Sometimes...

I feel like I am a bad mom.
Case in point....
I switched Halle to a forward facing carseat prior to 1 year.

My justification? She is bigger than a one year old, has been sitting up by herself since month 4, could not straighten her legs and hated being rear facing.
Halle does not have a doll

.... sorry they creep the hell out of me. She loves all of her animals and I turned out fine with just having stuffed animals.
I have no intention of taking away her binki when she turns 1.

She loves to chew on it, and sometimes it helps her sleep. The bottle is a different story.
I absolutely HATE for Halle to be dirty

tell me i'm robbing her of her childhood. I'm just not ok with her eating rocks and dirt and ruining her clothes (THIS is why I do not have a boy).

I work full time,

so does Jonathan. This means Halle is with a sitter Monday through Friday (and sometimes Saturdays). I wish I could spend more time with her, but I love the fact that she is around other people.
I have always let Halle cry herself to sleep.

Sorry if you think i'm the meanest mom ever, but hey, she's slept through the night since she was 2 weeks old. Oh and while we're on the subject, she goes to bed "late".... down around 10pm, up around 9am. It works well with my schedule, sorry if that's selfish.
She eats sweets

and she loves them! If i'm eating something tasty I always share (makes her happy and cuts down on my caloric intake, right? ).
T.V., Movies...

yup, she watches them all. She has always been mesmerized by everything from Baby Einstein to Mickey Mouse. Granted this isn't a daily occurance, but still i'm ok with the fact that I let my child watch T.V.. It's so freaking cute to watch her dance to everything.
I haven't "encouraged" walking

... i'm just not ready for it yet. She walks by holding on to things and stands alone for periods of time. I'm always there to help. When she's ready to walk, she'll walk. I'm not forcing anything on her. She already looks like a little kid(and acts like a teenager) sometimes . I'm not ready for her to be one yet.
I entered her into the GAP baby casting call

yup i'm one of those moms. I'm always being told to enter her into contests, so I did. Plus, how cool would it be if she won!!

*The list could go on..... This post was not meant to provoke pity on anyones part. Just the simple truth. Hopefully this is just first time parent un-surity(is that even a word?) Sometimes I just feel like a bad mom, particularly when my actions are being questioned and criticized by others. (Why is it that all "mothers" have the "BEST" advice?)
Bottom line, Halle is one of the happiest babies ever so I must be doing something right.

which to choose?....

I'm not saying which i'm leaning more towards....

I really love them all. Help me decide! Halle is going to be something squishy and cuddly because she has the rest of her life to be a princess/fairy/butterfly/any other girly thing she wants to be. For now she is my baby and I want her to stay that way for a little longer!

So, what do you think??

Feels like home to me

A few weeks ago we moved into this condo in Fort Union and we are loving it! The community is awesome and has a tennis court, pool, hot tub, clubhouse... everything. We love the location and there are alot of young families, plus alot of our neighbors have dogs so Hobbes has some friends.

{by the by... these are not the best pictures, lighting was horrible}

Tiny Little Kitchen

{Let's be honest, I don't need a big kitchen... I don't cook!}

{p.s. there is a new fridge & dishwasher, just didn't think it called for pictures}

Front Door & Hallways

Living Room

{still very much a work in progress}

Bathroom

Halle's Room

{psst... this dresser is over 30 years old. It was Jonathan's changing table when he was a baby, we inherited it & I refinished it. It's my favorite piece!}

Crib Bedding

{never got around to taking pics of it say 10 months ago}

Our Bedroom

{by the by... our bedding is from Walmart}

September 6th, 2006

Happy Anniversay!

Crazy how much life has changed in just these 3 short years.

Marriage definetly has it's ups & downs. Lucky for us, all that we've been through has made us that much stronger. It's a crazy life, but it's our life and I couldn't ask for a more understanding person to spend eternity with.

I love you Jonathan.... plus you make really cute babies :).