A New Perspective

We've all had moments in life that touch us deeply and make us take a close look at how we walk through life. Usually after a tragedy we all tell ourselves we're going to be different, we're going to enjoy everyday and try not to complain, but how long does that usually last? As many of you know, Doug and Laura McDonald were in a very bad car accident over the weekend, and while they seem to be continually doing better, they both have a very long road ahead of them. Last night a few of us went to the hospital hoping to get to see them, but was unable to. Instead, we sat in the trauma ICU waiting room with the families and just let them talk about whatever they wanted to. While we were there Doug was breathing on his own and they were able to put a feeding tube in, which they said was a good sign. And I heard different answers to whether or not he had opened his eyes, so I'm not sure about that. There's still nothing the doctor's could really tell the families about what will happen with him since brain injuries are so unpredictable. Laura has been able to respond via blinking and she can move her fingers and toes. I think they were going to start surgery on her broken legs today...she had broke both legs and arms, her pelvic bone and 3 ribs. Sitting with her mom last night I just kept thinking about what must be going through her head. That's her baby laying in that hospital bed, and my mind kept wondering back to Bailey. And then Laura, being separated from her husband, and while they have told her that he is getting better, I don't know if she really knows what happened, and if not, it's probably for the best. When me and Nick first heard what had happened, we just stood in the kitchen crying together holding Bailey in between us. Karen, Laura's mom, said something last night that I will never forget. She said she had had a long talk with herself that day, and after all of this was said and done she was never going to complain about anything in her life again. Because in a matter of about two seconds her whole life had changed and everything she had complained about before seemed so trivial. I really took that to heart, and thought about all the times I complain about things in my life. My friends have all heard me talk about my "one day" list. I'm always saying that maybe one day we'll make more money, one day we'll have a bigger house, and on and on. When really, I have a great life right now! We have a roof over our heads, I have a loving husband and amazing daughter, great friends and family who would do anything for us and we both have jobs that we love. So I have decided that from now on, I am going to try my hardest to be thankful for all the blessings that God has given me and just try to take life day by day.

ER Trip

Well, this weekend started out very relaxed. This was the first weekend in a long time that we didn't have something planned that we had to do, and that felt great! Sunday night we were planning on having our friends Brooke and Clay over for dinner. Nick was going to grill steaks and make homemade scalloped potatoes. Bailey had just gone down for a nap and I was in the living room reading and Nick was in the kitchen using a mandolin to slice the potatoes...and ended up slicing the tip of his index finger off! I had to have my step dad come sit with Bailey so I could take Nick to the ER. He started feeling light headed on the way up there and almost passed out while we were walking into the hospital. Luckily we didn't have to wait long, and our friend Justin's mom was Nick's nurse, so that was nice! He did have to get a tetnis shot, which they said will make his arm really sore in a couple of days. There wasn't enough cut off to sew anything back on, so it will just have to heal! So our weekend with nothing planned ended up being very crazy, to say the least!

On a good note, my friend Brooke asked me to be her matron of honor!! She just got engaged last week on her 2 year anniversary. Me and Brooke have actually known each other since kindergarten...we were in gymnastics together...neither of us remember each other from that, but our moms said that we would always sit together because we were the shy kids of the group :) I was matron of honor for Brittany who got married on July 26th, and now get to help out with Brooke's wedding...I'm so excited!! Now if I can only get them to start having babies :)

Mommy news

My boss, Katy Prather, had nominated me for the Leadership Scott County Program last month and I had found out that I had been accepted last week. Yesterday afternoon was our reception, and it was great! There are 21 people in the group from all different types of companies in the county. I did know a few people, which always makes things easier :) and it really seems like we have a good group of people. This program is designed to take future leaders in the county and teach them things about Scott County that they didn't already know and it is a great networking opportunity, which is the main reason I'm so excited about it! To succeed in real estate you need to know a lot of people, and I'm hoping this will be another place to get my name out. I feel so honored that Katy thought of me for this program! She had to pay (and it wasn't cheap!) for me to be able to participate and I will miss quite a few days of work for our outings. For once, career wise, I feel like I am in the right place at the right time! Also, the past couple of weeks I have finally started losing weight again...and I've been able to get into pre-prego pants! Even though I had reached my pre-pregnancy weight a while back, a lot of my old clothes still didn't fit because everything had kind of shifted to new areas of my body after pregnancy! But I am finally getting into my old clothes again! I was so excited this morning when I tried on a pair of old dress pants and they fit! I promise the next post will be about cute baby stuff...but I had to share my good mommy news! :)

Momma's Girl

This weekend Bailey was such a momma's girl...and I LOVED it!!! For so long she was an absolute daddy's girl and it always broke my heart, so this has been a nice change of pace for me. Yesterday I was trying to clean the house and I had picked her up for a minute to get a quick kiss and then I handed her to Nick and she started crying and reaching for me :( This broke my heart! I had to hold her again before I finally finished the cleaning. Also, for the past week it has sounded like she's been trying to say mama...but it had sounded like a mix between that and baba...but this morning I know I heard her say it! Every morning when I make our bed she follows me from one side of the bed to the other (because she really doesn't like it when I get out of her sight!) and I always tell her to follow momma; and this morning while she was coming over to the side I was on I could hear her saying "mama, mama". It was the sweetest thing ever! I had to stop what I was doing and pick her up right then!!

10 months old

On Saturday Bailey turned 10 months old! It is amazing how fast each month continues to go by! We had a busy day and Bailey had lots of fun. We started out by going to breakfast with my grandparents, aunt and uncle and their two kids Anna and Jacob. Jacob is in 2nd grade and Anna just started 1st grade this year. They both love Bailey so much and she loves being around them! As we were leaving they were running around chasing each other and Bailey would just watch every move they made and scream and kick her legs...she loves watching them play.

After breakfast me and Nick took her to Evan's Orchard to go swinging. The first time I had taken her she LOVED it! The next time...she hated it. This time she did ok. She would cry for a few seconds and then start to smile, it's like she couldn't make up her mind if she liked it or not.

After swinging Nick took Bailey down the Apple Cider Slider. She wasn't so sure about this either! She never cried, but she didn't really look like she enjoyed it either.

Then we played in the grass for a little bit...which is a big thing for Bailey! The last few months she had decided that she hated the grass and would cry when you tried to sit her down in it. But we played out there for about 15 minutes and she really seemed to enjoy herself. She also practiced her standing up while we were there. She can do it really well now, but I think it scares her. As soon as she realizes she's standing on her own she'll sit straight down or reach for me. Before we left we visited the goats and she really seemed to like watching them. There is one goat who always gets loose and they were trying to get him back in the pin and she thought that was funny!

When we left there Bailey fell asleep in the car and me and Nick took a Saturday afternoon drive. I love doing this! I especially love when we go down roads I've never been down before. That night we went out to eat for one of our friends birthday. Bailey ate potatoes and rice and some brownie for dessert!! I think she had a busy and fun day to celebrate being 10 months old!

Wa-Wa

This is an older video I've been meaning to post for a while. She's not doing it as much any more, but this was one of Bailey's favorite games! The video is a little long...I'm still learning how to use our video uploader!

Spaghetti Dinner

Monday night Bailey had her first taste of spaghetti...and she loved it! This was the first time she's had meat and she did really well with it. She's trying to figure out the whole chewing thing. She really likes to just try and swallow everything whole. She is also getting to the point where she would rather feed herself than have someone feed her. I try to put her food on her tray and let her feed herself, but usually half way through dinner she's playing with her food more than she is eating it! I think her favorite thing to play with is peas...she loves squishing them up :)

Pool Time Fun

Bailey loves playing in her pool! As you can see, she likes to try and crawl out of it...however, she hates grass! So once she realizes that's what is outside the pool, she decides to stay in!

Play Date

Saturday me and Bailey went over to Brooke Donovan's house and had a play date with her and Ella! The girls are less than a month a part, so it was great for Bailey to finally have someone her own age to play with. Me and Nick are the only couple in the group of people we normally hang out with that has kids, so it was really nice to get to talk to another mommy and watch the girls play. They did really well together. Bailey did try to keep stealing toys away from Ella, but where it's usually just her she's never really had to share before...but we're working on that. We had so much fun and I look forward to many more play dates to come!

It's That Time Again

As Nick is preparing to go back to school, I am realizing how much I am going to miss him being home all day. It has been so nice not having to take Bailey to my mom's in the mornings before work and getting to sleep a little longer. He has been generous enough to get up and feed her every morning when she wakes up...which is anywhere from 6:30 to 7:30, and if she wakes up in the middle of the night he has gotten up with her. He has also taken over most of the chores around the house! This summer he has done a lot of laundry, he's picked up around the house and he has made dinner almost every night! It has been so nice to come home and just be able to spend time with my family and not have to worry about these daily chores. I must say, he is always good at helping, even when he is at work...he's just gone above and beyond this summer! This summer has reminded me what an amazing husband and father Nick really is!