The End of the Semester!

Well, I made it through my first semester as a Mom. It was trying at times, but I did it. Thankfully, I have a supportive husband at home that is always willing to pick up the slack wherever it's needed. If I needed to get homework done, he was more than willing to be on "baby duty" until I was finished. As the end of the semester nears, I feel a breath of fresh air because I have proved to myself that I can do this. I'm sure as I trudge down the college road, it's going to continue to try my patience and also show me that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I'm glad that I decided to go back to college and I'm even more excited to prove to this that I can and I will reach my goal. Good luck to all of you pursuing your dreams, you can do it!

Pictures with Santa!

I was so excited to take Maci to see Santa! I was a little nervous at first because I didn't want her to cry like most little kids do. But, she did great! She stared at Santa with her big eyes and smiled up at him. It was so cute! I'm sure she probably didn't really see him as being a big scary stranger this year, but maybe next year will be different.

Christmas Shopping!

How do you buy for a seven month old? As much as I want to buy her so many things from Santa, I know it's basically pointless. She absolutely loves to tear up paper, so I'm pretty sure that ripping off every square inch of paper from the neatly wrapped boxes will be her favorite part. Well, I did it anyway. I bought Maci way too many things that she is not going to do much but glance at. I did hold off on a few things, but I still ended up buying her more than she'll ever care about. However, in order to make my life a little bit easier, I put all of the clothes I bought her in her closet. I'm sure she won't miss not opening the cute new shirts or brightly colored jeans that Mom bought her. I can hardly wait for Christmas morning, but I know this is the last year I'm going to be able to sleep in and get away with only buying a few things! I think I can say it will be worth it, though!

Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving, a time for food, family, and most of all being thankful! Well, this year I have a lot to be thankful for! I'm thankful for a loving and supportive family, a husband that stands by me, encourages me, and loves me even in the toughest of times, and a beautiful little girl that I have the privilege of calling my daughter! We visited two houses for Thanksgiving. First, was Steve's grandparents house where all of his family gathers and next was my parents house. Steve has a rather large family so going there first is always the best option. My family is very small so afer dinner there is plenty of time to just relax! Maci wasn't really sure what was going on at the big family gathering but she definitely enjoyed watching everyone talk and laugh. Although I think her favorite part of the whole day was getting to eat a few spoonfuls of mashed potatoes and then a few bites of Grandma's homemade chocolate pie! Who wouldn't like that?  After dinner, my Mom and I cleaned up the kitchen and I got Maci ready to go home with Steve so Mom and I could head out on our annual Black Friday Shopping!

6 months!

How could 6 months have gone by so quickly? It amazes me how fast the time goes! I remember counting down the days until summer break or the days until Christmas when I was a kid. Maci is growing so fast and is learning and doing new things every single day! We've gone from smiling and cooing once in awhile to there being very little silence in our house. She make me laugh! Even when I want to be mad at her for being crabby or wanting her own way, she makes it nearly impossible with that enormous toothless smile of hers! One of my favorite tricks of hers is this growl she has. It sounds as though she should be on "The Exorcist". I have never heard a baby make a noise quite as possessed at this. And, she loves to do it! Every morning I wake up to this loud growling sound telling me she's awake! 6 months is definitely bittersweet. I'm so sad to see my baby growing up so fast, but at the same time I'm so happy to see this beautiful little girl growing and learning new things everyday. One of the downfalls of 6 months is immunizations, again! Luckily, I have learned not to let them get to me. As much as I hate to see her cry while getting poked with 5 needles, I know that I am only doing what is best for her. She's such a strong little girl. She only cries for a minute and then she's done. And, they have never been any problem for her, no fever or fussiness!

Halloween

Well, Halloween didn't turn out to be too much fun. It was freezing cold and pouring rain! I couldn't stand the thought staying in and not letting Maci wear her Halloween costume, so we decided to go to my parents house and my husband's parents. I'm sure Maci probably wouldn't have really minded if we stayed home, it was more me than her! I didn't have a child pulling on my pant leg begging frantically, "Please, Mom!" So, we bundled up and braved the weather! Everyone was so happy to see her, it definitely made it work the venture. She was such a good sport, too! She smiled pretty much the whole time and was perfectly content wearing her costume! After all of the excitement of getting treats, like a rattle from one Grandma and a sucker from the other, it was apparent that she had had enough trick-or-treating and was ready to head home because she fell asleep as soon as I buckled her in her car seat to head home. I'm sure that she will never remember that cold, rainy night of her first Halloween, but I definitely will and I'm so glad that we decided to take her out!