Happiness!

I'm so excited to get into blogging photo challenges again!  When I blogged on Xanga, I did the same thing but since being on Blogger, I hadn't found any.  Thanks to Erica over at Mi Todo, I found The Paper Mama!

This week's prompt is happiness and it doesn't get much happier than this...

My happy baby, Presley Rose, at two months of age!  She gives the best smiles and almost giggles to us these days and they just melt our hearts.

50 Questions (Part Four)

So, before having Presley, I had so much time to blog that I ran out of things to talk about!  So I embarked on this list of 50 Questions that will Free your Mind and planned to answer them all!  Unfortunately, now I have less time to read, reflect, and write.  The babe is sleeping right now so I'm going to attempt part four of the 50 questions!  If you have the will/time to do the same, I'd love to hear your answers.

16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?

I'm not sure.  I understand that everyone is made of different things; our brain compositions are different and we typically come from different pasts as well.  We all differ in our personality types as well -- some being more introverted and others more extroverted.  While I love being around people, I really love my alone time and time at home with my family, whereas other people could careless to be at home.

17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What's holding you back?

One very RANDOM thing is that I've always kinda wanted to bar tend in a busy city.  I think it'd be super fun and you'd get to know some really interesting people.  One reason I haven't done that is because I don't live in a busy city!  The other reason being it takes stepping outside your comfort zone to try something new like that.  And now, I've got a little baby, and I'd hardly enjoy being out late tending bar!

18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
Yes and no.  I'm sure there are tons of things.  The first thing that came to mind is I've always wanted to contact the people who were responsible for my father's death.  Whether it'd be visiting them in jail or writing them a letter, I really want to contact them to know that I exist and they altered my life forever.  I don't think I'd like to drag them through the mud, rather to just educate them on what my life was like and what it is like now.  I've also thought about sending them a care package... but then I feel crazy, like why in the hell would I want to do that?!  So who knows if it will ever be done or if I am in the right or wrong for wanting to contact them... I've got to do some more examining on this one.


19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?
Oh, this is SO easy... DEFINITELY I would swiftly move to Tennessee at any moment to be closer to my sisters as well as my in-laws.  I'd also LOVE to move to Florida (Orlando, to be exact) so I could work at Disney World!  It would be an absolute dream.  Hey, maybe I can find a bar to work at inside Disney World and then I'd kill two birds with one stone! :)

20. Do you push the elevator button more than once?  Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?
Yes, I usually do.  No, I don't think it makes it any faster but I just love how the button feels!  Of course if there are other people around, I typically stick to one push.

*part one*    *part two*    *part three*

These were pretty easy to breeze right through!  If I can do it, so can you... so what are you waiting for? :)

Happy TWO month old birthday, Presley Rose!

Wowie!  I didn't think I'd be one of "those" moms... but seriously, where has the time gone??  It feels like just yesterday we were completely clueless and terrified to bring this unknown baby home with us.  A lot has changed in this time, especially ourselves!  And as you can see, Presley has gone through the biggest changes over these past eight weeks....

Presley in her "SOMEBUNNY LOVES ME" outfit! :)

If you ask me, she looks like her mom in her face and her dad in her height!

Things about Miss Presley:

• She loves her velcro swaddle blanket!  Though when she's cranky and I lay her down in the blanket to wrap her up it seems like she's thinking, "Swaddle? Challenge accepted!" and squirms around to make it just a little bit more difficult to get her swaddled.
• If she's not swaddled (during her daytime naps), she kicks off the blanket every time!!!
• She sleeps with a fan, just like we do! :)
• She is not really a fan of socks.  She kicks them off at the first chance she gets.
• She's been getting a lot better without her pacifier at night.  She starts out with it but of course spits it out still throughout the night but now she's not crying every 5 minutes for us to put it back in.
• Presley doesn't seem to love burping, but she's getting so much better at it and it seems to hurt her less and less to try and get a burp out!
• Currently growing a mullet, it seems!  Her hair is falling out on top and still soft and beautiful in the back... it's got the cutest swirl in it!!! So she's got her Grampa Scott's chin as well as his hairline at the moment!!!

Bald up top but hair around the sides & back!  Totally what Presley has right now!!! :)
Didn't realize how much I miss him until looking at his picture!

•  She has surely started to LOVE to pull mommy's hair!  For a few days I debated cutting it into a pixie hair style (kinda like Ellen Degeneres) but then I realized I could never pull that off.

• She seems to enjoy showertime much better than she ever enjoyed bathtime!  But man, babies sure are slippery once you lather them up.  It'll be more difficult to shower her with me once she really gets bigger and moves even more.  She's so cute in the shower sometimes she'll open her mouth and try to drink the water!  Other times she just stares at the water with huge eyes!
• It seems like Presley is really trying to laugh.  Hasn't quite gotten it yet but she's getting there.
• Oh man, and lately, she LOVES getting her diaper changed!!!  She will just lay on her changing table and smile and coo!!!  Sweetest thing, ever.
• Oh and Presley loves when her daddy gets home.  She will look at him for a few seconds until it registers in her mind and then she will just grin so big!!!!  I'll have to record it soon and put it on here.
• Presley still sleeps great at night.  It amazes me that such a tiny person can begin to tell the difference from day and night and that her body is able to sleep seven hours straight without food.  I am afraid that once we move her to her own room that she won't be able to sleep as well, but we're not there yet!

I'm sure I could go on and on but instead I'll just end it here so I can get a few things done around here before I need to feed her again.  We're going to see her doctor at 4 PM today for her check-up and some of her shots.  Thank goodness Tony will be able to meet us there because I'm so nervous to have to watch her in pain and have no idea how she'll react.  I mean, I literally couldn't even watch them prick her heel every day and draw her blood when we had to get her bilirubin tested everyday.  We've also been going back and forth about getting her ears pierced... so if any of you mom's have opinions or feelings about it either way, feel free to share!  Thanks for reading :)  I appreciate all you guys who care so much about Tony and I and our little girl.  She is such a sweetheart and I'm so happy to share her with so many friends and family who we love so so much.

ps-- It's also your Aunt Amanda's birthday!!!  She's 27 years old today!

You will get to meet her in a short TWO WEEKS when she is up here celebrating for your baptism and her first baby shower for your soon-to-be cousin, Ann Marie!  I hope and pray that you and Ann Marie will be best friends just like Amanda and I!  (And you, too, Ashley!!)  You're already going to match Ann Marie like your Aunts and I matched... I've gotten a few matching items for you two to enjoy!  Wish we could all be there to celebrate your birthday dinner with cake and ice cream...  Happy Birthday, Amanda!

Currently...

Frustrating:

•  Having to go back to school to finish my degree for a measly 5 credit hours.  Reapplying and all kinds of stuff is just giving me a headache at the moment.  Not to mention, imagining myself going to school and doing school work with a needy little one and a husband who works lots of hours.
• Not fitting into my clothes.  And definitely upset at seeing my stomach post-baby.  I can't believe I was so excited to take a picture of my big belly each week without realizing how bad it'd look afterwards!!!
• Feeling guilty at the thought of spending time away from my family to work out.  That is an easy way to talk myself out of a work out.
• Being so far away from my sisters.  They won't get to know Presley at this stage or when she was so tiny.  I'm missing Amanda's whole pregnancy just about.  I don't get to hang out with either one of them.  I could go on and on.  It'd be one thing if they were "just" my sisters, but they are my best friends too so you could understand the reason I look forward to moving back to Tennessee.
• Feeling like my work has little to no merit.  It's hard to feel like my work every day is worth very much when I look in the mirror at myself in the same sweat pants and t-shirt that I've worn all week with crazy hair and I look like crap!

Fulfilling:

•  Seeing Presley smile at Tony (her daddy!) everyday after he gets home from being gone all day at work.  I definitely teared up seeing her do that! 
• Getting to spend time with my family and introduce them to Presley.  We went to Aunt Jill's for Easter to be with the family we don't get to see as often and she got to meet some of my cousins!
• Going on walks as a family on the weekends!  It's nice to be all together, to be active, and to be outside while it is so nice out.
• All the silly faces Presley makes.  She does the cutest things in her sleep and when she's awake, too.  She's also starting to respond to us more and following us with her eyes when we move around the room.
• Having such an easy going baby girl.  We have the occasional fussy day where she might be having gas, going through a growth spurt where she's hungrier/fussier than usual, or just weird days for whatever reason -- and it makes it so clear that we are so lucky that the majority of days with her are easy-peasy!

I could keep going on these lists (as we all have things that trouble us as well as lift us up), but I'll end the post with some recent pictures of Presley!  The little one is currently napping so I better get some stuff done around here other than blogging!!!

Our little Easter bunny!

Presley meeting the Easter bunny for the first time!

Can't get enough of these silly faces!!! I just can't give her enough kisses.

Our favorite place to walk -- down by the Mississippi River!

She's still got blue eyes -- which is shocking -- I always thought my kids would have brown eyes or at least green/hazel like their dad, but I am thinking she's got her Grampa Mike's blue eyes!