Nola's world: month 4

I am doing horribly about updating Nola's baby book.  I decided that this month I would document it here, so I don't forget anything before I get around to writing it all down. 

Nola just turned 5 months yesterday.  Seriously.  She's almost half a year old.  How did that happen?  I'm not biased or anything, but she is absolutely adorable and a (sometimes evil) little genius.  Here are some things that rocked her world over the last month.

What she's doing:

• Giving kisses.  So stinkin' cute.  I love the open mouthed, slobbery kisses, so much cuter than my ex-boyfriend, but that's a different story.
• Dropping toys on purpose.  She thinks it's funny.  I find it quite annoying.  On more than one occasion, we've been those parents that are frantically walking around a store looking for her dropped favorite toys. 
• Laughing at being tickled.  Being tickled used to give her this surprised wide-eye look that immediately went into a cry.  Now, she gets it and thinks it's hilarious.  Her laugh can change an entire day for me.
• Hating shoes.  She'll come around.  She tries her best to kick those things off and she gets mad!  In the back seat on the way to meet my friend (Shout out to Esther!) for lunch and shopping, I could hear her rubbing her little moccasins together (Yes, she has moccasins.  I die.) trying to get them off.  She's ridiculous.
• Smiling at clothes.  I know which ones to buy because her face lights up.  Mr. O's wallet is in trouble.  Two girls that love to shop.  She's my little partner in crime.
• Finally, enjoying her baths.  She just discovered with the help of her momma that she can splash.  It's really cute now.  I'm sure it won't be so cute when she's like one.
• Sleeping on her belly.  We finally feel comfortable letting her do this because she can turn her head.  She sleeps so much better than before. 
• Sitting up with help.  She will sit up for like 10 seconds and then fall.  I've been working with her.
• Rolling from her stomach to back.  She's only done it twice, but we "practice" it a lot.
• Still sleeping in our room.  I know, I know, we need to move her to her room, but I just can't yet.
• Loving some books.  We've started reading at least two stories at night before she goes to bed.
• Chewing on her hands and everything else that gets close to her mouth.  I don't think she's teething, but she constantly chews on things.  A few weeks ago I was looking in the rear view mirror and her head was down.  I realized that she was chewing on the chest strap of her car seat.  Strange little thing that one.
• Grabbing her feet.

What she's loving:

• Sophie the giraffe.
• Gina the Giraffe from Great Britain.
• When we talk in accents with her toys.  Yes, all of her toys are from different countries.  We are dorks, but it gets lots of smiles.
• Little kids.  She loves some little people!  When I drop her off at daycare, I'm standing in the doorway waving bye and she's smiling at all the little kids and not paying a bit attention to me.  This makes me so happy.  It's easier to drop her off with those smiles.  She especially loves Hayden, who now calls me his aunt-mom, and Brice.
• Mirrors.  That child lights up when she sees herself.  That, along with everyone in the world telling her she's beautiful, I tell her all the time that it's good to be cute, but it's even better to be smart, nice to people and a good girl.
• Bath time and splashing.
• Shopping with me.
• Talking in her baby language.  Melt my heart.  If only, we knew what she was saying.
• Being outside.  This girl is an outside kind of girl.  She can't stop looking at everything.
• Her nana and my sister.  She loves both of them. My sister makes her laugh so hard.  That's because she acts like she's five years old.
• Sophie.  As in, our dog.  She is now okay with touching her too. 

