Bittersweet day

I am filled with so many mixed emotions as today is my last day of work.  Words cannot describe how excited and grateful I am to be able to stay home with my sweet angel.  She is my world, and making sure she is happy, loved, and taken care of is my #1 goal in life.  But I've been with Morgan Keegan for 5 1/2 years in which time I've had lots of highs and lows, made lots of great friends, learned a lot about myself, and really grown as a person. This is a big deal for me. I've worked very hard to get where I am (not that I'm some huge success or anything, but I've come along way from where I started) and I'm not gonna pretend it's not hard to give that up. While being a stay at home mom has been a life long dream of mine (yes I have high ambitions), it's not easy giving up your career and what has been part of your 'identity' for so many years.  With that said though, I am very confident about this next journey that God has laid out for me and I am so very thankful to be given this opportunity.  I have been blessed beyond belief in 2011 and I am so excited to see what 2012 has in store for me!  I have a feeling this is going to be my best year yet, and here I thought 30 was old, the fun is just beginning!

My wonderful friends at work had a surprise breakfast for me this morning.  I cried when I walked in. Of course.  I've received lots of sweet cards, emails, and kind words...it's a good feeling knowing you'll be missed.  I love all of you (ok well MOST of you) MK'ers and will miss you very much, but I promise to come back and visit (and bring Allie, since that's who everyone REALLY wants to see). 

Here are a few pictures of my last day at MK with my favorite peeps.

*disclaimer - I apologize for those not pictured, you're my fave's too, but you were either not here today or already gone home this afternoon, please don't be offended :).

Thank you all again for a fabulous 5 1/2 years.  It's not goodbye, just see ya later.  Signing out.

Allie's 3 Month Pics

Allie had her 3 month photo shoot at the beginning of December with Ashley McDonough Photography.  I'm a little late in posting these, but it's been a busy month.  She did not make it easy for Ashley to capture these pictures, she decided the moment we got there that she was NOT going to smile for a camera, no matter how many tricks you had up your sleeve.  I mean I could have stood on my head wearing a clown costume juggling jars of similac and this girl was not going to crack.  She gets her stubbornness from her Dad, when she's made up her mind that she doesn't want her picture taken, she means it.  I really hope she grows out of it, because I love pictures, and I love having updated professional pictures of her.  It's gonna get ugly if I have to start dragging my husband and a toddler kicking and screaming to our photo sessions...but I'll do it...that's how much these pictures mean to me and I'm not backing down.  I got a new camera lens for Christmas too so Allie better look out and start smiling cause the mamarazzi needs a subject to practice on.

Here are a few of my favorites, I think they turned out great, especially with what Ashley was given to work with.  Even when she's pouting though, my baby is the prettiest girl in the world!

This one cracks me up. Classic pouty face.

 This one to me looks like she's getting a lecture from Daddy.

 I love this look on her face...

4 Months Old

I know I say this every month, and let's be honest...I'll probably continue to say it every month for the rest of her life...but I cannot believe my baby girl is 4 months old!!  She was pretty shocked herself when I told her...

She's at a really fun stage right now, jabbering and laughing away, she definitely keeps us entertained.

Allie's top 10 favorite things right now are:
1. Similac
2. Sitting up like a big girl. I think she's pretty good at it too for only being 4 months, not to brag or anything.
3. Being cheered for when she's sitting up like a big girl (or doing anything for that matter, she just likes being cheered for).
4. 'Flying' with her daddy. And again, being cheered for while 'flying.'  (this girl loves some praise!)

 5.  Similac
6.  Anything with flashing lights & noise
7. Ceiling fans
8. Playing on her play mat
9. Similac
10.  Playing in her new Jumperoo that Santa brought her for Christmas...

Yes I know Similac was listed three times, but that's by far her favorite thing right now.  See, I'm not lyin...

You've never seen a baby girl get so excited as when I shake her freshly made bottle in front of her face, she throws her arms up with excitement, like she's just won the lottery.  And if you even think about taking it out of her mouth mid-feed, you're likely to lose a finger.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

She had her 4 month checkup this morning, which meant two more shots for her...which equals not a happy camper.  She was just hanging out on the table, enjoying the crinkly sound of the paper as she moved her legs from side to side...

 And then BAM she was stabbed in both legs with two very large needles.  I'm not gonna lie, I hate shots, it took my mom, 1 Dr. & 3 nurses to hold me on the table to give me a shot when I was little, so I don't blame her for screaming bloody murder...I would too. But she was left with two pretty stylish battle wounds.

Everything else looked great.  She weighed 16 lbs. 3 oz. and was 24.5 inches long.  Unfortunately for me, this means she's officially outgrown the size 1 diapers that I have been desperately trying to squeeze her chubby little legs into in hopes of finishing the value box that we received as a gift.  But I think it's time to suck it up and move on to size 2.  I know Allie will be happy, no more wetting the bed...hopefully.

In other big news, she gets to start on solid foods this week, man is this exciting stuff or what?!?!  I actually am looking forward to it, and I'm sure she is too. 

Alright, you want bigger news than that?  Drum roll please...I am officially going to be staying home with Allie starting on January 2nd!!!!!  Can I get a whoo hoo???  After lots of deliberation, Jeff and I have decided that it would be best for all of us if I stay home and take care of Allie.  It's a little bittersweet ('more sweet than bitter'...for all of you Big Head Todd fans out there) because I do love my job and I love the people I work with...but I couldn't be anymore excited to be able to stay at home with my little sidekick.  But before you start getting visions of me and Allie laying on the couch in our PJ's watching Days of Our Lives, I have to say, I'm not completely off the hook.  I will be working from home doing work for Jeff so my days will still be very busy (if not busier), but at least I'll be there with Allie.

So that's all the big news I have for today, sorry for the long post.  I have more posts coming with pictures from all four Christmas' we attended...but I'll spare you today and save those for tomorrow.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!!

Santa Claus is coming to town!

Yesterday was a big day in Allie's world, she got to meet Santa Claus!  She threw up all over her outfit right before Santa came out. I think it was just nerves, I mean it's a big deal when you meet Santa for the first time.  But as soon as I put her in his arms, she felt right at home. She just relaxed, smiled and threw up the peace sign.  

 Just Chillin with my boy Santa

I also had some fun with her at home trying to learn how to shoot in manual mode with my 'mom cam.'  Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

Last Sunday we went to have her 3 month pictures done at the Factory in Franklin.  I'll share those as soon as I get them.


On a more depressing note, I have to go back to work on Monday and to say that I'm dreading it is an understatement. This has been the quickest 16 weeks of my entire life.  I feel like it was just yesterday that I was 9 months pregnant and looking forward to maternity leave, it's amazing how fast time goes by when you're at home having fun with your baby. Grandma Pitta will be keeping Allie during the day, so I know she'll be in good hands, but I am going to miss her so much, I can't even stand to think about it.  I've really gotten used to spending my days with her, and I have truly loved every second of it.  I think I was born to be a stay at home mom...just sayin.

Daddy's 30th birthday!

Happy 30th Birthday to the best husband and daddy in the world. We love you so much and are so lucky to have you in our lives! Thank you for loving us, taking care of us, and always making us laugh.

3 Months old!

Wow, I just realized it's almost been a month since I last posted, shame on me.  Believe it or not, Allie & I have actually been busy.  I couldn't tell you what we've been busy doing, but I'm sure our days have been filled with nothing but important stuff.  It's amazing how fast time flies when you're staying at home, I cannot believe it's been 3 months already.  I want to cry when I think about having to go back to work in 11 days.  Let's not even talk about it, I feel sick.


Can you believe this sweet girl is 3 months old already?

I might be bias, but I happen to think she's the best baby around.  At 3 months she's mastered sitting up in her bumbo seat, she kills tummy time, she talks in full sentences (ok maybe just lots of coo's, but I completely understand what she's saying), and she sleeps in her own big girl bed ALL NIGHT LONG!!!  I mean that last fact alone makes her the best baby in the world in my eyes, it means mommy gets lots of good sleep!  My favorite thing about her right now is when I go to pick her up out of her crib in the mornings. She is just laying there staring at her butterfly mobile, talking to herself, and when she sees me her legs go straight up in the air and she throws her arms up and smiles from ear to ear in excitement to see somebody, it's amazing and makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. 


She had a great first Thanksgiving, she got to try mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes.  She prefers sweet potatoes like her daddy. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'll end by sharing a few more pics of her being awesome.

She stands up on her own, she seriously has legs of steel

Her first pony ride

Helping mommy cook 

Weekend away

This weekend Jeff and I spent our first long weekend away from Allie, and as much fun as we had, it was really hard being away from her for so long.  We went to Rosemary Beach for our friend Mark's wedding, it was a gorgeous wedding, great weather, and we got to hang out with some great friends.

The bride & groom

But we could not wait to get home to this sweet little face

And if it's even possible, I think Jeff may have missed her more than I did.  He was literally counting the minutes on the plane ride home. He kept asking "how many more minutes until I see Allie?"  And we had a wonderful lazy Sunday just hanging out as a family.

I brought Allie a present back from the beach, her first pair of Tom's, how cute are they?!?! I just couldn't resist.

If you don't know about Tom's, check out their website and learn more about them, it's a great company with a great cause.  


Allie had a blast at her Grandma & Popp's house and I know they loved spending so much time with her.  But I'll be honest, it's gonna be a long time before I leave her for that long again, I missed her WAY too much!!


Congratulations to Mark & Allison, and thank you for a great weekend!!

David Arms art gallery opening

I'm a little late in blogging this but better late than never.  A couple of weeks ago we went to Leiper's Fork for the grand opening of my uncle's art gallery.  For those of you that don't know, my uncle is an extremely talented christian artist in Nashville.  You can check out his work here.  I'm sure you've all seen the 'igbok' bumper stickers while driving around (no matter where you live...they're everywhere!), that's also my uncle.  You can read more about that and get your very own bumper sticker and other igbok products here.


His gallery is amazing, but I didn't expect anything less.  We had a great time visiting with family and Allie got to spend some good quality time with Granny & Papa.