A Weird Quirky Face and a Blog Of My Current To-Do Lists

I love meeting new people. I love people. I started hanging out with a new friend last February. Last February, I found out that I have so much in common with my new friend. In fact, it was scary how much I had in common with my friend. It was the little things... a bone-crushing need to be in control of the situation, the love of family, passion for children and the absolute need for to-do lists. Let's delve further into these to-do lists.

My friend told me that sometimes she puts things on her to-do list and immediately scratches them off, because she has already done them today. It makes her feel like she has really accomplished something. Crazy right??

Quirky fact: I DO THIS EXACT THING. This was music to my ears. I knew at this moment in our budding little relationship, that we would be great friends.

December is a month that only functions in lists. Fact. Isn't the month of December (the holiday season) counted by days in Advent, Lists of Christmas cards, Lists of gifts that need to be purchased, and lists of places to be - when??? My life is no different. Here is my (so far) list for December:

• This weekend: Training in Austin. Put up Christmas lights. Decorate the house. Convince Noah to let me wrap him in Christmas paper like a present and take pictures under the tree.... doubtful.
  
• Next weekend: Junior Service League's Breakfast With Santa at Harker Heights' Event Center at 7:30 a.m. (Side Note: Santa is going to be there, if you want to bring your kids out!) Christmas with the Mills' side of the family. Always fun. Which reminds me... I need a separate list started: Gifts, and food.
  
• Week of December 13-17: Wrap school up for the semester, Wrap up Bible Study, Noah has a doctor's appointment, pack up the house for vacation. Pack for vacation.
  
• December 17 - 22: Jamaica! Jamaican me Crazy!! I am so excited. SOOOO Excited. (which means, I need to be completely finished with Christmas shopping before then. YIKES)
• Best Friend is in town December 24.
  
• Christmas with Dad's extended family.
• Christmas with my immediate family.
  
• Christmas with Cullen's immediate family.
  
• Christmas with my mom's extended family.

• Breath..........
  

Videos

I was talking to my best friend last night on the phone. (Hey, Kel!) I was telling her just how amazing Noah is getting at sitting and moving. He has recently found that scooting backwards and rolling will get him virtually anywhere he wants to go. Here are two videos that I just HAD to share.

A NOT So Happy Thanksgiving

Are Mommy-Cards Refundable? I was ready to trade in my Mommy-Card this holiday break for a new.....well, anything.

Noah had is first ear infection. Let me rephrase that - Noah had his first all out, gut-wrenching, 3-days in a row of no sleeping, horrible, fever-inducing, no-eating, awful, horrible, ear infection. What started as teething (or, so I thought) was really the beginning of the Dreaded Ear Infection.

Noah and I went to stay at my Mom and Dad's house Tuesday night. Noah was unusually fussy. He didn't really have an appetite (and if you have met Noah, that is the first sign that something has gone TERRIBLY awry), and bless his heart, all he wanted was to be held by his Papa or Mommy. Not even the sweet, magical Nana touch was doing the trick. We took shifts, as sleep that night was starting to look grim. The next morning wasn't looking too much better.

With little sleep, I pushed through.
I came back to Killeen, baked all day with a baby strapped to me (Thank you Baby Bjorn) and a good friend along side me. When Cullen got home from work that night, things went from bad to horrible. Noah couldn't be calmed. He cried, not fussed, cried. He napped, cried, and napped. No eating. He only napped in his car seat or on someone. I have never felt so helpless. Oh, it is an awful feeling. The night time was even worse.

We had Cullen's cousins staying with us overnight. Noah screamed ALLLL NIIIGHHHT LOOONG. Again, so helpless. At this point we were still sure it was teething. His fever spiked to 102.6. At that point I was certain it was doomsday. We gave him a luke-warm bath and Baby Tylenol. We prayed his fever would at least hover around 100, not pushing 103. Noah FINALLY slept from 5:30 am-9:00 am. It was the longest stretch of sleep he had since Tuesday.

