Random Picture Challenge

So it's Saturday Random Picture Challenge. This is my photo from September 2007, 11th picture. Not all that interesting, huh? But boy does it bring back memories. I was in the middle of my first trimester with Gabrielle and I was feeling absolutely AWFUL!!!

I decided to take some photos of my house and how absolutely disgusting it had become during that time. (For those of you who don't know me, I am a total neat freak). I know this photo is no big deal - just a few dirty dishes. It's the Saltines on the counter that tell the story.

Nine Months

My Gabrielle Grace, I just can't get enough of you! You are now nine months old and you are the absolute sweetest girl in the world.

Your smile lights up the room and the grocery store too! It is so big just like your personality. You are truly larger than life. You smile big, you laugh big, you cry big, you even poop big! Heehee.

I love hearing you wake up from a nap - you're always chattering away to all your friends in your crib (butterfly, fishy, hippo). When I walk in, you are often standing up in your little white sleep sack which brings out your rosy red cheeks. You flash me a smile and you snuggle right up in my arms. Oh how I love when you snuggle!

You are on the move. Just within the past several weeks, you figured out how to crawl forward and you are fast! You love making a circuit around our kitchen island and you are certain to find me wherever I may be. You are now pulling-up and beginning to cruise the furniture. You have an intense fascination with being vertical - I'm certain you'll be walking in no time.

I love how you scavenge food off the floor after a meal; you spit out as much as you drink from your sippy cup, you say "ah-bum" for all done, you clap whenever you hear clapping at church or on TV, you have your own little language, you make the sweetest little chugging sound when you nurse, you wave bye-bye on your own, you only say "ma" when you are distressed; you love to play airplane with Daddy and you jump like a crazy lady in the jump-a-roo.

You love hanging with Samuel. He is built in entertainment for you and he makes you laugh so hard. You would rather play with his toys than your own. You really dig dada too - he lets you do things that mama won't - like crawl around without a jacket/shoes on outside when it's only 40 degrees out. You still love your mama best though and I'm loving every minute of it!

I won't say much about your nighttime habits other than I am one tired mama.

You've got 7 teeth. Your hair is still platinum blond and your eyes are true blue my dear! You have to be the best smelling baby in the world. I love to bury my nose in your soft hair and breathe..it's rather addicting. You are just so lovely and beautiful!

I love you my sweet little girl. Happy nine months!

Heartbroken

It was bound to happen, I just didn't think it would be this soon.

Samuel informed me today that he was going to run away to the neighbors house (he's threatened this before). Tonight I was brave enough to ask "why?"

He said, "Because I don't like you." (gasp!)

In a split second, my 3 year old son broke my heart and I'm still recovering. Even though he wanted me (not Daddy) to read him stories for bedtime and then clasped his arms around my neck pleading with me to not leave his room.

As I write this I still have a lump in my throat! I'm such a softy! But I love that boy so much. He's been quite verbally and physically oppositional with me this week and it's been down right difficult in the discipline department. Lately, he's been very expressive about being mad. I think he's really trying to grab hold of those feelings, figure them out and own them. The problem is that he has a short fuse like his mama and he's been getting himself in a bit of trouble lately. I wonder if this is just a normal phase of development?

Whatever it may be, I hope we pass through it soon.

Oblivious

Pretty in pink? Well that's not what the hostess thought about Gabrielle tonight at the Thai food restaurant. She was so sweet but insanely oblivious. It went something like this:

Hostess: "Is your baby a boy or girl?"

Me: " She's a girl." (umm... hello? Is she not wearing a pink jacket AND pink pants?)

Hostess: "I can't tell. But her face looks like a boy."

Me: Silent but smiling politely (OMG! She did not just say that about my sweet girl. She 's digging herself a hole now.)

Gabrielle flashes her a smile.

Hostess: "Oh yes, when she smiles, it looks like a girl." (It? You just called my daughter it? You just dug a little deeper in your hole lady)

Me: "She's a girl alright."

Hostess: "How old is she? Six months?"

Me: "Nine months tomorrow."

Hostess: "Nine months? Oh she's tiny." (Oh poor lady, you must need your vision checked too.)

Me: "Well not really." (Do I really need to explain how she's above the 95th percentile in height and weight? Gosh no, just get me a table.)

Hostess: "My granddaughter seems so much bigger at that age."

Me: "Really?" (Table please! )

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Just before our dinner, Tim and I made our annual visit to our accountant. Gabrielle, not having slept well due to a new tooth, decided to be a totally crank. As soon as we walked in she began screaming as if someone was sawing off one of her limbs. It was quite the over-reactive response to the situation. I kept wondering if she was scared of the two white fluffy doggies or what.

I nursed her. She seemed better.

Until I walked into the office and the screaming began again. She just flat out DID NOT LIKE our accountant and she was making it known. As soon as I would get her calmed down and distracted, he would talk to her and the whole thing would start again. He's a new first-time Grandpa and so he's digging the grand baby thing. I kept blaming it on the teething as to avoid an insult. And sure enough it worked.

He decided to give sweet little Gabrielle an ole Grandpa like kiss on the cheek just as we were leaving and what do you think happened? It started with a small cry that turned into a shrill within 2 seconds flat. I still don't think he put 2 + 2 together. He was just delighted to have her there, crying and all.

The Gabby Girls

These photos are about 6 weeks old...ooops! That's what happens when you are sleep deprived. I was downloading my photos and look what I found...

Two absolutely gorgeous Gabby girls!!! One belongs to me (although you'd never know it with the blond hair and blue eyes) and the other to my dear friend Sarah.

