Adjusting

I know it's been a couple of weeks since I've blogged, but I've been exhausted...seriously....EXHAUSTED! I began my new job last Tuesday, so we've had to adjust to a new schedule around here, and it's actually gone a lot smoother than I expected it to with a 13 month old...thank goodness.

Ok, so the NEW job is going really well and I very much like it...it helps that everyone there is pretty laid back and that I already knew someone...makes being the new girl that much easier. I know that working for the government has a bad rep, but i have to say that i very much appreciate the organization and structure. The people in my office are quite funny and enjoy joking around and having a good time. It was extremely hard to leave Avery the first day (much harder than when I returned to work after my maternity leave was over when she was only 2 months old), but fortunately Brad was off that day and I got to spend my lunch break with them :) Actually, I've gotten to spend a majority of my lunch breaks with Avery since if Brad is working she is at Nana's house, which is only about 4 minutes away from my office...it's a nice perk! My schedule is set up to where I'll work Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. That still gives me 3 entire days with Avery...and hopefully Bradley every now and then.

Speaking of Brad...his work schedule has been not so great lately. Not his fault, and unfortunately there's nothing he can do about it right now. His store is now a manager down and that makes things difficult until they are able to get another person in. He does, however, have tomorrow AND Wednesday off (fingers crossed that doesn't change), so we are going on a much needed date! It's something we haven't been able to do for a while and something we're going to be making a priority more.

Another thing regarding my hard working hubby...his first review at work (he's been there an entire year now...actually, the year mark was a few weeks ago) is scheduled for this Thursday. So, keep him in your thoughts and prayers that everything goes well and that he is recognized for all the hard work that he has put in since beginning his career with Taco Mac.

Little miss Avery Cayden hasn't really been phased at all by our new schedule. She has thrown a fit once or twice when I have gone to leave after lunch, which is heartbreaking, but Nana has reassured me that she is completely fine after a minute. She has gotten very comfortable walking and has even tried "running" the last few days. She has also become more vocal about what she wants. For those of you that know Avery you know that she has really never had a problem talking. She has always babbled non-stop, but more and more words are understandable now and she knows it. "all done" is her favorite right now...she says it...over and over and over...every time she wants out of her high chair, or out of her car seat, or out of the bath tub, or out of the buggy at the store...you get the idea. Another favorite word is "open". She wants you to open EVERYTHING...even if there's nothing to open. Open the book, open the cup, open the door, open the back of mr. potato head so she can cram anything and everything into his little compartment...shew, she is nutty :) AND she has picked up on shaking her head no, and she does it...A LOT. It's cute.

We have made HUGE progress with bedtime and I couldn't be more excited about it. It's actually been going well for weeks now, but I've kind of been afraid to say anything in fear that I might jinx it (I think it's been long enough now that it's safe to talk about). There's no more fighting bedtime, or crying when I leave her room at night and she is asleep by 8:15 at the latest and sleeping a good 11 hours or so...hallelujah!

Speaking of sleeping, I am headed to bed...yes, it is 9 o'clock, but Bradley is working tonight and I need a good, long night of sleep to try and recuperate. Hopefully, I will adjust to my new schedule soon, but I doubt I'll ever feel like I've gotten enough sleep. Oh well, I'll still keep trying :) Goodnight!

OUR Story

Many of my blog friends have been posting their love story in honor of Valentine's Day, so here I am...jumping on the bandwagon! WARNING...this is long.

I went to school about 3 1/2 hours south of where I grew up...and from my best friend, Steph. And, the longer I was down there, the less I came home. It wasn't because I didn't miss my family or friends up here, because I did, it was simply because I had created a new life down there, and I really hated making that drive alone. Every time I was home though, Steph and I made a point to get together. Thanksgiving break of 2006 was no different (If you ask Brad how we met, this is where our stories differ. He is convinced it was summertime, and I'm convinced it was Thanksgiving break...mainly because I was never up in Lawrenceville on a Monday night, unless if was a holiday break at school...and since this is my story, I win!). Steph and I decided to go down the street to our favorite local Mexican restaurant for a margarita, and after splitting a pitcher (who can just have one margarita?) we were laughing, gossiping, and debating on what our next move for the night should be. All of a sudden this random guy, who had clearly had more than one margarita also, came walking (stumbling) by our booth on the way to the bathroom. On his way back he decided to sit down next to me in the booth and just started talking. Steph and I looked at each other, laughed, and proceeded to talk to him. A few minutes later quite a few other guys (his friends), who were on the way out the door, came to retrieve him. This random guy managed to spill salsa all over the table (and Steph's new purse), get Steph's number (I was in a relationship and knew better than to give out my number, and while Steph was also in a relationship, she is way nicer than me and can't say no) and fall flat on his back after standing up from the booth as he was going to leave with his friends. We decided it was time for us to head out too and somehow we managed to stand outside in the parking lot with random guy and all his friends and talk for a little while. Eventually we all left, and Steph and I headed home. It was a fun night and a few days later I headed back down to school.

