Down with Sprint

I need my cell phone, but I can do without cell phone companies.

You know how they call you at 7 a.m. to offer you a *great deal* on a new phone when yours works just fine? Well that happened to me - but I managed to talk them down from $145 to $9.99 (it can be done, just set your mind to it).

Anyway, I told them I was not going to buy a new phone if I couldn't transfer my pictures over from my old phone. They assured me that I could. So I bought two (one for me, one for Brandon).

Then, after waiting in the Sprint line for 30 minutes, they told me I can't.
On top of that, they've been charging us an extra $15 a month for services that we didn't ask for or know we had - like internet!

I'm ready to start a coalition of people who are sick of being taken advantage of by companies who 'nickel and dime' their way through my bank account.

Oh, Sprint, why do I remain so faithfully yours?

Is this MY child?

I just took this while she was sleeping peacefully in her crib.

I looked back over some past blogs (less than 4 weeks ago) where I was complaining about not being able to get her to sleep in her own bed. Thank you, Jesus, for giving us success in that area so we can have moments like these.

Boy, do I love this kid.

Tales from the Pediatrician's Office...

Doctors crack me up.
When I say "doctors," I mean Brylie's pediatrician.
He's a nice guy - somewhat of a spazz - but a nice guy, nonetheless.
I've learned to only share some of the details with him - never the whole truth - why does he need to know things that might get me in trouble?

He asks, "How often is she eating?"
I reply, "As often as she wants...?"
Him: "How much does she eat?"
Me: "Umm..." (how am I supposed to know?!)
Him: "Does she sleep through the night?"
Me: "Yes" (what I mean by Yes is 'she sleeps in her crib 'til around 4 when she wakes up and I immediately put her in bed with me and Brandon and nurse her back to sleep. I do this mostly for me because I missed her and I don't care if that makes me a bad mother - I'm doing it.)

Once I made the mistake of telling him that I do this and his response was, "Ok, so our goal for the next few weeks is to get her sleep ALL through the night..."

Our goal? Am I supposed to call him in the middle of the night so he can come over and comfort my screaming baby?
Maybe that's his goal, but my goal is to sleep.

What a funny guy... he's all jokes.

What I do love about him is his thoroughness. That man knows my baby's body better than I do. But what I don't love about him is his inability to 'beat around the bush' when necessary.

So yesterday, we go in for her 6 month well baby exam, and he informs us that she has a heart murmur. Straight up - just like that. No "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about - this kind of thing is very common...." Nothing like that.
So, I immediately freak out (of course) because all I know about heart murmurs is that they involve the heart (a vital organ) and that sometimes people need those replaced (and images of the St. Jude commercials pop into my head).
He gives us the card of a pediatric cardiologist in San Antonio and tells us to make an appointment ASAP. That does not help with the freaking out.

So, what do I do?
I make the appointment. And I cry all day. And I hold Brylie and cherish every movement and sound she makes. And I google 'heart murmurs,' and freak out some more.
Then I talk to Sarah (a friend who's a nurse) and she tells me that heart murmurs are common, almost always mean nothing, and that Brylie's pedi is well-known as the 'resident spazz' who orders lots and lots of tests (unnecessarily at times) just to covers his bases.

So can I blame the guy for trying to be a good doctor? I do like that he's thorough - but does he have to freak me out like that? We're still keeping that cardiologist appointment just because now I need to know for sure.

But...
I'm not freaking out anymore - I just wish that appointment wasn't two months away so I wouldn't have to think about it until then.

I thought I was tough..

...but I'm not. I wasn't prepared for this at all. Long after the pregnancy hormones are gone, the slightest little thing still makes me want to cry...

• Her sweet little voice that wakes me up in the morning. And the smile that greets me as soon as I open my eyes.
• The way she talks to her reflection in the mirror every morning.
• A cute, toothless grin from underneath her pink duck towel.
• Her pathetic little frown when she watches me walk out of a room.
• How she reaches up for me when I come back.
• How she knows it's bedtime when I turn on her lullaby c.d. and she immediately snuggles up against my chest and closes her eyes.
• The way she looks at her daddy as if he's already her hero.
• How Mommy can calm her down like no one else.

