Family of Three

It seems that our lives have officially begun. We are off and running as a family of three. Last Sunday was Will's first Father's Day; Hayden had arrived just in time. The day before I left them alone together for the first time while I ran to the mall to get him a present for his special day. He told me to take my time and enjoy being out, but I was home in an hour, and that included stopping to pick up lunch on the way home. I suppose it helped that I knew what I was going to buy him (a new watch.... Guess. I had given him a very nice Kenneth Cole watch just a couple of years ago and a seal broke on it and now it fogs up. Makes me mad because it was a very nice watch. Still going to try to have it fixed.) But his new watch is also very nice and now he can feel more professional on the job. I love that his fashion accessories help him to accomplish this; I'm very much an accessory kind of person. They survived just fine while I was gone. I was proud of Will. I have somewhat of a time limit when other people are watching her right now since I'm breastfeeding; whenever I leave her I unfortunately take her food with  me. Haha. We are going to introduce her to a bottle this week so wish us luck. I have tried to give her a pacifier in the last week, but so far it is a no-go. Some people would say that's good, since it is hard to wean them off of them in the long run. However, it has been shown that pacifiers greatly reduce the chances of SIDS (my newest fear) and also because (and this is a little TMI, but whatevs) my boob has made me into a human pacifier. It's my ace in the hole when nothing else works as far as soothing goes. And it works every time. If I could pop a pacifier into her mouth every once in a while, maybe I could keep my shirt on for more than half the day. I am really happy because the last three nights, she has gone to bed between 9-10 pm. This is huge. That first week we were staying up until 3 or 4 am. I have decided that I am going to start attempting to put her down at 9:00 every night, even if it takes several tries and forty-five minutes to achieve success. This puts us on an average night feeding schedule of 9:00, midnight, 3 am, and 6 am. This is perfect for me. I have discovered as long as I can sleep for at least a couple of hours before her first rousing, I am good to go. Staying up all night was making me a little insane and more than a little frustrated and weepy. Not a good feeling. So I am really glad we are working it out; it just took a minute for us both to adjust. Hayden really is a good baby. I have been very lucky in her mostly easy demeanor. She definitely knows who Mommy is, and Nini (my mom); I think because my mom and I were together so much that she recognizes my mom's voice. She is coming around to Daddy and Papa, though. We spent the weekend there the past two days because Will was gone for work. Boy oh boy, those days were not easy, so it really helped to have my parents there to help me. My mom is willing to do anything and take her any time so I can bathe, brush my teeth, eat, get a much needed nap, or even just a break for a few minutes. This was such a tremendous help. I was eating lunch earlier today when I heard her wake up from a nap. My dad made it to her before I did and they were just fine together for quite a while. That was a nice surprise. Speaking of dad's, Will and my dad had a good Father's Day. The whole fam congregated at my parent's for steaks and baked potatoes and a day of togetherness. Hayden was of course the star of the show. My parents gave Will an Academy gift card, which was very nice of them. Will had bought a framed authentic MLB Nolan Ryan picture for my dad several months ago for Father's Day, which I thought was really nice that he took it upon himself to pick out and buy my dad's present. He was so proud when he bought it home. I had no idea that he was doing that. It makes me feel good that my dad and Will are close. They talk on the phone regularly and it makes me happy that my dad is always there to give him support, advice, and teach him new things and take him to do new things that he has never done before, like duck hunting and shooting cross bows. It's nice to know my husband looks up to my dad. I DO have a great dad who has been there for me every day of my life and taught me to be the person I am today. He has witnessed all of my successes in life and has never wavered in my sadness. I always knew my dad was there for me, and it makes me very happy for Will to now experience the same. Dads are such special people in our lives, and I know Will is going to be the best dad to Hayden. He is already. Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad. 

