One Year Ago… April 24, 2009

Sweet Baby Cadence

This time last year?  Crazy!  I was living in Pittsburgh, working for McCarl’s, pregnant as could be!  The baby wasn’t growing and we were scared to death.  We had no idea what was wrong with her and I was a nervous wreck.  I went to the specialist on Friday and he said he would have to induce me on Sunday.  Its almost been a year ago now since my Cadeybug was born.   I still remember the day we found out we were expecting.  I was scared to death!  I almost had a panic attack; I literally cried all night.  Not that I didn’t want a child.  We had definitely planned to have kids.  But, the reality of the situation freaked me out a little.  I had no idea what pregnancy was going to be like (let alone parenthood) on top of the fact that we woke up the very next morning after we found out I was pregnant and moved 10 hours from home.  After almost nine crazy months of pregnancy and 18 hours of labor, my beautiful baby girl came and I had no idea what to do with her.  I couldn’t believe they were just going to let me take her home!  I have learned a LOT over the past year!  I am a completely different person, a mommy, and I LOVE it!  I LOVE hearing my daughter’s sweet voice cry for me.  I LOVE watching her grow and learn and accomplish new things.  I LOVE how she brightens up everyone’s day where ever we go.  I LOVE watching Jeff as he grows in his role as father.  I LOVE our little family!  I am so excited about the upcoming year and can’t wait to write this blog again a year from now.

Weekend Review March 23, 2009

We had a very eventful weekend and I am worn out!  Here is a recap -

Family Friday:  Scoped out several parks for Cadence’s First Birthday Blowout.  We decided on Herdklotz Park.  Its a newer park and looks like it will be lots of fun!  After our park-hunt, we took Cadence on her first trip to Gatti town.  She ate mac and cheese and fettuccine and pizza and bread sticks!  I am SO glad the doctor told us to decrease her formula. She was worrying mommy to death.   Now she is finally hungry again.  Baby girl can EAT!  She loved all the rides at Gatti town, especially the carousel.  She just started pointing at things.  She would point at the carousel with both hands and say “horsey”.  Jeff also enjoyed playing all the video games and basketball.

Saturday: I decided to take Cadence with me to the mall and try to get some shopping in.  She did ok.  I managed to visit 3 stores and purchase 4 items before she just couldn’t take it anymore.  She HATES being in her stroller indoors.  Then, we went home and crashed for a while.  Jeff was at the church putting out fertilizer and more grass seed and doing some sermon prep.  He brought home our favorite dinner, Joy of Tokyo, and we caught up on basketball and laundry.

Sunday:  Had an awesome day at Waypoint Church!  We had LOTS of new people and Cadence had lots of friends to play with in the nursery.  The music was amazing!  We also had a newcomers lunch afterwards and got to spend a little time talking about the vision of the church.  Afterwards, we went to the park to celebrate Jeff’s sisters’ birthdays with the family.  Cadence loved watching all the kids play and getting to swing.  We came home and Jeff left for Pittsburgh for the week.  My dad fixed my car (he says he is 99.9% sure its fixed, lol), and we played in the yard.  Mary took Cadence and me for a ride on the four wheeler.  Cadence loves the four wheeler!  She points at everything as we go by.  We all had some spaghetti and are totally wiped out.  I’m heading to bed now.  Feel sorry for Jeff, he probably won’t be in Pittsburgh until 2 a.m or so.

Where do you shop? March 19, 2009

I used to LOVE to shop, but lately its just become frustrating for me!  There are tons of stores geared toward hip young adults.  But, there comes a point in your life (after you’ve gotten married, had a baby, and somehow turned into a grown up wiser person) where its just not cool for you to be a Hollister advertisement anymore.  Some people disagree with me and will fight me tooth and nail on this.  Those are the people who will be 80 years old and still wearing a skimpy little Abercrombie tank top  and a pair of ripped up jeans that gap open in the back every time they bend down, exposing their cute little thong underwear.  

I honestly have no problem with other people dressing however they want.  But, for me, I want something that says I am an adult, but still have a good sense of style.  I enjoy wearing stylish clothing, big funky jewelry and fun shoes.  I even like to wear some really unique stuff.  I have no problem taking fashion risks, as long as the clothes fit me and look decent on my (post-baby) body.  So, the question remains:  Where do I find amazing clothes for me?  Its like a 7 day quest to find one complete outfit (especially with babygirl in tow).  Why can there not just be onestore that actually has cute outfits.  Where I don’t have to dig through hideous tops or out of style bottoms.   Where there are actually some good deals.  Where they greet you at the door with a complimentary diet coke and point you in the direction of the free babysitting for customers shopping there.  Ok, I know that last part may be a bit unrealistic, but a girl can dream! 

Maybe i’m just asking too much?  So, for now, my quest for the perfect store continues.  Guess i’ll be spending the next few weeks looking for an Easter outfit.  If anyone has somewhere they love to shop, let me know!

Parenting is Exhausting! March 17, 2009

My 10 month old daughter is wonderful- so full of life, just goofy and fun to be around.  But, she is also exhausting!  She literally gets into everything!  I am constantly chasing her around taking things from her and keeping her from doing what she shouldn’t.  Its not until we go on play dates and I see the other children her age that are so much more laid back and calm that I realize how high-energy she really is!  She can’t just sit and play with the toys nicely while watching cartoons.  Nope, she exploring the kitchen and licking the air vents!  I can’t even imagine what it will be like when she starts walking!  But, thats what makes Cadence who she is!  She is a beautiful, inquisitive little girl who loves exploring and figuring things out.  She loves people and loves to give smiles and kisses and demanding the attention of complete strangers in Wal-Mart.  Her sweet little voice telling you “hey” makes everyone’s day!  And that makes the exhaustion worth the while!

Rainy Sunday March 16, 2009

Today was the third Sunday since the official launch of Waypoint Church.  The first Sunday was during the great blizzard of 2009 (I know my friends from Pittsburgh find this amusing, but really, it was a lot of snow!).  Last Sunday was daylight savings time.  Today, we had nasty, cold, rainy weather!  Lots of excuses people could use to skip church.  However, despite all the craziness, we’ve had a good bit of people coming to check out the church each week.  This definitely excites me!  We are still working out some kinks, but I know God is going to do something amazing through Waypoint.  People are already being challenged and lived being changed!  I can’t wait for our Easter service! 

Also – if anyone missed Unleash at NewSpring Church, you MUST listen to the Main Sessions.  Seriously!

thursdayfriday March 14, 2009

We went back to the Unleash conference yesterday at NewSpring Church in Anderson.  Its always refreshing to hear Perry speak!  After the conference, we got to hang out with our friends from Iron City Church.  It was great to see all of our friends from Pittsburgh and to catch up.  We decided to spend the night at the lake house since we were already over that way.  Just something different.  But, we spent most of Family Friday lounging around the lake house and napping!  Poor Cadence has been throwing up some.  She doesn’t have a fever and doesn’t act sick.  I don’t know whats going on.  She has an appointment Monday, so we’ll see.  Tonight we watched Woodruff play Southside Christian in soccer.  It was cold and rainy, so we watched from the car, ha ha!  Eventhough they lost, my brother, Austin,  played great as usual.

Scrubbing the Toilet March 11, 2009

I’m not sure why I even bother bathing Cadence.  5 minutes after shes out of the tub, shes a mess again!  My little girl is just into everything!  Last night she crawled over to the dogs water dish, picked it up, and poured it all over herself!  I don’t know what we’re going to do when she starts walking!  She can already climb up the stairs and onto chairs.  She can pull up and reach just about anything.  She definitely requires constant supervision.  One of Cadence’s favorite things to do is brush her teeth while I am brushing mine.  The other day, I left her in the bathroom brushing her teeth while I stepped into my room to get my shoes.  When I came back (not even a minute later!) she was standing at the toilet, splashing water in the floor and, of course, holding her toothbrush in her little hand!  She looked up at me, laughing with joy at the fun she was having playing in her own personal pool!  What could I do but laugh (as I sanitized her from head to toe)?  Gone are the days when I can bathe her, dress her, and expect her to stay clean until we reach our destination (or even get out the door)!

Teaser! March 10, 2009

I absolutely LOVE summer!  To say its my very favorite time of the year is an understatement.   Whenever the weather turns warm, I get SO excited.  I start planning all the great things I’m going to do – beach trips, days at the lake, cook outs, camping, hiking, parks, pic-nics, day trips, swimming – the list could go on forever!  So, you understand my disappointment with the spring “teaser” days here in SC.  A few days of beautiful weather and out comes my planner, only to have John Cessarich crush all my plans with his weekend forecast!  Oh well, Summer will be here soon enough.  And, because its been a while since i’ve had a southern summer, i’m sure i’ll be wishing for cooler weather in a few months!