Friday, February 15, 2013

Look at this face


See this tiny little face? Five months ago today I got to see this precious little face for the first time. She came into this world looking so much like her father our only resemblance was that we are both girls. She was the smallest baby I have ever held in my arms. She was absolutely beautiful to me. All my worries about how she'd look compared to my other children were washed away the first time I laid eyes on her.







Look at how much this precious, not so little, face has changed! She is even more beautiful to me. She is resembling me and her brother and sisters more each day. She is such a sweet natured, happy girl. She is in my arms always. She is in constant motion. She coos, laughs and smiles so much. She is such a blessing. We are are extremely grateful to have her in our family. I love hugging her. I am pretty much the only one she will just relax on, and I cherish that. She will lay her sweet smelling head on my chest and go limp. I just rub her back, or wrap my arms around her and try to soak up every ounce of tiny baby goodness. She is quite curious, loves interacting with her siblings, and chews her hands all the time. She sits well with assistance, can roll from her tummy to back and from back to her side. No solids yet and no crawling. I fear that I may hinder that skill because I keep her in my arms so much. She likes being worn when we go shopping, and adores having Mylie sing to her. She will calm almost instantly when Mylie does. She wakes up happy and has recently started sleeping through the night.  I am so in love with this girl.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Where do you see yourself?

On the radio this morning they hosts were talking about how far they've come in 10 years. How they never would have thought they'd make it to where they are currently. I started thinking about it. Ten years ago I was an underemployed mother to a 2 year old little diva. I was unhappily married. I was so very poor. I had just started my core classes for my current career. I was on daycare assistance, housing assistance, foodstamps, and WIC. The government was paying for me to go to school. I was shuffling money around to pay bills before they were cut off.I lived in the least expensive apartments in my town. My neighbors openly smoked pot on their porch. My relationship with my ex was troublesome at best. I had Talise though. I also had a few good friends. I was 100 pounds over weight. I was just not in a happy place. My only joy was my very spirited, funny, mischievous daughter. Never would I have ever thought I would end up where I sit today. I am SO blessed. That same mischievous little diva is now 12 and still causing me headaches, but so much pride and joy as well. I have three other amazing children. All so different, and so much fun. I have an abundance of love. They love each other so too. I have a wonderful husband. He shows me love and fills me with confidence. I'm complimented daily on something. We are far from perfect, but so much closer to perfect than my last relationship. I've got an amazing family. I have an amazing extended family. I have wonderful in laws on both sides. I adore my brother's wife. I adore my husbands parents. I've grown so close to my mother in law. It's so nice because she treats me like a daughter and a friend. We don't have any of the baggage that is usually there with moms and daughters. I look forward to speaking to her on the phone and truly enjoy our visits. Bryan's parents are amazing, loving, warm grand parents. I have a great job that I love doing. I can provide for my family.  I love my co-workers and feel more like friends with them than just sharing a work space.  My husband owns (financing) our home and we have good, reliable vehicles. I no longer worry about finances. We can pay all our bills on time. I no longer require or even would qualify for any type of assistance.  I am now an average, healthy weight. I feel pretty good about myself, both physically and my character. I say all this not to brag, but to show gratitude and the realization of how far I've come. Looking back at the last ten years makes me anticipate the next ten. I cannot wait to see what they bring.