The Bailey Chronicles

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, the Christmas rush has left me pretty busy. I really need to learn how to shop throughout the year vs waiting until December because money and deadlines take some of the fun out of it all. Fortunately this year we are more prepared for it than we ever have been, but it has been tricky with John's loooong hours and him gone 6 days a week. Since we share a car I had to order most things online, thank you Internet! Seriously, what did people do before Internet? I actually got Christmas cards out before Christmas this year, which in years passed has never been a guarantee. And most everything that I have here is wrapped and ready to go! The tree is up and decorated, stockings hung, and Christmas pics have been snapped. I have to admit I was a little worried about putting up the Christmas tree with a cruising baby, but she only seemed interested in it the first day. I don't have any fragile type ornaments up that I feared would break and be dangerous, I was more worried about her trying to pull herself up with the branches and pulling the whole thing down on top of her. She doesn't seem to like the texture of the branches so it hasn't been an issue like I thought it might be. As far as her Christmas pics, we did the first series at my sister's house, she was in a cute little red shirt and blue jean skirt in those. For some reason we couldn't get the lighting right and struggled with either overexposed pics or blurred pics from my very busy daughter. The next day I did pics at my house, the shirt she had used from the night before was dirty so I put her in a red onesie which she promptly threw up on. I did not have any other red outfits for her so I just did some of her in her diaper with her baby legs on. I hope they do not come off as inappropriate to people. I didn't think anything of it when taking the pics, but my husband seemed a little worried about it. I think they are cute so I went ahead and used them anyways. These are some of my favorites.

Oh and my funny baby story: Since I have been spending so much time on the computer editing pics, ordering cards and presents Bailey has been getting a little annoyed by it, understandably since it's just me and her all day. But I have to get this stuff done sooner vs. later so they can arrive before Xmas and birthdays... Candi, Kobi and Bella are all December birthdays. Anyway, Bailey would come up to the computer and unplug it all ninja like. I would try to make a silly out of it and wave my finger all animated and say in a goofy voice "stop that" and then pick her up to love on her. Apparently she picked this up and is mimicking me. My best friend brought her 2 year old son, Ian, over who Bailey just adores. Most of the time they play really well together, but sometimes they get territorial over the toy situation as babies do. I caught her waiving her finger at him and saying "DAT DAT!" LOLOL

These are a few from my camera that I loved. The first one is Birthday morning when B woke up drinking her juice. She was so excited to see the streamers and birthday banner in the breakfast room, which we designated the party room since the dining was taken over by Thanksgiving decor. The second pic is B tearing through the wrapping paper, which aside from the cake was her favorite part of the day. She loved her presents and all but the unwrapping was definitely the highlight of her morning. And the last is a happy baby loving her day.

Bailey's birthday party was so much fun! We had a great turn out considering it was on Thanksgiving! It was a little hectic pulling off Thanksgiving and a Birthday party in one day, but I think gifts and cake made Thanksgiving a lot more entertaining than just stuffing yourself until you pass out on the couch! It definitely made it feel more kid friendly and exciting. Bailey was so much fun with her giant cupcake smash cake. Candi was my photographer for the day and she got some fantastic shots that really captured the memory of the party. Bailey was so excited to see that giant cake put in front of her and then she looked around at all of us in disbelief that it was actually for her. She carefully poked a finger into the frosting and tasted it and then became more and more brave with the tasty sugar feast in front of her. Eventually she LOVED it so much that she hugged it LOL, and grabbed a chunk of cake to rub on her face. After a bit her eyes glazed over and she seemed like she was on autopilot scooping more and more cake into her mouth. She was a champ all morning and afternoon with all of the craziness. She was pleased to tear into the wrapping paper of the gifts and shred it to tiny pieces and played with her new walkers and books for the rest of the party. Then like all sugar highs she crashed hard into a long nap right after the Thanksgiving meal. John's best friend was thoughtful enough to open up a trust fund for her in her name so that when she turns 18 she will have some money in savings for college, which I thought was an awesome gift idea, especially coming from someone who does not have any kids yet. We will make it a point to add a little to it every holiday. All in all I couldn't have asked for it to go any better even though the cake design didn't quite make it! We had warm memories, great food, awesome photos, and lots of friends and family to share the holiday with! Who could ask for anything more? Happy Birthday Bailey!!!

Over the course of this year I have written about the things Bailey has learned from her first giggles, clapping, eating solids, saying Mama, rolling over, waiving, new teeth, crawling, pulling herself up to a stand and most recently standing for brief moments unsupported and climbing up on furniture. If I sit here and think about it long enough I could probably write a list a mile long of Bailey developments, but if you have been following this blog you already know these things. She has come a long way from that tiny little chicken-legged newborn baby I brought home from the hospital those first days of life observing the world through new eyes, taking it all in. But of all the things she has learned, I think she has actually taught me more than I would have ever guessed. No amount of babysitting or daycare jobs can prepare you for the job of taking care of a newborn baby. I never thought that once she arrived that I would feel so afraid of her. I realized fully at that moment that I was in charge of this new life and her well being and that we were experiencing a new world together, something I had never thought about in that perspective. I learned that the fear of losing your baby starts early on and will probably never go away. I learned that nursing a baby can go horribly wrong for a while but with enough patience and determination it really does help keep those hormones in check and bring back those warm fuzzy feelings even at the most trying times. I learned how little sleep one can function off of and it not even matter because God has blessed you and touched you so deeply with the love you feel for your little one that you know if you merely blink the baby days will be over. I learned the ridiculous amount of pride you can feel as parents when your baby does a new trick, like sleeping in her crib for the first time throughout the night. I learned that the amount of love a human heart can hold has no boundaries once you have children. I figured out why people get so emotional with movies, listening to music, or even reading a quote through the eyes and ears of a parent. I learned that as a mom when your baby cries it triggers something inside of you to yearn to fix it, not because the sound annoys you but because your heart is breaking with them. I have realized that even though it is so hard to watch your baby grow that it is also the most amazing thing to watch them develop into a little person. I have learned that everything is a phase even if you don't want it to be. And most of all I learned how important a year is!


Mommy and Daddy love you so much Bailey. This has been the best year of our lives thanks to you sweetheart!

My mom ordered a baby shower cake for a co-worker's shower and I just finished it up tonight. Bree and I came up with the idea of doing a diaper bag for this cake and I think it came out really sweet. Shower cake for baby Addison, check... birthday cake, next!

I did a mini photo shoot for Bailey's birthday invites. We wish everyone could make it, sorry we had to plan it on Thanksgiving I know that means that my Austin gang won't be there. I wish we could come down for a visit soon, but I know John's schedule is packed and Candi has been busy as a substitute teacher at Bella's school. I will be hosting both Bailey's birthday party and Thanksgiving this year! I am so thankful we have our new home to share all of these happy memories in! We feel so blessed!