After 6 months of being her mommy, I feel like my heart is worn out from so much love. I literally feel like I don't have enough strength for the next 6 months.

How do people do this for so long? Doesn't it just get worse?

I really think it's impossible to understand even a hint of God's love for us until you experience the love of a parent for a child...

Remember that weekend I was excited about...?

Ok, let me just start by saying that I am already at the point at which I can laugh about all of this...



So on Sunday, Brandon and I loaded up Brylie and Gracie (the dog) and drove down to my parents ranch in the hill country. They told us they would keep the baby while Brandon and I went to Schlitterbahn on Monday.

We're driving out in the middle of nowhere, in broad daylight, and we hit a deer. No joke. Actually, it hit us...it slammed into the drivers' side door and flew over the top of our car. There was no significant damage to our car, but this is the 4th deer we have hit since we've been married. That's a lot of deer accidents in 2 1/2 years. So we weren't too thrilled about that.



Then, we wake up the next morning and drive what we thought was going to be 2 hours to New Braunfels. Nope. 2 hours of road construction later, we've only travelled 45 miles. Fantastic.

Finally, we get to Schlitterbahn. We're so stinkin' excited to be there. We drive up to the parking lot and we're met with a large sign that reads, "Parking lot full. Please proceed to west side parking lot."

Ok, for those of you who don't know how Schlitterbahn is set up, that means 'drive a few more miles down the road to the not-as-fun part of the waterpark and tram your way back to the cool kids area.' So we did.

And that one was full too.

I'm thinking, "It's MONDAY, people! Don't you have jobs?!?"

Finally, we found a ghetto-looking parking lot that we could park in. It looked like a parking lot that Schlitterbahn rents when they run out of other parking lots.

Brandon asks, "Should we just got back into San Antonio and hang out for the day?"

I say, "No, you've been looking forward to this, let's just do it."

So, we trekked up to the ticket booth, paid $78.00 (with the coupon) and get on the tram to go to the cool part of Schlitterbahn.

When we get there, we get in line for the Master Blaster. An hour and a half later, we slide out of the last tube of the Master Blaster and say, "That wasn't worth the wait."

Man.

After a few trips around the wave pool, we had lunch, walked around to find a short line, couldn't find one, trammed back to the other park, walked around some more, and then left.

I was going to attempt to earn back some of the $78 by selling my wristband to one of the latecomers in the parking lot, but Brandon told me that was unethical and dishonest.



So, we went back to the ranch...

And the next day, we had a lot of fun hanging out with Brylie and my parents...free fun. We built a deck at their house and swam in the swimming hole. It really was awesome.



So, the moral of this story is: fun is free, not $78.

And, don't worry, I'm pretty sure the deer was able to just shake it off.

Mommy Moments, both good...and bad

First..."The Good"

I ordered some of those headbands and bows from the Chinese Ebay lady that Melissa told me about. I'm stoked.

I cannot wait to go to Schlitterbahn with my hubby (and my hubby ONLY) on Monday! This is our first official "date" since Brylie was born. My parents volunteered to keep her for the day at their ranch which is just a drive from New Braunfels.

Maybe we'll kiss and hold hands in the MasterBlaster line like the teenagers... : )

I like to wait until Bry is good and asleep and then just go stare at her in her crib. I'm sure I'm not the only one to do this, but sometimes I just want to pick her up and give her a big kiss and hug!
But I don't...no way.


I painted her toenails today. I've been wanting to do it for a while, so I just waited until she fell asleep in her carseat and then I grabbed the polish! So stinkin' cute...we match!
After I did it, I thought, "I hope she's not too young for this." Oh well, it's adorable and we got some great pictures!

And now, for your entertainment, the "Bad Mommy Moment."

Last night was my little bro's 21st birthday, so we all went to Chili's to celebrate. While we're sitting there, I picked up a lemon (that I thought was mine) and put it up to Brylie's mouth for her to lick (which she loves). After about a minute, my brother says, "Um, is that MY lemon?" At first, everyone looked at him like, "Wow, pretty stingy with the lemon, Dave..." until we realized that not only was the lemon actually his, but it had come out of his "21st birthday celebratory drink!"