Things she's not loving:

• Sleeping.  She hates naps and going to sleep.
• Being confined for too long.  She loves her car seat, stroller, and bumbo for about 30 minutes and then she wants to move around.
• Being sick.  She had her first cold last week.  It was pitiful.  I hated it more than her, but she was fussy and clingy all week.  She's all better now.
• Her swing.  I know, she used to love it!  Now, she gets mad because she starts falling asleep pretty quickly in it. 
• Diaper changes and when her diaper is wet/dirty.  Yes, these contradict each other.  She cries when it's dirty and then cries again when you lay her down to change her. 
• The snot sucking thingy.  This was horrible.  She screamed like I was killing her, but then she was able to breathe, so worth it in the end.
• When her mom cuts her with the nail clippers.  Yes, I did this.  I cried harder than her.  We were both hysterical.  Did I mention it bleed for 45 minutes?  I thought for sure we were going to have to go to a walk in clinic.  Did I also mention that Aaron had to go get a first aid kit because we didn't have one?  Nurse fail.  Mom fail.  Overall fail.
• Having her picture taken.  Let's face it, the camera is constantly in her face.  I think it's the flash more than anything that gets on her nerves.  I'm sure she knows what it feels like to be stalked by paparazzi.  Paparazzi of one, right here.

Nicknames:

• Nola girl.  Monkey.  Love Bug.  Sweet or baby girl.  Nolie Poly.  Angry bird.

Cuteness overload:

 

The little family that could

Yes, I had started the last post forever ago and just now published it.  I will get a handle on this blog/mom/life thing.  It's crazy how fast a day can go by and then I look around and think, "What the heck have I done today!?" 

It's killing me that I can't keep my house spotless, but I've come up with a plan.  I've decided to focus on just one room a day on the days I don't work to clean.  I'm still going to have my mom come over one day and watch Nola, so that I can clean for a few hours.  I hate when things are messy.  Chaos is not good for me.  Just ask the panic attacks that are trying to sneak back into my life.  Great.

I love my job and all.  It's great that Nola only has to go to daycare two days a week, but working 10a-10p (or lately 10:30) means that on those days I can't get anything done.  I wake up at 6:30 and have just enough time to shower and get myself ready, feed and get Nola ready, walk the dogs, load up my car, and eat breakfast, so that I can walk out the door at 8:35.  Time is a blur on those mornings.  I usually don't get home from work until 10:45 or 11:00 at night, depending on when I actually get to leave, so I try to wind down and end up in bed around 12:00.   I do enjoy my job and it does pay the bills. 

Also, I miss my husband.  It's crazy we live in the same house, but basically see each other after 8:00p on Monday and Wednesday and on Friday nights.  I hate that our schedules are opposite of each other, but our Nola girl is getting a lot of our attention, so that's better for her.  Okay, enough complaining.  Moving on.

Regardless of everything above, life is pretty good in the O house.  Nola is thriving and we're surviving.  I managed to cook two nights this week so far.  Holla!  It's nice to have Roasted Vegetable Lasagna and Sweet Potato and Hominy Soup leftovers in the fridge right now.  The little love bug is sleeping pretty well at night and has been for a good little while now.  We're working on her screaming her head off when try to put her down.  She is so stubborn.  I see the teen-aged years and I'm petrified.

I need to update with some pictures.  So much as happened over the last month.  I'll try my best to do some more updates this week.  In the words of a famous train, "I think I can, I think I can."

Hello, Fall!

Finally, fall is here.  Summer seemed like it was 3 seconds long.  I'm always ready for fall though, no matter how fast or slow it seems to get here.  Here are some things I'm looking forward and some that I'm not so much looking forward  to.

Exciting!

halloween.  changing leaves.  the return of some favorite tv shows:  top chef, grey's, parenthood.  the opening of the new container store in green hills.  the chill in the night air.  fall clothes.  boots.  chili and soup.  thanksgiving.  layering.  seeing nola discover new things.  pumpkin everything.  nutmeg scent back at bath and body works.  christmas shopping.  the return of my houseshoes and sleep pants.  tights.  buying nola fall clothes.  horror films coming out in the theater.  Aaron's birthday.  pumpkin carving party (not sure if we're going to do this again, but it was fun last year).  opening up the windows.  going to gatlinburg again with b and d.  going for walks now that it's cooled down.  fall garage sale as long as it does well for us.  encores and more fall sale.  hiking.  nola's six month pictures.  family pictures at my mom's work. 

