The Ups and Downs of Delaney's First Thanksgiving

Ok, so I've had this post written for 3 days, just waiting to upload some pictures and that still hasn't happened. So here's our Thanksgiving! I hardly took any pictures that day because everything was so crazy, but I did a little photo-shoot the other night when Delaney was in being cute! I hope to have those up here very soon!

We traveled up north to Tekamah on Wednesday night. We got up there to celebrate Uncle Chip's 20th birthday with a feast of lasagna. It was so yummy! Delaney slept the whole way up and was in great spirits when we got there. She didn't even have much "stranger danger" that I was a little worried about. We hung out most of the evening, and she got to bed at roughly her normal time. She decided that she should wake up at about 12:30 that night, and stayed awake until almost 2a.m...in the process waking up virtually everybody in the house.

She refused, and I mean refused to nap on Thanksgiving day. I think she was interrupted by a curious little cousin, Kayla, a few times too! She would fall asleep for about 15 minutes, and wake up ready to party. Considering how tired she was getting, she was in great spirits. She got passed around and passed around, and just smiled and laughed the whole time. We managed to get her to bed before 8 that night, and the rest of us followed shortly. At about 3 a.m. it was party time! She woke up happy, alert, and ready to play. This also woke up the whole house!

Mom and I decided that since we were already up, we would begin our Black Friday shopping adventures a little earlier than planned. We set D up with all of her toys, while we got dressed and ready to go. She sat up and played for over 45 minutes at 4a.m.! Then, she started whimpering, so Mom rocked her and got her back to sleep. I put her back to bed with Craig, and we took off for Omaha! We pulled into the Target parking lot at 5:35 a.m.! We scored some seriously great deals, while Delaney & Craig headed to the farm. She took a few short naps out there, and went to bed early that night again.

After another night of more "wake-ups", we were completely exhausted by Saturday morning. So we made the responsible parent decision that we had to pack up and head home for some rest. We had to get Delaney home to her normal routine or she was going to lose it at some point. We said our early good-byes with much regret, and headed home. She slept the entire way, and was in bed before 8 that night. She slept for over 12 hours for the first time ever! Craig and I were asleep in bed by 9:30p.m.! She napped all day on Sunday and slept great that night. We all managed to get some much needed rest!

So, through all of that, we are thankful for family, food, and sleep! Happy Thanksgiving!

Check out my craftiness...

Well, I told you I was already planning Delaney's birthday party, and here's my first project! I decided on A Very Hungry Caterpillar theme, and so far everything is falling into place. I adore that book as does Delaney, and I found some really cute ideas so there we go! I ran across a dress that I thought would be perfect for Delaney's big day on Etsy.com. However, it was $50. I wasn't about to spend that for a dress that may only be worn once. So, what did I do...I sent the link to my crafty friend Kaitlyn and said "make this for me". She said, "how about I show you how to make it yourself..." So, here's my first attempt at sewing...
With careful instructions from Kaitlyn, I did all of the cutting. I followed the pattern, and didn't make any horrible errors.
I then, took my maiden voyage at the sewing machine. After working out a few kinks...I got the hang of it.
I pressed out all the seams and then Kaitlyn took care of the tricky parts for me. It saved me a large amount of time and probably embarrassment.
Here's the finish product...isn't it ADORABLE! It will be cold on her birthday, so she'll wear tights or pants and a shirt underneath. I LOVE how it turned out! I spent about $20 on the fabric (and have tons left over for other projects) and about 2 hours on it. Way better than $50!
I'll share other projects for the party as I complete them! I so should have been an Event Coordinator...

8 Months

Another big milestone for Delaney today, she is 8 months old!?! Time sure flies these days. She seems to grow and change every day. Her little personality is shining through. She is a happy kid, full of spunk with a side of ornery. I suppose she comes by all of that naturally. She loves to laugh and play. She wears herself out, and remains a rockstar sleeper. She has decided that her bedtime should be 8 or 8:30 every night. She "tells" us when she's ready, has her bedtime bottle, and then is down for the night until about 6:30 a.m. We're so blessed!
According to our "home" measurements, she weighs 20.6lbs and is 27in. tall. Such a big girl! Looks like she's stretching out a bit as she didn't gain a lot of weight, but grew a whole inch since last month. She is wearing size 9 month clothes and size 3 diapers. So big! Her hair is coming in very fast these days. It's looking to be a sandy brown color, but still has shades of red when the sun hits it. I'm so excited to see what it becomes!
This girl eats! and eats! and eats! So much like her daddy...she eats cereal twice a day along with a fruit and vegetable. She's a good eater! She is also loving her puffs! She likes the Strawberry Apple and Banana flavored varieties. We attempted a Gerber "Yogurt Melt" tonight, which ended in disaster. She choked, not just "cough, cough". She full-on choked, turned beat red, and couldn't breathe. I couldn't get it out, so Craig grabbed her and pulled her out of her high chair. In this process, she scraped her legs on the tray. They look pretty bad, poor baby! When it was all said done I cried far longer than she did! My baby has her first bruise...
Delaney's newest amusement is hearing herself talk! She loves to talk and scream! She can hit some seriously high octaves! She also loves to laugh, especially at her puppy Izzy! She loves to grab Izzy's ears or fur. She gets a "death-grip" on it, and Izzy just stands there and looks at her. Izzy is such a good dog with Delaney! We couldn't have gotten a better puppy! Delaney just loves her! Izzy loves Delaney too! If Delaney is fussing or crying, and we don't immediately react Izzy will come and get us. It's pretty cute!
Delaney's favorite toy these days is her Baby Einstein jumperoo...she gets in it and just starts bouncing like a fool! She usually gets tired of it after a little while, but she really has fun most of the time! She has also made the leap to rolling both ways. She has rolled from her back to her tummy multiple times now. She loves to do it while she fighting a nap...goofy kid! She pulled that one for the first time at daycare!
The countdown to Delaney's first birthday has officially begun! I know I'm crazy, but I have started planning her party. I figure with the holidays coming up and some major changes at work on the horizon, time is going to fly by in the coming months. I didn't want Delaney's big day to get lost in the shuffle. If you know me, you know I should have been a Party Planner...I live for this stuff! Anyway, it's going to be great, I'm so excited! I'm starting my first little project for the party tomorrow...if it works out as planned I'll post pictures!

Thinking of our friends...

Today, my mind, heart, and prayers are with some of my very good friends. I have two friends that are dealing with their parent's illnesses, and I'm very worried for both of them. One is dealing with the after-effects of a stroke that her mother had, while the other continues a 3 year battle against cancer that her father's been fighting. I'm praying for the best for all of them, and I hope you will do the same!

I've been whiny lately about my situation...money, stress, lack of sleep, etc... Then, I see what my friends are up against and I feel incredibly guilty. There are so many worse things out there, and I'm so thankful that we have the life we do. I'm working on living in the moment, and not taking everything so seriously, but it's hard. I'm trying to focus on the good, and not let the bad consume me. We have a great family that is healthy (knock on wood), and honestly what more could we want. We are also on the brink of my favorite time of year when we get to see everyone we love and spend some serious time together, so that is something I'm definitely excited for and looking forward too!

Please keep the Helt (Aerni) family and the Bright family in your prayers today!

P.S. I promise to have a post full of Delaney and new pictures on Friday for her 8 month birthday!

Thankful

I've been feeling a bit down and stressed lately. Between the hormones, the economy, and the normal stresses of life, I'm afraid it's gotten to me. So, instead of throwing a pity-party for myself and playing the "Woe is Me" card, I decided to remind myself of all the things I have to be thankful for as a form of self-help!

• Obviously, my beautiful, healthy little girl tops my list. She truly is the light of my life. I just love her to pieces. Her little smiles and sweet giggles are like food for my soul. I can't imagine life without her. Watching her discover and learn gives me peace, and I'm so thankful to be her mother! It is the greatest gift!
  
• If you know me at all, you know my husband puts up with a lot being married to me. Most of the time he handles it like a champ, and I'm beyond grateful for that. He keeps me grounded and pushes my buttons, which is exactly what I need. I couldn't have chosen a better partner for this journey we call life!
• We are both blessed with incredible families, which I cannot thank enough for all the wonderful things they do for us. All of us are so lucky to have you all to love and support us, and you all do a wonderful job of sufficiently spoiling Delaney--which I am also grateful for! I love watching all of you dote on Delaney, it just melts my heart!
  
• I'm thankful for my puppy Izzy. No matter how neglected you've become by our focus on Delaney, you still love us! It still makes my day to come home to your excited greeting at the back door! You may not know it, and we may not show it, but we still love you like a child! You have been the best puppy with your new sister, we couldn't ask for more!
  
• We are so blessed to have wonderful friends. We may not see you all as much as we would like, but we know that you are there for us whenever we need you. Like gets in the way sometimes, but we couldn't have chosen a better group of friends if we tried!
  
• I'm thankful for our home. The mortgage payment may totally suck sometimes, but I love having a place that is our home. We've been there for two and a half years, and we already have so many wonderful memories. I know whenever it comes down to it, I will be very sad to leave!
• I'm beyond grateful that Craig and I both have good, solid jobs. It's tough for everybody right now, and I find myself frustrated at times; but, we are both in the best positions we could be given the environment out there right now. We are so lucky to both be doing something we enjoy that allows us to do most of the things we want to do.
  
• I am so thankful for Holly, our daycare provider. The peace of mind she gives me every day by taking care of Delaney is absolutely priceless. I know that Delaney is loved and cared for at Holly's, and that is all I could ask for! She is an answer to my prayers! I dreaded beyond belief returning to work after maternity leave, and she has made the transition so smooth. I couldn't have done it without her to take care of D!

Trick or Treat!

***Disclaimer, I did not let my baby eat any candy. We were just playing and posing under very close supervision!***