Don't Believe I Caught Your Name, Friend

This is me...with Lydia.

1. Introduce Yourself

My name is Rachel and I am 25 years old. I am married to Brian, and we have a 16-month daughter named Lydia. We bought our first house last November and we are really loving living in it! I work as a teacher's assistant at a preschool and I teach piano lessons to 8 students. I live across the street from my twin sister and her family, and down the road from my brother and his family. I love being around my family and enjoy every minute with my daughter.

I enjoy writing this blog mainly because it's a great thing to go back to and look at Lydia's growth and development, since most of my blogs are about her. I also enjoy reading other people's blogs. My favorite thing to do when I am on my own is to play the piano. My favorite thing to do with my husband is watch movies while he gives me a foot rub, haha. My favorite thing to do with Lydia is go on adventures with her and watch her explore!

I used to want to be a teacher (preferably preschool or Kindergarten), but now I just want to be a stay-at-home mom. Even though it's getting easier leaving Lydia with others 3 times a week, I love our days together. I wouldn't mind being a full-time piano teacher (out of my home), either - that way I can choose my own hours and still spend most of the day with Lydia.

This is me around 5 when we lived in Hawaii.

And Your Li'berry Full of Books!

I came across a Blog 30 Day Challenge and have decided to do it. Not saying that I won't blog about other things (like our upcoming trip to Austin, Lydia's 17 month update and Halloween), but I will try to get through the challenge. Instead of 30 DAYS, I'm going to change it to 30 BLOGS...because I know I can't commit to blogging every day.

Here's the List:

1. Introduce yourself

2. Where you would like to be in 10 years

3. Write about your family

4. A list of things you're good and bad at

5. Your horoscope for today and whether you think it's accurate

6. Write 30 interesting facts about yourself

7. Your favorite 10 people right now and why

8. Write about something you believe in, anything at all

9. A list of things on your walls

10. Places you want to visit, and why

11. The best advice you've ever heard, or ever been given

12. Bullet point your whole day

13. Write about your earliest childhood memory

14. What gives you everyday inspiration?

15. Things that make you really sad

16. Things that make you really angry

17. Your highs and lows of this past year

18. Write about what's most often on your mind

19. A passage from a book that has touched you

20. 5 things you're looking forward to

21. Your favorite subject to study

22. How have you changed in the past 2 years?

23. Something you would like to change about yourself

24. Something you would change about the world

25. Things you do on a rainy day

26. Is it easy for you to trust others?

27. What are features you get complimented on a lot?

28. Something that you miss

29. What you think your reason for being here is

30. What is the difference between living and existing?

Anyway...we went to a pumpkin patch on Saturday that wasn't all it claimed to be. Leah researched a few nearby pumpkin patches that offered more than just pumpkins. This one, at a small Lutheran church 30 minutes away, claimed it had a maze, hay rides, costume contests, and, of course, pumpkins. The only thing it had was pumpkins. But, they were displayed really nicely. It took us longer to get there than how long we stayed. Lydia had a great time looking at all the pumpkins, though. We picked out three small pumpkins - a "daddy", "mommy", and "baby". Not exactly sure what I am going to do with them yet... I do want to get a big pumpkin to carve, since I think Lydia may enjoy that activity.

It was such a beautiful day outside, that Lydia and I spent most of the afternoon outside in our backyard. Lydia loves her swing and can be in there the whole time! She always wants me to sing the Wiggle's song, "Swinging on a Swing"...over and over! I need a new swing song.

We went to the church service Saturday evening, and then to Sunday School on Sunday. I really like the Saturday service and we have been missing attending the services. We enjoy our Young Marrieds Sunday School class, but can't stay for the next service, since that's just too long (and past naptime) for Lydia. We attempted to go to the 8:00 service, but we can't manage to get ready in time. So, we'll try going to the Saturday service, and if not, then watch the service online. Once Lydia's a bit older, then we can stay for two services in a row.

Lydia's Halloween Costume.

My favorite picture from the Pumpkin Patch.

As Clear as a Buttonhook in the Well Water!

I have been having so much fun teaching piano lessons for the past few weeks. It's always very interesting how many different ways children learn. For example, I have been teaching four of my students how to read notes on the staff. Two of them love the phrases you use to remember the order of the lines and spaces (Every Good Boy Does Fine and FACE and Good Boys Deserve Fudge Always and All Cars Eat Gas), while the other two don't need those sayings. Some of the kiddos understand up the piano (and the staff) and down the piano right away, others need some reminders. It's fun figuring out the best ways to teach piano to each one of my students.

One of my best tools so far is the marker board. Brian gave me two small marker boards that they use in his math class (he had extras). I drew the staff on each one with their bass clef and treble clef signs (one for each). Then, the kiddos get to draw in the notes themselves. Plus, there's a cute little eraser that goes along with the boards, which is fun to erase with. All of my students who have used the board love it. I let them choose the color of marker they want, let them erase and draw. It's such a great tool for learning your notes! The only down side is that when you draw on a marker board with permanent marker, and then you use a dry-erase marker over the permanent, it erases the permanent marker! I have yet to find a solution for this. I just have to keep redrawing the lines.

Here's a breakdown of each student and what they are learning and how I am teaching them. (I won't use their names, just first letters.)

• A1: He is about 6 or 7 years old and comes on Tuesdays at 3:30. He recently broke his left arm while playing on the trampoline, so we've just been working on our right hand right now. He took lessons previously with a group, but couldn't remember hardly anything that he had learned. The one great thing that he remembers is the location and name of each note on the piano! He is my best beginning student with remembering where each note is located. Since he's young, his attention span is not very long (shorter than his allotted 30 minutes). We spend a lot of time talking about random things, playing around on the piano, and looking at the turtles. But, I have learned that even though he's not sitting quietly and looking at me, he still knows and remembers what I am saying. He did great with learning the treble clef notes yesterday! Also, as a reward for sitting and playing the songs, he gets to feed the turtles after each lesson.
• A2: This is A1's older brother, who is about 8 or 9 (maybe older - he's small). He is very intelligent and a quick learner. He already took lessons previously, but not in a group, and is doing great! He doesn't like to challenge himself too much, so I am sticking with simpler music so that I can boost his confidence. I will be trying to work with him on playing the dynamics - everything for him is loud! We tried crescendo and diminuendo yesterday....and it didn't go too well. He still has a hard time remembering his bass clef notes - but who doesn't?
• C: She comes Tuesdays after 5:00 and is about 11 years old. She is a beginner who took lessons a long time ago and wants to take them again. She remembered nothing from her previous lessons, but is a quick learner. I need to remember to go slowly with her; even though it seems like she understands everything, she likes to move slow. We just learned our treble and bass clef lines and spaces yesterday and she did great. She has a little difficulty remembering up and down the piano, but we'll get there. She definitely impressed me yesterday with her quick learning!
• T: She comes on Wednesdays at 3:00 and is about 13 years old. I love teaching her! She is determined to be a good pianist and I am excited. She understands emotions and dynamics, which is a plus. We are going through her lesson book and playing "Dawn" from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, which is awesome. She's doing a great job, although she forgets to bring out the melody in the right hand. She seems to really enjoy playing the piano and practicing at home, which is great. I can't wait to see how far she can go!
• S: He is T's little brother, who is about 7. He is very quiet and can be quite stubborn at times. One time he refused to play anything on the piano, unless he had already learned it and was good at it. It took some convincing to get him to learn songs with me. He is the first one who used the marker boards - it's a great way to get him excited about the piano and to refresh his knowledge of the notes. He is an awesome pianist and has even composed some of his own music. It will be exciting when he gets really good!
• M: She is about 8 years old and very quiet and intelligent. She is a beginner and has no experience when the piano previously. She did great learning the bass clef lines and spaces last week, so hopefully she remembers them this week. She has some difficulty remembering the names of the notes and their locations. I keep stressing that it is so important to learn!
• E: She is about 7 or 8 years old and a chatter box! We end up talking and joking about all kinds of things. She has a hard time sitting still, so I have to keep her busy the whole 30 minutes. We just learned the bass clef lines and spaces and she did great. She definitely understands up and down the piano, although she is still a little hesitant on the note names and locations.
• L: She is my older student, a mom and co-worker (she subs at the preschool). I really enjoy teaching her, since I'm basically just helping her with her counting, fingering, and making sure she remembers all the notes. I introduced her to Lorie Line, which is awesome! I can't wait to get all my students playing Lorie Line!

Wednesdays are pretty tough since I get home from work around 1:45, then teach from 3:00 to 5:30. But, it is so much fun! I do miss having Lydia around on Wednesdays, but I know she's having fun with Grandpa and Grandma.

16 Month Update

That's right, my baby is 16 months old (as of yesterday)! I can't believe it! And when I think about it, I am constantly amazed that Brian and I have had the privilege of raising this beautiful, amazing little girl! And feel blessed that we will be able to raise her to be a beautiful, Godly young woman!

Lydia's 16 Month Stats:

• She is still just under 20 pounds - she likes to weigh herself on my scale. She's about 19.4 pounds.
• She is getting taller...not sure her exact height, but she's finally starting to outgrow some of her clothes.
• She is STILL wearing 9 month onesies (when she wears one - which isn't often), can still fit in 6-9 month pants, but wears 12-18 month shirts.
• She is starting to outgrow her size 3 sandals that she's worn all summer.Luckily, we have some super cute size 4 sneakers, but I just think it's too hot to be wearing shoes now.
• Her hair is getting super long and I can't keep it tamed! Leah cut her bangs on Tuesday - they grow so fast!
• She has 10 fully in teeth, with two (on the bottom right) growing in now. I think she may be getting the other two bottom left ones soon. It takes her forever to grow teeth!

Lydia's New Discoveries:

• Although she still loves The Wiggles (especially listening to the CD in the car), Lydia has branched out to enjoying Yo Gabba Gabba, Curious George, Word World, and Clifford. She also likes my talk shows in the morning - Regis & Kelly and The View.
• She is very interested in knowing her body parts now. She started off just pointing to everyone's nose. Now, she points to her nose, eyes, ears, mouth, belly, hair, and toes! She also likes to point to everyone else's body parts.
• Her favorite song is "Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee" and she does all the motions. She always enjoys people singing to her and she has started "singing" (more like humming) on her own.
• She loves carrying around my car keys and pretending to lock and unlock doors. She does end up setting off Brian's car alarm at times.
• Ever since Cousin Adah was born, Lydia has been fascinated with babies. She loves to carry her baby dolls around and give them hugs. She recently wanted them dressed in her clothes and wrapped in a blanket.

Lydia is still not saying very many words. She says "da da" and means Brian, says "ma ma" and means her pacifier, says "yeah", "uh oh" and can bark like a dog (and sometimes meow). We are trying to encourage her to talk, but she just thinks it's funny when we ask her to say something. She will speak when she is ready, I am sure.

Lydia usually sleeps until 6:45 in the morning - unless I'm off that day, of course, when she wakes up at 6:00! She has a nap after lunch, which is between 10:30 and 11:00. Sometimes I can hold her nap off until 11:30 or 12:00. She'll usually sleep about 1 1/2 to 2 hours (unless she's at my parents when she sleeps 2 1/2 hours!). For some reason, even if she takes a long nap and doesn't get up until 1:00, she is always tired by 3:00 or 3:30. I can usually put her down at that time and she'll sleep about an hour. Then, I won't put her to bed until 7:30 or 8:00. If she doesn't take a second nap, she's in bed by 7:00.

We are starting to introduce her to the potty. Before and after baths we will sit her on the potty. She has yet to pee in the potty. She is starting to squat when peeing or pooping in her diaper and will look guilty when asked if she has poop. She is always interested when I say I am going potty. I want to officially start training at 18 months. We will see how it goes.

The pacifier will be completely taken away at 18 months. Recently, she has been very dependent on the pacifier - whether because she's getting new teeth or she just wants it, I don't know. But, at the 18 month mark, it will be thrown away and we won't see it again. I'm not really looking forward to that time!

We go to Toddler Story Time at the local library every Tuesday morning at 10:15. Lydia really likes being with the other kiddos, although she's the only one who doesn't really sit still. She loves to explore and meet new people. She just walks up to people and says "hi" and waves at them! So cute! Thursdays are our days to just be together. Yesterday we went to Minitown with a friend, and had a blast. Next Thursday we are going to the Zoo. I love being able to spend so much quality time with her!

She is still getting used to being dropped off on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays - we both are getting used to this. But, I think it will just become part of the routine and she'll start having fun.

What Is Man's Relationship to Nature?

Lydia's imaginative play has really blossomed this month! Here's a few things that she has started "imagining".

