Wrapping up 2008

I can't believe that tomorrow is New Years Eve.. where has the year gone. It seems like the older I get the faster time goes by. We had a wonderful Christmas, except the fact that the flu ran its course through my entire family. We weren't able to have Christmas Eve at my mom's house due to the flu. Other than that, everything was very special for Brynn's 1st Christmas. Of course she got a ton of stuff, no thanks to Josh and I. Between the grandparents and aunts and uncles on both sides of the family she got pretty spoiled if you can imagine.

I do this every year around this time but I have to set my New Years resolutions. I am hoping this year I can stick to them better than in the past.

First, I want Josh and I to start going to church as a family. It seems like the only time we go together is when we have family in town or are out of town with family and go. I was raised in a family that went to church every Sunday together and I want Brynn to have that same thing. I have gone to two different churches in Terre Haute since we have moved here and I like both of them alot. I have gone alot by myself before she was born , and could get Josh to go with me some then. It isn't even really that is he is opposed to it, but I just don't seem to force it on him either.

Second, I want to get back into shape.. don't we all. I am just sick about how I sort of let myself go. I just got so wrapped up in being a new mom and other things that I just didn't take the time to really take care of myself. I have already signed up to do the mini marathon like I said before so that will hopefully get me the motivation to start lifting weights and doing pilates again.

Third, I want to do volunteer work. It is hard to find time to do that, but it is so important. Josh and I are so blessed and have so much to be thankful for that we should give something back to the community.

So I hope everyone will help me stay true to these resolutions, check in on me every once in a while and see how I am doing!

Happy New Year!!

Home for the Holidays

We have a busy week ahead of us and I am so excited.. alot of time to spend with good friends and family. My sister and nephew fly in tomorrow from NY.. I am so excited to see him. I haven't seen him since he started walking so I cant wait. Then over the weekend we are getting together with several friends for the Purdue-Davidson game at Conseco on Saturday.. it should be a good game and I am excited to see my friend Kerri who is home from San Diego for the holidays. Then Sunday I am going to my goddaughter's 1st birthday party. I cant believe she is 1.. where does the time go? It seems just like yesterday she was born.. I am so excited to have the time off of work to do all of these things.

I am feeling so much better today.. it really took it out of me though. Luckily, Josh has dodged the bullet so far, so lets keep our fingers crossed that he doesn't get it. Brynn is 100 percent recovered now which is most important anyways.. and I am slowly getting my energy back.

Hope to see you many over the holidays. I am sure I will post more before then but if not everyone have safe travels and a wonderful Christmas among family and friends. Love to all!

FYI

Just wanted everyone to know the flu has spread.. I woke up this morning not feeling so well. I thought it was just a fluke so I went a head to work and after the third time of throwing up called Josh in to rescue me. That is the nice thing about us both being in the same profession and working for the same company. The bad thing is I couldn't take care of Brynn.. so my mom came up to help out. I feel so sorry for Brynn she hasn't been feeling well and all she probably wants it to be held and comforted and I couldn't even do that for her. I feel like a deadbeat mom. Luckily Nana was able to come to town. Makes me once again realize living close to both sets of grandparents is so nice!

Bitten by the Flu Bug

So Brynn had her 1st experience with the flu.. it was short lived thank goodness but still so sad to see her that way. It is hard telling where she got it from.. considering Josh and I are pharmacists and everyone we interact with is sick. I had never seen someone so small throw up so much. It made me so so sad. I called Jill, who works with pediatrics and Suzanne, whose kids were battling this a week ago just for some reassurance that I was doing the right thing. You know in your mind in the right thing to do but just feel so helpless so want to know that you are doing everything you can to help them feel better. Luckily, she didn't have the diarrhea to go along with it. She finally ate a real bottle this morning. I was leery of giving it to her but she was so hungry so I just gave her a small amount to see if she could keep it down and a half hour later fed her more. It has been 2 hours now and I haven't seen anything come back up and the good news is she finally had a wet diaper. Yeah!!

So now I just hope Josh and I don't get it.. obviously I would much rather be sick than have her sick.. but don't want it to be a continuous cycle.

Am I Crazy??

We had a busy morning today.. we are signing Brynn up for Kindermusik classes that start in January. Josh was off this morning so we went to a class to try it out and make sure Brynn would like it. It was 45 mintues long. We think she really enjoyed herself, but she was tired by the end, rubbing her eyes and she was asleep before we even pulled out of the parking lot. She was the youngest in the class today.. most the other kids were walking but she enjoyed watching them run around. Hopefully when the Spring semester starts there will be some smaller babies in there with us, but either way she and I will both enjoy it. I am doing it just as much for her as me to meet people.