I talked to Steph a few days after getting back and she told me that random guy now had a name...it was Brad...and that he had texted her apologizing for spilling salsa on her. We laughed and I didn't think much more about it. Steph and Brad ended up developing a friendship over time and became really close friends with each other...turned out they had some mutual friends. A year and a half later I graduated from VSU and accepted my first job post graduation in Duluth, GA (about 15 min. from where I grew up). So there I was, the girl that had decided I was never moving back to Lawrenceville, packed up and headed home. It was bittersweet. I was excited to have my first job, an actual career, but I was disappointed to now be in a long-distance relationship for the first time in my life. The guy I had been dating for the previous 2 years also moved back home, which was about an hour and a half away from my home, while he searched for a job.

After living back with my parents for 5 months, I had saved up enough money to move out! Steph and I had lived next door to each other practically our entire lives, and now we had decided to embark on living together! We got a 2 bedroom apartment about 2 miles down the road from our parents, and we were excited to finally be roommates! A few nights after we moved in Steph came in to my room and told me Brad was coming over to see the place. "Who?" Oh yea, the random guy we met at La Cazuela almost 2 years ago. I recognized him instantly and made a comment about how weird it was that they had stayed in touch and remained good friends after that night. I began to see Brad more frequently now that I was back in Lawrenceville and going out with Steph. One day while I was at work Brad began chatting with me on Facebook. Somehow that conversation ended up with us planning to go have dinner at La Cazuela that night. Steph was supposed to join us, but at the last minute ended up having to do something else. After that night, Brad and I began texting and talking...A LOT. Yes, I still had my long-distance boyfriend, but I thought mine and Brad's friendship was harmless, which is was...UNTIL all of a sudden one day I realized I had developed quite a crush on this guy...whoops.

I decided I needed some advice, and after going to dinner with my dad, I got it. Talk about being one confused, heartbroken girl. Here I was, about to call the guy I had been dating for almost 3 years now, and tell him that I didn't think we should be together anymore. Not because he had done anything wrong, because he hadn't. But because I was being selfish and wanted to pursue this new feeling and see if anything came out of it. It was hard. My boyfriend was a great guy, who I knew was going to be a wonderful match for someone, but I no longer felt that someone should be me.

After that, Brad and I were pretty much inseparable, and I fell in love with him fast. He could always make me laugh and we had so much fun together.

We enjoyed getting out and doing different things, and our relationship turned pretty serious pretty quickly.

We went on our first vacation together the summer of 2009, when he took me to Orlando. We went to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Disney World!

It was so much fun and I knew he was the one I was going to marry. I had no clue where his head was at when it came to that...I mean, we had only been dating 8 months, and he was almost 2 years younger than me. Little did I know that he had been thinking the same thing, and 2 months later he proposed! I was so excited and we decided we were ready to begin our lives together and that we didn't want a long engagement. On April 24, 2010...almost exactly 7 months later...we got married.

It was the best day EVER. Yes, it happened quickly...but when you know, you know. We have a precious family now, and while our marriage isn't perfect, it's perfect for us.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Changes are Good

Well, its official...this is my last week at home with Avery full time. I was offered the position this morning with Gwinnett County, and I will begin my new journey next Tuesday. I am excited for the opportunity and I am looking forward to the extra income, since Brad and I have quite a few "projects" we want to do around the house, BUT I will most definitely miss staying home with Avery full time. Thankfully we are lucky enough to have Nana who is excited about keeping Avery part-time and we do not have to worry about daycare just yet :) I just wanted to give a quick update about the job...I'll blog more later! Have a great day.

Whoa....Toddlerhood

"No." If I had a dollar for every time I have said that this week, I would be well on my way to a nice little savings account for myself! "No, don't pull Max's hair...it hurts him", "No, don't eat Max's food...it's yucky", "No, don't play in the toilet...that's yucky too", "No, don't pull EVERY single wipe out of the case"...you get the idea. Who knew that that one little, simple word could cause such a fit? I'm talking lay out on the floor, face down, dramatic crying fit. I find it quite hilarious most of the time...trust me, you would too. It never lasts long...her attention span isn't very long and she's very quickly off and getting into something else. When did my little baby girl become such an independent little toddler?

caught her before she could take all the wipes out

Don't get me wrong, I am very much enjoying this age. She's becoming her own little person, who wants to do things by herself, like brushing her teeth. She's curious about everything and wants to explore all over. It's funny to watch her try and mimic everything Brad or I do. If I'm putting on my make-up, she takes her make-up brush (a small one I've never used) and sits in front of the mirror and rubs it on her face. When I go to change her diaper, not only does she roll and roll and roll until she's free, but she tries to undo the diaper herself. She will look right at you and say an entire sentence (you can't understand a word of it), and then wait because she's clearly asked you to do something, or has told you something very important. She will yell at Max if she's not in the mood for him to be in her face, or if she's on a mission to get somewhere and he's clearly in her way. She's tough. She has taken her fair share of spills since she's starting walking, and has a couple of bruises on her face (war wounds) to prove it, but that hasn't discouraged her. She gets right back up and tries again (and if all else fails, she knows that crawling is still much quicker).

