6 MONTHS

I am a little late posting this because I have been slackin big time! Audrey turned 6 months old on February 3rd. Wow. Half a year old already? Sad face :(

So cute when she pouts! :)

I just love watching her learn new things, it is so exciting. I have to say that this is the best month yet. This is such a fun age! She is learning to crawl and really interact with her surroundings. She hasn't mastered crawling yet, but she can get up on her hands and knees and rock back and forth. In the mean time she gets around by army crawling. I often forget that she is mobile now. The other day she was playing on the floor and I looked down and she had scooted clear across the other side of the room and was playing with an old navy bag. I really love that she can sit up and play with her toys too.

Audrey's 6 month birthday was on superbowl sunday! Woo Niners!

I have said it before, but this girl is such a ham! When she gets really excited she claps her hands and does what I call "baby jumping jacks." If she is laying on the floor she will make motions like she is doing a jumping jack really fast. It is so cute! When she gets  upset she spits, literally. She gets a mouthful of saliva and spits. Its actually pretty comical. Not so much when she is eating food though. This babe is so happy and smiley and giggly, she is just perfect. But, she is pretty attached to me. I can't say that I hate it though :) I will glady accept that she wants to be by me, gotta enjoy it while I can! She is only this size once. Plus, she is not much of a snuggler these days, she is always on the move. She is a busy busy gal.

We are on the home stretch of Brandon's deployment, wahoo! Roughly two months to go. It is hard to believe that it has been over 4 months since I have seen my husband, but it could always be worse so I won't complain. I can't wait to have my family back together. I know Brandon is so excited to play with Audrey! On skype this morning I put the laptop on one end of the room and Audrey on the other and she scooted over to it :) She just sat and smiled at Brandon. I can't wait for him to see how much she has changed.

I haven't lost any weight for about a month, wich is disheartening. I have continued to lose inches though so I need to stop fixating on the number so much. I am running longer and better and really enjoying it, I feel like my body craves exercise. I haven't been too strict with my diet lately because I want to enjoy some home cooking while I am home :) I am confident that I will continue to lose once I get home.

I am leaving Iowa in a few days and it is going to be very hard. I will miss everyone so much, but in a sense I am ready to get back. Real life is calling! Plus, Brandon, Audrey and I will be back in May for some warm weather and that will be exciting!

Audrey is awake from her nap and ready to play!

I have big decorating/painting plans for when I get back so I want to do a post on all of that :) So......... until then yall! ;)

MONTH 5

So smiley! Love her! :)

 Seriously, how could she be 5 months old already? Some days I really miss her being tiny and other days I am so excited for her to get bigger and start talking and walking. But for now I am just really enjoying watching her learn and grow. She is learning something new everyday!

This month was difficult. Audrey was pretty sick for about a week. She had her first ER trip. In the long run, the ER was probably not necessary, but it is always nice to have peace of mind. She had a really bad cough and would get to goin so hard that she couldn't catch her breath. It is a very scary thing. I will NEVER forget that night! The night we went to the ER my mom camped out on the couch with me. Audrey only slept for 10 minutes at a time before she would be up hacking. That same night was the first snow of the season and it was thundering, lightning, raining, and snowing. It made for a memorable evening. I had her propped up on my chest for half of the night and the other half she was propped up under a pillow and her boppy. It was a very long week. Halfway through I started feeling sick and was so grateful to be home where I could have help. Being sick and having a sick baby is no fun.

Audrey was finally feeling better by Christmas, but that was when I was at my worst and ended up in the ER that night . I felt so terrible that I couldn't enjoy her first Christmas, and being with my family for Christmas. It was still great being home for the holidays. I am so excited for Christmas next year since Audrey will be able to open presents :)

Before Audrey got sick she was on a set schedule, napping well, cheery when she was awake, and sleeping through the night with the exception of the occasional binky drop. Ever since, she has been a nightmare to get to sleep! I know that being sick screwed up her schedule, but I never anticipated it would be so difficult to get back on it. I will lay her down for a nap when she starts to get drowsy and she will sleep for maybe 30 minutes, if I am lucky. She used to nap for 2 hours every morning. Nighttime is even worse. She goes down pretty well, but she is up every 45 minutes to an hour. I really have no idea why. I have tried everything. Schedule is key, but she just wont sleep. I don't know what the culprit is, but I need to figure it out soon before I lose it.

I tried to take Audrey's binky away, thinking it was the reason she was waking so often. That lasted roughly 24 hours before I gave it back. I would have stuck it out, but I have every intention of giving it to her for our trip back. I don't really see the sense in getting used to not having it, giving it back, then taking it again. We will save that dreaded time for when we get home I suppose.

If anyone has any tips on getting this child to sleep, SHARE SHARE SHARE. I am desperate here, folks.

Audrey is starting to get very attached to her momma. The other night she was crying when my mom was holding her so I took her. As soon as I picked her up, she smiled and laughed. She is such a goober. She has a lot of personality! When we took her for shots she was smiling and playing, even the nurse pointed out how much personality she has for such a small baby. I think I will have my hands full. She is laughing a lot now, it is the best noise <3 She also can't seem to stay on her back. She is a rolling machine. She has also discovered her feet, she loves to grab and play with them. We are working on sitting up, she isn't too steady yet but she is getting there.

