Favorite Things Friday - Senses

See - I love to see Addie's sweet smiles and watch Josh play with her in bed each morning. I also love to see beautiful mountains as I drive to work every day. (I have a great picture but it's on  my home computer and I'm at work).


Smell -  I have always loved smells. Right now some of my favorites are Addie's lotion (Johnson's Bedtime), the way Josh smells when he gets out of the shower, flowers, and one of my new favorite perfumes that my stepmom gave me - In Bloom.

 Touch - It is interesting that this is what the theme is for this week. Lately I have noticed that I have loved the way my sheets feel when I first get into bed at night - they are soft and flannel and cool. It feels especially good when I have just put lotion on. It just feels relaxing. When I but clothes it's great that they look good but they also have to feel good. 

Taste - Fruit, inventive food combos, wine and Chocolate. I love all of these things. 

Hear - I LOVE to hear Addie's laugh. It is more like a weird sounding cackle but I love it. I cannot wait to hear what her voice will sound like. I love her sweet coos and noises she makes. It's awesome.  

 

O-Other things

I couldn't come up with anything else for O so I decided to use the letter to write about some things that I didn't for previous letters.

A- Adventure - I am thankful for the adventurous spirit that God has given me. I love to climb rocks, swim, hike, backpack etc. I have a huge list of stuff I want to do including hang gliding, scuba diving, sky diving, dirt biking and others. I have flown an airplane, ridden in an ultra-lite plane (basically a motorcycle with wings), snorkeled, and other fun stuff. I don't want to be unsafe but I am grateful for the thirst for life and adventure that God has given me.

C - Cards - One of the things I love to do is make cards. It is expensive at times to buy the supplies but cheaper in the long run. I also think that it is so much more meaningful to not only get a card that was made just for you but to be able to make a card specifically for someone. I am thankful that I have the money to be able to do this. I am thankful that I have a husband who supports this habit and encourages me to make things to de-stress and thinks they are beautiful. I am thankful that I have a great space in my house just for my craft stuff. I love it!

M- Missions - I debated about making this A for Africa but I decided that in the end, while I love Africa, it's not just Africa. I grew up with a heart for missions and have wanted to be a missionary since I was about 8. I married a youth minister so that passion and dream have changed a little but the fire is still there. I also strongly believe that you should not go overseas to teach people if you aren't doing it where you live first. Before sending me on one of my trips to Africa the head of Westover Hills' Missions Committee asked me what I was doing currently to spread the gospel because if I wasn't doing it now then I wouldn't really do it there. Missions, all kinds of missions, and service is something that gets me excited. It's a huge part of me and I love to share it with others. I am thankful that God has given me the opportunity to experience trips to other parts of the world to share His love and I am thankful that He continues to teach me how to do that in my daily life.

E-Exercise - I love, love, love to work out. It's not like I have to wear a size 4 (which I don't think I ever have in my life) or weight a certain amount. It's about feeling good, being strong, pushing myself, being healthy and a positive self esteem. I admit, I like when I am in shape and my skinny jeans fit. But, I also like the way I feel after a hard work out, an intense yoga class or a long hike. I like pushing my muscles to do more. I have noticed huge improvements in my asthma since I started doing yoga regularly. I am not super skinny. My stomach is way more flabby than I like. My arms jiggle more than I am comfortable with. But, I know that I am also strong. I know that I am flexible and have good muscle tone. I am so thankful that God has given me the physical strength and ability to be able to exercise my body. I am thankful that he has given me the passion for sports and activity. I am thankful for the lessons that it has taught me. I hope that I am able to pass this on to my daughter. I don't want her to criticize the way she looks or want to be as thin as a model but I want her to take pride in her body and desire to be healthy.

So, that's it I guess. There are probably more things but I don't want this to be forever long!

In the Bag -

I haven't participated in all of Cassie's baby series blogs but I had a few minutes at work and thought I would do this one. The topic was what to bring to the hospital. For the most part I liked what people have said so far (see McLinkey's for other posts).

For Mommy:

*Comfy nursing bras or looser sports bras. I didn't like not having a bra on because of "leaking" and it just kinda hurt. The nursing tanks from Target are AWESOME.

*Lotion that smells good (I used some from Avon). I used the Orange Ginger Aromatherapy lotion from Bath&Body Works. It made me at least smell clean and relaxed me in labor when Josh rubbed it on my hands and neck.

*Comfy, soft pjs - I got the same Old Navy matching pjs that Ashley had. I also had my mom bring me a pair of old work out shorts that were loose and that I didn't care if they were messed up. Don't bring anything you would be sad if it got stained. I also had a soft robe that was great.

*My ipod. I made a "Shiloh's Labor List". I didn't even have time to listen to it while I was in labor except in the car on the way there but it would have been good.

*Things that hospital gave me that a necessity - Lanolin cream of breast feeding, Tucks pads, Dermoplast spray, the weird net underwear (some people hate them, I loved them), drugs.

Things for Baby:

*I only brought a nice going home outfit and a few onesies. I used mainly the hospital clothes while we were there. They got messy and icky and I didn't want any of the cute stuff I bought or was given to get stained right away.

*A hat was important but I didn't even think about bringing my own. It was probably good anyway because Addison was small so nothing really fit her.

*A baby book to put footprints in.

*A special blanket.

I have to get back to work or else I would keep going.
* On a totally random note: How can I change my font color or style on the blog?

4 Months Already?

By now it's almost 4 1/2 and I still can't believe Addie is that old. It feels like I have had her longer than that but I am amazed at how much she has grown in such a short time.

Some of the things Addison is doing now:
-occasionally rolling from her stomach to her back
-laughing and actually making noise when she does
-staying awake longer
-take naps about the same time every day
-sleeping about 6 hours at the beginning of the night and then 3 or 4 after that
-recognizing our voices - or at least reacting more
-smiling when she sees Josh and I, especially right when she wakes up
-losing more and more hair (this makes me sad)
-wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes (some are still too big)
-she LOVES her bouncer and anything that lights up
-sleeping in her crib and sometimes falling asleep there on her own at night

Last Sunday night I was feeding her and looked down and was just totally overcome with how much I love this little girl. I am so excited that I will get to know her more and more. I am curious about what things she will like, what her voice will sound like, what her personality will be etc. I also don't want to be too anxious and miss this stage. She is just such a blessing to Josh and I.

The Bachelor

I am not a big fan of reality TV overall. I will watch it occasionally and might get into it but nothing like I HAVE TO watch it each week. The exception is The Bachelor. I can't wait for Monday nights.

I kind of want to be on the the show - not to "find love" because I have already found the love of my life, but the experience of visiting amazing places, going on absolutely incredible dates, wearing beautiful clothes etc. As I was watching it last night I was thinking that a lot of those girls are everything that I'm not but occasionally wish I was- first of all they are younger than me but look older, the always have on makeup and look put together. Sometimes I would like to be that "high maintenance" but in all honesty I would rather wear jeans or yoga pants and have my hair in a pony tail. I am drawn to that kind of glamorous life style but when I really think about it I realize I probably wouldn't be happy. I have a wonderful husband that I love - he may not be a model, make tons of money, or be able to take me to castle and a vineyard on a date but he is faithful, sweet, encouraging, funny and mine. Having a closet full of designer clothes and going around the world sounds exciting but it wouldn't take the place of cuddling on the couch with Josh and my sweet baby. I didn't have to go on a tv show to get a chance at true love - instead I worked at ACU Leadership Camps. So, even though I am totally into this show and sometimes wish for that glamour, I wouldn't trade what I have for anything.

I would take roses though.....