Oh my...

So, my 6 month old baby now knows what alcohol tastes like. And worse, she wanted the lemon back.

Growing Up

I'm feeling the need to grow up. And I don't like it.

Every morning I open my closet and I really really want to put on my hole-y jeans and an old thrift store t-shirt. All that stuff reminds me of the old days when Brandon and I were in College Station, dating, and hanging out with our friends all night...and then waking up (sometimes) for class at 8 a.m. We would all go to the vintage stores looking for some 10 cent "gems" and sometimes get in arguments about who saw it first.

If a fantastic thrift store shirt happened to be a size medium, I would have to hide it in the bottom of my drawer or else Brandon would snatch it and try to squeeze his big, giant, manly muscles into it (Love you babe).

I have this one t-shirt that my friend, Laura, begs me for everytime she sees me in it. It's a "YMCA Father/Daughter Indian Princess" t-shirt that I found at the Catholic Charities Thrift Store for a quarter. It's a Youth Large, but I guess I stretched it out enough over the years, and it's full of tiny holes. It's awesome. Brandon loves it on me, too, so I still wear that one. I'll probably be buried in it...but Laura would just dig me up.

I love those clothes and I just can't get rid of them.
That would be officially becoming a grown-up.

I'm just not ready for blazers and slacks and high heels, at least not on a daily basis. I'd better end up being self-employed.

I guess it's all a generational thing. I'm just from the generation that ok'd vintage clothes in college.

The more I think about it, the more I think I'll just be a grown-up that sometimes wears thrift store t-shirts...

(For those of you who were hoping to read something insightful or introspective, I'm sorry.)

The amazingly awesome Indian Princess t-shirt.

I need an intervention

My latest obsession: finding the perfect headband/bow for Brylie.

I have scoured ebay and all of the online boutiques, but I can't seem to find anything good for less than $10. And that, my friends, is just too much to pay for a hair accessory.

Despite having no skills, I really tried to make one myself.
but...

Let's just say there was a hot glue incident that does not need to be described in detail.

I don't know the kid in this picture but I really like her headband.

But no one sells those crocheted headbands!

Both HobbyLobby and Hancock's said, "I don't know why we stopped selling them - everyone loved them." Clearly the higher-ups dropped the ball on this one.

So, in conclusion, if anyone has one that they don't need anymore, please, please, put me out of my misery.

Today I was a single mother...

...of two.

Brylie and Brandon.

Brylie had one of her "days" where I am absolutely not allowed to put her down for anything.
Brandon woke up sick, went to work anyway, came home early from work, slept all day, work up to eat 3 bites of soup, and went back to bed for the night.
Oh, and he called me three times to come in a rub his back...poor guy.

Today was supposed to be my "get everything done that I haven't gotten done yet" day, but none of it got done.

Let me just say, that I do not know how single mothers do it. I couldn't even fold a load of laundry, much less clean the house, work, go to school, and care for everyone who needed caring for. I have much respect for those women.

So, I was standing in the middle of the living room, holding Brylie (who still would not let me put her down), and looking around at everything that didn't get done; and I was throwing a pity party for myself.

So, I strapped Brylie in the old stroller, kissed my hubby on the forehead, and went for a nice, long walk around the neighborhood to talk to God.

He made it better : )

------------

Later, I read a friend's blog. She's been trying for almost 2 years to get pregnant and just found out that she's 5 weeks along. I clicked back through some of her past blogs and just about lost it as every month had a blog that said, "No baby this month..."
I sure take some things for granted.

Mid-Year's Resolution

My dad told me this story and his new resolution based on it. I liked it so much that I've resolved the same...

My parents were visiting some friends' church in a different town this last Sunday.
The minister called all of the kids up to the front for the "children's Bible study" time, and apologized to them because he kept dabbing his chin with a kleenex. He told them that he had cut his chin earlier and hadn't been able to get it to stop bleeding.

One of the little kids piped up, "Did you ask Jesus to make it stop bleeding?"

The minister just smiled and shook his head. "No, I haven't done that yet."