• Baby Dolls: Lydia received several baby dolls for her first birthday (including the Cabbage Patch Doll we gave her that sleeps with her), but never really played with them until now. I noticed a big change in how she played with her dolls after Cousin Adah was born. Before, she would pick up a baby every once in awhile, but usually ignored them. Now, she carries her baby dolls all over. She will put them in the doll stroller and push them around the house, put them in her swing and push them, and even sit in the swing with them and swing. She will also hand me the dolls, then pick them up and put them down, then pick them and hand them to me again! It's so cute watching her play with her dolls. (On a side note: she's also now obsessed with babies since Adah was born. Every time she sees a baby while we are out and about, she has to go over and say "hi" to it. So cute!)
• "Shopping": Lydia likes to pick up bags and carry them around the house. Once she picks up a bag (any bag - a purse, grocery bag, her diaper bag), she puts it on her arm and then waves "bye-bye" to us. I ask her, "Are you going shopping?" and she says "Yeah!" and nods her head. The other day, she had a bag, her stroller, and was carrying a baby around the house.
• Makeup: Lydia has always been interested in my makeup. She used to sit quietly (and still) on my lap and watch me put makeup on. Now, she wants to have makeup, too. I let her choose what she wants out of my makeup tray. She usually picks the eye shadow brush and will brush it on her cheeks (sometimes puts it in her mouth, yuck). She get my foundation sponge and wipes that on her face, too. She likes to look in the mirror and talk to herself.
• Talking on the Phone: Lydia has always liked texting on my cell phone, but now she will put the phone to her ear and start talking. It's really cute when she's talking on the phone and then starts laughing. She always seems to talk to someone who is funny! The other day, I called Brian and he put Lydia on the phone and she actually started "talking" to me! First time she talked to an actual person on the phone.

I love how Lydia tries to do everything that I do! Imaginative play is one way of learning.

More About That Later

It's been a long week! This was my first full week working at Oak Hills Preschool, and Lydia's first full week of experiencing times without me. Every time I leave Lydia with someone else, I always think, "How do parent's do this full time?" I was so blessed to be able to stay home and work with Lydia for the first 15 months of her life. I was the one teaching her how to eat solid food, giving her a sleep schedule, helping her learn to play with friends - not someone else. How do parents leave their tiny baby in someone else's care for up to 12 hours a day?! I know that some parents have to work and must leave their child in daycare...but for the one's who don't have to - I just don't understand it!

I absolutely love spending time with Lydia. She is so funny and cute all the time! Even when she's fussy, I would rather be with her than anywhere else. On Monday, I left her with my sister-in-law, Rekeisha, and she was able to play with her cousin, Abram. Lydia had a great time, but cried when I left her. It was hard leaving her when she started crying, knowing I wouldn't see her until about 5 hours later. Wednesday was even harder. I dropped her off with Rekeisha at 7:30am and didn't see Lydia again until 5:00pm! It was hard coming home and not picking Lydia up. On Friday, she cried and cried when I left her with Leah. And, even though I knew she would be fine, that was the hardest day for me to walk away while she was crying. Hopefully both of us will get used to this leaving thing.

I am so blessed to be able to leave Lydia in the care of family members instead of at a daycare with people I don't know. Lydia has spent time with my family and I know they will take really good care of her and that she will get one-on-one time. While I'm working, I miss spending time with Lydia, but know that she is having fun.

Working at the Preschool is such a blessing for me, as well. I am so happy to have a job that is not full-time or every day so that I can spend a lot of time with Lydia, but still work outside of the home. I didn't realize how tiring working at the Preschool could be! And it's only for about 4 and a half hours! I am on my feet the whole time and am constantly moving around. By the time I get home, I am exhausted! But, I have my chore list and try to stick to it the best I can.

It's hard coming home and working on my chores - when all I want to do is chill with Lydia. I have written out chores by day so that I can accomplish everything gradually throughout the week. Of course, cleaning is a constant job - Lydia messes up every room she enters! Her toys are all over the place, and she finds things that aren't toys (like q-tips) to dump everywhere. The kitchen is another thing I have to constantly keep clean. There's always Lydia cups and dishes to be washed, messes on the floor and counters. I need to stay motivated so the house doesn't get so messy I can't stand it. I am constantly picking up toys, putting away laundry, doing dishes. Plus watching a toddler, working at a Preschool, and teaching piano. I am definitely keeping myself busy!