 

 

Not exciting.

nola starting daycare.  flu season (go get your flu shots, people).  having to work on thanksgiving.  freezing at work.  aaron's fall semester at school.  allergies. 

10 Day you challenge - The Finale

Who actually needs to do these every day? Apparently, not this girl. You see this is why I don't have set posts each week. I'm just going to finish them all up now.  The week in Florida messed everything up.

Six places could go a lot of different ways. I decided to choose six places that have a lot of meaning to me.

six places

Our House. Though I complain to Aaron about it all the time and look at houses constantly on Real Tracs, it will always be the place of so many firsts and a place filled with so much love. I know when I leave I'm going to cry like a baby. It was our first house, we got our dogs here, painted together and decorated together, we brought our baby to this home, etc.

The library. I don't go that often anymore because nursing school ruined books for me, but it still holds a dear place in my heart. It's probably because my mom started taking me to story hour when I was a toddler. Also, I love the smell of a good book and the weight of it in my hand. Reading is where it is at.

My great-grandmother's house. Ah, the original Nola. She's long since passed away and her house was sold a long time ago. So many things remind me of it. I still remember the way it smells. I think of it fondly often. We usually only went to visit on holidays because her house was about two hours away from us. I remember playing with spools (she saved them so that we could build things with them), watching the Thanksgiving or Christmas parades on tv, swinging on her porch swing, feeling big because my parents would let us go to the small little market across the street to get candy, sitting on her red stool in the kitchen "helping" her cook, cooked apples, her pantry full of things she canned, and opening gifts.

Hawaii, France, Ireland and New Zealand. As Tina Fey would say, "I want to go to there." Technically, four places, but these are places that I hope to go in this lifetime. If I get to just one of them, I will be a happy girl.

The North Pole. I'm not even kidding, folks. Yes, I know it doesn't exist. I'm telling you, Christmas was almost ruined because I found out Santa wasn't real. I mean I was DEVASTATED. I love the idea of it. I wish it were real. Think of how magical it would be.

The Beach. Give me a beach, any beach and I would be happy. They make the best vacations. I'm going to one tomorrow. Word.  (Obviously, I started this post in Florida).

five foods

You know with me being a huge fan of cooking and food, this could go a million different ways.  I chose, my last meal.  If I knew I could only eat one last meal or was an inmate on death row, this would be what I would request.

Meatloaf, fried okra, carrot souffle, vanilla ice cream, and bread pudding.

four books

What does it say about a person when their favorite books are about crazy people?  Don't answer that.  I decided to put two of my favorite books and two books that I want to read.

Favorites:

The Bell Jar and The Catcher in the Rye

Soon to Read:

Eat, Pray, Love and The Memory Keeper's Daughter.  Yes, I'm a little behind the times.

three films

Easy peasy.  Three of my all time favorites.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Shaun of the Dead, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

two songs



This is probably the hardest category.  I love music.  I'll just put two songs I'm loving right now.

Pumped Up Kicks (Foster the People) and Party Rock Anthem (LMFAO).  Yes, I'm serious.  Don't judge me.  It's funny.  I hardly listen to the radio (Thank you, Pandora and ipod!), but both of these are getting major play now.

one picture

I really wish I had gotten a picture of myself when Aaron and I went to our friend, Lea's, wedding last weekend.  I have been dying for an occasion to wear the vintage dress that I picked up at Goodwill.  I loved, loved, that outfit.  I have hardly any recent pictures of myself and very few without another person in them.  Here is a picture of us taken in Florida. Ignore my post baby body, please.











