Crazy how time flies...

On my way into work today it hit me like a ton of bricks - Wow, Adrian will be nine months tomorrow! She is the same age as the same time it took for her to get here. I know that sounds so simplistic in nature but in reality it is amazing! It is amazing because I barely remember being pregnant - for nine long months I carried her with me everywhere that I went. I felt every kick, every hiccup and every turn that she made. I was amazed by how God could create such a miracle and how lucky I was to be on the receiving end. But today when I look at her I cannot imagine the time before her. She has had such an amazing impact on both of our lives that it makes everything before seem, well, it is hard to even remember.

These past nine months have been blissful but trying at the same time. We have had our ups and downs learning to be parents and Adrian learning to be a baby. We have all cried during sleepless nights and cried during joyous milestones that we have experienced together. At times when I am overly tired or frustrated I have to take a step back and tell myself that I should just enjoy the moment because this moment I will never have back. Rocking my baby back to sleep at 3 am last night was one of them - now when I look back I only feel how soft, warm and cuddly she felt in my arms while she fell back to sleep rather than being upset that I was up at 3 am! This is just one lesson that I have learned over the past 9 months.

If these last nine months have taught me anything they have taught me that the next nine months are going to go by too fast! To think that nine months ago my Adrian could not roll over, hold a bottle, say momma and dada, crawl, stand up, laugh, play with the dogs, feed herself puffs and dance to music is incredible! I am excited for the next nine months and every day there after but I am praying, as I imagine all parents do, that time will stand still - even just for a day. I will need to remind myself to always look for the positive, to stop and smell the babies, and to thank God everyday for all that I have been given. Here is to the next 9 months!

Almost here!

 Newborn pictures

 A month old

6 month pictures- such a big girl!

 

Taking a bath - last night 9 months

Ridng her automobile - 9 months

Looking like a big girl- makes mamma want to cry

Feels like just yesterday Adrian was napping in her lilttle chair right next to me (2-3 months)

Beautiful girl, becoming more aware. 2 months

 

She was so tiny!

8 day Vacation = Lacking Motivation

I am back at work after an 8 day long trip to Indiana and I am having difficulties motivating myself to do any kind of work! It has been a very long time (minus my maternity leave) since I have taken such a extensive vacation and I forgot how difficult it is to get back into the swing of things! My desire to participate, motivate and coordinate have all gone out the window along with my waistline (from all the good eating and drinking I did while on vacation)! But I did manage to upload many pictures from my phone that I took during the course of the week. I still owe pictures from my phone but I always forget to bring it with me!

We really enjoyed our time with all of our family in Indiana- here is just a recap of all that took place!
Saturday- I cannot remember the last time I had so many place I had to be - definitely pre baby. We flew into Indiana and then had his cousins wedding ceremony, wedding reception and then Nates Karaoke Birthday that night (which was a blast)- thank you to Nate who told me "to go getcha some" and to my sister in law Krista who sang Guns N Roses with me.

Sunday - was the Hamilton family family photos. These turned out amazing and I cannot wait to share with everyone once we have the cd.

Monday - We celebrated Joy and Alans 40th Anniversary with a nice dinner in Fort Wayne - hibachi style!

Tuesday -   Hung out with family and relaxed

Wednesday - we visited school and Joy was able to show off Adrian to all the teachers as well as Nick got to see all his teachers and I got to hear about how amazing my husband was back in the day! :) We then ended the night at some of our good friends house.

Thursday- Nick and I were able to have some time to ourselves so we went to see our first movie together in 2011 and out to a nice dinner and ended the evening with some friends! What a treat!

Friday - was the day of Emily and Landons wedding rehearsal and dinner.

Saturday - the wedding began at 12:30 and went until Sunday morning :) It was beautiful and I feel so lucky that we were part of their special day! Thank you to all of our family who helped babysit the little one!

Sunday- Drove to Indy and boarded the plane home.

So as you can see our week was very full but we would not have changed it a bit. We are looking forward to our next trip very soon! More pics to come

Game Changer!

I know I know it has been way too long since I have updated the family blog! I am ashamed - I can't even look at myself in the mirror :) but here goes it goes...  The Hamiltons have been busy bees lately! Time is flying by and my baby girl is growing up right in front of my eyes. A month and a half ago Adrian began army crawling all around the living room then two weeks ago she took her first real crawls! She has become unstoppable - crawling all over the place! Nick refers to this as a Game Changer because your whole routine really changes since now she doesnt just sit where you put her - you turn around and she is gone and getting into something! Our dogs do not know what to think about this new stage in our lives, in fact, Adrians favorite object to crawl to is Tobys bowls which really does not sit well with him!