Then Josh and I went to sign up for the mini marathon in Indy next May. Our friends, Dan and Sarah, did it last May and encouraged us to sign up with them. We will be training with the Terre Haute Road Runners so it will be another good way to meet people, not to mention a great way to get back in shape. No more excuses!! I do think I am kind of crazy considering it has been well over a year since I have ran at all but it will give me something to work towards.

Then I got my haircut.. much needed. I looked like a shaggy dog.. so now Brynn and I are at home, cleaning the house for the rest of the day. I don't have too many more days home between now and Christmas. My sister flies in next Thursday, the 18th and I will be spending alot of time at my parents after that until Christmas with her and her family. I can't wait.

I am happy to say that Grandma Canup(Josh's mom) is getting around much better now. She had to go to the ER Friday night due to her back. She couldn't even get out of bed on her own, for those of you that know Linda she doesn't like to ask for help, is always wanting to help everyone else. Hopefully surgery wont be required but just sorting to wait and see.

Today is my mom's birthday.. Happy Birthday!! She is NY with Kristine and the Lincolns. They are going to see the the Rockettes tomorrow. I am so jealous. I would love to be in NY this time of year.. with all the Christmas decorations.

The Lion King

So I had my first experience with a Broadway show last night.. I cant believe it is the 1st time I have been to one as much as I like musicals. It was absolutely amazing. I went with Jill and 12 of her fellow nursing staff at Jasper Hospital. I had such a good time. The makeup, costumes, music, everything was awesome.. and I don't care what anyone says Rafiki is my favorite!!! It definitely makes me want to go see more shows.

Updates

Since I last wrote it has been more bad news... Jason's friend Tyler passed away Monday. My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family.

Then Bobbi was able to come off the ventilator on Monday but since then has been put back on it. Her family has been there around the clock for love and support so I know this is a very trying and tiring time for all of them. Between the three sisters there is 15 kids that have to be taken care of, please keep them all in your thoughts and prayers. It is all so so sad.

On a more positive note, we are done decorating for Christmas. It wasn't has fun as I thought it might be.. just more stressful. Next year will be easier now that I have more of an idea of how to do things. Luckily my mom came up Tuesday evening to help me, so that was nice to have her expertise.. her house always looks so pretty every Christmas. I don't think I would have gotten it done without her.

Brynn is doing good.. growing like a weed. She will be five months old on the 14th. We don't go back to the doctor until her six month checkup, hopefully as long as she doesn't catch something.. I will be anxious to see how much she weighs, I feel like she is gaining alot faster now. We recently changed her formula because she was spitting up so much and she seems to be doing alot better on it. She is getting close or I should say closer to sitting up on her on.. she doesn't fold completely in half at least anymore. I am hoping she will be doing it on her own by Christmas.. I just think it will be more enjoyable for her if she can sit up.

I am going to see the Lion King tomorrow night with Jill and some of her nursing friends. I am really looking forward to it. I will let you all know how it goes.

Thanks to everyone that helped out with the babysitting this week since Suzanne needed to be with her family during this sad time. Brynn is lucky to have such loving grandparents.

Count our Blessings

Although I had a nice Thanksgiving with my family, I received alot of sad news over the weekend.

First, the girl that babysits for Brynn, who is also a classmate of mine from high school, father passed away yesterday morning. He has been sick for several years but the doctors could never really figure out what was wrong with him. He has been in the hospital since November 15th, they had him on a ventilator but really no signs of improvement. It was a decision the family made together to take him off rather than prolong the inevitable. I just feel so bad for her. She is my age and I can not imagine losing one of my parents. Please pray for them.. she has two little boys, a 1 yr old and 3 yr old that will now grow up without their grandpa. It makes me so sad to think about if that were Brynn.

Then, Jason has a good friend, Tyler, who has been battling cancer for the past few years.. he has progressively been getting worse and is now in renal failure. Although I have never met Tyler, just by the stories Jason and Kelli tell he sounds like an amazing person. He is in his late twenties, way too young to be battling something like this. Please just pray for Tyler and his family that he can at least be comfortable these next few days/weeks, and hopefully it isn't too late for some sort of miracle.

Last but not least of course, I know everyone from Loogootee knows about Bobbi Hunt Nonte, but please pray for her and her family. She had surgery a few weeks ago and things did not go as planned, she has been on a ventilator ever since and is not showing signs of improvement. I have not had an update since Saturday so hopefully things have improved since then. She has small children at home and I just pray for them that their mommy pulls through. I have not seen Bobbi in years, but when I was little used to run around with her sister Tara alot. She used to tote me and Tara around to the pool and wherever else we needed to go, I used to always think of her as another big sister.

I hope I didn't depress everyone.. it just puts things into perspective and makes you realize how lucky we really are. Please pray for all the people I listed above, for their families to give them the strength to make it through such horrible times, I cant think of a worse time of year for this to happen to them.

