Packing it up and Moving

Hello. Good afternoon. I just wanted to say that I will be MIA for a bit. We are moving Monday and I need to start packing.

If you want something beautiful to look at, go here:

http://jcotaphotographyblog.com/

She updates daily.

Be back in a few!!

Mommy Goggles!

Good morning readers! Happy Memorial Day!

Today is a Monday. Today is Ian day.

Ian is as adorable as ever and has lots of tricks up his sleeve. He is now having at least one solid food a day. He loves to eat food. Yesterday, we went on a family walk. It was my dad, Stephen, me, and Ian. We walked around Town Lake. I have never seen a child crying while strolling until yesterday. That child was mine. It is okay though. He knows how to get to his grandpa's heart. My dad ended up carrying Ian the majority of the time while I pushed an empty stroller. We stopped at Daily Juice on the way back to get smoothies. Ian l-o-v-e-s smooties. He actually sucked down Stephen's straw. Then proceeded to stare at Stephen's cup until he got more. Mental note: Ian will kill for smoothies.

He also has this new thing where he kneels, grabbing the side of his crib. Much like this:

We need to lower his crib now. He'll just crawl right over very shortly.

He also had a blast at Franny's graduation picnic at Zilker Park:

He loves playing with Franny. And he really should. She'll be babysitting him a lot when he's a toddler.

Okay, okay. Here's one more. This is from last night. Ian was laying in bed with me and I decided to take a picture. He was in a goofy, playful mood:

Oh Ian. He's so cute. His personality is huge. I wonder what Stephen and I will be in for in the future. It's weird to think about.

Enjoy your Monday!

Ian over.

Overload

I have been busy! And this is why...

We went to Houston for Amy's graduation!! It was a blast. Amy did amazingly. In case you have not heard me gush about her yet: SUMMA CUM LAUDE AND HIGHEST GPA in her class. She graduated from U of H with a major in Hotel and Restaurant management. I'm on so proud!

There is Ian with Grandma at Amy's graduation party. Cute. I love all of his insane looks.

We ate with Granny Janny and Larry. Ian is drinking water.

This is at Amy's graduation.

Me and Ian on the UT campus. We walked all around with Amy and Broc. Ian was such an Angel this entire event-filled week.

A bar!! Yay! As you can image, I have way more pictures than this. These are just to give you a slight recap of all that I've been up to for the past week. This is why my blog has slacked. And, I'm sorry.

In other exciting news, some more wedding planning has been decided upon. I ordered my dress!!! Amy ordered hers too. =] So now, I need my bridesmaids to come try on some dresses. This is very exciting! I need to get pictures taken as well. Every time I decide upon another detail for the wedding, a weight is lifted off of my shoulders. Oh... AND I think I'm decided on the font for the invititations as well.

I promise my blog will pick back up in interesting posts. Just not right now.

Blog out.

Love Languages

A while ago Chelsea recommended that I read The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. I finally got around to reading it on my trip to Houston. I really enjoyed it. It's a very easy read. It only took me 2 days, and I have a 6 month old. I thoroughly enjoy reading books like this... I love relationships, I love people, I love families... my major is human development and family sciences for crying out loud.

I found it very interesting. And it seems like common sense, people just never think about it. After reading it, I knew Stephen's love language. I took the quiz at the end. Stephen wouldn't read it, but he did take the quiz. I found it very comical that our love languages are opposite. I scored a 0 in what Stephen's love language is, he scored 0 in mine. You probably have no idea what I'm talking about unless your Chelsea, or unless you've read the book (which I highly recommend you do). It is an awesome book. I plan on filling Stephen's love tank. And Ian's too, but I'm sure his is full (he's always attached to me). I'm glad I read this book. Props! to Chelsea.

I now want to read all of his books. Ever. I love reading these things.

Sorry for the absence of blogs lately. I was in Houston. No internet.

Blog out.

Oh Houston

This weekend, my mother, Ian, and I are going to Houston. I

always have mixed feelings about it. (Amy's graduating so we're going to watch). On the good side, we get to see Stephen's parents and possibly Caroline... and of course Amy and her family.

On the stinky side, it's literally stinky. And humid. And big. And let's face it, not as awesome as Austin. I go only to see the people. Stephen gets to stay in lovely Austin. Sadly, he'll be cleaning and helping my uncle put a fence up. But, he'll also get to have peace and quiet. (Ian has been high pitched screaming lately, not because he's angry. Because he can. My ears hurt).

The thing I miss about Houston... is more what I miss about Seabrook. I used to love driving on the coast and being able to see out onto the ocean. In Austin, I get to drive on a lake, but it does not have the same effect.

So, that's two for Houston, a million against. Nonetheless, I

still try and enjoy my trip. It'd be way more awesome if the people and the ocean could come to me, but occasionally I have to go to it.

P.S. Here is what Ian looks like when he sleeps in his sling:

Adorable.

Blog out.

My Brain is Mush

I don't know if you have noticed, but I have had a multitude of typos and brain mishaps in my posts. On Thursday I told y'all Thursday's line up. It wasn't Thursday's line up. I mentioned missing the Biggest Loser before it was even show time. I am not even going to mention all of the typos.

I've been told that when you become a mother, you lose half of your brain. I now understand this. The words out of my mouth are only correct about half of the time. And even when I can type, it's the same story. I am constantly forgetting what I'm supposed to be doing. I will even write a "To-Do" list and then I misplace it.

Yet, I was able to get through the semesters with no huge glitches. When I'm going to bed at night, or the morning, I wonder how I got through the day and did the things I did. For example, yesterday was very eventful. Ian and I went shopping with my mom. He was very well-behaved. This non-colicy Ian is incredible. Then, we went to Starbucks. Now he's a little irritated. Then, we're on our way to pick Michael up from school. The car breaks down. Ian is turning red because it's so hot. I ended up getting ice and running it on him. Then we went up to work, Ian ate, then we went back to the condo. Ian ended up falling asleep there.

My point being, everything is cluttered in my brain. I need to sort it out. Anyone have any ideas on how to get half of my brain back?

Whoever said that life outside of school would not be busy? I thought this. I was wrong. I wasn't even able to be on the internet at all yesterday. It shouldn't slow down very much today either. Ian has been a champ about going out with me lately though. Which reminds me... it's that time of year... GRADUATION!!

I am not graduating this semester. I still have a practicum next semester. I will be working for at least 24 hours a week, with no pay. I'm pretty excited about it though. It's at the UT Lab School. And I will hopefully be working with the administration.

This weekend marks off the first graduation I will be attending this year. AMY!! WOOO!! She's graduating from U of H in Hotel and Restaurant Management (I think, I'm pretty sure). Ian, my mom, and me will be attending. I'm really excited for her. I'm pretty sure she's never made a B in her life. She's really dedicated. I also know that she will be fine outside of school. She is also my maid of honor. =D

Next, I'll be watching one of my bridesmaids graduate. She's graduating from UT. I'm very excited about this one too. Franny is graduating with a degree in Human Development and Family Sciences. I'm very excited for Franny too. She will be going to school in the summer though. She's taking more classes to apply to nursing school. Next s

emester, Franny might be my babysitter once a week. That's even more exciting. =D

What are they going to do once they graduate?! Get real jobs? I was super excited about having my summer "off." This includes still working, but not going to school. It is still really busy. I honesly have no clue on how I function during the school year. I obviously don't push off paying our bills and such.

On a side note, I'm really excited about Chelsea's blog today. I missed the Biggest Loser last night. She will update and inform me.

Now, to start my day. It looks something like this: take Mike to school, get breakfast, shop for renters insurance, shop for graduation presents, meet up with Franny sometime, clean up, pack up things not used frequently, get my oil changed, so on and so forth. This doesn't seem like too much, but it is way more tiring once you have un bebe. I am also going to try and make it to a park today. Ian likes to swing in the swings. Hence, I've been up since 5:30 this morning.