So not only is our child mobile now but she is pulling up on any and everything. This is the part that scares me because what goes up must come down! But I guess that is just the learning process for little ones. I guarantee that it will be just a matter of time she will begin to taker first steps. Even though as a parent you cannot wait for this day it also makes me a bit sad to know that my baby is quickly becoming a toddler.

Adrian truly takes my breath away every day that I wake up and see her smiling face. She is such a happy spirited baby whose smile can melt your heart. She loves to eat her bananas and is really enjoying her banana and apple puffs! She splish splashes around in the bathtub now and has a one track mind when it comes to the dogs - especially Pete. Ms. Sophie is still her favorite toy but a small bottle of lotion  that she likes to chew on in my bathroom is coming in a close second. She has loved swimming in the pool and in the lake this summer - she is such a trooper on the boat and has even mastered the art of naps on the boat.  Adrian swears by her daddys tickles and loves to nuzzle with mommy very early in the morning. Every night I get home from work Nick has Adrian propped up looking over the back of the couch to say hi to me as I walk through the door. It is a precious moment that I will always remember.

Not a day goes by that I dont think to myself  "wow, how did I get so lucky" but it isnt luck we are truly blessed. We have so much to look forward to in the next few months - weddings, family visits, me turning the big 30, holidays, cooler weather and a 1 year birthday celebration!  I will try to do a better job on keeping track of all these special moments. Until then...xxoo

All these pictures are from my phone because of my laziness to upload our camera pictures - but I swear I will soon!

Adrian at 8 months!

First transportation from Mama and Papa. She really liked it but could really only go backwards.

Please ignore me- we had just woken up and were watching Nick Jr from bed. She is such a cuddle bug first thing in the morning.

Journey to the Hoosier State and back

Well log another successful and fun trip back to Indiana for the Hamilton's - family of three. We left on Thursday mid day headed to Indianapolis, from there it was another 2 hour drive North to Decatur. Our trip was spent visiting with family, friends and a few animals  (1 snapping turtle, a possible bob cat , 1 stray cat, 2 ducks with only 1 leg each and 1 bass- there are stories behind each one, just ask!) . Most of the time we were out by the pool soaking in the great mid west rays, swimming in the pool or the pond and kicking back with your beverage of choice- mine was Bud Light Lime! At night we made bon fires, hung out with friends, made smores and enjoyed the cool breezes that Texas does not have right now!

Adrian of course was the center of attention and I believe she enjoyed every minute of it! So much so that every night she was out by 8 pm and slept for 9 to 9.5 hours. She is a very lucky girl to have so many people that love her and that will be witnesses to her life.

On Monday the 4th we made our way back to Indianapolis where our flight was over an hour delayed but Adrian still did an amazing job and hung in there like a champ- I also like to think that Nick and I also were champs and perhaps even deserve a medal because flying with a child is not the easiest of tasks!  We are already looking forward to next trip in September!

She was not popular at all. All her cousins wanted to play!

Just arrived!

She loved seeing all her cousins!

Taking a ride with grandpa and Madison on the golf cart. Grandpas youngest grand babies.

Grandma Hammond came to visist and see Adrian!

Noah could always get her to sleep. She loved napping here after a long afternoon of playing.

Adrians favorite seat in the house- dads shoulders!

Aunt Krista always makes her laugh!

Adrians dinner time was fun to watch!

Loved being in the pool of course; even when it was 10 degrees lower than our pool at home. She loves the water.

Daddy daughter pool time!

4th of July dress!

Swimming and fishing in the pond.

Jack caught a bass!

He has to show it off- he kept saying"with no bait!"

About to head back home- we were all sad.

First time sitting in a restaurant high chair at the airport. She did a great job!

Video of Adrian sitting up and then talking to Pete. Very cute!

Hamilton Happenings

So I am almost ashamed that it has been so long since my last post! In my defense, every time I even looked at my blog I would get overwhelmed at how much there was to update on that I would get lazy and just switch the screen back to Facebook or TMZ. Well I am not that lazy lady today so here it goes!

-Adrian will be 6 months old next Monday and it is getting harder and harder to remember her as a tiny baby (which makes momma sad). She is growing into such a little girl and has developed such a distinct personality- that becomes more defined with everyday that passes. I have a feeling she is going to be a little too much like her mother haha.