Thankful

I feel like this Thanksgiving is the best ever and I have so so much to be thankful for.. well one thing I am not thankful for is that I have to work tomorrow but other than that I have a ton to be thankful for.

This year has been such a big year for Josh and I.. we moved into our beautiful new home and more importantly had our beautiful baby girl, Brynn. I am so so thankful for her health. Every pregnant woman goes thru it but you worry the entire pregnancy whether or not they will be healthy.. each doctors appt you anxiously await to hear the heartbeat, each ultrasound you hold your breath until they tell you everything looks healthy. When she was born it was such a relief to know that everything truly was okay.

Obviously I am thankful for Josh, without him none of the other amazing things in my life would have occurred. He truly is a wonderful husband and an amazing dad, seeing him with Brynn makes me love him that much more.

I am thankful for my wonderful family and Josh's wonderful family. We are both very blessed in that aspect to have great relationships with our parents. It makes things so much easier in life.. plus it makes me so happy for Brynn that she has two sets of loving grandparents, lots of aunts and uncles and a few cousins to play with(hopefully more on the way in the not too distant future).

I am thankful for my and Josh's health. Everyday in our line of work we hear and see heartbreaking stories of terminally ill patients and it just makes you count your blessings.

I am thankful for my amazing friends.. who have been a huge help this year,especially after Brynn was born and I was going thru such a rough time.. you are all amazing and I love you.

I am sure there are many more things I am thankful for, but don't want to bore you all.

Everyone have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Goodbye Tiller

So I survived another football season!! Although I enjoy every moment up at Lafayette I have to admit I am glad when the season is over and Josh and I get to spend more time together at home, especially now that we have Brynn, I really value our days at home together with her since we work opposite schedules during the week to limit her amount of time with a sitter. Saturday was Joe Tiller's last game coaching at Purdue, although he did turn the program around while he was there in the beginning I think alot of us are glad to see him go.

My parents made it home from Florida safely on Thursday. They came up and stayed with us Friday night and took Brynn back with them for her 1st overnight at Nana and Papaw Smiths on Saturday. They couldn't get over how much she had changed in a months time. I think it is harder for me to notice since I see her everyday but when I go back and look at pictures from a month ago it does make me realize how much she has changed and is growing up.

Josh and I have to work Thanksgiving.. just til 2 though and then will be heading to my aunt Betty's. We are hoping to put up our Christmas decorations over the weekend.. I cant wait. I will have to post some pictures once it is all said and done.

Happy Turkey Day everyone!!

Dr Appt

Brynn went for her 4 month check up and shots today. She weighs 14 lbs and is 25 inches long, 50th percentile for weight and 75th for height. She was 9 lbs 7 ounces at birth, the doctor said she would probably like her to weigh a little more right now but isn't overly concerned since she is so active, rolling over all the time. Obviously the shots are so sad, I just hate hearing them cry like that. Thank goodness it is short lived, only about 5 minutes if even that.

We have been busy since I wrote last. My work schedule changed a little last week so I worked Wed, Thurs, Fri and then Saturday we went to Shelbyville to visit with our friend ,Kyle Fix, and his family. His mother is undergoing chemo and radiation right now and they are our fall tailgating buddies. She hasn't been up to coming to Purdue so we took the Purdue crew to her. It was nice, we had all the regulars there. Fix made his world famous chili, we watched the game(which we wont talk about) and played cornhole. It was a fun day.

I worked the past two days so I was definitely excited about having the day off and spending it with Brynn. My parents have been in Florida since mid October, they get back this Thursday. I cant wait for them to see Brynn and how much she has changed. She can do so much more now. They will be amazed.

I have been busy talking to my sister alot trying to plan what all we are going to do while she is home over Christmas. I haven't seen them, or my nephew, since September 20th.. I am going crazy. He is now walking so I cant wait to see him in person .. they have emailed a few videos but they aren't the same. Other than that just trying to get the house cleaned before I start putting up Christmas decorations. I cant wait. This will be the 1st year that Josh and I have actually decorated since being married. We have always been in our apt and didn't really have the room to have a tree up so I am super excited to decorate this year.

Toes

So I got a call from Josh today at work to tell me that not only can my daughter suck her fingers but now she can suck her toes.. too funny. I was afraid I wouldn't ever get to see her do it but sure enough tonight when I was changing her diaper I always lay her on her changing table and talk to her a for awhile, and she started sucking her toes. I got the camera but of course by that time she had quit doing it and now I cant get it to do it again. I cant get over how flexible babies are, I couldn't suck my toes if I wanted to(believe me I don't want to).

Blogging

So when I started this blog I figured I would do it because it was a good way to communicate with everyone and take up less time than sitting down and emailing everyone personal emails and pictures.. well I am soon learning this takes alot longer than doing that. The reason being is when I sit down to blog I not only update mine but have to read everyone elses blogs as well. I cant help it. I love being nosy and keeping tabs on everyone. I hope that doesn't make me a bad person, I figure if people didn't want me to know their business they wouldn't put it out there for the rest of us to read.

