Chapter 2: A NEW Fairy Tale Story

Before you begin reading, reread Chapter One: A Fairy Tale Story.


Recently, I wrote about our new house and how excited I am to move in. What I didn't write about was the few apprehensions I am having regarding our move. No, it is not the move itself (which I am slightly dreading with a 9 week old baby); No, it is not the stress that will be brought on by the overwhelming amount of things I will be balancing on my proverbial plate. It is the idea of not knowing what is in store for me regarding our insect problem. If you know me at all, you know I am indescribably afraid of lizards. If you do not know me, read HERE, HERE, and HERE.

I was so lucky in this rent house. There are absolutely zero lizards that hang out on the property. I check every time I am outside. I am neurotic. AND, much like someone with OCD, I compulsively behave in the same repetitive manor. If I go out front, I check about 6 different corners. When they are all clear, I feel safe to walk into the house. I do the same crazy behaviors when I go out back too. YES I AM CRAZY. However, in the year-plus we have been living here, I have yet to find a single gecko. This makes me so happy. This has become predictable. I feel safe walking outside without shoes on, without a can of Raid in my hand, without carrying my cellphone in case I have to make an emergency call to Cullen to open the front door. That is where the problem lies...

In the new house, I will not have the predictability. I will not know if we will have lizard problems. I do not know my fate. I pray to God. I pray for many things, many people. I pray for my family, my friends, my enemies. I am guilty; I pray for material things. I am also selfish; I pray that Cullen, Noah, the dogs and I are the ONLY living creatures that dwell at the new house. Dear God: Please do not let those damned lizards come to live at our new home. I have so much LOVED being lizard-free in this house. Amen.

If you are counting: we close on the house in 23 days.

Happy FIRST Father's Day

This post comes a few days late...Cullen celebrated his first Father's Day this last Sunday. It is a day I started anticipating when I found out I was pregnant. It is a day I started planning for the day I found out our baby was a boy.

Cullen is an athlete. He lives for sports - in person, on TV, in his sleep...it is his drug. On most days, he would give me up before giving up sports. SO, naturally, what did I do for Father's Day?? I took my two week old baby to Grandpa's house for a photo shoot. We put Noah in Cullen's collegiate football helmet, and snapped away. One month later, I gave Cullen a collage of Noah pictures...most of which I am certain I will be using in Noah's senior slide show at school and/or at his wedding. Here are some of the pictures. I would tell you these are some of the highlights, but I loved everyone of the pictures I saw...Yes, I am biased towards the subject.
Yes, that is a middle finger. Yes, my child is already notorious for that little finger. I am almost positive we have a trend that is likely to get notes sent home from school....



Okay, so there were some where he was content in the helmet too...but these were too cute. Happy Father's Day, Cullen Mills. I hope this year was everything you wanted it to be.

Our New Home.

When I was a little girl, I dreamed of the perfect man. I dreamt he would be much taller than me, with a beautiful smile. He would be athletic, and love sports. He would be social, but love to spend nights in with me. He would treat me like an angel, and love God. He would want children, and his world would light up when his baby(ies) were in the same room as him...

...I found that man.

AND, when I found that man, I married him. I married him and dreamt of our dream home. It sat on lots of land, with big trees. It had a big master closet that we could share. Our kitchen was roomy, and always smelled of home-made, baked goods. Our living room was a constant memory maker as was our patio. On that patio, we would share many meals; with friends, with family, sometimes, just our little family. In the summer, we would watch our children play in the sprinkler, while our silly little Boston Terriers chased them around. We would eat watermelon and grill hot dogs...

...We move in July 22nd.

This is our dream home; It sits on half an acre. It is four bedrooms; has a master-bedroom closet that could double as a nursery if we decide to have too many children. It has a covered patio for our children to eat watermelon and cool off on hot summer days. We get to start from scratch; it is OUR home, that will have only OUR memories. We get to plant our own trees, and watch them grow. This is our dream home. This is the home that we will live in for twenty plus years. This is the home that our children will grow up in.

Come over, have a drink with us. Celebrate.

Meet our new home: This is the front of our house; I can't wait to see the final product. We will have a sprinkler system and sod put in.

And this is a close up of the front of the house. Cute, huh. The left window is the office. The right window looks into the formal dining room. One day, we will serve Thanksgiving dinner in there. This makes me so happy.

This is our living room (minus carpet). Cullen is standing in the dining room area looking in. Look at the ceiling. It has great lighting when the lights are all on. However, when all the lights are off, it has natural light - this makes me super happy. Through the windows, you can see the big back yard. Eventually, I will be able to look outside and watch my kids play in the yard. This also makes me super happy.

And, here is the kitchen; the kitchen that will constantly smell of something baking.

Finally, here is the fireplace where Santa will come down to fill the stockings. It is the fire place that will hold so many revolving pictures of our family through the years. It is the fire place that will become a constant backdrop for growing children.

I love this house. It is a real gem. Cullen and I are so lucky to have found our happy home, our long-term home and be so young. Cheers. Here is to happiness - real long-term happiness!!

Do Babies REALLY Get In The Way Of Blogging?

Prior to having my own bundle of joy, I thought those mom's who quit blogging as frequently because they just had a baby were seriously silly. (Enter thought bubble: "Really, can you be that busy??") Turns out, it is possible to be that busy. While the little Bug is sleeping, I thought I would catch up on blogging. I have quite a bit to catch up on!! For the last month, I have only been able to write down the blog titles and what I want to blog about - that is how I will lay this out. This blog will be quite a long one. Prepare yourself.



Two Week Check Up: I took the Bug for his two week check up on May 25th. Weirdest part of this whole appointment - it was two days before his actual due date. He had gained 4 ounces and 1/2 an inch in length. He felt so much bigger. Dr. R said Bug looked great. She couldn't be happier with him. Fatal Mistake on Dr. R's part: She gave me her email address. Oopsies. What doctor gives a first time mom her 24 hour a day access line?? However, I am trying my hardest to not abuse it! :) We scheduled his next check up, July 19th - his eight week appointment. So sad...he will be getting shots. BREAKS MY HEART ALREADY. I will seriously need a drink by then just to get through shots (and I am not the one getting them!)



Parenting Advice: When you become a new parent, so many people offer COUNTLESS amounts of parenting advice. MOST of it I respond with a kind smile and a thank you, later to be disregarded. However, I received a piece of advice from my daddy this week that has saved my life...Bug hasn't been eating on a good schedule. Overall he is an INCREDIBLE baby. He sleeps all day, eats every 2 hours and at night, wants to eat every 1.5 hours. These 1.5 hour feeds really started to take a major toll on my patience, sleep and overall ability to function. I talked with Dr. R (one of my minimal emails to her), and asked her how frequently my baby should be eating, to which she quickly responded, "every 3-4 hours, easily." WHAT?!? She said to figure out a way to pacify him for at least long enough to make it every two hours...then we will work up to 3 hours. I called my daddy to tell him what we were going to do - he told me when I was a baby, they would stick the SMALLEST little dab of honey on the end of my binky and I would suck on that thing no matter how hungry I am. SO, I tried it. I AM IN LOVE - as is Noah. The itty-bitty, teeny-tiniest amount gets him through another 20-30 minutes. It got us to the 2 hour mark.



That didn't change what was going on beyond the extra 30 minutes. I am still having to get up to get his binky....why isn't he able to make it for at least 3 hours?? I started to do some research. After gut instinct, and a tiny bit of research to back me up, I changed Bug's formula. Of course we tried the expensive stuff...and of course, IT WORKED! He now sleeps for every bit of 3-4 hours at a time. He isn't gassy, constipated, and is overall a MUCH happier baby. I feel like we had a SERIOUS break through.



One Month Old Baby: Can you believe it? We have a one-month old baby! A ONE-MONTH OLD BABY. I, for one, cannot believe it. He has grown so much. He has filled out so much. He looks around. He smiles....when he needs to toot. He is comfortable in my arms and loves being held by anyone. It amazes me that we have a one-month old baby. Some days it feels like we brought him home last week. Other days, it feels like I have always had my baby. In the last month - our whole entire life has COMPLETELY CHANGED. I love it.

I have a few more little entries to come... but, I am super tired. For next time:

Favorite Moments:
"Labor Pains":
Cullen as a Daddy: