[MORE NEW STUFF]

Lately I think that Maeleigh does something new everyday. Some of these things she had been doing for a while but I just forgot to put them on my last post because there are so many different things that she does that sometimes its hard to remember everything. But anyway...the things she has been doing got a while are fake washing her hands (after she eats, when she sees someone else doing it, if you are putting on hand sanitizer, etc.) she doesn't actually "wash" her hands but she rubs her hand together like she is really doing it. She also copy's a lot of stuff that people do these days like coughing (which is hilarious) and making different sounds with your mouth. She can also pitch a fit like a 2 year old, I'm hoping that she is just getting the terrible 2's out at 11 months :) haha. She also whistles, a lot! She does it constantly while she is playing and it is so cute! It amazes people at how good she does it! When she drops things she says "uh-oh" and then picks it up or points at it for you to pick it up for her. She is starting to stand up more by herself and getting better at it. I got her a little plastic pool last week and she loves to play in it. She splashes all around in it and plays with her toys. This past week I was talking to one of my friends who's little girl just turned one and is drinking milk now. I noticed that she was using a cup that was insulated with a straw in it so I asked her when she started giving it to her and she said about 2 months ago so that she could get used to using it so she could put her milk in it to keep it cold. So me being the overly prepared Mommy that I am, I couldn't believe that I hadn't thought that I should give her one already! So the next day I went to the store and bought her one, thinking that it would take her a little while to get used to it. So I put her juice in it and acting all silly and excited about it I handed it to her...well after about 30 seconds she was drinking out of it!! I couldn't believe that she picked it up so fast! I was so proud of her! So we are now using only sippy cups with straws :) Just another indication that my baby girl is quickly turning into a big girl. Sad and happy yet again...

Maeleigh will be 1 in 20 days!! Yes 1 days away from being in the teens for my countdown!! I just still cant believe it! But anyway...I have been very busy making birthday decorations, planning things, ordering and making presents and who knows what else! I have so much stuff to do I cant even remember it all sometimes.

I guess I'm going to go to bed now. Chaz has been working late since it has been so hot, I try to stay up until he gets home but man I'm tired! Chasing an 11 month old around all day can really exhaust you :) I put up some new pictures, I'm still missing a few (on another memory card) but I will try to remember to get them on here this week :)

[HERE WE GO AGAiN...]

So I am most definitely the worst person in the world about keeping this thing up to date. But I'm going to try REALLY hard to do it this time and hopefully I will be successful. So for now I will just catch up on all of the things that Maeleigh is doing now.

For starters, she is into EVERYTHING! haha. She is crawling, pulling up and anything that she possible could and cruising. She definitely "talks" a lot too. She says MaMa, DaDa, no no no, bye bye, hey (sometimes) and coo coo (if you don't know, that is what she calls cats) and she knows what sound a cow and a dog make, we are still working on the others. She also waves hey, bye and at everyone we pass in the store or at restaurants as well as people in the cars beside us at red lights. Needless to say she is a very friendly little girl :) She also points at things that she wants weather it be food, a toy, her beloved blankie, her sippy cup, an animal or other people. She will shake her head "no" when she doesn't want something or when you ask her questions like is she spoiled, which she is not by the way...she is just loved :) She claps her hands when she is excited, when she wants Uncle Thomas to sing her a song so that she can dance to it or just because she feels like it. By the way, she love love LOVES her Uncle Trey and Uncle Thomas. And she loves to play peek-a-boo with her blankie. She gives love and the sweetest kisses EVER. Every morning when I get her out of her bed she gives me the biggest kiss to tell me good morning, it pretty much makes my day...every day :) She feeds herself very well and has been completely off of  baby food for about 2 months now, she did this on her own. She loves drinking out of her sippy cup so I'm hoping that taking her bottle away in a month wont be such a big deal. She loves her snacks too, and I don't blame her, those little things are pretty good! Her favorite foods are fresh corn from MiMi and Pappy's freezer, chicken nuggets, mac-n-cheese, orange sherbet and cheese sticks, oh and anything sweet but we limit those :) Some of the things that she likes that you would'nt think an almost 11 month old would are cabbage, broccoli, and peas (sometimes). She absolutely LOVES to be outside so that is where we spend most of our days lately. She loves finding the dead leaves, not the green ones, and tearing them up into little pieces and trying to feed them to you, she also loves swinging in her swing and watching Pappy work in his garden. She will also point to people and animals when you ask her where they are by name. And I have to brag on my little sweet pea :) She has to be the smartest 10 month old I have EVER seen! She pretend plays, the correct way, she tries to put her bows in her hair, she puts her lid on her sippy cup, and the lid on her puffs container. She also loves to put smaller things inside of bigger things, for example, the other day she was playing with measuring cups and I turned around and she had stacked them inside of each other biggest to smallest and put the lid to her sippy cup on top. I can't help but brag...I am such a proud Mommy :) On Wednesdays we go to The Little Gym in Snellville for her to play with her friends and learn lots of new fun things. She absolutely LOVES going to the gym and is by far the loudest one in her whole class. haha. I am sure that there are SO many other things that she is doing that I just can't remember right now because she is doing new things everyday it seems like.

