Pictures!

Our new patented pissed off look
Love sweet corn!
Swimming on our pool, now if I could stop her drinking gross pool water
So happy!
With Mommy at Sturgis Falls 2009

I suck, but here's some new pictures!

So I completely realize my total level of suck this summer with the blogging, I find myself lacking serious energy lately and it's all I can do to make sure Ireland has fun filled summer days. I looove summer, it's my favorite, especially after yet another horrifying Iowa winter. But this year I just cannot work up energy or enthusiasim for anything. We've had a few BBQ's and bonfires over here and it's been great just relaxing with my friends. Last Week Ash and the babies and I went up to Lisbon to spend the day with our sister Amy and our neice and nephew Emma and Cody, it was a really good time. I love my sisters all of them, and it's nice to be at a place where we can all finally be friends and be there for each other. One of my best friends just moved to Michigan and I miss her a lot. I don't know what it is with me lately, it just is. I don't think I hate my job although I've been accused of having a bad attitude,which in some ways is true, but only to people who are suppossed to be my friends, everyone vents about things, but my dealers in my section, and especially my players would NEVER know how I really feel, that's my job, customer service and a million other things and I am good at my job. So yeah, that frustrates me. I need a good vacation, but I have no vacation time. I just try to enjoy every day with Ireland, who is heading into the terrible two's well early. She is a champion whiner and fit thrower, but she is also very loving and hilarious, and funny, and cute and sweet, and the absoloute light of my life. Her new favorite word is motorcylce, which comes out mororcicle, its so cute. Papa has two motorcycles and about ten times a day we have to go into the garage and sit on them and pretend to drive them. Now she calls her big wheel her motorcycle and she'll say 'vroom vroom' while she motors it around, still can't reach the pedals. She can say lots of words now, Especially mama, mommy, Grandma, papa, Ashee (Ashley) and nicwas (nick, my sisters boyfriend) Baby Tywer (Tyler, my nephew) and Habic (Havoc, the dog) anything you say to her she can repeat it to you, sometimes more clearly than others. She loves to point out her nose and eyes, ears, and mouth and tummy. Then she points them out on anyone nearby. She is fearless and often gives mommy heartattacks. She fell out of a swing at my sisters and scraped her leg at the pool, we get lots of owies. Today Brianne found a tick on her toe! It was disgusting and she just held it up in the air and said 'icky bug mommy'. Bri got it out, thank god, yuck. I had a freaking spider bite that was infected and giving me a fever, double ick. Freaking nasty bugs. I'm still on antibiotics, but I'm feeling better. Well there's a million things to do around here, but odds are I will just be going to bed, it's one of those days, and I have to get up early when Chris brings Ireland home from her overnight. So goodnight everyone, sorry I suck so bad at the posting.
P.S., I have many cute pictures to add, but when I click on the button, nothing happens. WTF, anyone have any help for me on this?

Ireland helping with baby Tyler

Ireland, Ashley, and Tyler

Grandma Lori with Tyler

Grandma and Tyler

Yum, blackberries

Little mommy feeding her kitty

Eating her yougurt like a big girl

Yum, yougurt

Ash and Tyler

I'm the baby

My new favorite play place, the bottom of the stove

Pretty girl

Give me that camera mommy

Little Tennessee Princess

So cute

Our sad face

Ireland and mommy

I love my mommy

My pretty flowers I picked

Picking flowers with Grandpa

Let me out there

I love to pick these flowers


Finally I was able to get some pictures out of the computer! Obviously My sister had her baby, he was born May 9th at 6:42 am, it was awesome to be there to witness his birth. He is adorable and Ireland just loves him too. Christy had her baby 8 days before that, she had an emergency c-section which was scary, but baby Bella was just fine and they're both doing great. So our life is all about the babies right now. Ireland is with Aunt Bri today going to a birthday party and then she goes with her dad tonight for two days, I will miss her, but i'm trying to fight off a cold she gave me so hopefully I can get rid of it while she's gone. Besides that it's just been work as usual for me. Tommorrow is the monthly black jack tournament so that's a little something different to do at work, it should be fun. I'm so glad summer is officially here, but I wish on weekends like this that I had a normal job with normal days off so I could celebrate like everyone else, ah well. Hope everyone has a great memorial day.