Thursday was a repeat. Carol and Billy kept him overnight. It was clear that Cullen and I were walking zombies. Nothing more. I took him to the doctor Friday morning. Indeed, not teething, the Dreaded Ear Infection. Almost instantly after antibiotics were given to him, he started to perk up. I won't say he was 100% - but I saw signs of my little baby again. Thank God! I missed him.

As to not let this drag on, it was only today that he returned to normal. We are working at 98% better. I will given it one more day on antibiotics and we will call me 100%....I hope!
(This is our 2010 Thanksgiving Picture!) Noah decided to FINALLY sleep during the picture. There was NO WAY I was waking him up for that!!

What I am thankful for....

Thanksgiving week is THIS WEEK. Where did 2010 go?? Let's reflect on this last year before I list off what I am so thankful for.

One year ago this week, I bought my first maternity dress. No, I didn't need it. In fact, I looked like a dumb dumb in the dress. I looked like I was trying too hard to be pregnant. That was indeed the case. I was so excited to be pregnant - I thought surely I would be showing by Thanksgiving; I was 15 weeks pregnant after all. WRONG. The ONLY part of my body that was pregnant was my uterus. But, I put on my best show. I pooched out my belly. I rubbed my belly allll day long (in hopes that my belly would turn into a magic genie lamp and grant me my desperate desire to have a baby bump!). Wow, what a difference a year makes. This year, I will proudly suck in my belly. I will gladly never once rub on my belly. Instead, I will hold my perfect, healthy, wonderful son, who has done nothing but bring me joy, and an indescribable love. I am so thankful for him. I didn't think (although I hoped) that anything would bring me as much immediate love as he does. I miss him when he is not right next to me. I love that when I walk into a room, he wants me. I am thankful that he loves his daddy so much. Cullen can do no wrong in Baby Bug's little world. He is the perfect baby. I am thankful for my husband, who beyond giving me my perfect son, gave me the life I have today. He enriches my life in every single aspect. He makes me laugh daily. He makes me feel so loved; truly loved, down to my core. He cares for me. He calls me multiple times daily. He is patient with me - even when I need nothing more than a smack back to reality. Cullen is my better half, and I am more grateful for him with every breath I take.I am thankful for my family, in the whole sense of the word. I have two incredible parents who show me love not only directly, but indirectly through their love for each other. I have never known two people to not only love each other, but LIKE each other as much as they do. They taught me to be who I am, to love myself, to be proud of who I am and where I come from. I am thankful for my brother and sister who I feel closer to each day. I am thankful for the decisions they have made in their lives to better themselves and live their lives by example. My sister is an incredible mother, and I am so appreciative that I have her to go to as a mother-mentor. I am so grateful for my in-laws. I feel closer to them each time I am with them. I feel so special to have in-laws who love me as if I was one of their own. It is such a blessed feeling to know that I can go to them with anything, and I am welcomed with open arms.
I am thankful for my friends. Gosh, where would I be without my friends. On any given day, they are my crutch. They are my stronghold. They are my rainbow on a bad day. I have friends close to me in Killeen that I wouldn't trade for the world - and more, I have the WORLD'S BEST FRIEND. My dearest Kelly, I have countless hours of laughter and memories with her. She has been in my life for 18 years. When I count my blessings, I count her twice.

I am thankful for:

• my job
• my freedom to Believe
• my puppies
• my students
  
• LIFE
• LAUGHTER
• LOVE
  

I could go on forever. I have the best life. I have a life full of riches; full of love; full of laughter. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Be sure to share with someone why you are Thankful. I will be certain to tell everyone why I am so thankful....

I Wish I Had More Time To Blog!

Where did the good ol' days go, when I could blog all the time?? When did I get so busy, that I cannot honestly remember what I had for dinner last night (that's not true - I know I had nothing!)

Instead of filling you with boring text, I thought I would show you what has been keeping The Mills' family so busy!!

