Alert the Media!!

Important announcement:

Carly slept through the night last night!!!!!!!!!

LOL...only a sleep deprived mother would be that excited! Anyway...she went to bed at 11pm and woke up at 6:15am! Now if only Ryan hadn't had a bad dream, then I would've been golden...LOL. I was getting a little stressed about Carly and the sleep situation, as I go back to work in two weeks...hoepfully this is not a fluke and she'll continue to saw logs all night long from here on out!

We had professional family pictures taken today at Kiddie Kandids...my favorite place for kids pics...here's the end result!

Hurtful Comments

I am a very sensitive person...so much so that I cringe when I hear people make hurtful/insensitive comments to OTHER people. It makes me indignant or hurts my feelings for the recipient of the comment...it's especially worse when the comment is unintentional. Does that make sense??

I am always and forever thinking things in my mind so that when I open my mouth to speak I do not hurt someone or offend them. (Now those that reeeaaaallllly know me, know that I may be full of gossip, but at least it is not hurtful gossip!) For instance...I was at Lowe's the other day and the customer service girl happened to be African American. She was having to bust some butt's of the other workers...I almost made the comment that she needed to crack that whip b/c she was the slave driver for the evening. YIKES--luckily, I thought it through before I said it. Or maybe if I am around someone that is a little overweight, I will not say any comments like "shut your big fat mouth"...that's not something I would say anyway, but just trying to give an example....albeit a lame one.

So imagine my surprise yesterday when Steve told me that I say hurtful things all the time. WHAT? He couldn't really give me any examples to back up what he said, but still... I think his comment to me was, "Well, you do that all the time." EXCUSE ME?? It really threw me for a loop. Here's someone that is supposed to know me better than most, and this is what he thinks about me? It doesn't match how I see myself, so who is right? Am I deluding myself into thinking I am this nice, conscientious person when I'm really not? That really hurt my feelings...and I am still trying to wrestle with it.

And to top it off...he later told me that I have no decorating taste. I might just spit in his piece of homemade pumpkin pie...LOL

I Need a WIFE...

Wanted: Someone extraordinarily special to care for my family. This wonderful person will cook three different meals nightly to satisfy the ever-changing tastes of my picky children and husband. She will be expected to clean the kitchen with no help from anyone who just ate the fruits of her labor. She will also clean each room thoroughly at least twice daily...usually more, due to children who don't grasp the concept of picking up toys and a husband who likes to leave stuff out. The bathrooms are especially important, as you will find dirt in the tub, beard hairs on the counter and toothpaste specks on the mirror, even if you just cleaned it an hour ago. Laundry is a must...as in "you must do four loads of laundry a day or you will face an insurmountable mountain of dirty, stinky clothes." I'm sure it has something to do with children who change clothes three times a day and husbands who like to toss wet towels waaaaaaay in the back behind the basket. Duties also include picking up whiny children from school and daycare, as well as providing hours of after school entertainment. Don't be intimidated by shouts of "you're mean" and "you NEVER let me do anything fun"--these are just phrases that children use to show their love and affection. In addition, you will provide 24/7 infant care to a beautiful princess, as no one else in the house can be bothered to pick her up when she's crying. It really doesn't matter if your hands are full or you are right in the middle of a task, you will hear heavy sighs and snide remarks if you ask for help. Don't ever forget that you are Superwoman. Also included in your daily routine are homework, bathtime and bedtime rituals which will take up most of the evening, leaving you with little down time.

Other non-daily duties include but are not limited to: single-handedly paying the monthly bills in full despite all the frivolous spending by male members of this family. Planning and carefully crafting a shopping list, which you will then discard as you try to push one cart filled with three lovely, albeit bratty kids, and drag another behind you to fill with over-priced groceries. You must also be a boo-boo kisser, a fight breaker-upper, and the giver of different forms of punishment, as what works today will not necessarily work tomorrow.

You must have an always sunny disposition, as you are not allowed to be cranky...well, you can be cranky, but you must never show it or you will be subjected to the same heavy sighs and snide comments as above. Come to think of it, you will be subjected to heavy sighs and snide comments no matter what.

It will also help if you have a full time job in addition to the job here...it is expected that the wife, as stated before, will be Superwoman.

If any of this sounds like you, PLEASE come save me, as I QUIT!

A lot can change in one month....

Here's Carly's one month pictures:

Here's her two month pictures!!

Pics of Landon's Birthday

Ooops..I forgot a cake shot...my brain was reaaaaaaally tired that day....

Letter to Carly: Two months old

To my dearest little angel face:

Happy two month birthday today!! Wow...time has a way of warping speed in both directions! Some days it feels like you've been a part of our lives forever...like these past two months have stretched into y-e-a-r-s...like I can't remember what I was doing a month ago, it's been so long. And other days, it feels like I have blinked and "ta-da", two months of your life has just vanished in an instance.

You are such a joy...even when you are crying or sick (as we have had our fair share lately), you are still my little ray of sunshine. I cannot imagine life without you, nor do I even want to. I was just telling your Auntie Kristie the other day that I do not feel as stressed or sleep deprived as I have in the past. She says it is because I am in love. Well, why wouldn't I be?? YOu are not old enough to talk back or get in trouble...LOL..and you LOVE to cuddle!

As much as I love your brothers, it is so neat to finally have a daughter. I love to dress you up in such cute clothes. Your room and closet look like someone threw up pink and purple...LOL. I always said that I was NOT going to be a bow/headband mom, but today I bought you a very cute white headband with a not too big bow to wear with your Christmas dress. (Which is red, velvety and very cute!!) I'm wishing you would grow some more hais so I can buy you some real Texas sized bows!!

Let's see...from last month to this month, you do a couple more things. You smile now, and it melts my heart. Your eyes crinkle up--just like mine do!! I think you have a very cute smile...but I know all mom's think that about their children! You hold your head up very, very well. And you bobble it like you're trying to tell me "oh no you di-n't"! You like to stand on my lap. You prefer to be held while the "holder" is standing. You like to cuddle...one of your favorite ways to fall asleep is to be cradled and patted (at least I think it;s your favorite b/c it works every time!!) You also like to chew on daddy's shirt when he holds you like that. You like to watch yourself in the mirror when you get a bath, which you don't mind at all! You hate your binky; you prefer to use mommy as a paci instead. You sleep in your own crib (small victory for mommy!!) and you sleep 3-5 hours at a time at night.

As I have nicknames for everyone, it is only fitting that you have some, too. Here's what we call you...Carls, Carlsbad, Car-Car, Princess Carls-a-lot, and, my own personal favorite, Rita Carlita. I say it with a trill on the R's and you smile so big. I think that's the one that is going to stick, because that is now what your brothers call you!! Miss Rita Carlita.

You now weigh 11 lbs, 4 oz and are 21 1/2 inches long. Dr Coco says you are right on track and are doing great!! You even did well with your shots...not a lot of tears...but, hey, if you can get through a catheter, you can handle the shots!

I love you more and more each day. And so do your brothers, who want to hold you ALL the time. You cutest thing is to watch Ryan "hold" you and kiss the top of your head so gently.

I am excited to see what the next few months have in store for you! It is going to be so much fun to watch you learn to roll, sit, crawl, walk...and, of course, dress you in all those cute clothes!!

~Hugs and Kisses~

Mommy

(Every month on your "month birthday", I take a picture of you in the same spot on the couch--I did it with each of your brothers, and it is neat to look back and see how much you grew month to month!!)

Chocolate disaster...

I had an epiphany today...the kind that sneaks up and smacks you on the forehead...you know, a true V-8 kind of moment. I REALLY shouldn't bake when I am sleep deprived.

For some reason, I am very, very tired today. Carly slept OK last night, so I am betting it is just life crashing full force that's causing me to be so exhausted.

I have to make Landon a cake tonight because tomorrow we will celebrate his birthday at my mother's house. Let me list the things I did wrong to this poor, defenseless cake. I forgot to add the vanilla (no biggie, I am guessing); while mixing, I let go of the spoon and it tangled in the beaters , causing massive amounts of chocolate batter to splatter all over me, the counter, the stove, the floor; instead of putting the batter in THREE 8 inch pans, I put it in TWO because that's all I have. So when I smelled burning chocolate and my cake had only been in the over 15 minutes, I knew something was wrong. Yep--the cake was oozing and dripping all over the sides of my pan, and burning on the bottom of the oven.

So not only did I get to clean me, the counter, and the floor, but now I get to clean the oven. And to top it all off, Ryan had yet ANOTHER poop incident and I had to clean the carpet, his toilet seat and his pants. Yay me!

All I can say is this cake better taste pretty darn good!!!