Blog out.

P.S. My older brother signed up for the half marathon in San Anotonio in October!!

P.P.S. I am aware I missed Mommy Goggles Monday. I will make up for this later in the week. I need to take pictures of ian this month!!

Mom's Day!!

It is 6 o'clock and I'm sitting in my pajamas watching 30 Rock on Hulu. Ian just went down for a nap, or the night. He only napped for a total of one hour today. There was way too much excitement around! I hope that every mother had a wonderful mother's day, just like mine.

It began with me waking up to Ian breathing like Darth Vader. He was breathing funny, then he'd giggle and make other noises. Such a personality!! Shortly thereafter, Stephen walks in the bedroom with a bagel breakfast sandwich (my favorite), chocolate soy milk, and flowers. DELICIOUS! **Stephen pointed out that he made the flower arrangement himself. He bought different flowers and mixed them together. They are absolutely beautiful.**

Then, I called my mom. She was out getting food for our lunch later. She had a migrane. Stephen immediately gets everybody ready and rushes out the door. He made my mom breakfast too. He wasn't going to let her go without breakfast on her mother's day! What a wonderful man Stephen is.

My grandma and my aunt came over to my parent's place for lunch. Shrimp alfredo. Mmmm. Stephen made his famous bruchetta. It's a hit every time. My mother requested it. My grandma got my mom a big poster and we all put hand prints on it in the form of our family tree. Even Ian put a handprint. Cute. My moms got me new sandals, a sweater, a skirt, and a new nursing tank. I am SUPER excited about it. Ian got his grandma, granny janny, and great-grandma gifts.

Needless to say, this mother's day was fantastic.

Thank you to all of you mothers for all that you do. You never really understand it fully until you're a mother yourself. I still do not know how some mommas do it. =]

Blog out.

Car Seats

I feel like my blog is slowly turning into a baby blog. In my defense, that is basically all I do. I have a baby AND I baby sit. I have no escape.

Recently I have encountered two issues. Ian is getting heavy. He's only in the 10th percentile, but he's 15 pounds and 9 ounces!! (And 25 inches long) It is hard to carry him in his infant carrier. Not to mention, I'm short, thus, my arms are short. I always feel as though Ian is dragging the ground when I carry him in his carrier. So, I was researching convertible car seats. For those of who who are unfamiliar with this car seat, they are the ones that you can rearface and then forwardface when they are bigger. Right now, Ian is in the middle of the car.

Issue two: during the summer, I have to fit a forwardfacing set, rearfacing seat, AND a booster in my Camry. Car seats are huge. I am going to try and make this possible. I think it'll work out. I read that rearfacing babies should go on the outside because they are the safest in the car. So, I'll probably put Ian and Marissa (his cousin) on the outside. Then, Dylan in the middle (he's in the booster). We'll see. I'm going car seat shopping with my wonderful mother tonight. Is it bad that I'm excited about this?

I'm also excited because we're having a graduation celebration for my aunt tomorrow. She got her BS in nursing from UTMB!!! YAY! Plus, I love family occassions. You get to catch up AND eat great food. Then, I get to have lunch with my moms and grandma on Sunday. I'll write a Mother's Day Special on Sunday. =] Keep tuned in.

Enjoy the beautiful (but rather hot) day!

Ian's Half Birthday

Okay. As promied... here are pictures from Ian's half birthday!!

I'm not ready to get up momma!!

Okay. I'm awake... and cute.

I'm happy playing with Grandma

That's MY phone!!

I'm soooo happy!!!

This is what I did when I saw my birthday treat! DELICOUS!!

Yes, I went and bought a fruit tart for everybody for Ian's half birthday. He has whipped cream. Lol. He obviously loved it. =]

On a sadder note... immunizations tomorrow. ='[

The End.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IAN!!!

Terrific Day

Today is a great day for many reasons. First off, I started the day with waking up to my amazing baby boy. Today is his half birthday!!! He is 6 months old! This is very exciting. Love! I took pictures of him this morning. I'll post the pictures later. I can't believe he's already 6 months old. In another 6 months, he'll be a year. Wow!

This morning I decided it would be a good idea to celebrate my last day of the semester. This is the last time I will ever take an undergraduate exam. I decided to celebrate in style. I cranked up the Yellowcard CD Stephen made for me and jammed all the way to school. I haven't done that in a long time. It was great. I felt old doing it. But, I will NEVER be too old to rock out!

Lastly, today is a good day because of the Thursday night line up. The Office, How I Met your Mother, 30 Rock, 3rd Rock from the Sun... oh, the joy! I still technically have to write a paper for school, but this will be the first time that I can sit down and enjoy the comedic juices of these shows (if Ian allows).  I'm extremely excited. Giddy even. The joy is so prevelent that I cannot focus on the upcoming exam I'm about to take (the one that I forgot my calculator for, it's a finance exam).

Anyways ladies and gents, I must be going now. Try and contain yourself for the overload of handsomeness/adorableness that is my son. I promise I will post pictures of the 6-month babe.

Out.

Nosey

Oh my gosh!! I am so nosey. I used to be afraid to admit this, I'm not anymore. I'm nosey, I'm okay with it. My entire family is this way. When my parents get gossip, it is usually a race to see who can tell me fastest (or anyone I'm sure). This must be where I got it from.

Stephen works with my parents. When he became a member of my family (yes, we're not married, but he is a member), I was wondering if he'd fit it. Stephen isn't the gossipy type. I figured that he would just catch on. I was wrong. I think he actually rebeled and went in the opposite direction. I did not see this as a problem until recently.

Stephen needs to be more nosey than he is. 1) I need to know information. He will not budge. He loves to keep ridiculous things from me. Though, this is getting better. He updates me on work gossip now. I couldn't live without it. 2) He is so un-nosey that he actually does not even read things with his name on it. He goes to bed before me, so sometimes I'll write him a note. I put it under (or over) his cell phone and I write his name on it. He never reads them. It might have important information in it, like pay so-and-so bill or something. They never get read. WTF?! Isn't he curious to read what is under that paper with his name on it?! I asked him about it, he said I always doodle his name, he doesn't mind it.

I guess that we fit like a puzzle in this area. I'm overly nosey, he's not nosey enough. But, the boy needs to step it up a level. READ THINGS WITH YOUR NAME ON IT! =]

Blog donzo.

Forgetfulness and Friends

I was going to write this blog about my new bedroom furniture I will be getting, but instead I must talk about my morning thus far.

First off, Happy Cinco de Mayo!!! Today should be (and still could be) a great day. I started off the morning by waking up at 7:14, one minute before my alarm. Ian was already awake.

SKIP THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU ARE A BOY

Aunt flow has decided to grace me with her presence. Le sigh. I get cramps now. I can only use natural remedies because I'm still breastfeeding. Note to self: get heating pad back from mom. One year and three months without you... I guess I should welcome you back. I should have seen this coming. I had PMS pretty badly, which I never do. This post-pregnancy should be interesting.

START READING AGAIN

Next, I get Ian to my mom's at 8. YAY! I'm on time. Then, I'm driving to campus. All of the sudden I have a realization. I forgot my laptop at home. I stayed up until 2 AM doing a review. I did not email it to myself (to print at school). Plus, what am I supposed to do in finance now? I can only listen to so many of that senial teacher's sob stories. Oh well, change of plans.

I'm thirsty. Let me get my wallet. Oh wait. That's right. I forgot it at home. I'm supposed to be here until 7 o'clock tonight, and I do not have my wallet. Motherhood has made me so forgetful. Sometimes, on my way to campus, I have a small panic attack because I think that I forgot Ian.

