yet to receive my official college acceptance letter, but do not fear. I am getting that mug! I should have a letter in the next month. Mostly waiting on the 2-3 weeks it takes for my diploma to be sent over...*taps fingers*

I have tried going back to school in the past, but I have always hit road blocks, whether it be money, getting pregnant, lack of the right school with the right program. You name it... But this time, things feel so different. Two weeks ago I had a complete stranger (where I wasn't even digging or researching yet) drop the PERFECT school, for me and this military life, into my lap. And get this, she is actually in the degree program I have chosen. Can we say, inside track? I seriously have used her as my personal admissions and financial aid counselor the last week, lol! Sure beat the 20 minute wait times I was experiencing, trying to reach the school... So what will I be studying??? Well join me as I let out a HUGE sigh of relief. Because after eight years of being educationally MIA, I finally am 100% when I say I have found my passion and know the direction I need to be heading... I will be pursuing my undergraduate in psychology! But more importantly, a Masters in social work or counseling. I am leaning more towards social work... One thing is for certain. I WILL be working with children. Period. That's another post all on it's own. So let the long road ahead of me begin! I'm ready. Focused. Dedicated. I've got this...

So you see? Life is good! I seriously wouldn't be surprised if there were sunbeam rays, shining through my smile... AHHHH! But now that I've taken the better part of this 2 hour hiatus from baby, I need to get my bunz moving on folding these last loads of laundry. Ahh yes. The not so awesome part of my life ;) Thanks for listening y'all. I'll leave you with SugarCube who decided I mastered the art of mini pizza's today. because. duh. she's eating it. SUCCESS! Yet another cloud for my dancing feet...

A Bit Rusty, But Here We Go!

I hate when I've taken this much time from blogging. Truly. I do! So can we just pretend, for a moment, that this here blog's been hoppin and poppin with sassy, quipp'ilicious posts the past 3 months? That I've been sharing beautifully shot and edited photos on the daily and giving blow by blow DE.TA.ILS of fabulous Moi? And just as you'd expect, I've been faithful in weekly blog hops, linkups and heck! I've even done my part and written a few host posts so my fabulous ladyships could go on vacation without a halt in production. Yup. That's me alright, ha!

Sadly, that's not been the case. I've been a big-fat-blogging-failure. I partially blame that on the horrible, tragic coffee spill of 2013, and Facebook. But then I come back, to all that's happened in the past few months, and think. WOW. How could you just NOT write about that! Like the fact that your husband came home from being deployed and not only did you NOT say anything... You never got a homecoming pic!!! UGH. Yes. I still cringe about that. Yes. I wish I could go back in time, grab one of those equally excited MilSpouses and beg them to stick around for a shot of me and my soldier...

But, because I failed to get homecoming pictures, I won't go into great detail about his return. I even contemplated not writing about it because, lets face it, it's way more entertaining when you have photos to look at! So all I'll say is, it. was. amazing! Five days, baby free, with just R and I. Exactly what we needed, after months apart! We rented a hotel room for those days, and while we had obligations like signing for our rental, getting the keys, unloading our storage shed and other things, we really just spent that time talking, laughing, smiling (lots of smiling) and ahem...reconnecting. Can I get an amen!

Since his return, SugarCube and I have said "goodbye" to living with his folks in Arizona (goodbye sunshine) reclaimed our 2 dogs from my sister in Vegas and moved back to Washington state where we've been happily reintegrating for the past month!

Taken the day we left Phoenix. Our first shot together since his return! Oie...

 
This post is definitely lack luster. I know. And there's obviously so much more I could have said. Anyone that's been through a deployment and redeployment, knows that... I might revisit this topic some as I sort through photos from the past month. But for now, I just needed to get something written and if it sucks. Well it sucks and I'm sorry, ha! But now that I've broken the silence, I've paved the way to write about other things I'm passionate about. Like my current fitness status, yummy but healthy recipes I've been cooking, new PCS orders coming up all too quickly and SugarCube updates! For now though, you've gotta forgive my rusty fingers. I promise I'll get better, as the guilt and overwhelm wears off ;) 

Breaking The Silence!