18 months

My baby had her 18 month check up on the 27th (yes a little late, but it's hard to get into the doctor and her first apt was cancelled by them) She did such a good job, she walked into the office all by herself and did everything they asked. She cried when she got her shots, but who doesn't. She's 27lbs 10oz and 34 inches tall, 90% for weight and 95% for height, no suprise there. I just cannot believe what a big girl she is, I know I say this all the time but my baby is growing way to fast. After the shots I bought her a little slide for the yard, it's currently taking up residence in our living room since it's been pretty rainy all week. She loves it and she's so proud of herself when she goes down it. She likes to take her baby that Stacy got her for her birthday down it with her too. Growing up means growing into more and more naughtyness. She pulls the drawer out under the stove and stands on it, thus reaching and pulling out the knife drawer where all sharp kitchen utensils live, little butt. So we're gonna be childproofing that and other things that used to be out of her reach. She went out into our yard today, which is overrun with dandelions and picked alot of pretty flowers for mommy. She just loves to run and play outside. She's getting very good saying please and thank you, which comes out 'pwease' and 'cank u' so cute. She learns new words everyday and one of her favorite things to do is put money in her piggy bank. Her bank used to be an actual pig but she shattered that on on the kitchen floor so my mom rigged her a new one out of a coffee can and duct tape. Safer until we reach an age where we don't love throwing every thing we can get our hands on. Yesterday my sister gave her some money for it and she put it all in her bank and then goes running out to my dad in the kitchen with both hands out saying 'money, money'. It was hilarious. My sister is 4cm dialated and due on Sunday, so hopefully that will be happening soon, I can't wait and I know she can't either. Hope it gets sunny out soon, back to the laundry. Heading over to Jess's house later to look up some stuff we've heard about Obama's plan to forgive student loans for single mothers. If this is true it could make a huge difference in my life. Anyone heard anything about it? I just spent half an hour uploading new pictures and now I can't find them on the computer! Damnit, hopefully I can add them later.

Massive Update

My pretty Easter dress Aunt Britney sent me

Climbing on the couch and being naughty

At Aunt Ashley's baby shower in my awesome Tennessee Cheerleader outfit

I play hard

So it's been a busy few weeks on our front. April 4th was Christy's baby shower. She's due with a girl at the end of the month. (She's one of my best friends I met when I worked at camp in college and we were roomates for a few years after we graduated until she met her husband and I got knocked up, ahh memories) And I am so excited to meet her baby girl, the brat won't tell us the name until she's born so I'm excited for that too. Then the 8th was my sisters baby shower. She's due May 3rd with a boy, and obviously I'm exstatic about this, yay another baby that I don't have to give birth to or turn into a zombie over, but still get to love and spoil. His name will be Tyler and he's gonna be half Korean, so he will be gorgeous. The 11th was Zach's 3rd birthday party. We couldn't stay very long because I had to work that day, but it was a nice party. Somewhere in the middle of all this I had a doctors appointment, just my annual, but low and behold my IUD was no where to be found, that's right, it was lost. Immediately panicked and made them give me a pregnancy test, negative thank god. A few days later I had an ultrasound and they found it and removed it. Turned out I have a tilted uteris and they never should have put it in in the first place because it will never stay where it's suppossed to. So now I'm back on the pill. The one you take for 3 months straight. And I'm very sad because I loved my IUD, it was the best thing ever, and as we all know the pill is how I wound up with my daughter in the first place. But oh well, better luck this time. Easter Sunday mommy had to work so Ireland went to My Aunt and Uncles in Cedar Rapids with my parents and had her first egg hunt, she loved it and I'm so sad I missed it, but these things happen when you're a single mom. Finally the weather is staying nice for a few days in a row. We went for a walk to the park today. Ireland loves going down the slide and swinging on the tire swing. She picked some pretty flowers too (dandelions) But my little monster is getting super fast and sneaky. There is a big horse pasture in our backyard with two fences between us and the horses, and before I could even blink she was under both of them and taking off, I scaled those fences faster than I knew I was capable off and snatched her up, she thought it was all hilarious. She loves to run and play outside, but it wears her out super fast, she went to nap a little early today. The sleep situation is getting much better (knock on wood) She's going to bed around 10 and sleeping usually til 10 the next morning, which is working perfectly for me. It's really nice to not feel like a zombie all the time. On Tuesday we're going to Missouri to see Grandma and Aunt Britney so that will be a nice little get away. Hopefully soon we'll plan a time to get up to Lisbon and see my sister and niece and nephew. Emma's been sick lately so we hope she's getting better. Ireland got her 18mo pics taken yesterday and they are fabulous, so freaking cute I can't wait til they get here. Work is still work, but I supposse it's a bit better after certain firings that have occured lately, but you never know what will happen at that place, it might get better, or it might just explode in one big ball of shit. Good times. Ireland's vocabulary is expanding every day, it's so awesome to listen to her and watch her learn new things. Her favorite word right now is Umbrella, which she says brell'lel'a. So adorable. Last night I ran upstairs to get something and when I came back down she was waiting for me and she pointed at her butt and said "I pooped" I couldn't believe it so I checked and yep, she did, I can't believe she told me, time to start thinking about potty training. My baby is growing up too fast, but I love it.

Mommy needs a time out

She loves jello

Yep, climbing on the table

One of my best friends, Bri, who convienantly lives across the street suprised my by taking Ireland out and about today, and let me tell you I need the break. I don't know what is going on with my child, but sleep does not appear to be on her agenda right now. Things in that area have been great for months. She goes down between 10 and 11 and gets up between 9 and 11 in the morning. Since I work til midnight and usually dont' get to sleep til around two (think about it, all you people with normal jobs, you can't just go to bed when you get home at 6 or 7 at night can you?) So this sleep schedule was working pretty good for me, I felt fully functional. Well the last week or two my monster has been alternating between screaming her head off at 3 am and getting up for the day anywhere between 6 and 7:30. NOT GOOD. Mommy feels like a zombie and a totally shit mom all day, then I have to go pretend to give a shit about my job all night. I have no idea why this is happening, but nothing is working. Her doctor Laura told me if she wakes up at night I need to just let her scream cause it's not gonna hurt her and she needs to learn. I have succesfully used this option one time. Every other time I have stumbled in grabbed her and deposited her in my bed where she immediately goes back to sleep. I know, I know, BAD! However all I can think at this point in the night when I have only been asleep for an hour is SLEEP, I want it and that's the quickest way to get it, until I am later woken up in the morning by being repeatedly hit in the face. I seriously feel like I did when I first went back to work after my maternity leave, and was just a walking zombie for months. I'm also struggling with the whole working single mom thing. I spend all day with Ireland before work, but I feel horrible leaving her at 4 and not being the one who gives her dinner or puts her to bed. Thank god for my parents because I would have drowned long ago without them, but I feel like it's hard to have any control when Grandma and Grandpa are just going to do what they want anyway. Not to mention the few days when Chris has her, I have no idea what goes on and it's like pulling teeth trying to get him to tell me anything that happens. I just feel lost right now I guess. I have to work obviously, I'm lucky to have the job I have it's ridiculously easy and the money is good. Also I know I couldn't handle being a totally stay at home mom, I would lose my mind. There is just no happy medium. So sorry about all the whining, it's just one of those days. In other news my sister's baby shower is April 8th, which I'm excited about, and Christy's is the begining of April too, can't wait for that either. Ireland has been cracking me up lately. It's been pretty nice out so we go for walks and to the park most days. She loves the slide and she loves birds and puppys. She waves to cars as they pass and tell them bye-bye. It keeps me on my toes cause the kid is quick. And she is an eating machine right now. Anything you have you must share with her, or you will get an earful, and let me tell you the girl can scream. She has developed this new ear-shattering shriek that sounds like nothing I have ever heard. It's like full on panic, and then you get the pathetic big sobs. My girl can throw a temper tantrum, and she's only 17 months. But she has the best laugh and the most beautiful smile. And I love her more than my own life. She will climb on anything and has no fear. Figured out how to get the dog gate open on the back porch and while I was trying to chase down the dog (who will kill any animal that crosses his path) she took a little tumble down the three stairs. Didn't get hurt at all, but scared mommy to death. New adventures everyday, and no sleep, that is our life right now!

Long Day

A Happier Moment

I need summer, now. I cannot stand this cold weather anymore. I think Ireland has a major case of cabin fever. Today was not a good day, she was just cranky and whiny all day, and threw a fit when Chris picked her up. I am just so tired all the time, no matter if I get any sleep or not, I can't shake off this constant exhaustion. I need the sun. I know it will help me. After Ireland went to her dad's tonight I went and got a mani/pedi and it was wonderful. So relaxing just what I needed after this weekend. Yesterday I saw that the one I used to see wrote 'sorry' in the dirt on my car window,drivers side of course. Just what I needed to see, just made me more sad, I really, really hate liars. I wish people could just be honest. I better stop this now, too much whining in my life today, it's catching. Laundry is calling my name.