A busy week without Daddy

On Sunday Jeremy flew to TN to take some insurance classes and a test. He does not return until Friday night. That means a long week for me. Chandler and i have tried to stay busy. We went to a 1st birthday party on Monday. Yesterday we checked out the shops in downtown McKinney. Today we had a lunch playdate at our friends' Lauren and Ethan's house. Tomorrow we are going swimming at Chris and Rylee's house. And Friday we are meeting Shannon and Grace for lunch. It helps to have something planned everyday. Plus it keeps myself and Chandler happy and sane. Some of you have asked if Chandler has tried to walk yet. The answer is no. I really think she has no interest in that yet. She is content to crawl and cruise and check things out that way. Below i posted some of my favorite phots from the week.

Checking to see if the cookies are done

Jake joining Chandler for some pool time

Chandler looking for Jake. (Can you believe it is 8:30pm? Look at all that light!)

12 month check up

Today we went to the dr for Chandler's 1 yr check up. She weighs 20lbs 10oz and is 29 3/4 inches long. She also got her shots. She cried when the nurse held her legs down, but did not cry when she was poked with the 3 different needles. I swear that child is just so happy. Now that she weighs 20lbs we can turn her car seat around. I am excited that we have reahced this milestone and that she can now be facing forward and checking more things out in the car. She is continuing to cruise around the house. One of her favorite things is to stand in her playen and throw everything out and on to the floor. She laughs when she does this. I can't believe how big she has gotten and how mobile she is. What happened to my little baby?!

A year in pictures

I figured since Chandler just turned one that i would take a look back at the year. I posted photos of her for every month of this past year. It is amazing to look at how much she changed. She was born with jet black hair, it faded to a red, then a dark brown and now it is a dark blonde. So without further ado, here are the pictures.

Chandler just born

1 month old2 months old

3 months old
4 months old
5 months old

6 months old
7 months old

8 months old

9 months old

10 months old

11 months old

12 months old

Isn't the change just amazing?! Chandler is the happiest baby i know. I am not saying this because she is my baby. I am saying this because i believe it is true. She is always in a good mood and always smiling. I am so blessed to have her. And i try to truly cherish all this time i have with her before she grows up. Being her mom, is the greatest joy i have ever known!

The big ONE!!!

Chandler turned 1 on 07/11/08!!! I can not believe that she is already one. I am not sure where the last yr has gone. She had a good birthday. We had some of our mommy friends and babies come over that afternoon to play. Later that evening, Sparky and Pops arrived from FL. We opened some presents that evening and then went to bed somewhat early as Chandler's birthday party was the next day. We had about 20 family and friends help us celebrate her special day. We got a yummy cake for us and then got Chandler her own cake. They were pretty to look at and tasted fabulous. Chandler was not sure what to think about her cake at first, but after a while she got the hang of eating it. I think she has her mommy's sweet tooth. I really think Chandler enjoyed her party as she took a long nap afterwards. We missed GranPappy, Maya, Aunt Morgan, Uncle Ian, Aunt Mel, Uncle Brett and Cousin Hannah. But we are so thankful for the friends and family that were able to attend. Thank you all for making her day so special. I posted a few photos from the party below.

Tennesse, here we come

We have big news!! We are moving back to TN!! Jeremy got the job that he interviewed for on Monday. He starts his training in Nashville on July 21st. For the next few weeks after that he will spend the weeks in Nashville and the weekends back here in TX. We hope to go on a house hunting trip sometime in Aug and hopefully make the big move in September. I am so proud of Jeremy. He worked really hard for this advancement and it is will be a job he is going to love. I am so happy that we will be back near family. Although i am very excited for this opportunity, it is a little bittersweet. In the short time i have lived here, i have made some awesome friends in my mommy group. And i will miss being a part or their daily lives and seeing their babies grow up. But most of them have blogs, so i hope they keep them updated. Again, we are so proud of Jeremy and all that he is doing to make our dreams come true!

Who is that girl?

Being a mom is hard work. I am always on the go and don't always take the time for me. I am lucky if i get to take a shower everyday! All of you know what crazy hair i have. It is thick and frizzy and just plain unruly. It takes me 30 minutes alone to just dry it! So i decided to do something about it. I went to the salon today and got a new look. I posted a "before" photo and 2 "after" photos. When i look in the mirror i don't even recognize myself. I think "who is that girl?" Afterall i got almost 5 inches cut off. But the more i look at me the more i love the new me!