Too fast

So it has been awhile since I have blogged. I know surprise surprise. I cant help it, with being back to work it seems like I want to just spend all my spare time with her and when I am not doing that I want to be cleaning or cooking or doing laundry(well not really want to be but need to be).



Halloween was okay. We really didnt take her out and about. She hated her costume. It was just too hot for her and since it was 70 degrees on October 31st, I cant really blame her for not wanting to be in it. Josh went to Lafayette that night for a basketball game and I was too scared to turn the porch light on and be the only one here, so Brynn and I sat basically in the dark all night because I didnt want the neighbors to know I was home and not passing out candy.. I was afraid some weirdo would come to the door. Me and her had fun, nonetheless, so that is all the matters.



On November 1st, Josh, Brynn and I went to Purdue to tailgate for the Michigan vs. Purdue game. Josh's uncle was in town from Florida.. so the whole Canup clan was there(except Kelli we missed her dearly). It was fun to have all the kids there, Mamaw and Papaw had to get a few pictures taken with them to say the least. That was the 1st time John had seen Brynn, I think he enjoyed being around her. He drove a motorcyle all the way from Florida and said he was going to take Brynn back with him, I told him only if he got her a little side car that she could ride in.



Then on the 2nd, Phillip and Amber came up to visit. I have been to Loogootee so much since Brynn has been born that no one has had to come here to see her. It was nice to have visitors for a change. They are getting ready to start building their house so we just went around to some neighborhoods so they could look at some brick and different things. It was a beautiful day so nice to be out seeing all the pretty trees and leaves.



Brynn is a rolling machine now. She goes from her back to her belly so fast. The minute you put her down her legs go up in the air and she rolls over. It is so cute. She isn't content very long because she cant really get going from her belly to her back, every once in a while she will do this and really surprises herself. I cant believe she will be 4 months this Friday. We were watching video of her yesterday when we gave her the 1st bath, it was so sad to see how much she has changed and grown.. I know I probably sound ridiculous and am acting like she is going to college but I cant help it. She is just growing up way too fast!

1st cold

Brynn is finally over her 1st cold that she has been fighting for three weeks now. She never had a cough just really congested and she would sound like a little pig at night when she was sleeping. When she would sneeze snot would fly everywhere, it was lovely. I didnt take her to the doctor though, she was never running a temperature and didnt sound wheezy so I figured I would just let it work its course.

We had fun at our niece's 5th birthday party. Hannah Montana was definitely the theme. I cant believe how much Hannah Montana stuff she got. Jana made her a guitar cake, it was so cute. Bailey had her 1st slumber party that night. She had three little girls spend the night with her. It was too cute. Brady was quite the pimp, in the middle of all the ladies. Now that he has that cast off he is ready to mingle.

Josh and I had our 1st overnight away from Brynn. Grandma Canup took Brynn home with her after Bailey's birthday party. It was really hard to leave her and I missed her so much. She is just so much fun to be around and with being back at work I just want to be around her all the time when I am off of work. She is getting so close to rolling over. She will do it when she is on the couch but that doesnt really count because it isnt a flat service. She goes from her back to belly though.. she wont do it when she starts on her belly.

Nana and Papaw Smith are in Florida for a month now. Brynn and I had to go see them last Tuesday so they could see her one last time before they left. They were so sad to think they werent going to see her for that long. They have seen her at least once a week since she has been born and sometimes more often than that.

This weekend Josh's uncle John will be in town from Florida. He hasnt gotten the chance to meet Brynn yet. The plan is for everyone to go to Purdue to tailgate for the Michigan game. It should be fun.

I need to go for now. Please say a prayer for my friend Jenny's brother, Steven, he had a very serious 4 wheeler accident on Sunday and has a long recovery ahead of him.

3 months

Brynn is now three months, it is hard to believe. I feel like she was born just yesterday. It is funny to remember when we 1st brought her home from the hospital and how we had no idea what to do with a new baby. I feel like Josh and I have both come so far as parents. Josh especially, he had never even changed a diaper until Brynn. I had to show him in the hospital how to do it, Jason and Kelli got to witness it and thought it was pretty comical. He is so sweet with her and she loves her daddy. I like to say she is a mommy's girl but in all reality I dont think that is true.

We took her to get her three month pictures today. She did really well. She was so tired by the end and didn't like her Halloween costume(a penguin) to begin with so that shot didn't turn out but all the rest of them were pretty cute. Be looking in the mail because I am sure alot of you will receive them soon.

