First day of college

For a few minutes, I felt like I was taking her to jail, or more fitting, to one of those mental asylums you see on T.V.

It was Anne Marie's first day at college (in the Early Learning Center), and she was sleeping in her carrier, thankfully not seeing what was going on around her. Her classroom was at the end of a long hall. As I walked along, screaming filled the hallway from every angle. In one room, a child was pounding his fists against the door, with screams of "No! Don't leave me! Mommy, no!," coming from his tear-streaked face.

Finally, I got to Anne Marie's room, which was relatively peaceful. One baby was screaming, but the other three were happily playing. One little girl, probably about 8 or 9 months old, was using some plastic keys to pound on a 4-month old's head. He didn't seem to notice. By this time, Anne Marie was awake, and her eyes were huge.

One of the teachers tried to put the screaming baby down to take Anne Marie, but there was no way that baby was going anywhere. So I said, "Where should I put her?" She told me anywhere was fine. I set her down by some toys, and hoped for the best.

I told her Anne Marie was a pretty laid-back baby. "So's this one," the teacher said, pointing at the screaming child in her arms.

I could barely make it through the day. I kept wondering if she would survive. I left as soon as I could from work, and when I got there, things seemed a whole lot better. In the imprisoned boy's classroom, children were happily eating bananas. In the other rooms, babies were quietly playing.

Anne Marie was fast asleep, and had been for three hours, according to the little sheet detailing her day. The teacher said she had been good, but I'm pretty sure she told the screaming baby's mom the same thing.

I'm sure the Early Learning Center is a good place, but today definitely made me glad I made the decision to work part-time. Anne Marie could probably survive more than one day a week in day care, but I don't think I could.

Remembering the first day

This is Anne Marie and my first attempt at a slideshow. I was so glad my friends and family could be there that day- Greg did a wonderful job of creating a memory for us. That's a great benefit of working at a newspaper. You know all sorts of excellent photographers who do a lot better stuff than the typical studio shots.

This was our first day home, after 18 super-long days filled with trips back and forth to the hospital. It was amazing how quickly it happened. One day, she had a tube up her nose and nurses and doctors were saying they had no idea when she could come home and the next, she was ready to go.

The 11:20 workout

I think I'm going to become the master of the 11:20 p.m. workout.

I came home from work today about 2 p.m., and planned on going on a run/walk sometime this evening. I always plan it, but it never seems to happen anymore. Anne Marie took a 2 1/2 hour nap, throwing off plans for an early afternoon trip, and then I was making dinner, catching Matt on his dinner break, bathing the baby, and listening to my mom's story about getting attacked by a pit bull (another story for another blog).

So, it was 10 p.m. and Anne Marie had finally succombed to sleep. I decided to watch a Law and Order episode. Finally, it was 10:30, and I finally admitted to myself that those countless hours of Denise Austin that I have recorded were for times like these.

I got off the couch and did it. It wasn't as much fun as an outside event, but it was actually pretty nice. I'm going to take a shower and go to bed feeling a whole lot better than I would have if I would have left Denise for another day.

Speaking of Denise (McReynolds, not Austin), if you have found this, I miss you! Matt said he would take Anne Marie to his geeky friends for a few hours so I could go out and do something. Sadly, however, you and everyone else have left me in POcatello alone. :( Can't wait to see you in October!

You Are An ESFP

The Performer You are a natural performer and happiest when you're entertaining others. A great friend, you are generous, fun-loving and optimistic. You love to laugh - and you like almost all people equally. You accept life as it is, and you do your best to make each day fantastic. In love, you are a smooth talker and incorrigible flirt. While you get into relationships easily, you don't tend to stick around when times get tough. At work, you do well in groups. You keep everyone laughing through difficult tasks. You would make a good actor, designer, or counselor. How you see yourself: Capable, fair, and efficient When other people don't get you, they see you as: Incompetent, stubborn, and silly

What's Your Personality Type?

Ta Da!

Why yummy?

Why a blog title with the word yummy in it? It's because I got my inspiration while watching Rachel Ray, and the turkey chili burgers she's making sound absolutely awesome, even at 9 a.m.



So I've been wanting to start a blog for a long time, but I have no time. I was reading my dear friend Jeni's blog this morning, and the soothing music she had on it put Anne Marie to sleep, so here we go.



While Anne Marie was falling asleep, waking up a little each time her thumb fell out of her mouth, I started thinking about how continuously amazed I am that she's come this far in such a short amount of time. My little 4 pounder can now sit up and belly-laugh. Check this out:

Then...





... and now



She's pretty awesome, right? I'm incredibly lucky. This little girl wreaked havoc on me when she was in the womb, but since her arrival into the world, she's been nothing but a dream. She rarely cries, always smiles and seems to love life.



They say that when you have a child, things change, and they do, but I haven't really missed much from my previous life.



I still go hiking- Anne Marie enjoys it as well (although her attention span is significantly shorter than mine). We play together, we swim together and we eat together.



I know most people tell me the time goes too fast when you have a baby, but I'm excited for the future. I can't wait until Anne Marie can better enjoy the zoo, or talk to me about how much fun her swim lesson was. I can't wait until we can go to the park and slide down the slide. It's going to be a fun adventure.



Here's another photo of our most recent adventure. If there is anyone out there, I hope you enjoy it!