Sand and Sun at Gran's

Well, I have finally returned from my blogging hiatus in time to share photos from our recent trip to my grandmothers in Naples, Florida. We left Saturday, the 26th and drove a little ways past Jacksonville to Palm Coast, Florida and spent the night. We got up Sunday morning, got back on the road and arrived at Gran's by lunchtime. We were so happy to see the sunshine and smell the ocean! After we arrived we had a full day of swimming and playing and took a nice walk. Monday was shop-til-we-dropped day as we went to the outlet mall to finish Zoey's spring wardrobe and buying a few odds and ends (along with Nathan's 2 hour visit to Bass Pro Shop...haha)

Tuesday was a day at the zoo and we had a wonderful time. Zoey wasn't too interested at first, but after a good PB&J lunch, she was pumped and ready to see everything. She wanted to walk the whole zoo herself, and she did walk a lot of it!

Stopping for a snack


Checking out the alligators


Lions and Tigers and Bears, ohhh my!




Gran and Miss Z had a great time : )


Wednesday was beach day. Although we have actually been to the coast of South Carolina and Florida three times since Zoey was born, this was her first actual trip to the beach! She was a little wary at first, but she was really enjoying picking up seashells and playing in the sand.







Thursday was kind of a lazy day, but we did get in the pool and go pick up my dad from the airport. He was there for his yearly trip to visit my grandmother and we just happened to overlap him for a day. Zoey had fun modeling some of her new spring clothes. I love this top from Kelly's Kids.




I also loved her bathing suit from the beach day, which was Lilly Pullitzer. She had some other cute suits that we wore at the pool, but momma was in with her and not taking pictures!

Friday we left to make a quick stop in Hilton Head with our close family friends, the Black-Cross-Hawkins bunch. It was a short trip, but very nice to see everyone. Saturday morning we packed it up and headed home. The beach is wonderful, and I loved to visit with my grandmother and all her wonderful home cooking, but I was so glad to be back home. Sixteen hours each way is a LONG trip. Thankful to have such a wonderful family and so glad to be able to show Zoey new things, like the ocean, the sand, and all the yankees from Gran's neighborhood! haha!

Hi, my name is Brittany and I'm addicted to Jersey Shore...

Wow, feels good to let that out. haha! Yes, I am slightly embarassed to say it, but I LOVE watching Jersey Shore. I mean I, the girl who hates pretty much all reality tv, has crossed over to the dark side. I'm not entirely sure what the attraction is. The show sets a horrible example for teenagers and young adults. My thought is that it is the "car wreck" aspect of the show that keeps me coming back week after week.



These guys are making millions because people like me keep watching their show. Amazing. I'm sure there will be shows like this when Zoey gets a little older and I dread the explainations that I will have to give in order for her to understand that this is not an acceptable way to behave. Lord help me! I'm sure by the time she's a teenager, the television shows will be ten times worse! Seems like in the few years since I was in high school tv has changed so much...wow I sound like my mom, when did that happen? Anyway, now that you all know my guilty pleasure on Thursday nights (at 10:00 pm on MTV, just in case any of you want to check it out,bahah) Until next time...

It's my birfday : )

Well, I haven't blogged in over a week, but it has been eventful the last ten days or so! My birthday was last Sunday, the 16th. I had a wonderful birthday weekend. Saturday night Nathan treated me to Hibachi with all my wonderful family and friends. My parents were there, Nathan's mom, my brother and his girlfriend, my grandfather and his wife, my aunt and her boyfriend, and some of my bestest girlfriends. Two of my great friends have babies that are both about a year younger than Miss Z. Zoey loved the babies. She is very into baby dolls right now. She holds them and pats on them and says "awwwwwww", too cute. She also gives them a bottle and tries to feed them cheerios, goldfish or other assorted snacks. She is too funny. But anyway, my birthday was great, and although there were very few pictures taken, we did get one with all the mommas and their girls.



Well, I know it's not the greatest picture of me and none of the babies are looking at the camera, but you get the point. Here is one of my bestie steph. We have been best pals since 4th grade. I love her so much!



On my actual birthday on Sunday, my dad cooked lunch. Pizza, salad, wings...mmmmmm it was delish! And Nathan and my dad both got me an ice cream cake. I know you think I'm crazy. My birthday is in January and I get ice cream cake, but I don't like regular cake! Needless to say, next year, dad and Nathan agreed to consult each other before both buying a cake. The rest of the day we spent at home relaxing. It was such a wonderful birthday surrounded by the people I love!

The rest of the week has been pretty bring, work and such. Then we come to last night. I agreed to let Zoey stay away from me. We took her to Nathan's moms to stay. She lives about 40 minutes from us and I knew she needed to stay, but I dreaded it. I put off taking her over there all evening. Then I tried to talk Nathan out of it because I found out it was supposed to snow. I was a MESS. When we finally dropped her off and I hugged and kissed her 50 times we left. I made it to the driveway before bursting into sobs...so hard. I cried more when we got home and finally pulled myself together enough to watch American Idol and Jersey Shore, haha. I slept so-so and had a crappy day at work...I thought about her all day and worked through lunch so I could go pick her up early. When Nathan and I walked through the door she started waving, then she jumped off the couch and ran to me and gave my legs a big hug and a smile. Those are the moments when you are so thankful to be a mommy. Speaking of being a mommy, Nathan's cousin and her husband have started a blog. Michele and Ronn had a sweet baby boy last January at only 25 weeks. He lived 13 days and went to be with the lord. Now, Michele is pregnant with her 2nd child and they have decided to blog about it! If you would like to follow their blog, here it is. Thought I might finish with a photo of Zoey from this week (shocker I know). She got this t-shirt for Christmas.



I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

The doctor's office...

Well, today was Miss Zoey's 15 month check up. She weighed in at 22 pounds, 7 ounces and was 31 1/2 inches tall, both of which put her in the 75th percentile. The doc said she had been in that same area since she was born, and that she was a healthy, happy baby (which I already knew). Speaking of healthy and happy, she was neither today at her "well baby visit" she has had a runny nose now for a few days and it was made even worse my the screaming that started the minute we were placed in a room. I'm not sure what triggered her memory...but she knew exactly where we were. After I stripped her down to her onsie, she would not let me put her down (totally not normal). Usually she is little miss independent. Then the nurse came in to weigh her and measure her and I don't think the screaming stopped through the nurses visit, the doctor's visit and then the horrible shot. Mind you we have been through several of these, but something was different this time, she really knew what was about to happen...needless to say when we got out to the car and I strapped her into the car seat and got Sesame Street turned on, she looked at me with a distrust and sadness that was just pitiful. All in all a pretty horrible afternoon.

On a little more upbeat note...in the last month I have been really amazed at the things that I see her picking up on. She now feeds her baby dolls, builds with blocks and pushes her baby stroller around filled with toys. She notices a lot more these days, and she senses what others around her are doing or saying, whereas before, she was mostly concerned with what toy was right in front of her. Watching a child grow is one of the most fascinating things I have ever seen. I hope before too long Nathan and I decide to have another little one to watch grow up with Zoey : )

15 Months Old and Growing

Well, I have read several blogs and Facebook updates lately about some of my friends and bloggy friends that are having difficulty leaving their children at a sitters during the day and overnight with friends or relatives. Well let me jump on the bandwagon. After Zoey was born I stayed home with her for 6 weeks before returning to work. They were 6 wonderful weeks, but the time came when I had to return to work. That day was very difficult, but luckily I was very busy and I didn't have time to think about Zoey more than ohhhhhh 20 or 30 times that day : ) There are days when I'm so thankful to have a job and I really enjoy having something of my own. I am proud when someone asks me what I do and I can reply that I work hard as a paralegal. Then there are days when I would give just about anything to be able to spend my days with my sweet little girl and be a stay at home momma. I know this is one of those "grass is always greener on the other side" deals, but still...

So seeing as how I do work 5 days a week, when I leave work, I want to spend every waking moment with Zoey. Even the moments when we are sleeping I want to spend a few steps away from her. Today my little girl is 15 months old. Crazy. But in the 15 months since she has been alive, I just left her overnight for the first time a few weeks ago at the insistance of my seventy six year old grandmother My grandmother lives in Florida most of the year and we don't see her as much as we'd like. To make a long story short, she can be very persuasive. I can honestly say, that was one of the most difficult nights of my life. I thought about her so much but I knew that there may come a time that she might need to stay with family or friends for one reason or another. I still struggled though. I'm not sure when I will be able to leave her over night again...it may be awhile! So to all those mommies out there that are struggling with leaving their babies for one reason or another...just know that you aren't the only one out there. And to all my friends and family who have asked (some of you repeatedly) to keep Miss Z, know that I love you, but I am most definitely a baby hog : )

Yup, I'm a Slacker...

So, I'm pretty sure I've said at least half a dozen times that I am going to stop being so neglectful of my blog...obviously I have failed miserably since my last post was in March. So, in a new year, I am going to do my best to update weekly (hopefully) haha.

What an eventful year it has been. We have had some really great times, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. and then some not so great times. 2010 brought us the first full year with our sweet baby girl Zoey. I am so thankful that I have such a sweet and loving little girl. She has so much love to give and NEVER sees a stranger! People always told me that your kids grow up fast, but seriously, I feel like she should still be swaddled in a bassonet in our bedroom. But no, she's a big girl, walking talking(ish) and having a total attitude.



On the not so bright side of 2010, my sweet husband Nathan lost two very important people. His father passed away in June and then his grandfather just passed away in December. I hate that he has had such heartache. I wish I had words to comfort him, but I can't seem to find them. All I know to tell him is that I'm here for him and I love him...Not only has Nathan lost loved ones, but so many in our small community have suffered in 2010 due to death and sickness. I hope and pray that 2011 brings health and happiness to us all.

Monday, Monday, Monday

Well I have been a blog slacker this week. I have done nothing, but it was a fairly uneventful week. The only real highlight was Sunday when my baby girl turned 5 months old. Wow. I know 5 months doesn't seem like an incredible amount of time for most people but it seems like a lifetime in baby age. I mean, she is changing daily and developing new skills. It is amazing to watch her excitement as she discovers new things. Her latest feat is grabbing. She grabs everything. Her favorite thing is of course, my hair. And let me tell you, I didn't think that her little fist could pull so hard and tighten up that much. Crazy. Well here is a picture of my little booger on her 5 month birthday.



She is rotten, let me tell you.

Well, I am getting very excited because Zoey and I are headed to my grandmothers in Florida. We fly out next Thursday and I am so ready. I am not so excited about the fact that Nathan doesn't get to go with us. He has to stay here since the kids that he does therapy on have school. They have missed a lot of school so Nathan doesn't want to leave. We are headed out Thursday morning and we will be back Sunday afternoon so we won't be gone very long, but it will be weird going without him and we will miss him a lot : ) Zoey is very attached to her daddy, as am I. Well, that's all for now. I'll leave you with another picture of miss priss taken tonight. She sleeps with her bunny every night and I'm not sure what we would do without it.