This weekend we have our niece Bailey's 5Th bday party. I cant believe she is 5. I remember when she was born and how excited I was to be an aunt, even though Josh and I were just dating at the time I still considered myself an aunt. Then afterwards Josh and I are going out with some friends while Grandma Canup babysits. I am looking forward to it. Then Sunday we are getting together with some friends to watch the Colts game.. they have a 1 year old daugther, obviously Brynn is still too little to really play but still likes to watch other kids that are busy bodies.

Tagged

I have been tagged to post 6 random things about myself, so here it goes!!

1. I am obsessed with Dancing with the Stars. I love, love, love it. I even get Josh to watch it with me, I keep telling him I want to take dance lessons but I doubt I could truly ever convince him of that, or even know if that is an option in Terre Haute.

2. I love being a mom more than I ever even dreamed. I knew it would be great but obvioulsy you dont understand completely how wonderful it is until you experience it yourself.

3. I hate missing anything... absolutely anything. Anytime family or friends get together I want to be there right in the mix of things. Brynn is the same way, she fights sleep because she is so afraid she is going to miss something.

4. I wrecked a car when I was in the 3rd grade. To make matters worse it was a government rental car and it was my Principal's house that I hit, my little brother and I thought we could get a way with it and not get caught. When we ran up the hill after wrecking the car, we didn't even tell our parents. We just went to our rooms and hid, until the neighbor came up with her hair in curlers to tell my parents what we had done. Oops!

5. I have been best friends with my fellow blogger since we were in the 2ND or 3rd grade. WE have literally been thru everything together. Training bras, boys, moving to big cities! It is pretty cool after all this time that we still remain friends and our little girls are going to grow up together being only 8 months apart.

6. I am married to an identical twin and everyone says that me and his brothers wife look like twins. For those of you that know her, it is a definite compliment to me.

Good News

Brynn's test results from her echo came back and everything is normal.. we were so happy and relieved. It seemed like forever from the time she had the procedure done until we got the results so there was alot of worrying that went on between then and now.


This past weekend we went to Lafayette for another tailgate. Brynn loves being outside so she is usually pretty good the whole time we are there. Obviously my behavior has changed dramatically from previous years but it is all worth it to have her there with us. Josh loves showing her off in all her Purdue gear. It is amazing how much Purdue stuff we have had handed down to us from Bailey and Brady.

She was twelve weeks yesterday. It is so hard to believe, I don't know where the time goes. Sometimes I feel like she has been in our lives forever and then other times I get so sad because she is growing up too fast. It is so much fun though to see her discovering new things all the time.. and she is definitely a talker, I have no idea where she gets that from. When we found out we were having a girl my dad told me that it served me right for the way I was growing up, I have no idea what he means by that, but I think I am going to learn as I go with Brynn.

Fun Packed Weekend

Brynn had her echo on Friday afternoon. She was really good for the most part until the very end and then she got really upset. The tech had to leave the room for about 15 minutes until I could get her calmed down. She was uncomfortable, tired, and hungry, that is a horrible combination for anyone especially an 11 week old. We wont know anything until the end of the week, so now it is just the waiting game until we hear from the doctors office.

Saturday we drove over to Bill and Teresa's house in Guilford. I got to see my cousins, Michelle and Liz, and their beautiful families. Michelle has three kids and another on the way, Christina(3), Paul(2), and Cecelia(9 months), and another due in April. Liz has her big boy Isaac(6 months). It was so much fun seeing them all interact together. Brynn is too young to really know what is going on but I know one day she will be right there in the middle of all the action. We also got to Liz and Will's new house. I was embarrassed that they have only been moved in for a little over a week and more settled than Josh and I who moved in December.

Later that day we watched the Purdue/Notre Dame game at Jason and Kelli's. It was another disappointing loss if you can imagine. Brynn got to meet Biscuit. I don't think she quite new what to think of him. Poor Biscuit though, he finally meets someone his own size and cant even play with her yet. Soon enough Biscuit, I promise. Kelli had to work that night so Josh, Jason, Brynn and I went shopping for her birthday present. Then on Sunday we went to lunch and I made my 1st trip to IKEA. I was in hog heaven. We got a bunch of stuff for our office, so I am so excited to finally get that in order.

All in all it was a wonderful weekend and makes me realize once again how great both our families are.

Dairy Master

As the majority of you know on August 8th my brother-in-law, Lincoln, purchased Dairy Master in Loogootee. I don't know if you all know that all four of us Smith kids worked there during our high school and college years, I think combined we had 15 years invested in working there so it seems only appropriate that someone in our family now owns it. Since Lincoln purchased it, my younger brother Pete has been managing it. This past weekend was the Grand Re-opening of Dairy Master. Kristine and the Lincolns flew in from NY for the festivities. It was alot of fun and nice to see our family pull together to help make this a success for Pete and Lincoln.

