Puppy Love!

As soon as I saw this man enter the park with his new puppy (she was so new, she didn't even have a name) I knew where Baker would be! She was truly in love! It was so sweet to see how loving Baker was. It was also so sweet of this stranger to let Baker love all over his dog! :)

Baker and Mommy Day!

I think that being a mom, wife, teacher, and friend will always be a juggling act and a constant struggle for me. Over the past few weeks I've gotten much better! I'm not bringing home as much work and I'm leaving work at a decent time! Most importantly I've been spending a lot of time with my family! Today Baker and I had our 1st "real" mommy/daughter day! It was so much fun for both of us. We made some great memories! After running a few errands, we spent some time at the park! She was on the move the entire time. I believe her favorite part was watching all the kids and flirting with the adults! Her head was on a swivel the entire time.

playing in the sand

eating the sand

I thought it was so funny that she was attached to my water bottle. She toted it around the entire playground.

tasting the mulch

After a fun afternoon at the park, we ended our day with a hot fudge sundae at McDonald's. Before we left, she was covered in chocolate and ketchup (from chewing on the packs).

What a day! Wish us luck..when she's over the ear infection..the "bop-bop" is making it's way out of Baker's life! I think getting rid of the pacifier is going to be 10 times harder than the bottle! I'm not looking forward to it!

Again?

The saying goes something like.."Mother's just know". Well, after 4 nights of no sleep, a very cranky baby, and giving her extra breathing treatments I just knew Baker had an ear infection. I called the doctor 1st thing this morning and off we went! I was right! Baker has her 3rd ear infection, one each month since December. She like clock work! This is her 2nd double ear infection. Poor thing! Check out the hair! It's actually long enough to stick up!

Baker's favorite books are our photo albums. Sometimes she gets a little "too involved" with them and we have to put them away. I love that she enjoys them since our family doesn't live close by. (Except for Uncle T and Uncle Nick! They're at Clemson!) We go through the pictures naming all the people who love her!

Tender Love and Care!

I think Baker and I both need a little help! I promise I do take good care of Baker! She's a tough little girl. She has to be to survive around here!

Snow Video!

Baker loves HER Kota! Today I caught her sneaking Kota dog food. She opens his dog food storage container and grabs handfuls of dog food. I couldn't stop her. It was just too precious because she knew she was being sneaky!

Finally!

After many forecast for snow over the past few months, it finally happened! We were happy with the 3 inches that melted by lunch the next day. Our last big snow was March of last year and Baker really hasn't changed her opinion of snow since then. I think she was more excited about wearing her snow boots, than playing in the snow.

I promise, I try to get Lacy to take a few pictures with Baker. He's not a big fan of the camera.

She loved hearing the snow crunch and looking at her footprints.

Any true southerner knows how hot grits can be and after 5 minutes of sitting in the snow, they were still too hot to serve Baker!

Juggling!

Mom? Teacher? Wife? or Friend? Every day I struggle to balance my "jobs". I love them all and the older Baker gets and the more demanding my job as a teacher gets, the harder it is to be successful at them all.
This week, it finally hit me! Baker is the 1st child in her class dropped off every morning (7:20) at daycare and one of the last kids to be picked up. We get to spend about 1.5 hours with her before it's time to go to bed. Lately,during this time Baker has been very cranky.

One night this week, she was so cranky she woundn't let go of her lovie or bop-bop, not even for her bath. It was not worth the battle, so in went the lovie and bop-bop. Luckily we have a 2nd lovie, so this one could go in the dryer. As I watched her in the bath tub, I tried to figure out what was going on. I know we all have our bad days, but she just didn't seem very happy with us in the evenings. After talking with Lacy, I decided that I was going to have to put my foot down and leave work at a decent hour. I plan to stay late only 1 night a week instead of every night.

So far, I've done well! I pick Baker up between 3:30 and 4! She's a different child! We have so much fun playing together and just enjoying each other's company. We're so in love! My baby just needed her mommy. She watched all the other kids being picked up by their mommies and wondered where hers was! No more Baker! Mommy's here!

I'm sure it will be a constant struggle/juggling act, but I think I'm getting better! It's tough when you really love being a mom, wife, and teacher! I want to do them ALL and be the best I can be!
I'm excited!! Tomorrow starts my coupon grocery shopping. I have a good friend teaching me all the tricks. Yes! I have the notebook and all! We'll see how successful I am!