Then he started his lesson.

My dad, sitting in the pew, had readied himself for a prayer for healing. He was surprised to see that minister just shake his head and continue on with the bible study.

That got him thinking...

Which got me thinking...

What did that teach those kids?

That it's nice to talk about taking our problems to Jesus, but we don't do that in real life? Or maybe we just take the big ones. Or the small ones.
Are we afraid that He might say "No"? And if He does, will that affect our faith in His ability to take care of us?

How often do we pray 'in theory?'

When someone says, "Can you please pray for me?" no one ever says, "Nope" or even, "Ooo, I'll try...if I remember." We smile, nod, and assure them that they will be in our prayers. But even those of us who hit our knees daily have forgotten at least one prayer promise to another person.

At least.

So, I've adopted my dad's new resolution:

When someone asks, "Can you please pray for me?" I will.

Right then and there.

Grace.

Brandon and I decided today that we needed to go look for a new place to live. As it turns out, our landlord does not love us as he should and when we signed the lease, he neglected to tell us that our new home would have no insulation, many leaks, and 30-year-old carpet.

Since we can't take a baby to live in the ghetto and nice apartments (including bills) are ridiculously high, we're staying here.

I'm trying to look on the bright side though.

There's a back yard for Gracie, it's very centrally-located, and it's cute.

That "cute" thing is what gets me. It definitely has some curb appeal.

Even if it does get us ginormous electric bills.

Hmm.

God's never let us down.

Speaking of which...

Last week, I was slightly bummed about my support with Chi Alpha ending this month. I'm staying with it because I love it, but now, we'll be getting by on God's grace.

I started sending out the old resume' and I found this job with Big Brothers Big Sisters that I knew I would love...only problem is they wanted me to work 32 hours a week.

Not going to happen.

What would I do with Brylie?

So, we told God it was His call. The next day I got a random call from the head of the Psych department offering me a graduate assistantship..... .....that I didn't apply for.

Thank you, Lord!

Garage Sale on the 4th

Well, Ashley and I got a hankerin' to have a garage sale. We told our husbands to get all of the old junk together and get it out in the yard, thinking this would be a great way to celebrate America's independence. And boy was it!

It was a long, hot, tiring day....but we raked in over $700 put together!

Then, just because we hadn't sweat enough for one day, we went to the church picnic to sweat a little more. It was great though! Brylie tried watermelon and loved it so much I think she might just like me to fill her bottle with watermelon juice from here on out.

Finally, we came home, got ready for bed, and it took all of 4 minutes of crying in the crib for her to fall asleep. Hooray! We've officially won the bedtime battle!

Another poop story...

The other day at church, Brylie was sitting on my lap, and she tooted really loudly. I didn't really think anything of it (even though I should have...we're trying new diapers). When I handed her back to Brandon, I noticed that there was a PUDDLE of poop on my dress and she was absolutely covered in it. Brandon had to carry her out of church superman style and I had to sop up the poop with wipes before I walked out with the diaper bag covering my dress. I'm glad I took an extra outfit for her that day. I wish there was enough room in that diaper bag for an extra outfit for me.
.....................
Brylie is officially a "crib sleeper" now! It's so nice to get to actually have the light on and talk while we get ready for bed. Yay!
She also had her first bites of real food yesterday. 5 bites of banana. What a big girl! I can't believe how quickly she's growing.
It really hits home when I see how little Addielynn is. I held her yesterday at the playdate and she felt like she weighed nothing! Then, I hold my big old baby and she seems huge!

Progress?

I think we might be doing a little better with the sleeping situation...
She's now sleeping in her crib - but that opens up a whole new can of worms as far as motherhood paranoias go. All of a sudden, my child is a "tummy sleeper." Believe me, I know the SIDS risks - I've read all about them. But it is what it is.
Oh, I don't put her on her tummy, but she manages to get there despite my best intentions. So, for the first few hours, I would go in and flip her back to her back. Finally, I gave up and came in to check my trusty parenting blogs. They all said that when a baby can flip to their stomach, they are typically strong enough to move their heads and breathe.
So, ok.
Whatever gets me my sleep.