Also over the weekend I was able to see alot of high school friends and Brynn got to see her little friends too, Jocelyn and Mara. Erin drove from Nashville and got to see Brynn for the 1st time, Brynn asked when Erin left when she would too have a playmate for her, hopefully sooner than later.

The rest of the week I have to work two days, babysit for Bailey and Brady tomorrow and then Brynn has her doctors appt on Friday for her echo. I am looking forward to the weekend as well. We are going to my Uncle Bill's to visit with their family. Michelle, my cousin, and her three kids are going to be in town so we are going to see all of them and hopefully see Elizabeth's(my cousin too) new house. Then we will spend the night with Jason and Kelli in Cincinnati and Brynn will finally get to meet her cousin Biscuit(their boston terrier).

1st Day Back to Work

Yesterday was the dreaded day, I had to take Brynn to the babysitter and go back to work. I tried not to let it effect our weekend together, but of course I was so depressed all weekend long. In all reality, leading up to it was alot harder than actually taking her to the babysitter. I know that she is in good hands with Suzanne and also know that it is just 3 days a week, I figure if I have more days off with her than I have to work that is better than most people have it.

Then today we had to go for her 2 month appointment and 1st round of shots. It was so hard seeing her cry like that and be in pain, but luckily it was short lived at the doctors office and she has just been a little fussy this afternoon. The doctor did detect she has a heart murmur though. She didn't seem overly concerned but does want to look into it further. Next Friday she has to get an echo cardiogram done, they will send it off to Riley for one of their cardiologists to read and then we will go from there depending on what they find out. I talked to my sister-in-law this afternoon, Jana, who assured me that it is fairly common in newborns and usually something they do outgrow so we are hoping for the best.

Our nephew Brady is getting along just fine with his cast. Jana says he is now doing an army crawl around the house. I didn't figure he would be able to sit still for too long considering before he was a little boy always on the move.

I am excited about this weekend. Kristine, Lincoln and Little Lincoln are flying home for the grand reopening of Dairy Master. We have gotten so spoiled seeing them so often since Brynn has been born. Unfortunately no visits are scheduled after this one, so I am hoping it wont be too long until we can all see each other again.

Eventful Weekend

First of all, after reading my friends blogs and visiting others from their sites, I realize how boring mine is.. I promise to try and spice it up over the next few weeks with more pictures and information about our family.

So Brynn attended her 1st tailgate at Purdue this weekend. I was of course worried sick, what I do best, about how she would handle being outside and around that many people for that length of time but she was amazing. The only bad thing in all of this now Josh thinks she will be fine to go every weekend, and she probably would I just don't think mommy could handle that.

However with good news seems to always come some bad. We found out about 530 that our brother in law, Jeff, and niece and nephew, Brady(2) and Bailey(4) were in a car accident. Bailey just had some minor bruises from the seat belt in the car seat, Jeff had a bloody nose and a concussion, but poor Brady broke his leg. He had to go to Riley and spend a couple of days. He is in a Spica cast(half body cast) for 4 to 6 weeks until everything heals properly. I went today and spent the afternoon with Bailey and Brady while Jana and Jeff ran some errands. I was so impressed with the way he is handling things He is only 2 years old and usually is on the move nonstop and now he is having to just lay on the couch all day and is handling it so well. He is definitely acting older than 2.

I go back to work on Monday. Each day I wake up with that sick feeling in my stomach knowing it is a day closer. I am just hoping to enjoy my remaining days off and just make the most of things when I do go back to work.

Canup Cruiser

We picked up the Canup Cruiser today and brought it to the house to clean for football season. I was worried that we might be kicked out of the neighborhood for having it parked here, but so far so good. We have gotten quite a few looks with people walking and driving by, but I am sure they will be sad to see it go tomorrow when we take it to Lafayette for the season.

Next week is my last week off of work, I am getting so sad. I have enjoyed my time off so much and cant imagine leaving Brynn with anyone. I am very blessed though because a friend of mine from high school, Suzanne Strange, is going to watch her. She has two boys of her own, Cole(3) and Gavin(10 months), so she will have her hands full but she seems up for the challenge. She used to run a daycare so it used to having lots of kids around at once. I will only be working three days a week, so I guess I cant complain too much.

Tomorrow we are going to Indy to pick up Kristine at the airport. Lincoln and LL are heading to Loogootee for the night, while Kristine, Brynn and I go to Lafayette for the 1st football game. On Saturday the rest of the family will come up. It is a good opportunity for alot of us to get together and for the aunts to see Brynn and LL. We are hoping the weather will cooperate.

Bruisers

We had a nice weekend as a family. Saturday we ran a bunch of errands that we had been putting off. Brynn set foot on the bus for the 1st time on Saturday. We started cleaning it up to get it ready for kickoff next Saturday. She cried the whole time she was on it, much to Joshs dismay. I told him that wasnt a good sign, but he is chalking it up as a fluke.