I miss my blog and have SO MUCH to share with you all! 

Kinda like this...

Yup. The hubby is HA-HA-HOOOOME! 

I will properly break the silence on this later though, because right now, it's 8:00 in the morning and my little SugarCube demands Mommy time :) Looking forward to disconnecting with Facebook more and reconnecting with my blog again!!   

Birthday Festivities!

So, this is Alyssa's big birthday post that was supposed to be done, like..... back in February! But better late then never, as I like to say, ha! I also realize I've been gone from this here blog, for well over a month. I just haven't had the energy to write lately with so many things going on in my life. And not really things I can talk about, or want to talk about. I think you all know how that works though...Once you've been gone for so long, you feel like "where do I even begin, to catch everyone up!" So you push it off even more. Blech. It's a vicious cycle! But there's a good chance, I might have some exciting news here in a few weeks, so I plan on writing a big post then. Stay tuned!  

Back to the birthday girl though... Originally I had planned to do a themed birthday, starring Mickey Mouse. But after dipping my toes into the world of Pinterest, I quickly realized, this celebration was becoming more about keeping up with the Jone's and not so much about the birthday girl! That just would not do...As much as I wanted matching decorations and fabulous party pictures to document this day, I just couldn't do it. I wanted to ENJOY my daughters birthday. And I knew she'd enjoy it A LOT more too, if I were focused on her, instead of being frazzled and busy, entertaining and playing hostess. So, SugarCube.... You were the star of the day; exactly how birthdays are meant to be! We had a wonderful time! Take a look :)

Birthday morning smiles!

Truth be told, you really had two birthdays SugarCube. We celebrated your actual birthday on 02.12.2013 with a low key pancake and turkey bacon breakfast; your first taste of buttery, sugary, pancake goodness! It was a major hit and the added candle made me feel better about postponing your cake until the following Saturday. 

Mmmmm....Bacon!

You also woke to a birthday banner, balloons and brightly wrapped presents! You LOVED your banner and balloons. The presents were also a hit. Especially the piano Grammy and Grampy bought you.  

This wagon was from your Aunt Suzi and it has proved to be so entertaining and fun for the both of us! You LOVE going for nightly spins around the block, almost as much as mommy enjoys taking you :) 

That Saturday, we took you to the zoo and aquarium, for the first time, and wow! Did that ever turn out to be a fabulous time which we all enjoyed! It made me happy for your big day, that everything was so new and exciting for you. You couldn't get enough squeals out, no matter how hard you tried :)  We made sure to take along Daddy too :) In short. The zoo was better then anything you'd tried in your short 12 months of life. Well... until later that night when you discovered cake, ha! 

Here are some of my favorite pictures of you and I enjoying the gorgeous day! Gotta love open mouth, mushy kisses! I had so much fun celebrating with you SugarCube. You are such a cool kid to hang out with ♥

Here we are at the petting zoo, which you totally ROCKED! I mean you ROCKED IT! You loved all the little goats and deer and lamas and never acted scared or even stopped to cry when one bumped you down. I had a hard time keeping up with you!!

However, the aquarium was a whole other world of fascination for you. You pretty much talked and cooed at the fish the whole time while trying to pet them through the glass :) 

Back at the house and after a LONG nap, we had friends and family over for dinner and cake. It was so much fun and you enjoyed being the center of attention, very much. That also was the night you ate chicken tenders and tater tots for the first time, and OH MAN! It was a major win :)

AND TA DA!
Now comes the face cake! I spent a total of 6 hours, the night before, making this cake from scratch and hand decorating it. I was so nervous baby girl! I wanted it to be perfect for you and to also have Mickey on it, seeing as that's your guy. Gosh, I had bowls of colored icing EVERYWHERE! It got a little overwhelming but was so worth it! It turned out great and you thought it tasted even better! I have to say, I have complete respect for cake decorators though, because man does that take a steady hand and mega patience!

So that was your 1st Birthday celebration!
I thought it turned out so well and I got exactly what I wanted. Quality time, spent with you!! I didn't pass the day worrying about hosting the perfect party, entertaining guests, playing referee to their kids, or refilling snacks. I just enjoyed my adorable baby, spending a lot of time reflecting on the months past and looking forward to the exciting months ahead :)


Happy 1 year SugarCube!
~Mommy and Daddy love you to moon and back~

  

I'm Back!

Good News!!!

Sarge & Sunshine is back online, blogging from a new MacBook Pro! If you remember, I sent my, not even 2 month old, MacBook in for repair after spilling coffee all over the key board. That was 3 weeks ago... I still cringe, yet I say this with a very warm and WET cup'o hot chocolate next to me, ha! Just wanted to hop on and let everyone know, I'm a live and well and will return with SugarCube's birthday bash recap!!! It was a total blast and such a great first birthday. I can't wait to share it with everyone!

12 Months Old!

HAPPY 12 MONTHS SUGARCUBE!!

Although this is a few days late, and you weren't born on Valentines Day, you DID happen to come home on Valentines Day all those 12 months ago. So how cool is that! You will always be our sweet Valentine. But you LITERALLY where!

 February 12th was your big day and while we did celebrate it, there's more birthday excitement this Saturday. So mommy's waiting to post about all the GLORIOUS birthday bash craziness then ;)

 As for how I'm handling this huge mile stone? Well... You could say I'm at a complete loss for words. I can still see you, so vividly, as that tiny little newborn only hours old; all soft cries and slow motions. So who is this walking, talking, smiley baby face I look upon every morning? Have daddy and I really been at this parenting thing for 12 whole months? Well, I guess so, because here's the proof in pictures, tear!  

 

AND THE BIG TWELVE!!!



Alyssa, I know your my child, and with that comes a huge amount of pride and favoritism, but SugarCube, I think ANY little girl would want to have you as their very own baby doll! That's what you remind me of. The sweetest, most precious, petite and perfect baby doll! How did daddy and I get so lucky with such a beautiful angel...

 

 

I just love this picture of you ♥  Even though you now only hold one of my hands to walk, and not even a whole hand at that, this picture will always remind me that now matter how big you get, how much you protest and no matter how you act, you will always need your mommy... Now to keep telling myself this when your thirteen, full of yourself, and fighting against mommy and daddy so hard for freedom, independence and taking on the world. If your anything like me, that's exactly the age this will happen too ;)   

 



 





You're doing so much more now, compared to your eleven month update. You've been perfecting your walking, which is still slow and calculated but you fall less and less this way. You definitely prefer walking over crawling and, in fact, I hardly ever see you crawl anymore. You're either walking on your own, walking holding my finger or bouncing on your knees across the floor, which you've used as a form of walking for sometime. You talk quite a bit more too, and although these new words aren't perfect, you've added bye-bye, dog, yum, hi and done to your already perfect words of mama and dada! You also communicate "no" by shaking your head back and forth, usually whenever you're done eating or you don't like what I'm feeding you. Additionally, you use the sound "pssh" for your cat Peanut because mommy's always saying "Pssh Peanut" to scare him away from whatever annoying bad thing he's doing at the moment. You also make this high pitched squealing sound anytime you hear Peanut meow, which is the cutest! Basically, you're full throttle with learning to talk and communicate. You try and repeat most words and sounds you hear, although you're obviously still working on the pronunciation. Don't worry though and don't rush it baby girl. You have time :)

 

You love to sing and point to things that catch your eye; play games like peek'a'boo, hide'n'go'seek and lately your playing the tease mommy by sharing your snacks, then pulling them away just before I can eat them, game. Haha! I laugh every time while tickling you, saying "you little stinker. You better give me that snack!" You grin and giggle, knowing full well what your doing. I love it and you obviously think it's great fun too :) You love pictures of R and I, and recognize mostly dada in the photos while saying his name. Your not sure what to think about the home videos we make for daddy though, because each time your watching one, you get this almost upset look. Like, who's that baby playing with mommy?! Or who's that baby holding my daddy bear! That one really upset you, to the point where I had to go get your bear from the crib. All was well after that :) You L.O.V.E your grampa and grammy but grampa holds an extra special place in your baby heart. That's very clear. You seek him out often, always laughing so excitedly once you find him and when mommy goes to take you form his hold, you'll turn away from me and push yourself into his shoulder. I tease you about it but I love that you love your grampa so much :)      