Our first born children, Samuel and Juli, were one week apart and then our second born children, Gabrielle Grace and Gabrielle Elizabeth, were two weeks apart. Yes, they have the same first name. We didn't plan it - but it's totally cute!

A "Real Life" Valentines Day

Can I just tell you how awesome my hubby is?

OK. Good.

Friday he arranged for a babysitter and took me out to a very romantic dinner for 3 (we took Gabrielle, of course). He really went out of his way to make the date special since we've not been out in a LOOOOOng time. We ate some spectacular Italian food. I had Chicken French with greens and beans au gratin on the side. Yummy! I love anything green and the greens and beans were to die for! During dinner, he gave me a fun card with a heartfelt letter inside. And yes, I teared up while reading but was able to keep my composure in public. Gabrielle kept things light as she chucked a gazillion cheerios onto the floor and tossed every toy we brought along. Overall, she was very pleasant company.

During dinner I realized what a good listener Tim really is. I've been complaining ALOT about wanting a snickers bar lately (I've been watching my chocolate intake after overdosing on OREO's last week) so he busted out some Godiva Chocolate Pearls after our meal - what a good man! I've also had some major fights with my closet lately and they have left me in some bad , down-right foul moods. He also informed me that he spent some time shopping for an outfit for me to wear to dinner but it never materialized because of my inconsistent clothing size these days - so now I get to go out and pick some clothes myself. It was a great Pre-Valentine's Day UNTIL...

3 AM - when Gabrielle decided she would exercise her lungs for several hours. Holy cow -is that girl LOUD. She must take after me. We finally got back to sleep at 5:15am and our Samuel woke up promptly at 6am with Gabrielle following closely behind at 6:45. Tim, nor I, were expressing a "Valentine's Day Spirit" to say the least. So, I took a nap and hubby in his exhausted state took the kids. Once I got up, it was Tim's turn to sleep, UNTIL...

Samuel's nice quiet play turned into hysterics when he decided to shove a small purple fluffy pom-pom up his left nostril. Samuel kept shoving his finger up his nose trying to get it out only driving that little purple pom-pom further up. Oh-boy, our first object up the nose experience. Tim had to hold him down, while I gently tweezed that snot cover pom pom out. He never thought he'd survive, but he did. And so did we, UNTIL...

Gabrielle picked up an itsy-bitsy-teensy-weensy unknown object from the kitchen floor with her newly perfected pincher grip (even though I vacuum and sweep like a mad woman) and began coughing, choking, gagging, crying and spitting up. Whatever was lodged in her throat (probably some crusty piece of food - gross) eventually made it's way down after a minor freak out from mama and then some prayers. She survived, and so did we, UNTIL...

Gabrielle found her way into the food pantry while Daddy was getting out some stuff for dinner. She's perfected the forward crawl and so she will hunt you down wherever you may be and promptly get under your feet. Daddy accidentally dropped a can of tuna fish and it landed on the poor baby's hand. Oh my did she cry. After a small freak out from mama and some prayers, she was just fine - just a little bruise.

Thankfully all the incidents of the day were minor and we celebrated our Valentine's Day the best way we knew how. With lots of patience, hugs and heart-shape cookies. Heart-shape cookies always make the day a little brighter. Thank you Eileen!

Wordless Wednesday - Iceskating

Paper eating, random photo and babywearing

Gabrielle ate a piece of a Pampered Chef catalog yesterday morning. Do you think something delicious will come out the other end?

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It's Saturday Random Picture Challenge again hosted by 4 Little Men & Girly Twins. Here's the deal - Brittany picks a date and you post the picture. No exceptions. No editing.

So here is my photo from:
November 2008 Picture Folder
5th picture from the end

This was Easter morning and Samuel got his first Mr. Potato Head in his basket. I just love footie pajamas - can they wear them forever?

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And if you're back is breaking from carrying your little meatball around all the time, go to 4 little men & girly twins for a really cool Meeup baby pouch giveaway. Not to mention, a great blog to read if you don't do so already.

What was he thinking?

If you've known me for awhile, you would know that I never had a sweet tooth until I got pregnant. Yup - it's true. I didn't like chocolate and I'd rather eat vegetables over cake any day. I never had cookies in my house and I certainly didn't make them myself.

Well folks, those days are long over. And it all began with milk's most favorite cookie - the one and only O-R-E-O!!! I had a serious Oreo addiction while pregnant with Samuel. Tim had to monitor the number of cookies I ate each day (not to mention the mini packets of M&M's left over from Halloween - but that's another story). Anyway, while pregnant I enjoyed every minute of the chocolaty crunch and creamy filling OREO's have to offer.

The love affair had to come to an end - after all, we TRY not to eat refined sugar in our house and I was breaking all the rules...

Until I sent Tim to the store.

What was he thinking bringing Oreo's back into my life? I've been clean for 3.5 years but I'm still weak and I have no self-control. And don't you know that the moment I was left alone with those Oreo's, I ate 6 in one sitting BEFORE my lunch. And I won't tell you how many more I ate after lunch.

You guess...

Wordless Wednesday - Baby's Got Belly!

She's somethin' else!

Newsflash: Guess who "almost" slept through the night (1 awakening), fed herself cheerios for the first time and finally succeeded at crawling FORWARD, all in one day?

Gabrielle Grace - What a big girl!!!

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I think Gabrielle is really an 18 month old trapped in an 8 month old's body. She is getting oh so good at the whining, flailing, throwing a fit business. This is early compared to Samuel - must be a girl thing. She really gets screeching and squirming. Changing her clothes/diaper these days is like a WWF match and I'm definitely losing!

Tim and I often look at each other after one of her sassy showdowns and we say, "She's somethin' else, isn't she?"

Here's just a little tidbit for you. Really, this is just a tidbit...