Sunday we went to our friend Bruisers house. He had a cookout for the Purdue Crew. It was the 1st time the majority of our tailgating friends met Brynn. I think it might have given baby fever to a few of the girls(Stacy) but not if their husbands have anything to do with it(Brent). Brynn was pretty good but I think the hot weather got to her a little bit so we had to cut the day short to make sure she was more comfortable and napped. It seems like the only time we can really get her to take a good nap is in her carseat while we are on the move.

Today we went to visit my old college roommates Emily and Abby Durnil and their kids. It was alot of fun and nice to catch up, now that we all have kids we don't get to see much of each other so it makes you cherish the times you really do get to see each other. Once we left there we headed to nana and papaw Smiths house for the night. Josh works 14 hours tomorrow so it is always nice to visit with family on those days.

The rest of the week we will spend getting ready for Kristine and the Lincolns flying home and going to Purdue for the 1st football game. Luckily no rain in the forecast but just hoping it is cool enough to keep Little Miss Brynn content.

Date night

Last night Josh and I had our 1st date night since Brynn was born. Both sets of grandparents live close by and have offered to come and babysit so that Josh and I can go to dinner, but up until this point I hadnt felt ready to leave her. Last night my mom came up and watched her so that Josh and I could go out, our anniversary is the 3rd, so we figured we would just go to dinner to celebrate. We were only gone for a little over an hour but it was nice to get out for a little bit, but I did miss her like crazy while I was gone and of course had to call once to make sure everything was going okay. Everyone keeps saying that when you have kids that you still have to make time and do stuff with your spouse, just the two of you, but it is so hard. Josh works all day and wants to spend time with her in the evenings when he is home, I cant blame him because I get to see her all day and know that I will want to do the same thing when I go back to work.

College football season starts tomorrow! Josh loves this time of year, as you all know all too well. Purdue doesnt play this weekend so I have one more weekend of freedom before the madness begins. We are taking Brynn next weekend to her 1st tailgate, we will see how she does and then decide from there how many more she and I will go back to. Luckily there will be lots of family there next weekend to help out, I am just hoping it doesnt rain or isnt too hot for her.

Great Grandmas

Brynn went for her 1st visit to Great Grandma Canups house today, we call her Grannie. Josh had a dentist appointment in Sullivan this morning so we all rode down together and Brynn and I visited while Josh got his teeth cleaned. It was a nice visit, not long enough, but hopefully we can make it back down there again before I go back to work.

While we were in Sullivan we picked up the Canup Cruiser to get it ready for another tailgating season. Josh said it drove like a dream. We don't know how it does considering what Josh and Jason(Josh's twin brother) paid for the bus 3 years ago, but somehow it continues to putt along, making it to all of Purdue's home games. Even though I complain alot about the bus, I do enjoy it and the memories it has given us over these past 3 years are priceless(Josh would be so proud of me for saying this).

Brynn has been a good sleeper ever since we have brought her home from the hospital, usually just getting up once around 3 am and then again around 630 am to start her day. Well I think she is in a growth spurt because she has been wanting to eat more often the way it is and last night she was up at midnight, 3, and when she was up at 3 didn't go back down until almost 5 and then up again at 630. It makes me sympathize with those mothers who kids are 15 months and 8 months old and still not sleeping thru the night(I wont mention any names), I am hoping this is just a short stage and she will soon go back to her old habits, or even better sleep thru the night.

This weekend we are going to a cookout at our friend Bruisers house. It will be the 1st time Brynn meets alot of our Purdue buddies. We are the 1st out of this group of friends to have a baby so it will interesting to see how it goes.

New Baby

I had mentioned earlier that Brynn had been suffering with some colic, well a few friends had suggested giving her gripe water. I had never heard of this before, I know I am a pharmacist, but they never talked about it in school nor had I heard a doctor recommend it before. We got some and started it on Wednesday and Brynn is like a new baby. She still has some fussy moments, but she is 6 weeks old, what do I expect. However, no more three hour long fits where you cant console her because she is in pain.

We went to Baileys soccer game on Friday night. She looked so cute. I don't know how much she was into the soccer game but she did like when we yelled her name and cheered for her. At one point she was running up and down the field holding the other girls hand on the team, I told her there is no hand holding in soccer.

Then we went to Loogootee for the weekend to visit with Nana and Papaw Smith. Josh was working so it is always nice to go and have an extra set of hands for the weekend. They just cant get enough of her. It is so sweet to see them interact with her. She really is starting to be so much more alert and talking alot. She is starting to smile at us, alot of times it is when she is pooping but we will take what we can get at this point.

A Big Day

Brynn had a big day today. She got to go visit her cousins, Bailey and Brady. My sister-in-law, Jana, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2006 and since then underwent chemo and had a double mastectomy, is doing a Breast Cancer 3 day walk in Cleveland, OH this weekend. Grandma Canup is keeping Bailey and Brady over the weekend while Jana is out of town, so Brynn and I rode to Clayton with her to pick them up today. Bailey and Brady are both so cute with Brynn, especially Bailey. I cant wait until Brynn is a little bit older to see them play together. Brady doesn't quite know what to think of Brynn.. sometimes I think he likes her, other times I think he is jealous. I was nervous about her being in the car for so long because we had the drive there and back and went to lunch while we were there, but she was so good. I honestly think she likes being on the move, I think maybe some times why she throws fits is because she is bored when it is just me and her at home. Not that I can blame her, I am probably not that good of company.

Last night our friends Dan and Sarah brought us dinner over. They have a beautiful one year girl named Olivia. It was nice to have friends over and just relax. Since Brynn has been born Josh has cut back his hours, he is only working 40 now instead of 50 or 60. We have had alot more time together and has been nice to be home together in the evenings when he does work.. I think when I go back to work I am going to miss him just as much as I miss Brynn. We will sort of be working opposite shifts to limit the amount of time she is at a babysitter so we wont have much time home together as a family during the week but will have to make up for it on the weekends. It is amazing how before I never realized how little time we did have together because I never knew any different but having a baby really puts things into perspective and made me realize you work to live, not live to work(sound familiar Kristine).

Tomorrow we are going to watch Bailey(our 4 yr old niece) play soccer. I am excited to see how she does. She is quite the talker so I am wondering if she will actually play or just be talking up and down the field the whole time, she gets it honest though(right Grandma Canup?) Then we are heading home to Loogootee for the weekend to visit with Nana and Papaw Smith, Josh has to work so I figured I would go home and she can see her uncles and aunt too.

Doctors appt

So today I had my postpartum follow up appointment at the doctors office. The doctor that delivered Brynn wasnt the doctor that I saw all through the pregnancy but was on call the day that I delivered so that is who I saw today. We were there for over an hour and a half waiting on him to see us because he got called out for delivery right before our appointment. I was nervous how Brynn would do but she was a good girl. Everyone in the office loved her, but couldnt get over how big she was. I kept reminding them all that they had a part in letting me go that long and letting her get that big. Once he was finally able to see us everything went fine and he released me to go back to work. I was sort of hoping that he would tell me I needed to take at least a year off to fully recover but no such luck.

After the appointment I went to see the lactation consultant again. I dont understand how something that is supposed to be so good for the baby can be so hard to accomplish. She is sort of puzzled too as to why we are having so much trouble, but seems to think that because I had to give her so many bottles when she wasnt gaining weight that now she doesnt want to work for it anymore so just eats enough to satisfy her for a little at a time. She told me for future reference not to necessarily do that right away even if the doctor suggests it(dont tell my doctor that), but I felt like I was doing the right thing at the time because she wasnt gaining weight. Who knows but it has been a struggle from the start and I think Josh and I are about ready to throw in the towel and switch to formula, just because every day I get upset about it and Brynn seems upset because she isnt satisfied and I need to make sure she is a more content baby when I start taking her to the babysitters. I applaud all of you moms who are able to do it and especially those of you who did it for the long haul.. at least I can honestly say I tried my hardest. It does make me sad though to think about giving it up just because it is such a bonding experience, but hopefully now at least I will be able to enjoy the rest of my time off with her. My 1st day back to work is September 18th, a month from today. I cant even think about it without tearing up.

Why Not!

Hello everyone! After reading a few friends' blogs, I figured why not start one myself, so here it goes!

Most of you know that I am married to Josh , from Merom. We met at Purdue University, I am embarrassed to say that I was his TA for Anatomy lab during pharmacy school. Although we didnt break any rules then by dating, our paths soon crossed once again at the Neon Cactus at Purdue and we have been inseparable ever since. We were married on September 3rd, 2005. We reside in Terre Haute and this past December we moved into our new house that took 13 months to build, not because it is a castle but because that is how long it took our contractor to get his act together.

Last November we found out that we were pregnant with our 1st child and that we were due on July 7th. We found out in February that we were having a girl and immediately started buying pink clothes. As the end of June approached we kept waking up every day thinking this was the day that she would arrive, but once July 7th came and went we were beginning to wonder if she was ever going to make her appearance. Finally on July 14th my water broke at about 3 am and at 801pm that night Brynn Madison made her arrival weighing in at 9 lbs 7 ounces and 22 1/2 inches long. Josh wasnt totally convinced she was his kid with that size but then soon realized she looks just like him. She truly is a blessing and we thank God every day that we had a healthy, beautiful baby girl. We are now just trying to work thru some colic and acid reflux issues but other than that are doing well.