My tall petite little sweet pea is about 18 1/2lbs. and pushing 30in long these days. She has her 2 bottom teeth and is working on 6 more, literally. You can see them trying to come through her gums and they just won't. So naturally that makes for lots of drool and so fussy moments, which is understandable, I think I would be fussy if I was trying to cut 6 teeth at once too.  

I am having a hard time believing that my sweet little baby girl if going to be a year old in 34 days... yes, 34 DAYS!! We are no longer counting down in months. I am sad and happy at the same time. I am sad because she is supposed to still be my little baby but now she is very quickly becoming be sweet, smart, fun, loving and beautiful big girl. So that makes me VERY happy as do all of the new things she is doing and learning.

So these days I am very busy chasing her around, planning her birthday party and making things for her birthday party, on top of everything else I have to do. I will be sending out invitations but go ahead and mark your calendars for May 19 from 2-4pm (tentatively). 

I will try to post some updated pictures tonight :)

[I LIED]

So in my post about new years resolutions...I lied. I said that I wanted to get in shape but not necessarily lose weight...that was a lie. Every year I say that I am going to lose weight and it never happens so I wasn't even going to say it this year, but I changed my mind. I do want to lose weight. Not just to look better but to feel better and to hopefully help my knees from hurting. I started my new diet today and if all goes well, which it will because I am DETERMINED to do this, I will have lost 54lbs. by April 30. Sounds like a lot I know but that's what I want so that's what I am going to do. I know its not going to be easy but I am doing it for Maeleigh too for many different reasons. Its going to be hard so I will take all of the support and encouragement that I can get. But I think once I start seeing results that I will only be more and more motivated to keep going. I'm going to do it and that's all there is to it. I'm tired of being fat and this is the year that I am going to change it because I have someone else to do it for since I can never do it just for myself. And when I DO lose my 54lbs. I am going to go and buy some of the outfits that I have fell in love with on Pinterest :) haha. since I will actually be able to wear them then since I will be able to get them in my size.

So other than starting this year off with a lie, haha, everything has been going good! I am trying to introduce a sippy cup and stage 2 1/2 and 3 stage foods to Maeleigh. She is learning how to drink from her sippy cup pretty good, she was just confused by it at first but she is starting to get it now. She likes the stage 3 breakfast foods but is still unsure about the others since they have bigger pieces in them. She will eat the fruits and veggies but she wont eat all of them, but its a good start. She has also attempted to get up on her knees a few times in the seconds that she will lay on her stomach without screaming. So she is starting a lot of new things for the new year too. Its hard to believe that now I can say she will be a year old this year! Which brings me back to her birthday party AGAIN! haha. I plan on going to Hobby Lobby this week and getting some stuff to start working on her decorations. I love doing stuff like that anyway so I cant wait to start on it :)

Chaz had to go back to work today after being off for a week. Since it is going to start getting really cold now that means that one week he will probably get called into work in the wee hours of the morning and not get off until the evening and the next week he will go in in the mid morning and not get off until late at night or very early in the morning. I am not looking forward to this but its part of his job and I like to have my heat on when the wind chill is 14* like it was this morning and in order for that to happen he has to go to work. So will will survive, and be warm :)

[2011 IN REVIEW]