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My First Mother's Day

Last weekend we celebrated Mother's Day, and I was finally able to celebrate being a "mommy" too. Will took me out to eat on Saturday at a place of my choosing, and I picked Red Lobster where we stuffed ourselves silly. Red Lobster has really picked it up since I was a kid. It's pretty nice there, and good food, too! We don't eat there too often, but I think we will now. Those buttery garlic rolls were awesome. We came home and watched The Change-Up with two of my favorite actors, Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds. I don't know why we waited so long to see it, because it was hilarious! It's our kind of movie, really. We had some laugh out loud moments (which are the best kind!) The next morning, Will went to the airport and picked up his mom, who was actually just at Hobby airport for a several-hour layover, coincidentally. So she got to come over and see Hayden's room and spend an hour or two with us before she had to be back for her flight. We dropped her off on the way to officially celebrate the day with my family.
On the way to my parents' house, we saw the craziest thing! We were sitting on the feeder road off the Beltway turning left onto 288 south. Of course, as it is with nearly every red light I'm at these days, there is a "homeless" person peddling for money. (I just never really know if they are truly homeless.... I know some of them are. But  I've also seen 20/20 and some of them are just hiding their Jeep Grand Cherokees around the corner. Ya know?) Times are tough and the economy is bad and everyone is struggling. Everyone. I don't have a dollar to give you, or even some change. Because I need that dollar, too. And if I gave a dollar to every homeless person I saw, then I'd be homeless, too. Anyways, not the time to rant, you get it. So, there's this guy peddling for money to get to Abilene to start his "new job on Monday." Next thing I know, we hear this yelling coming from outside the vehicle. We look over to see another homeless man with his ZZ Top beard screaming at the Abilene homeless man to "get out of here" and to "get off his corner." The bearded homeless guy is hobbling with some crutches towards the Abilene guy. He was actually just dragging the crutches because he didn't really need them, they were obviously just a prop! And as we're noticing this, we also notice that he has pulled a knife out of his pocket! Now they are both screaming at each other, the one throws his crutches down, and I'm thinking we are about to witness a murder over a street corner! Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, the light turned green and we had to drive away. Will was laughing and telling me to keep watching because he wanted to know what happened. I never saw anything on the news, so I supposed the Abilene guy lived.

We made it to my parents' house for some present opening. I had already gotten a present from my mom, a couple of Scentsy warmers I wanted and a nursing gown for the hospital. My dad (he's so sweet) bought me a painted wine glass saying "It's a Girl!" Will gave me a Willow Tree figurine (which I collect) of the couple with the pregnant wife, and a DVD of The Vow, which I loved.
The whole family, now including my brother, went to eat at Perry's Steakhouse in Sugarland. Fine dining at it's best; the meal was delicious and we even got dessert. My dad had given my mom a Dillard's giftcard as part of her Mother's Day gift, so we hopped across the street afterwards to First Colony Mall to do a little shopping. I bought Hayden another outfit, Lord help me! This child's closet is stocked to the brim already, but it's so hard to resist! I did this quite quickly while my dad and Will were parking the car, but the Dillard's bag is kind of hard to not notice once they met us inside. I was meandering through the shoe department just smiling away as I saw Will down at the end. He was smiling too, until his eyes got to the bag. He rolled his eyes and said, "Please don't tell me there's another outfit in there," and I said, "There's another outfit in there," with my prettiest smile, ready to sprout off my rationalization that it's Mother's Day and I can do what I want. But, I didn't have to. I justified it by saying, "It's for 12 months! For next year! I'm thinking ahead!" and he let it die (thankfully.) But I'm going to have to curb this problem somehow. I got on Etsy last week and went crazy on the hairbows. Then my mom and I went to Hobby Lobby, where I discovered that I am creative and crafty enough to make my own bows. I'll say it again, Lord help me! Hayden is going to be like my own living American Girl doll. We are going to be having fashion shows all the time. But, that's a whole 'nother blog for another time.

I was very happy to have spent the day with my family, who are the people I love most in the whole world. My mother deserves to be celebrated. She is what holds our family together. My mom has been there for me every day that I can remember; there has never been a time that I felt like I was alone or that she wasn't there for me. I know without a doubt that if I had no one in this world, that I would have my mom. Even though I'm grown now, I still look to my mom and want my mom with me. If I'm sick, I want my mom. If I am crying, I want my mom. If I am happy, I want my mom. She is my best friend in the whole world! Being with my mom is my favorite thing. She has been my example of what a wife and a mother should be. I'm so grateful and thankful that those are both things she's best. She's the perfect wife for my dad and she takes care of him everyday. She is always thinking of ways to make him happy or to help him. They are best friends and he adores her. She does all the same things for Grant and I, too. We are so lucky to have her. I love you, Mama. I'm so thankful that God chose you to be my mom. I'm the luckiest daughter in the world, and I will always be here for you, just like you've done for me.
I hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day, too. Mom's are special people. I can't wait to find out the true meaning of it all, soon enough. 

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