a year ago today...

I cannot believe that it's been an entire year since I wrote this post...

 

Life is full of surprises. Some are good, some are bad but most are what you make of them. Wanna know my surprise...

Yes that is a positive little blue line... and it's quite a bit darker than the one I took just the night before. The test were a two for one deal, but when I took the first one I had just peed three times in the past hour. There was a faintest of faint blue line that showed up which only left me even more confused than when I had first peed on the darn thing - so I decided to take the next one in the morning.

3:40 am rolled around and I felt like my bladder was going to explode, so to the bathroom I went where I immediately started freaking out because I couldn't find the extra test. Greg's cat likes to play with weird things so here I was yelling at him like an insane woman about skinning his cat alive when he found the supposed MIA test behind the picture frame on the counter. Needless to say two minutes and an apology later we were watching a little blue line move across the screen.

Shock was my first reaction.

Followed immediately by happiness.

This wasn't planned but many times the best surprises hit you straight in the face at 3:40 am on a thursday morning.

What can you do but roll with it?!

Gregory and I are both excited for this new journey and look forward to the many more 3:40 wakeup calls to come!!

 

My, oh my how things have changed in one short year!!

Lucky for us the happiness from that day has never waned.

Mayson Pearl, you are by far the best suprise we have ever recieved-

Your daddy and I feel blessed to have lived one whole year basking in the happiness that you, our precious little girl, have created!

 

Photographic memory

When I first found out I was pregnant I daydreamed of all the wonderfully cute maternity photos I was going to take to mark this pregnancy. But boy did that bubble burst fast when I discovered two things

a)

Some women seem meant for pregnancy. 

They glow. 

Only their belly expands

And they seem to sail through all nine months with ease.

I was not one of these women!!

b)

Three to four months of 24/7 puking

Horrible swelling

High blood pressure

And eventually preeclampsia do not equal many photo ready moments

That being said (minus quite a few weeks) here's the one cute thing I managed to do...

Now once I had resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't usually feeling like a beautifully glowing and photo ready pregnant woman, I passed many of my days on bed rest looking up oh-so-adorable photo ideas for babies.

Ha! 

No one ever tells you that your baby just might not be as keen on these oh-so-adorable photos as you are!

Since Mayson Pearl came 6 weeks early and spent time in the Nicu I never got my much longed for newborn photos :(

And when she came home I was so concentrated on keeping her healthy and growing I didn't even worry about pre-planned photo ops.

 I think I missed my window of having the photo ready-sleepy-do anything to me newborn!

Because now she...

 Dislikes tutus!

HATES being in a basket no matter how soft I try to make it for her.

Does not like getting cold.

Her skin breaks out if I put jewelry on her. (learned that one the hard way!)

She wiggles.

Squirms.

Will not stand for wardrobe changes

and

Makes the funniest faces if I use the flash.

Obviously I'm no photographer!

But at least I do manage to get a few good ones- 

There just so happens to be over a hundred other funny looking ones saved on my computer as well!

I'm sure one day even those photos will prove invaluable-

like when the hubby and I want to embarrass her in front of future boyfriends!!

But by far my most favorite pictures of this whole journey weren't preplanned at all...

and though I've posted it before, I can not wait  to follow up this last one with an equally teary but joyful reunion when Greg gets home from deployment in June!!

Daddy on a Tractor?

Imagine our surprise when we discovered daddy in Mayson's newest pop-up farm book! 

He was sporting his creepy mustache and riding a tractor instead of an airplane!

Snow Flurries!!

Twins!!

My mom stole borrowed the shoes that I wanted to wear this morning, so I simply slipped on the closest pair I could find on the way out the door.

Halfway through the day I realized that Mayson Pearl and I were twins!!!

We were both rocking the zebra print!

 

 

 

And fyi - 

I've gotta give a big shout out to whomever comes up with the logos and sayings for kids clothing because some of them are just "TuTu Adorable!!!"

And I might be a bit bias, but this little baby is "Tutu Adorable" herself!!

 

 

Mayson's first Valentine's Day

Even though our favorite guy is over 7,000 miles away he didn't forget his two favorite girls on Valentine's Day!

He sent a balloon and a bear for Mayson.

 

 

and chocolate covered stawberries for me!

 

 

Then Mayson and grandma worked together to get this mommy another special Valentine's treat!

Candy, flowers and a few other little odds and ends.

 

 

And since Gregory is currently off flying planes in Thailand, Mayson had to show her daddy a little love with her first ever Valentine's Day outfit.

 

 

 

Sadly, four and a half months is to young for chocolate. So Miss Maysie got her very own pink plane so she can fly like daddy!!!

 

 

Plus a pretty pink pony to ride from grandma!

 

 

But of course having her daddy here would have been better than any pink horse!

Poor Mayson was feeling sick and missing her daddy on Valentine's day. 

But if she can't snuggle with daddy I guess a mommy will do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

under the weather

Here's hoping that with a little help from our fine-feathered nebulizer friend...

 

 

and a little treatment from Mayson's two worse enemies...

 

 

these crusty little eyes and stuffy nose will be a thing of the past

 

 

and I'll have my happy and smiling baby back!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

my little Valentine

If at first you don't succeed...

 try...

 and try...

and try again...

Miss Delicious

This is Miss Delicious.

 

She saw Mayson Pearl through her days in the NICU.

 

And accompanied Mayson on her first ride HOME.

 

Of course she wasn't "Miss Delicious" back then...

She only recently got her name because apparently she's the most delicious thing Mayson has ever tasted!

Maysie's always loving on her and trying to eat her pigtails.

Miss Delicious is definitely Mayson's most favorite toy at the moment.

 

 

 

 

She loves her so much we recently bought a second "Miss Delicious" - gotta make sure we can keep "Miss D" around for the many years to come! 

 

 

 



Super Bowl Sunday

How do you spend your Super Bowl Sunday when you are just four months old?

You wear your football babylegs;
Complete with a ruffled butt so everyone knows you're a girl!

You sport a onesie supporting your daddy's favorite team;

Especially since he can't be here to watch the big game with us.

This makes you sad :(

And not just because you miss your daddy;

but because you wanted to wear your Carolina Panther's gear instead!

So you cry a little bit- just like Ray Lewis.

You practice your "Kaepernicking"

But quickly decide it's not for you.

You've been "Tebowing" since the NICU and it's definitely more your thing!

 The big game must have been far to exciting for such a little baby-

You passed out during the second quarter!

But just like the '49ers she wasn't out for the count just yet!

She woke up for her bottle and I put her to bed just after 8...

An hour and a half later this mommy won the battle when I finally got her to sleep in her crib.

She'd been putting herself to sleep at night for the past three weeks;

but leave it to Miss Maysie to pick the night of the Super Bowl to not want to go to sleep!

Being a mommy means you got to stick to your guns, even if it means missing the big game.

Thanks to the blackout I got to catch most if the fourth quarter and celebrate my big win.

Mommy - 1

Mayson Pearl - 0