2011 has been the best year of my life so far. I started out 2011 about 5 months pregnant and I am ending it with a beautiful, perfect, amazing, healthy, smart, funny 7 1/2 month old little girl. I mean what could be more amazing than that? NOTHING! She is the most amazing thing in the whole world! She is the light of our life and such a blessing. I'm sure that every year to come will only get better and better because we have Maeleigh to spend it with and eventually we will hopefully also have other children to spend it with too... but that's still a few years away. This year also started with me and Chaz both working 2 jobs so that we could save money for our sweet baby to come, and now at the end Chaz has a great job that he loves and wonderful people to work with and I am a stay at home Mommy which is exactly what I have always wanted to be. So anyway... here is a time line/summary of  the things that happened in 2011. 

*January*

-5 months pregnant with our little blessing

*February*

-Chaz started working for CAMS

*March*

-I started only working 1 job

*April*

-I turned in my notice at Putnam General Hospital and had my last day of work

*May*

-Maeleigh Denise was born on the 19th at 7:28p.m. weighing 7lbs. 10oz. and was 20 1/2in. long

*June-August*

-We just watched our sweet baby girl grow and learn new things

*September*

-Maeleigh had her 1st trip to the beach at St. George Island, Florida

*October-December*

-We just watched our sweet baby girl grow and learn new things and spent Maeleigh's 1st major hoildays together
-I graduated college with my Bachelor of Health Science in December

And now here, New Years Eve 2011.  We are spending the evening with MiMi and Pappy at their house to ring in the new year. It has been a great year and I can't wait to see what the new year will hold :)

We hope everyone has a wonderful and safe New Years!!

[THIS & THAT]

There has not really been much going on lately...just a few random things.

I thought that Maeleigh had found her voice about 2 months ago...I was wrong. She has NOW officially found her voice...I hope. She has learned to babble and squeal quite loudly. I think it is hilarious. We went and ate mexican last night with MiMi and Pappy and she took it upon herself to entertain all of the people around us. She was squealing and talking and also doing what we like to call the "baby chicken dance". If you have not seen Maeleigh's baby chicken dance you don't know what you are missing out on. I don't even know how to explain it but it is the cutest thing ever! She taught it to herself about a month and a half ago and she just keeps getting better at it and will now do it when you tell her to. She is so smart :) But anyway...all of the people around us were watching her and laughing and talking to her and needless to say she LOVED the attention. She would look around and make sure that people were watching her and then she would show off her dance skills. She has pretty much mastered being able to maneuver her walker around places. She still sneaks up in Jett and Bullet and tries to run them over which is very entertaining to watch. She will be very quiet and move really slow until she gets right up to them (they are usually sleeping) and then she goes at them full force! They usually get away but she got Jett today and he took off running when she ran over him and honked her horn and then she started squealing. She knew exactly what she did and she was quite proud of herself for catching him. She actually walks really good in her walker and has now started running. I swear she is never going to crawl, she is just going to go straight from sitting to walking. And now she will run really fast and then pick up her feet and keep rolling across the room. It is just so funny to sit and watch her and the new things that she learns and teaches herself. She is just such a smart little girl. She has to go to the doctor on January 10 to get her booster for her flu shot, which I am not looking forward to. I just hope that she does as good as she did with her 6 month shots, she was such a big girl. She loves playing with all of her new toys that she got for Christmas and will just sit on the floor and play by herself, until she throws all of them out of her reach and then she gets mad. But I think that is about all that is new with her lately :)

I can't believe that in 2 more days it will be 2012!! And then I will have to say that my baby girl will be 1 year old this year!! I just cant believe that she will be a year old in 4 1/2 months. I know I keep say that over and over in pretty much all of my posts but I just really CAN'T believe it! I swear I just had her! But anyway...I have already decided on my new year's resolutions...I have a few...

1. Learn how to sew. 

2. Get caught up on Maeleigh's scrapbook and keep up with it from now on. 

3. Get in better shape, NOT lose weight because that never happens, just tone up a little bit so that I feel better about myself and don't hate what I see when I look in the mirror. 