In other news, in 3 days we will be exactly half way done with the stinkin deployment. I can't put into words how anxious I am for Brandon to return. I miss him so much :/

I have lost a little over 20 lbs since I have been home! I am finally starting to see results and feel good about myself. The other night I tried on some of my pre-prego pants that I brought with. Some of them were TOO BIG! What an incredible feeling :) I am aiming to lose 25 more lbs before Brandon gets back. I have no doubt that I can do it :)

My little ham ball!

Happy Happy Happy part 2

Part 2 of "100 things that make me happy"..... :)

26. Yoga pants- I bought a new pair of yoga pants over the weekend (in a smaller size btw!) and they are so cozy.

27. Ben and Jerrys frozen greek yogurt- Blueberry is my fav...nom nom nom.

28. Bath time- Audrey is starting to become more aware of the water. She splashes around and giggles. This is very exciting :)

29. Soreness- I love waking up feeling sore from my workout the day before, its lets me know that I am making progress.

30.  New discoveries- Audrey found the mirror on the exersaucer and right now she is looking in it and smiling. Things like these melt my heart.

31. Snuggles- With Brandon gone, I really look forward to the times that Audrey snuggles me and isn't trying to wiggle around.

32. Blogging- I am 99% sure that most of you folks could care less what I have to say, but I like writing these posts anyway.

33. Military- I am grateful for the experiences that the military has given us. It sucks sometimes, but it has great perks.

34. Pedicures- I always feel rejuvenated after I get one.

35. Sugar free vanilla chai- So tasty and its not loaded with calories.

36. Snow- I love snow! I can't wait until I can take Audrey sledding.

37. Rainy days- I really love rain, good thing because I live in a rainy, dreary country.

38. Okinawa- We don't live there anymore, obviously, but thinking about our experiences makes me happy. I would love to go back...the sand, Cocos, the sea, Okuma, Cocoks, Jet,....etc. The list could go on forever.

39. Castles- I love visiting old castles in Germany! They are awesome.

40. The Voice- I am watching the finale right now, how could this not make you happy? Cee Lo particularly, studded shoulder pads? Entertainment.

41. Mumford and Sons- I haven't found one song by them that I dislike.

42. Christmas time- Christmas lights, trees, presents, family....everything about the holiday.

43. New furniture- I recently got the green light from Brandon to get new furniture when I get back to Germany. The only compromise was that he gets a recliner. Deal.

44. Decorating- You wouldn't know this by looking at my pathetic excuse of a home right now, but it will be done when I get back.

45. Audrey's nursery- I love love love her nursery. It is just a happy room.

46. Puppies- DUH.

47. Hair bows- They just complete Audrey's cuteness.

48. Lazy days- My favorite kind of day is when Brandon and I lounge around on the couch all day.

49. April- Thinking about the beginning of April makes me super excited because Brandon will be HOME!! :))

50. Running- Let me clarify, I really don't like running. BUT those last 2-3 minutes of a run when you get that big push of endurance to finish strong....THAT makes me happy.

There ya go folks. Halfway done.

Happy Happy Happy

I recently came across a blog post written by a Facebook friend. She was writing 100 things that made her happy. This inspired me to do the same!

Today while I was chatting with Brandon I caught myself complaining. I was whining that Audrey didn't sleep well, that I was tired etc. He replied by saying that he was sorry, that he wished he could be home to help me. After we stopped chatting I was thinking back about our conversation. How selfish of me to complain about Audrey not sleeping when all he wants is to be home with her. While our situation is not ideal, I hate that I was being so negative when that is the last thing that he needs to hear.

I think that it is really important to remember all the good things happening, and not focus on just the downers so here we go! 100 things that make me happy :) I am breaking it down into 4 parts so its not long and boring.

1. Audrey-how could that big gummy smile not fill me with joy?

2. Brandon-he is really great :)

3. Shopping-I love new things.

4. Duck Dynasty-if you don't think this show is the best thing ever, you have no sense of humor.

5. Family-It's been so wonderful being able to share the holidays with them!

6. Iowa-It has taken moving away to realize how much I love this place.

7. Pinterest-What else would I do with myself during nap time?

8. Working out-I love the feeling of accomplishment after I get done with a hard workout.

9. The scale-Seeing that number go down every week is an awesome motivator.

10. Nap time-I am so thankful for nap time so I have an hour or two to myself!

11. Friends-I love that I can call em up and we can get together! I've missed these ladies.

12. Cold weather- I love the cold, its so cozy.

13. Weather warnings- We just got a winter weather advisory for Wednesday-Thursday! Woo!

14. Technology- I am way too impatient to wait for a letter. I am so happy that I get to chat with Brandon daily.

15. Christmas decor- It makes the house feel so homey.

16. Coupons- I saved 20% off my purchase at Oldnavy today, Holla!

17. Pictures- I am obsessed with photographing Audrey. Looking at her pictures makes me smile.

18. Facebook- Because I love annoying Facebook with my daily pictures and videos of Audrey.

19. Sales- Cardigans in every color on sale for 10$ at Oldnavy today. One of each please.

20. Sleep- I am grateful for every bit of sleep that I get these days.

21. Giggles- I love me some baby giggles! It fills my heart with happy <3

22. Traveling- I have been so lucky to see things that most people never will get to see.

23. Real Housewives of Everywhere- I am obsessed with the Real Housewives shows. They are so stupid, but I love it anyway.

24. Pumpkin Pie- This needs no explanation.

25. Baby clothes- I saw a tiny baby fur vest today. Cutest. Thing. Ever.