This was the most recent of Noah and Baby K's double dates. Baby K came over to play at the Grandparent's house. How can you resist these two?? I sure cannot. I turn to butter around them! Noah is never happier than when he gets to be around his Baby K!

And, happy six months to our baby Noah! This is his six month picture... Yes, it is the first one that he is smiling! I love this picture. Doesn't he look SO HAPPY?? For the record - he is always this happy!
AND, while we are talking about new things, this is his new way of sleeping. More mornings than not, I come into his room to check on him, and this is what I find. When PANIC MOMMY MODE kicks into high gear - I quickly swoop in, remove the covers from his face, only to watch him pull them right back over.... looks like this will be problematic in his teen years. (The only difference is it is cute now. It won't be when he is 14.)
We are in the beginning stages of crawling. I was reading to him a while ago, and he stayed in this position for quite some time! Is it me, or does he look like a little bull-dog!?


We have also recently participated in our 5th Komen Race For The Cure in Austin! Noah was not too pleased that I dressed him like a human snowman.
However, when it warmed up, we took the hat off (and the majority of his layers because he managed to pee ALLLLL the way through his outfit - which read: "My dad is an ass man, but I am a boob guy!").
These are the female participants of the day. From left to right: Mom, me, Sister, Aunt, Aunt. We had such a wonderful morning.
This is one of my new favorite pictures of us. It was (of course) race morning. For five years now, I have been TRYING to get a "framable" picture of us. As it turns out, I am not the best looking in the early hours of morning.

What else has been keeping me busy??? Oh you know, capturing my child's every breath with film. This was one of many attempted photo shoots. He is not a huge fan of having his picture taken. (DOES HE KNOW IS PAPA IS A PHOTOGRAPHER, for Heaven's sake??????)
We have also been going on walks. Here is another day where I wrapped him like a snowman or a baby burrito... either way, he was warm! What a good momma I am!
We have been spending time at my parents house. To date, this is one of my most favorite pictures of him. Oh I just think it captures every bit of his round perfectness.
We have had several visits from Aunt Kelly! Aunt Kelly is one of Noah's absolute FAVORITE friends!! (Besides me, and his daddy of course!)
We have also been working out with a life size sack of potatoes! Cullen and I get our regular workout by lugging this heavy-duty thing around on our shoulder!

Oh and if you were wondering, Yes, Cullen and I still take pictures together... We were at one of MANY weddings in our recent months.
I truly do love how busy life is. BUT, it isn't until it has all happened that I realize how much I miss by being so busy. I often feel like the world just passes me by and I wake up and it is next month.

I am so thankful that Thanksgiving is next week (pun intended). I get to meet Baby A, and see her BEAUTIFUL parents. The three of them are coming to stay at the house over the Thanksgiving break. I get to have other house guests Wednesday - Friday. Lauren and Scott (and Deacon) are coming to stay with us. We have stayed with them several times this fall in the DFW area. It is our turn to finally host them. We are getting family portraits taken, we are getting geared up for Montego Bay, Jamaica. We are watching Noah change and grow every single day! Oh, life is glorious!

The Funniest Picture I Own

This weekend, we went to Austin to Race For The Cure with my family. While we were in town, Noah was into EV-ERY-THING! I mean it, if it was in his reach, LOOK OUT. It was going to be his. AND, once his hands were on it, GOOD LUCK GETTING IT BACK.
SO, my dad gave Noah the 1/2 gallon of Bluebell to pound on while hanging out in the kitchen...
Noah LOVED playing with it. He hit the top. He bit (gummed) the edges. He had a ball.Then his Nana tried to take the ice cream away....(This picture will soon and forever be framed in my home. My God, if he didn't inherit his momma's attitude....)

Is It Too Soon?

Is five months too young to learn to how to use a cup?? Because, this kid is IN-TER-ES-TED!
Ohhh... Mommy, what is this?
I think I like it....
Can I try?
I think I got it...TA-DA!