getting into the cabinet in her bathroom

brushing her teeth :)

I know this is just the beginning and she's going to become even more independent. She's going to want me to help her less and less, which doesn't make me sad like maybe it should. It's more reassuring that I'm doing ok at this mommy thing. I feel like we went from having a little baby that couldn't hold her head up by herself, to a wobbly walking, babbling, entertaining toddler in the blink of an eye. All this has definitely got me thinking about baby #2. No, I am nowhere near ready to become pregnant again. I'm not ready to start over just yet. Avery is only 13 months old. But, I have begun thinking about it. I always thought (before having Avery) that I wanted my kids to be super close in age. Reece (one of my brothers) and I are only 1 year and 10 days apart...talk about super close. We were only 1 grade apart in school. We knew a lot of the same people, and had some mutual friends growing up. Of course he got on my nerves, what little brother doesn't, but I always had someone to play with or hang out with. And now, we're still close and good friends. I want that for Avery, but I'm just not ready...but, that's an entirely different, long post for another day.

For now I'm just enjoying this age. It's fun! It's also tiring, and I can't imagine being pregnant right now, or having another baby to take care of at the same time. Hopefully my kids will still be good friends no matter what the age difference may be between them. Besides, Avery has a few cousins to keep her occupied for the time being :)

Here's the 1 video we have of Avery walking so far, for those of you that haven't seen it yet :) And yes, she has the same huge smile on her face EVERY time...it's adorable...she is very proud of herself!

P.S. My goal is start taking more pictures of just everyday life around our house. I hate that I haven't captured any of these temper tantrums, or many of these cute acts of her being a "big girl".

Also, still haven't heard anything from the potential job. I'm not sure how long it takes to do a complete background check on someone (it's only been 3 business days since everything was submitted), but I know that part of it is sending out an employee verification reference form to 2 of my previous employers and waiting on them to fill out their part and send it back...so, who knows...this could take a while.

Happy Camper

I should have written my last post way sooner than I did, because ever since I had my little pity party things have pretty much returned to normal...maybe even better :) I instantly felt guilty about complaining, but it was how I was feeling at the time and I needed to express that. So now, for the positives and the brags! Avery has completely slept through the night the last two nights (fingers crossed for number 3 tonight), and I can't help but think we're back to old sleeping habits...which also makes me even more sure that her spell that took place over the week prior was definitely related to her teeth.

We're still working on eating in the high chair...sometimes she does really well with it, and other times...well, more food ends up on the floor than in her mouth. Other than that, my happy, active, lovable little toddler (gulp...yep, she's a toddler now) is back! I have a feeling, with good reason, that we are going to be entering a whole new realm of parenthood here soon. We're about to have a WALKER on our hands. It's exciting...she's been on the "verge" of walking for sometime now, but over the last two days she has definitely stepped out of her comfort zone and begun taking steps all on her own. She has been very comfortable standing alone for a while, and she has taken a few steps here and there, but only after one of us was behind her and the other in front of her, and we were always the ones to initiate it. BUT yesterday and today she decided on her own that she wanted to just stand up and then take a few steps towards whoever or whatever she was after. This afternoon she took EIGHT whole steps towards me while I was sitting on the couch!!! She was so excited and so proud of herself. *note to self: charge video camera and have it handy for tomorrow* I'll keep you posted on the walking, and maybe even be lucky enough to catch a video and post it! Here's a picture of my silly little girl from today, it's my new favorite :)

Ok, so now to totally change the subject. At the beginning of December I applied to a part-time position with Gwinnett County, that I leaned about through a friend. I had pretty much written it off as a possibility since almost an entire month went by before I heard anything, but almost exactly a month later I got a call to come in for an interview. That was two weeks ago, and yesterday HR called me to offer me the job, which is contingent on a complete background check. Very exciting that I have been chosen, but also very nerve racking knowing that someone will be digging through everything possible that they can find on me, not that I have anything to hide. I had to fill out a few forms, get a copy of my driving record for the past 7 years, hunt down my previous addresses for the past 5 year, and get a copy of my college and high school diploma. All that was done today and everything has officially been submitted...so, any positive thoughts or prayers you'd like to throw my way would be greatly appreciated. I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to stay home with Avery these last eight months, but I feel like this would be a great opportunity for me, and an ideal situation for us. Trust me, I have developed a few control issues when it comes to her since I've been home with her for so long and it will be very difficult to let that go again, but it is only part-time (perfect!), and it is literally about a mile away from Nana's house, which is where Avery would stay while I was at work (see, told you it was ideal). Not to mention, the extra money would be a huge stress reliever for me right now. I'll be sure to update about it, when there's something to update.

That's it for now, have a great weekend!