This is where my lovely friends come in. Who can make a day better?! Kevs! All he does is listen to me. And agree. It makes everything better. Same with Carina and Cynthia. We all have our first class together, I don't just run around campus sobbing to everyone. Cynthia gave me money. YAY! What a great mommy.

Could this turn into a good day? Yes, and it is already beginning to look up. I just found out that my night class has been partially cancelled, the professor is sick so we only have a quiz, then we can leave! YAY!!!

I'll quit my crying now. I would post some pictures for you, but all of my pictures are on my laptop... there's always next time.

P.S. A girl announced to the class that she has strep throat. And she came to class. GO HOME! Kevin gave me sanitizer. Life saver.

Blog out.

Monday's Mommy Goggles

I am having writers block. Therefore, today will be all about my mommy goggles. Here are some pictures of Ian for you to look at.

OMG! He's sitting up. Adorable.

He loves hitting and typing on the keyboard. So, I gave him our old one.

**Notice he is sitting up in both of these pictures. I LOVE these milestones. Ian's 6 month check up is coming up soon... and so are his immunizations. I hate getting his immunizations. It breaks my heart. It's broken once a month. We chose to have immunizations every month so that he doesn't get more than two shots at a time. He's a champ though. He fusses while he's getting his shot. Then, I pick him up and he stops. Hopefully it lasts this way for a long time. I dread the days where I will have to help hold him down so that he can get shots.

More Ian updates! He still has no teeth. He rolls everywhere. I underestimated his ability the other day. I put him down in the middle of the room. I heard a noise so I turned around. He was underneath the bed. I have no idea how this happened.

I'll have a weekly update on Monday's about Ian. Unless there is something more specific...

Here's on last picture to make you have a good day:

Oh how Ian makes my heart dance.

Have a nice day!

Black & White Years

Last night I went to a show at Stubbs with my dad and Stephen. What?! Amanda went out? What about Ian? My lovely mother stayed home and watched him for us. I got to be a big girl and go out. It was a good time. I was extremely embarrassed at one point, but I'm going to make you wait until later on in the blog to hear it.

The doors opened at 9. This is late. I cannot remember the last time I went out, not as a shaparone. I even had 2 beers!! I had to cut myself off because I was the designated driver. It was great. I do not even remember how many beers that my dad and Stephen had. It was ridiculous. I have a theory that Stephen is turning my dad into an alcoholic. I had never seen my dad drink until he moved to Austin. Then, everytime we go out Stephen buys my dad drinks. This was weird to me the first few times. It's not anymore. We get there and wait a while.

At 10 o'clock, The Mercer's come on and play. They are awesome. I really enjoyed their music. I was confused because the singer looked both old and young. Here is a picture of the singer.

Do you see what I mean? He's old and bald... but he looks almost young too.

Then, the Black and White Years come on and play around 11:00. They play until about 12:30. They were awesome. They were awesome for a few reasons. 

His mustache was awesome. They were a great band. They put on a great show. Stephen refers to it as "Nerd Rock." It makes you want to dance. I wanted to dance. He was definitely the biggest nerd ever. The show was great. Everyone enjoyed it.

Onto my embarrassing moment. What could possibly embarrass me at this show? Well, let me tell you. I have never seen this band before. My fiance and my dad both saw them at ACL last year. It took us a long time to decide who was going to the show. My dad had 4 tickets. Me, Stphen, and my dad ended up going. So, we had an extra ticket. We are getting into the show. My dad is handing over 3 tickets, Stephen is showing his ID. I say "Should I just give this ticket to the guys behind us?" They both say yes! So, I do. The guy says "Um, we're with the band." He kindly takes the ticket anyways saying that he'll give it to a friend. Stephen and my dad turn around and are like "OH! WOW!" THEY LET ME GIVE A TICKET TO THE DRUMMER AND THE SINGER OF THE BLACK AND WHITE YEARS. Anyways, I'm red. And I feel like a complete douche bag. Who does that? I feel bad. I had know idea it was them. During the entire show I was embarrassed.

Le sigh.

Blog out.