10 Day you Challenge - Day 6

Who actually needs to do these every day?  Apparently, not this girl.  You see this is why I don't have set posts each week. Six places could go a lot of different ways. I decided to choose six places that have a lot of meaning to me.

six places

1. Our House.  Though I complain to Aaron about it all the time and look at houses constantly on Real Tracs, it will always be the place of so many firsts and a place filled with so much love.  I know when I leave I'm going to cry like a baby.  It was our first house, we got our dogs here, painted together and decorated together, we brought our baby to this home, etc.   
2. The library.  I don't go that often anymore because nursing school ruined books for me, but it still holds a dear place in my heart.  It's probably because my mom started taking me to story hour when I was a toddler.  Also, I love the smell of a good book and the weight of it in my hand.  Reading is where it is at. 
3. My great-grandmother's house.  Ah, the original Nola.  She's long since passed away and her house was sold a long time ago.  So many things remind me of it.  I still remember the way it smells.  I think of it fondly often.  We usually only went to visit on holidays because her house was about two hours away from us.  I remember playing with spools (she saved them so that we could build things with them), watching the Thanksgiving or Christmas parades on tv, swinging on her porch swing, feeling big because my parents would let us go to the small little market across the street to get candy, sitting on her red stool in the kitchen "helping" her cook, cooked apples, her pantry full of things she canned, and opening gifts. 
4. Hawaii, France, Ireland & New Zealand.  As Tina Fey would say, "I want to go to there."  Technically, four places, but these are places that I hope to go in this lifetime.  If I get to just one of them, I will be a happy girl.    
5. The North Pole. I'm not even kidding, folks.  Yes, I know it doesn't exist.  I'm telling you, Christmas was almost ruined because I found out Santa wasn't real.  I mean I was DEVASTATED.  I love the idea of it.  I wish it were real.  Think of how magical it would be.
6. The Beach.  Give me a beach, any beach and I would be happy.  They make the best vacations.  I'm going to one tomorrow.  Word. 

10 Day you challenge - Day 7

Perhaps the easiest of them all!

 

seven wants

1. Not to have to go back to work.  This isn't going to happen.  I don't want to be a stay at home mom.  I need some outlet, but the thought of working 12 hour days and missing a whole day of Nola's life makes me very sad.  So much happens so quickly when they are this little.
2. Fall clothes.  Yes, please. 
3. A better or renovated kitchen.  I hate galley kitchens.  I will never have one again.  I need space when people come over.  Also, I need a lot more cabinet space.  I have way too many kitchen gadgets, pans, etc.  My kitchen stifles me.
4. Another date night.  I'm sure we'll get one when we're in Florida. 
5. Fall.  I'm over summer.  Bring on the chill, please. 
6. A better camera.  Maybe a Nikon?   
7. A safe and nice flight to Florida.  We're leaving on Tuesday evening.  I pray nothing happens and Nola is really good.  We went to the Flea Market all day on Friday and she was an angel, so more of that please.  It's only an hour and a half flight, so fingers crossed. 
 

10 Day you challenge - day 8

 

Whoops!  Yesterday was my mom's birthday celebration, which was held at our house.  Here is day eight of the challenge, a day late. 

eight fears

1. Mr. O dying before me.  Seriously, this disturbs me to the core.  Hopefully, we both have long lives in front of us.
2. Clowns.  I never liked them and then I read Stephen King's IT when I was in the fifth grade.  I remember thinking, "I knew I was right about them!" 
3. Roller Coasters.  I would love to ride them, but my body goes straight into panic attack.  Shaking so violent that I can't control it.  In fact, I have no control over myself when I try to ride them.  My hands grip the bar and I can't make them let go until we stop. 
4. Something happening to Nola.  Good grief, no one tells you how much you'll worry about them.  I'm not obsessive, but so many things could happen.  She slept for eight hours on Friday night and I sat straight up and immediately checked if she was breathing.
5. Someone breaking into our house, while we're sleeping. Thank you, Cold Case Files. 
6. Going bald when I'm older.  Seriously, bald is never cute unless you're a dude.
7. Getting Alzheimer's.  I see it all the time at work.  No one should get it. It's horrible.
8. Some of the psych patients at work.  I am notorious for getting psych patients.  Every one at works knows it and there have been a few that have absolutely scared the bejesus out of me.  You can't control or predict crazy. I've seen some crazy things.