 

You continue to love books and even imitate mommy reading them, talking in a sing song voice and turning the book every which way while flipping pages. I love watching you do this! It seems your favorite book is a series called Little Blue Truck which is really neat because Daddy's favorite book as a kid was Little Red Car! Like father like daughter :) You've completely made the switch to table food for breakfast, lunch and dinner with a bottle first thing in the morning and before bed. Your favorite finger foods, so far, are grilled cheese, chicken nuggets, tater tots, peas, mandarin oranges, peaches, lunch meat, deli cheese, bacon, eggs and pancakes. Pretty much anything I've tried you on, you've liked, so long as it has some flavor and is easy to smash between those little gums. You still only have 4 teeth, two at the top and two at the bottom, although it seems you're trying to cut another one, somewhere in there. Maybe that molar daddy and I saw pop through all those months ago, before it went back down?

I still don't have your growth updates for this month, so I'll have to come back and update on that later. You're sleeping pretty well still. Two naps a day with the first one being 2 hours and the second 1.5 hours. Although, ever since we moved to Arizona and you and I started sharing a room, you've been waking through the night for a bottle. I'm sure you do this because I'm in there, and I should probably break you of it, but I look at it as an extra opportunity to get calories and fats into you. Maybe you'll finally be above the teen's in your weight this month :) You wear size 5 diapers, 12 month pants, 18 month tops and size 3 shoes, however you could probably move up to size 4, no problem.

You're in love with the outside world; anything from your back yard to the grocery store to a restaurant. Your little eyes are always bouncing, taking it all in, wanting to touch anything and everything you can get your small, squishy hands on. I love watching you explore. However, your exploitative nature isn't without it's insecurities. This month you've developed a moderate case of separation anxiety which reared it's head right after you got your first case of the sickies, last month. I spent an entire week, nursing you back to health, holding you while you slept, rocking you because all you wanted was cuddles, answering your every cry with a tender touch and warm hug, never being out of your sight. So I guess you decided, that's how it needed to be from now on, lol. It's gotten worse too though, because you've also forgotten how to play by yourself and your always hanging off my pant leg, crying/whining until I pick you up. Much to my enjoyment, you've learned the art of biting too, but I've gotten some advise from my super-mom sister so I think I have a way of breaking you from this :)
 





 



But enough about challenging behaviour! You have way more sweet behaviours than you do challenging ones, so I don't even like to list those :) But for the sake of documenting your growth and baby stages, heehee :) So onto your sweety pie traits! You love to give slobbery open mouth kisses and you even give them when I say "kiss, kiss" and pucker my lips. I love it! Sometimes you'll start to lean in for a kiss, but then pull away at the last minute, all the while grinning because you know I'll make a big deal over that missed kiss :) You don't give consistent hugs yet but you do hug your favorite stuffed animals, Mickey and your daddy bear, pretty often. Learning to walk is a pretty tiring business too, so when you need a break, you'll lay belly down on the floor and give this very sweet smile, while kicking and thumping just one leg on the floor. SO PRECIOUS! You love to touch my eye lashes and teeth with your tiny fingers and to play the copy cat game. I'll clap my hands, or slap my belly, or blink my eyes and you do the same, most of the time. This makes playtime really fun and full of laughs :) You're just so fun, all the time! I can't wait for daddy to come home so he can enjoy you just as much as I am... 

 

You're such a blessing Alyssa Quinn. I say this almost every month but, Daddy and I both love you more then we knew a heart could love... Having you in our lives, has been nothing shy of extordinairy, exciting and fun! We couldn't have asked for a better baby or a bigger blessing meant for holding in our arms and hearts... As always, I look forward to the coming months with you, watching you grow and watching you build these new and complex skills!! I know you're no longer a baby-baby, becoming more this little girl in looks and personality every day, but I pray you keep this sweet and loving nature! It really works for you SugarCube :) Always remember daddy and I love you, love you, LOVE YOU!  You're our world!

Happy One Year Sweety!    

 

 Love,
Mom & Dad