-Adrian is officially sitting up! As most of you know my baby only likes to be held upright and looking out because she just loves to people watch like her parents. Well now she can sit up on her own and take it all in! She hasn't mastered pulling herself up but when placed there she can hold herself up for several minutes! Before you know it she will be walking! tear

-Adrian has 2 teeth and 2 more on the way! She is eating solids now and has a great appetite. Where has the time gone!?

-We put our house on the market! yikes! I have wanted to do this for awhile now, but once again, the thought of getting the house ready to sell was taunting but we slowly but surely got there and it is move in ready! We have had only 2 showings and one open house but I am positive that the right buyer is out there. It has been a wonderful first home for Nick and I. It is the house where we came home to after our honeymoon and began our life as man and wife and it is also was the home where we brought our baby girl home to and started our life as a family of 3. It will always be our 'first' and will always have a special place in our hearts but I am looking forward to the next home where we grow into as a family. Updates to follow!

-I have been swamped with work lately and have had a presentation every week for the past 2 months it seems but I am loving every second of it. My job challenges me everyday and forces me to think harder, be more creative and step outside of my comfort zone. I just surpassed my 1 year anniversary at Novation but it feels like I have been here for years due to all that I have learned and accomplished. I hope to be a fantastic role model for my daughter as my mother was to me - and one of the many things that I always looked up to my mom for was her drive, ambition and being a bad mamm jamma at work (if you knew her you would say the same).

-Nicks parents came to town for a long weekend and we had such a great time! We went to the Stockyards and showed them what it really meant to be in Texas, had great BBQ at Coopers, had a cookout with family and friends and took them out on my parents boat for Adrians first boat ride. It was such a relaxing weekend where we were able to really enjoy eahcothers company. I cannot wait for the next visit!

-Last weekend my mom, Nick, Adrian and I drove to OKC to visit with our dear friends Jan, Lindsay and Romi. We had never met Romi before so I am so thankful we were able to do it before she turned a year old next month. She will have a little sister in October (hopefully on my bday!) so We will have to make another trip soon. Also, during our trip Nick and I attended my old friends Oakley and Susans wedding- this was so great because we were able to catch up with some of the best friends I have ever had. All in all we had a whirlwind of a trip that was much needed!

-As you will be able to see in the pictures below we had the privilege of visiting the new Cowboys stadium with Ben and Allison! It was a dream come true for those boys but was also very cool for us girls too. We took a million pictures as you will see. Nick told Adrian that he knew she would never remember this moment but that he would never forget it. He is such a sweet daddy!

I vow to not take this long to update moving forward!! Because when I do it is impossible to include all that you want to in one single post. I am sure I am leaving out tons of stuff such as birthday surprises, surgeries, engagements of wonderful friends, announcements of babies (1 Tuel boy to be exact) and one crazy housekeeper biting dog but that is just life...and I am so thankful to have so much good news/stories to write about! Love you all

Oh, also posted is the video of Adrian eating solids for the first time- I finally downloaded it!

A letter to Adrian

Dear Adrian,

It was just yesterday that you turned four months old and it was just last night that during dinner I turned to your dad and told him that I no longer could remember our life before you were in it.

Since the day that you entered into this world and into our arms I have fallen more and more in love with you. You constantly amaze us with how happy you are when you wake up in the morning, how much you love to "talk" about your day when you get home from school, how you become stronger every day and will soon be sitting up on your own, how you already don't like it when I put your pacifier in your mouth because you want to be the one to put it in, how you love to put anything that will fit into your mouth and how when you look at me directly in the eyes my heart still melts.

We have learned so much about who you are already in these four short months. I am looking forward to watching you grow up into a beautiful little girl who will continue to amaze me with every story told, song sang and look given. But I will say that I am not trying to rush time too much and cherish every minute we have together. You are such a blessing and your father and I try to remember that every day and thank God for all he has given us.

This afternoon I will be leaving work early to rush over to pick you up from school because I think we need some mom and daughter time together. I am already trying to start our traditions together especially because I know your dad has so many in store for the two of you!

A mom and dad could not be more proud or love their child more than we love you.

Love,
Mom and Dad

Pictures from Adrian waking up yesterday- not the best pictures because
they are from my phone but still a cutie!

Prayer with a twist

So today a coworker of mine passed along a link to Tina Fey's new book "Prayer for a Daughter"- I just had to repost a section of it because not only is it as funny as you would expect from Tina Fey but it also has so much truth to it. Sometimes our prayers for our children can run long and include everything under the sun but as parents we just want so much for our kids and I think this is a pretty great start! I will be buying this book tonight on my Kindle. Enjoy!

"First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer. Guide her, protect her when crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers. Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen.

Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed. A

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back. “My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen."