Busy Beavers!

Well, I want to begin this post with a big shout out to my friend Christine Newhook who took these amazing photos of Kaylee for me. Not only is she a good friend, but she is also an incredible photographer! Please take the time to visit her website at www.christinenewhook.com/blog .

She came over for a day and just hung out with us, taking pictures while Kaylee went about doing what she normally does. Christine was rolling around on the floor trying to get the perfect shot and really just letting Kaylee be comfortable. All that being said, Kaylee was having a cranky day, so while shes not smiling, I still believe these are beautiful photos.

So, I know I have once again been a little delayed on the blog posting. For someone who was swearing up and down how much she missed writing, I don't know why I have been slacking. In my defense, I have very busy. I have been wedding dress shopping, wedding planning, having a few dinner parties and in most recent news, FINDING OUT WE WILL BE HOME WITH OUR FAMILY FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!

Last night my Dad and Jordon's Dad surprised us with the fact that they are going to fly us home for Christmas. It is the first year our families have met, Kaylee's first Christmas, it will be our first time meeting our beautiful brand new nephew Jaron and the first time we will all spend a Christmas together! I think this is fantastic news and we are so happy to be able to spend the holidays with the ones we love.

So, as you can tell I am just a tad excited about this! But onto Kaylee news... She is sick again. The poor little thing has a cough, runny nose and another darn tooth coming through. During my blog departure last month, Kaylee got very sick. We actually ended up in the hospital for a day because she had been throwing up for over 24 hours, keeping no fluids down and her temperature was so high. I have never been so sad and helpless in all my life. As I sat in the waiting room with my sick baby for 5 HOURS, she clung to me, she cried, and her temperature continued to climb. Once we finally saw a doctor, they had to strip her down, put the Tylenol up her bum and try and bring her temperature down. It was one of the longest days ever. Now this time, she simply has a cold with the added nu sense of a tooth, but again I feel so bad. Poor little girl.

So as I briefly mentioned above, I am a brand new Aunt!!!!! Jordon's sister Cheryl delivered a beautiful little boy Jaron James Reid Robins on November 11th.

Introducing him here on my blog! Isn't he sweet!!! I can't wait to meet him. I was trying to explain how crazy it is that you can miss someone so much without even meeting them yet. I really feel like its time for Jordon and I to be closer to family and love and enjoy those in our lives.

On that note, I hear my cranky, sick little girl waking up from her nap. I am going to go upstairs and snuggle her!

Have a great day!!!

xo

Jaymie

My dear friend Sheena.......

You meet people over the years and some people stay in your life and some people go. You have friends that you keep in touch with and those that drift in and out.

Today I wanted to write my blog about a great friend of mine, Sheena.

Sheena and I met when I was 18 years old... So that was about 7 years ago. I started working at the Lonestar Texas grill as a hostess and she was one of the "older, cooler, servers"... I remember my first impression of Sheena being that she was somewhat of a snob (she's going to kill me for saying that- haha). It took a little bit of time for us to warm up to each other but once we did, I learned very quickly that I wanted her in my corner.

Over the last 7 years, I worked with her off and on for about 4 years and kept in touch during the few in between. We did plenty of partying, lots of late nights at the restaurant, lots of silly stunts I dare not write about online, and even a bar fight... Yep, Sheena and I have plenty of great time memories.

Then on a wonderful day last summer, I found out the fantastic news that she was pregnant. Of course at this point in my life, I was also a few months along, so how wonderful it was to have a friend going through the same motions as I was.

Suddenly my good time party girl, whom I generally spoke to every now and then when we were looking for a good time, was mellowing down and playing housewife along side me. We began talking a lot more often, began sharing our breakdown pregnancy ups and downs as well as arriving at baby showers.

Once Kaylee arrived, followed 4 short weeks later by Maddox, our lives seemed to change. Not only were we now in a completely different state of mind and state in our life, we now shared a different kind of friendship.

Our babies are now (almost) 10 and 9 months old and I don't think there are many days in a week where Sheena and I do not speak on the phone for at least an hour. There is also the small fact that we see each other at least once a week, every week.

My amazement in this comes from that fact that years ago, while our friendship usually revolved around drinking and gossiping about guys, has now evolved into a friendship that means so much to me, I don't know what I would do without it. On the days I don't speak to Sheena, to dish about how Kaylee slept, what she ate, what her pooped looked like, how much men drive us up the wall, how Maddox continually says "ma ma" and Kaylee continually says "da da", I feel like I am missing out on it.

Her support through all the stages over the last year has been essential. On the days where I need someone to come to the house, just for an hour to watch Kaylee so I can go to the dentist, she is there, on the days I am sure I just wanna call in sick from being a Mom, she is there and on the brave days (such as yesterday) when I need someone to venture out to the mall and shop all day long with our babies... Yep, you got it, she's there.

So, I just wanted to write a little blog today to Thank Sheena for that. Our friendship has come a long way and I am grateful to have her in my life. I have a lot of very special people in my life that I am grateful for but it has been truly incredible to have someone that is going through everything with me and understands the crazy ups and downs of being a new Mom and trying to sort the way through becoming a great Mom.

Have a great day everyone!!!

Jaymie

Bad Habits...

Kaylee has never been a great sleeper. Anyone who has ever read my blog, has likely read something about how many times she was up in a night or how she goes on nap strike.
That being said, we went about a month, which I refused to talk about for fear of it jinxing it, she slept not only through the night but until about 8am. Now for someone with a child like mine, this is a huge treat! Down to bed at 7pm and sleeping through until 8am. Insane. I was awake before her many mornings, having time to make my bed, make a cup of tea and make her breakfast before she even started to get up. The worst part of this whole thing was her diapers were SATURATED, and sometimes even leaked.
I was just becoming familiar with this routine until 3 nights ago. This is when she decided that waking up and screaming bloody murder was what she was going to do. I am not talking a little bit of fussing here.... I am talking, full on water works, screaming. My first thought, maybe another tooth- which by the way, we now have 6 of... After looking the next morning, it is clear, it is not a tooth. Next thought, maybe she is not feeling well, however once again, she seems perfect in the morning... Could this be nightmares?
Not only is she screaming like that, I pick her up and she clings to me. She grabs a hold of me and snuggles into my neck without so much of a loosening of her fingers.
Now I am going to make a little confession... Kaylee has never been a snugly baby. She has been independent and nosey to see what is going on around her. So when she does grab a hold of me like that, I kind of nuzzle back into her and hold her, enjoying her sookiness for a few moments. This however results in long nights. She has not allowed me to let go without the screaming recommencing. I don't know what to do about it. 3 nights in a row now, very little sleep and an extremely upset baby.So whether it is nightmares or just a phase, this is Mommy, begging Kaylee to please sleep at night! If only it were that simple.

Well here are a few photos from the last little while... Enjoy!!!

***Thumper and Daddy, all ready for trick or treating!***

***Tired little Thumper***

***Smily little girl!***

***Playing with her toys***

***Playing with Daddy!***

***Maddox and Kaylee***

haha!

***My Halloween Pumpkin- Mad Hatter***

Any suggestions anyone?
Leave me a comment!

Have a great day!

Jaymie

Untitled.

So, I have been putting this off for weeks, and even as I sit here now, I am stuck for words. I brought up the page, browsed other pages, came back to this page and now I am going to force myself to write something that makes a little bit of sense.

I have not been writing over the last month because I have been in a little bit of a funk.... I kept coming up with all kinds of excuses to myself, my mom, and the very few people that follow this blog- "I don't want to sit on the computer in the basement, Kaylee and I have been busy, I don't want to sound repetitive..." etc.. etc... etc...

The truth is, I just don't want to sit down and sound negative, writing my thoughts down that seem to run in circles. I feel like I am at a big turning point in my life. I am trying to figure out who I am, figure out what I want and figure out where I want to be in my life. Of course all of those questions are extremely broad and give me a hundred answers each. However I need to start with the most important thing to me right now...

I am a Mom. I am a Mom who feels like my only identity has becoming being a Mom and that scares me. I have continually had a battle inside my head with why being a Mom isn't enough and whether or not that makes me a bad mother for feeling as if it is not enough. Does that make sense? I feel guilty for wanting to go back to work, I feel guilty for wanting to have more adult conversations in a day, and I feel guilty for wanting to get up in the morning and head to the office with a job to do.

I am hoping other Mom's can relate... Because the thought of wanting to do all of those things, when I have 3 months left of paid maternity leave is what I am battling. Why would a "good" Mom give up being at home with their perfect, precious, beautiful baby girl to go back to work early....

I love Kaylee with my heart and soul. I love her with every fibre in my body. That being said, I don't want being a mom, even if it is being a good Mom, which I believe I have become, to be my only identity. I still want my career.....

Is there any Mom's out there that can relate to this?

This roller coaster of emotions has had me moody, cranky and frankly not the most fun to be around I am sure.

That being said, I am going to smarten myself up. I am going to stop feeling sorry for myself, get up and enjoy what I do have and then face the battle of work when it comes. I have applied for numerous new positions at my company and should I get the opportunity to take one of them, I will- with the guilt and all.

All that being said, I am going to start writing more. I enjoy writing my blog... I enjoy venting about things, sharing my thoughts, feelings and experiences, and I enjoy knowing at the end of the day, I have written about something that matters- Kaylee Joye Flowers.

So that's all for today. I guess this is my coming back and saying- "Yes I am still alive and I still want to share our everyday life with those that care to take the time to read it". Thank you to those that do!

Have a wonderful day!

xo



Jaymie