Milestones...

I nearly cried today.

Miss Sunshine walked. Like, real, full on walking. Seven or eight steps from Daddy to Mommy. By this evening we were pretty much able to get her to take four to five steps at any point before she'd give up and go back to crawling.

I can't believe my baby is getting so big. She's 10 months old now. Walking. Talking (well, as much as she can). She's not even really a baby anymore - she's a kid now. Personality out the wazoo.

How did this happen? Where did the time go? And who do I have to pay to rewind it?

I swear to you, it seems like just yesterday that we were heading to the hospital to have her. And now here we are, past most of her "first" holidays, and are on that rapid downhill slide to her turning one. This is one more milestone that is out of the way... or past. I don't want it to be time for her to be walking yet. *sniff*. Someone tell her to slow down, please?

Well, on the plus side, after her first tentative steps, I did manage to grab my phone and get the video feature going (I really need to get on buying some new tapes for my video camera so I can properly document these things...) so I have video of her first steps, which I am about to place here in internet posterity for you all...

So, without further adieu - I present to you : Little Miss Sunshine's very first steps... (and I apologize in advance for the shrill yelling that I do at the end of the video!)

Cindy Lou Who

So, I think I officially entered "Mean Mom" status the other day. I just couldn't resist. And there is photographic evidence to back me up...



Yes, those are pigtails on her head. Here is a good "rear" view:


We are also fans of BabyLegs here in the Mac household. When she was first born and I saw them, I thought they were just the most ridiculous things. But really, they are a WONDERFUL invention - keep baby's legs warm but don't have to mess with pulling down tights every time you go to do a diaper change! And they are just so freaking cute! She is rocking out the whale pattern in the above photos, and here she is in some stripey ones:



And here she is just looking darn adorable: (I know, I'm showing off tonight!)




And a few family pics for you all just because I figure you might be curious what Daddy Mac and I look like...

(Pardon the about 30 pounds I still need to lose and the fact that Daddy Mac JUST realized he is thinning out on top!)

Would someone tell my kid...

That standing an inch away from the television screen does NOT allow him to see the show better? He has developed this horrible habit in the last few weeks. We don't watch a lot of TV in our home, but when it is on, I swear he stands there with his nose touching the screen. I spend more time yelling at him to back off than he spends actually WATCHING the television! It is so incredibly frustrating.

Oh, and while you are at it, if you could inform Little Miss Sunshine that everything on the floor does NOT belong in her mouth, that would be appreciated as well. She either ate a sunflower seed or an unpopped popcorn kernel tonight, I'm not sure which. This is such a fun age, really.

Ah, the joys of parenthood...

Holiday Time again...

Well, we survived Thanksgiving. Barely. Miss Sunshine decided that Thanksgiving Day would be a good time to have an ear infection! Thankfully I still had some ear drops from her tube surgery, so we were able to get through the day with those and call the doctor on Friday. They called in a prescription for her and I am happy to report she is well on the mend. We ate entirely too much food on Thanksgiving and still have one more meal, with Daddy Mac's family, to hit today! Guess the diet starts tomorrow first thing!

The Elf on the Shelf has also made it's appearance in our home - he showed up Thanksgiving morning. Our elf's name is "Tree" (Monster Boy likes simplicity, I guess. The fish's names were Fish and Shark, so this isn't horribly unusual). Monster Boy is fascinated by this. I think a part of him doesn't really believe the elf is real, but the rest of him wants to believe so badly that it's overriding any reservations he may have.

I braved the masses on Black Friday and was rewarded for it! Our WalMart still had all of the items we wanted, even though we didn't make it there until nearly 9:00 am. Target still had all of the items on our lists too, and we went there after WalMart. Of course, we didn't want any of the big ticket items at Target, which I think helped our cause. The only thing I wanted that I was unable to get was the Superyard XT that Babies 'R Us had on sale. They were sold out here in town. I wound up ordering it off the WalMart website instead - it was only $10 more than the BRU advertised sale price, and had free shipping, so it worked out okay. We want it to keep Miss Sunshine out of the Christmas tree. We have all of our non-breakable ornaments at the bottom of the tree already, and she's already pulled at least three of them off. It's going to be a fun holiday season here!

Giving thanks...

Daddy Mac has Monster Boy out running errands with him, and Miss Sunshine is down for her afternoon nap, so I am sitting here and reflecting on all the many things I have to give thanks for this year. As many twists and turns as we have hit this year, I feel so blessed for everything we have been through. It has made us stronger as a couple, stronger as a family, and stronger as individuals.

This year, I am thankful for the blessing of my children. I am thankful every day when I look at their beautiful, precious faces.

I am thankful that my son is so very intelligent. Even on days that he is frustrating me, I have a great appreciation for how smart he can be.

I am thankful that my daughter is so loving. Even on days when all I want to do is be able to put her down without her screaming, having her hug and hold on to me makes me feel so good.

I am thankful that my children are healthy. Even with the other issues we face with Miss Sunshine's cleft and all that entails, my children are healthy, they are happy, and they are loved. What more can you ask for?

I am thankful for my husband. Most especially, I am thankful for how lucky I am to have found him. He is truly one in a million. He is so supportive, so loving. He is a wonderful husband and an even better father. He would give his life for all of us, and knowing that is a relief to me at night. When you are a single mother, you worry about the men you consider bringing in to your child's life, and whether or not they will treat your child the way they deserve to be treated. I never have to worry about that with him. I thank God daily for bringing him in to my life, and for letting him love me the way that I love him.

I am thankful for my wonderfully supportive extended family. They have been there for me through the good times and the very bad times, always with love and understanding.

I am thankful for all the trials and tribulations God has seen fit to give me in my life, because they have made me a better person. I wouldn't change a single thing, because these experiences have made me who I am today.

And mostly, I am thankful for the chance to BE thankful for all of this.

What are you thankful for this year?

Nerves.

It hit me the other day that we have only a month and a half until Miss Sunshine's palate repair. She is not on a cup yet - she is totally attached to the bottle. I don't know what we are going to do about that. I'm going to really start pushing the sippy so I can maybe get to work on the regular cup they want her on before her surgery. They did tell us not to worry too much about it, we can always syringe feed her if necessary, but I would like to at least try. Especially since I like to have the kids off the bottle by 1 anyways. I guess we will see what happens. I am getting kind of nervous about the surgery now as well. I know it's necessary, and that everything will be fine, but there are still risks. And let's be honest - any time you have to think about your child going through something like this, it's bound to be upsetting. I just hope that I don't fall completely apart while I am alone at the hospital with her the night before. I already know I won't sleep - my mind will probably be racing non-stop, and Daddy Mac won't be there to keep me sane since only one parent can stay. I don't know how late they will let him be there, but he will certainly be there until the last possible second, I am sure. I wish I had a way to be better prepared for all of this. I can only hope that this will be the only surgery she needs and that she won't develop a fistula or any other complications.

I love giveaways!

Okay, again, with the cloth diapering! I have become a cloth diapering ADDICT! I need help!

I counted up my stash the other day, and holy crap, I have a lot of diapers. I have 21 gDiapers (I love my g's!) and 3 BumGenius All-in-Ones. I haven't actually gotten to try out the BumGenius yet - I just got them in the mail yesterday and am washing and prepping them as I type. We will try them out tomorrow. I am liking the look of them though - and they seem like they will be super easy, and a good candidate for my nighttime diapers!

Anyways, so I belong to many, many blogs about cloth diapering now - and some of them are doing some great giveaways.

This is a current giveaway that is just TOO good to pass up - you should go check it out! http://www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com/2009/11/bum-flipn-genius-super-fluff-friday-56.html