4. Learn how to crochet.

5. Make all of the fun things that I really want to make on my Pinterest :)

But I guess that's it for now! Maeleigh is ready for her lunch so I better run :)

Please keep the Needham family in your prayers. My brother Trey's girlfriend Laura's niece Piper, who is 2 years old, has leukemia and had a bone marrow transplant this past Wednesday. She has a long road ahead of her and will take all of the prayer and support that she can get. If you want to you can keep up with her on their blog The Needham Family.

We hope everyone has a Happy New Year!!

[SHE SPEAKS]

I forgot to mention in my last post that Maeleigh is officially talking now. She started saying Da-Da on Christmas Day and has not stopped since. I keep telling her Ma-Ma but she just smiles and keeps saying Da-Da. She sounds so cute! Sometimes she screams it, sometimes she whispers, and sometimes she says it in a deep voice (which is hilarious by the way). I just can't believe that she is growing up so fast and is starting to do so many new things. I was buying her some new clothes today with a gift card that I got for Christmas, because of course I buy nothing for myself and everything for her :), and I was getting her some really cute summer stuff and realized that I needed to get 18 months size...this makes me sad. I can't believe that this summer she will already be a year old and in 18 months clothes! It just seems like I JUST had her and she is still supposed to be my sweet little baby, but she is quickly growing into my sweet big girl which is perfectly fine, I just can't believe how fast she is growing.

Yesterday was a great day. Maeleigh got to meet her Great Aunt Shelley :) If you don't already know she is not technically my aunt but her and my Mamma have been best friends since middle school so I have always called her my aunt. But anyway...she lives in Maryland is in town for Christmas so we went to visit her. Maeleigh loved playing with Aunt Shelley and she got some really cute warm, comfy clothes for Christmas too. I am so glad that she finally for to meet her, along with her husband David, son Josh and David's mom Ms. Peg. Josh had a remote control helicopter that he got for Christmas and Maeleigh LOVED watching him fly it all around the room. She would be so quiet and sit so still and just watch it fly all around everywhere. So we had a very good visit with them :) Hopefully we will get to see them again and let Maeleigh meet their other son Evan who was flying in today. 

But anyway...since I am completely consumed with planning her 1st birthday party now I am going to go goggle and pinterest to my hearts content, or until I get so tired that I can't hold my eyes open...which ever comes first :)

[CHRISTMAS 2011]

I cant believe that Christmas has already come and gone. We had a GREAT Christmas! Maeleigh got lots of presents from Santa and everybody else, she must have been a really good girl this year :) We got up at about 7:15 and Maeleigh ate her breakfast, then we went to Grandmamma's house to eat breakfast where Maeleigh had fun playing with Hayden, Gracie and Colton, she wanted to play with Lucas too but he was sleeping. Maeleigh really like Gracie's pretty velvet dress and kept feeling of it. After we left there we can home and Granny, Papa and Uncle Caleb came over and we ate lunch and opened presents. The about 4:00 we went to MiMi and Pappy's house to have dinner and open presents with them, Uncle Trey, Laura and Uncle Thomas. And then we finally came home to go to sleep. SO needless to say we had a very busy day  and Maeleigh was still worn out from it today, she took like 5 good naps...that never happens. All that opening presents and playing with her new toys really did wear her out, but she had lots of fun. And just like I thought she ripped open every single one of her presents all by herself! She is so smart! She knew exactly what to do with them. I didn't even have to show her not one time what to do. I can only imagine how fun her birthday is going to be. She is really enjoying her new toys since all of her old toys were "baby" toys she was getting really bored with them, so I'm glad that she has new stuff that she likes to play with. But I do know that we now need a bigger house, you cant even walk through the house for all of the toys everywhere. Who would have ever thought that somebody so little would have so much stuff that takes up so much space?! Haha.

We hope that everyone had as wonderful of a Christmas as we did :)

Now that Christmas is over I have to start planning Maeleigh's 1st birthday party! But I am going to wait until after the first of the year...give myself a few days to recover. Haha. But I figure I need to start planning now 1. because it has to be perfect and 2. if the next 5 months go by as fast as the past 7 months have gone by her birthday will be here before I know it. I just want to make sure that I have plenty of time to get everything done that I want to do, and I think that 5 months should give me enough time. I sound crazy I know but I want her 1st birthday to be absolutely perfect :)

But anyway...I am still very tired too so I am going to try to go to sleep since the princess is sleeping good :) I will try to remember to post some pictures soon.