Happy July 4th

Today we went and had lunch at our friends Lauren, Brian and Ethan's house. Chandler and i went and enjoyed the bbq. Daddy had a bit of a headache so he joined us later. Then we all headed to the pool. The babies floated in their floats for a bit and then enjoyed some time in the baby pool. Chandler loves the water and had so much fun sitting in the baby pool and splashing about. At one time she fell off the step into the actual pool. Mommy saved her but i think she drank about half the pool. Afterwards we came back home and everyone took naps, including mommy. That was such a nice treat for me. After Chandler went to bed for the night, Jeremy, Jake and I got to enjoy the fireworks from our backyard. All in all it was a nice realxing day. I'll end with a Daddy and Chandler photo from this evening. Would you believe i took this photo at 8:30pm? I love the summer nights.

The 3's

Ok i saw this on another blog and thought it was cute. So i thought i would share. I know this blog is mostly to keep family and friends updated on Chandler, but i thought a little info on Joy couldn't hurt you all. This is called The 3's.
--3 Joys--
1.Being Chandlers' mom. Words can not describe the feelings i get when i rock her or see her smile at me. She is such a happy baby and we are so blessed to have her.
2. Watching Jeremy "play" with Chandler. She thinks he is so funny. And she has so much fun interacting with him. I love to just sit and watch them. It is so sweet and makes my heart smile.
3. Being a stay at home mom. (sahm). I am so thankful that Jeremy's job makes it possible for me to stay home with Chandler. I love being a part of her every day and spending all this precious time with her.
--3 Fears--
1. Not being able to get pregnant again. As some of you know, we had to have help with Chandler. The Dr's were not sure what the cause of our infertility was. But i so want to have another baby.
2. Something bad happening to my family.
3. Might be kind of silly, but i have a phobia of toads. :) They are so ugly and they really freak me out.
--3 Goals--
1. Get back to TN. I would love to be able to raise Chandler around her cousins, grandpa, aunts and Uncles.
2. Learn how to cook. I don't need to be a super chef like Jeremy. But i would like to know how to cook some meals other than chicken and pasta. :)
3. Run a marathon. I am halfway there as i have already ran a half marathon. But i would like to run a full one. Now if i could just find some time to run...
--3 Obsessions--
1. I am obsessed with finding Chandler new and exciting foods to eat. We are trying to wean her off the baby food and give her REAL PEOPLE food. But it is proving more difficult than i thought to find healthy snacks and meals for her.
2. Buying Chandler clothes. I swear that girl has more clothes than she will EVER wear. But i just can't resist buying it when i find a good bargain at TJ Maxx. I have gotten better and learned to buy the clothing in the next size up though.
3. Blogging. Now that i have discovered this whole new world, i love to go look at other peoples blogs and read all about them. It feels kind of voyeuristic in a naughty way! :)
--3 Surprise Facts--
1. The summer before my junior yr in college i lived with my English professor! Ok i know that sounds bad. Do you think of me differently now? Ok you can all relax, it was completely innocent. The professor was off doing a sabbatical and was kind enough to let me and a friend housesit for him that summer. When he returned to town, there were still 2 weeks until school started so he let me and the friend stay in the upstairs loft, rent free. Now get your mind out of the gutter!
2. I have made some of the best friends here in TX. I was always told that the first few months after having your first baby are lonely. But they were so wonderful for me. I have so many mommy friends here and are so thankful for them.
3. This last one is more about my family than me. But i am so surprised how gentle Jake (our 100lb lab) is with Chandler. She has pulled his hair out, used him as a jungle gym, poked him in his eyes, stolen the bones and cookies right out of his mouth. And not once has he snarled, growled or raised an eyebrow. He might not be a saint in other aspects of his life, but with her he is.

Ok, well that is it. I hope you learned a little bit more about Joy.

Keep your fingers crossed

It looks like Chandler is finally on the mend. She has been on antibiotics for 3 days now and i believe they are making a difference. We have been isloated from our mommy and me playdates for over a week. But good news, there is one scheduled for tomorrow. And we get to go! So after being couped up in the house for over a week, Chandler and I will have some much needed social time with our mommy and baby friends.

Onto some big news that we need your prayers for. On Monday July 7th, Jeremy has a job interview for a position back in Nashville, TN! Jeremy has spent countless hrs preparing and networking for this interview. If he is selected for the job, he would start training on July 21st!! And we would most likely be back in TN by the fall. That is exciting for me to even think about, b/c now that we have a daughter i want to be near family. My dad, brother, sister in law, and Jeremy's Aunt and Uncle all live in Nashville. Chandler would get the chance to grow up with her cousins and immeadiate family. It would be so womderful. I know that everything will work out as it should, but i still can't help but hope.

The sickness drags on

Chandler has been sick for one week now. She has been fever free since Saturday morning and we thought the sickness was behind us. We even went to the pool with some friends on Sunday. Well Sunday evening she began to get a cough and some congestion. She is now on antibiotics and we hope to see improvement by tomorrow. On Sunday evening i was beginning to feel run down myself. I asked Jeremy to give Chandler a bath and i went to rest on the couch. A few moments later i heard Jeremy shout "come quick and bring the camera!" This is daddy's idea of washing her hair.