I've Been Tagged!

So, I've been tagged to share seven random facts about me. Here we go:

1. I learned sign language when I was in elementary school, and I can still sign fairly well today. One of my roommates in college, Holly, even said that she saw me signing in my sleep!

2. I was Who's Who in German my senior year. I definitely should not have won that award! There were kids in my class who could speak German very well, and all I can remember is how to ask someone how they get to school! Wie kommst du in die Schule? Mit dem Auto? Mit dem Bus? Mit dem Fuss?

3. I went to Thailand after I graduated from college with the Aggies for Christ. I was there for six weeks and fell in love with their culture. To this day I love spicy Thai food! Oh, and everyone thought I was Britney Spears...not so much of a compliment these days!!

4. I'm six feet tall and am terrible at basketball. When I was playing in a game in ninth grade the crowd from the opposing team started counting down "10-9-8-7" so I threw the ball from half-court. I of course missed. Then, I turned and looked at the clock...there were more than three minutes left!!! My mouth dropped and everyone started laughing. I sat the bench for the rest of the game.

5. I hate cooked fruit. No cobblers, pies, doughnut filled desserts for me!

6. I'm lactose intolerant but love ice cream and chocolate milk...Justin appreciates it too! :)

7. I love my in-laws. I am very blessed to have Justin's sisters and parents as a part of my family.

Okay! Now it's my turn to tag:
Christine
Holly
Beth
Whit (I saw Camille tagged you, but I'm tagging you too!)
Leilanni
Tracey

Let's Do the Wave!!

Shelby wants to say hi to everyone!!

Play Time with Daddy

I'm sure this may be teaching Shelby bad habits, but she and Daddy were having a blast!!

Future Veterinarian

Every morning when I nurse Shelby, Liezel jumps up on my lap. Shelby reaches behind her and pets Liezel while she nurses...they are really building a sweet bond with each other!!! Shelby loves her sweet Liezel. Everytime Shelby sees Liezel (or Tripod, our other cat - and yes, he only has three legs) she says, "E?!". It's the cutest thing!!!

Most Recent Pics

So, it's been a while since I posted some pics of the Shelbster! Here are some of our most recent pictures. You can see some from 9 and 10 months below. Enjoy!

Ten Month Pics

Here are some fun pics from ten months...

Her first set of sun glasses!


Out for lunch!

Baby Bjorning around the neighborhood!

Learning to pull-up on the sofa...she's a pro now!

Nine Month Pics

And here are some from nine months!



Shelby's first ride in the backpack!! We went to a great park here in town called Palmer Park. It was a little cool, and very windy, so we were only out for a about 45 minutes, but she seemed to really enjoy it! That's our out-door girl!!








Here's Shelby in a little frock that my mom's cousin knitted! Too funny!!

Here she is holding her bottle all on her own!

And here she is enjoying the early morning!

Feeling Crummy

This was my first week to have Friday off, and I was so excited!! Unfortunately, Thursday night Justin and I started to not feel so well. We decided that it was probably food poisoning...yuck. So, Friday I spent most of the day laying on the floor, watching Shelby play. She ended up getting sick too, which really made me sad. The only plus side is that she was especially cuddly, which is not like herself. Here are some sweet pictures of my baby and me. She is such a trooper...much tougher than her mama when she is sick!!!

Working Mom Blues

As I mentioned in a previous post, I recently got a new job. I have this week off though, so I'm getting another taste of being home with Shelby. It feels like I never worked at the Academy, that I'm still on maternity leave, and that next week is my first week back to work. I've wept to Justin about it. It feels so unnatural to leave your child in someone else's care...everyday. "Okay honey, it's time for mommy to drop you off at day care so she can go spend the greater part of the day at work." All I want is to be with her, but it's just financially impossible right now. I've run a million ideas through my head for ways that I could stay home (including winning the lottery and being a contestant on Deal or No Deal), but the result is always the same. I know that Shelby is fine with going to day care. As soon as she sees the other kids she wants me to put her down so she can play with them. I know that she doesn't know any different, and that she probably enjoys it, but selfishly I miss her so much that I want to be home with her.

So, does anyone have any ideas??? I'm a dietitian, so I've thought about starting a website with private counseling, virtual grocery store tours, newsletters, etc. I've searched the work-from-home websites but am hesitant about those. Do you have any suggestions??

Peaceful Sleeper

So many of my friends have sweet pictures of their little ones while they are asleep. So, the other day I decided to tiptoe into Shelby's room while she was asleep and get a sweet, peaceful picture of her. Well, it was the end of her nap time, so she wasn't too deeply asleep. When the camera started focusing she woke up, and by the time I snapped the picture, this is what I got. Not exactly what I was going for, but it was a good effort!!!

Take a Knee

Shelby has started kneeling. I'm afraid she will start walking all too soon!! I can't believe how fast she is growing! I can't get over the fact that just 10 and a half months ago she was a tiny, helpless little baby. Now, she is crawling all over the house, pushing away from me when I pick her up, and feeding herself. It so amazing. A little sad, but amazing. The crazy thing is that in the picture where she's sitting on her little scooter...is she posing?! Check out all of her teeth too! She has four on top and two on the bottom!

Hat Anyone?!

We just got a ton of hand-me-downs from a couple of families from church, and it seemed like every outfit had an adorable hat to match!! Shelby hasn't been much of a hat wearer, so I've been working with her. The little maroon (Whoop!) knit hat is super cute. And then there's the bucket. I guess it's not a hat, but she wears it on her head...for about two seconds. What she really likes to do with it is talk into it. We pass it back and forth - so much fun! She is really at a fun age, but she's getting a little to independent too soon!!!! All I want to do is cradle her and sing to her. All she wants to do is push against me, get down and get into everything! I'm so sad, but so proud. She is so amazing. Justin and I are in awe of her every day.

Farewell USAFA

USAFA you ask?! It's a nice little acronym for United States Air Force Academy. I've been working there for the past three and a half years as a dietitian for the cadets. It's been fun, but it's time to move on. It sounds like a pretty cool job - counseling cadets on sports nutrition, eating disorders, how to gain weight healthfully. I also write a monthly newsletter for them and some other little things on the side. It's been fun and a great experience to be in the military world with officers and such, and I've made some fun memories with the other dietitian that works there, but as of next Wednesday I'll be moving on. I found a job at a nursing home!! I know it may sound odd to want to go from the Academy to working with the elderly, but I worked in nursing homes before we moved to Colorado and I actually really liked it. It's much more clinically focused - ordering lab work, looking at their medications, planning tube feedings, etc. It's more of the kind of work I enjoy. Plus, and a big plus it is, I only have to work 32 hours a week!!! So, I get a three-day weekend every weekend!!! I'm so excited to have the extra day with Shelby. I'm going to soak in every second of her I can. I start my new job a week from Monday - please keep me in your prayers!!!

Speaking in Tongues

Shelby has found her tongue in a whole new way. She used to stick it out all the time, several months ago, but now...there's this.

"Don't Mess With Texas"

Who doesn't know that slogan? I mean really, you hear those words uttered, and if you're a Texan, born and raised, you can't help but feel an extreme sense of pride. Even if you have no ties whatsoever to Texas, you feel jealous because the state you came from didn't come up with that slogan first. Even despite your jealousy, you feel pride too because it just sounds so darn cool.

According to a recent article by Newsweek, if Texas were its own country, it would be the 48th largest in the world. More importantly, though, is that it would be the 8th most polluting country too. There are roughly 192 counties today...Texas, as its own country, would emit more CO2 into the air than 184 of them. Wow.

Rather than summarize the article, I'm going to attach a link below that will take you to it. Read it. It is well worth your time. Fortunately, it's not all negative. There is hope, a lot actually, for the great state of Texas. Link below.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/116784/page/1