This weekend has, thankfully, been a very relaxing one. Friday night we went out to Cici's Pizza (Brian and I had good coupons) with Leah, Jessie and Adah. Lydia didn't want to eat much, she was much more interested in playing in the arcade. Then the Carabajals came over after Lydia was in bed to play Guesstimation and Spades. Saturday Brian, Lydia and I lazed around in our bed for awhile and spent the morning watching TV. I did walk 2 miles (in 33 minutes) on the treadmill, and then Lydia and I went to Michael's for more floss for cross-stitching, and then Babies-R-Us for a plastic mat to go under her picnic table (for spills). Then, after dinner, the Carabajals came over again to watch YOUR HIGHNESS (a funny, but inappropriate movie). This morning we lazed in bed again, then got ready for church. Lydia took a nap when we got home, played some and helped wash the car, and is now taking another nap. We have an Area Community Meeting tonight, as well.

I love lazy weekends! Especially after a long, exhausting week! 

Lydia and Adah at the Cici's Arcade.

Lydia applying for a job at Wal-Mart.

Let me tell you about my piano lessons! I have 8 wonderful students! On Tuesday, I have lessons from 3:30-4:30 (two brothers, 6 and 9), and then a 11-year old girl at 5:30. Then, on Wednesday, I have lessons from 3:00-5:30! I have siblings, a boy and girl (13 and 6), a 8-year old girl, 7-year old girl, and then a middle-aged woman. These lessons are so much fun! I love it! It's amazing to see everyone's different skill levels and abilities. I absolutely love teaching! I wasn't nervous at all - even when the parents stayed to watch. I just got in the "zone" and started teaching something I love! Hopefully, one day, this is all I will do!

What Would Happen if You Gave a Yo-Yo to a Flock of Flamingos?

It's been Day 3 of working at Oak Hills Preschool. It's been hard leaving Lydia, but I know she has been enjoying herself. She got a lot of one-on-one time with Aunt Leah on Wednesday, and lots of attention on Friday with my parents, and then had a great time with Cousin Abram today. She is always excited to see me again, and I am definitely excited to see her! It's been great having the days off in between so we can spend time together.

The Preschool is going pretty well. I love the hours and most of the teachers. The time flies by! I am in 5 different classes for 45 minutes each. I really have to pay attention to the time, since I am having fun in the classes with the kids. Their ages range from almost 3 to almost 5. The teachers do a great job setting up their classrooms really invitingly and keeping the kiddos occupied. They all seem to have a great time while in their class. I only have one (hopefully) minor issue with a fellow teacher, but am hoping to get that resolved quickly. I really want to enjoy every aspect of working at the Preschool to justify leaving Lydia in someone else's care. If I don't love my job, I don't want to leave Lydia. And that's that.

We had a very exciting weekend! I received a text from Leah at 5:15 Friday  morning saying they were at the hospital and Leah was experiencing contractions. I had Lydia spend the day with mom and dad while I was at work, since we didn't know what would happen with Leah. They ended up being sent home around 8:00. Leah labored at home for awhile, and then went to my parent's house to relax in the pool. By the time I picked Lydia up, Leah was in some pain but still able to smile and chat. By the time Lydia and I left my parent's house, Leah was no longer smiling or chatting! They went back to the hospital around 6:00 and were finally admitted! Leah was thankful for the epidural so she could finally relax. Little Adah Joy was born at 1:11am on 09/10/11! She was 6lbs 14oz and 19 inches long. She's beautiful!

Lydia loves her little cousin! But, she is very jealous. When we went to see them at the hospital and I held Adah, Lydia started whining and wanting to be picked up by me. But, she loves to look at Adah and touch her. Today, we had Lydia sit on the couch and "hold" Adah. She loved it! She likes to look at Adah's feet and just stare at her. She also likes all of Adah's toys - like the swing and the bouncer! Hopefully these two will be great friends!

Tomorrow is my first day of giving piano lessons! I have 3 students coming tomorrow and I am very excited. I studied the beginner's book I bought and have figured out the point of teaching the black notes and numbered fingers first. It actually makes sense, but I still like the way I learned - by learning the notes, names, and what they looked like on the staff at the same time. Lydia will be over at Aunt Leah's house (with Uncle Jessie, Cousin Adah, and Jessie's parents) tomorrow during my lessons and Brian will pick her up when he gets home from work.

Six Months Off For Good Behavior

What I did on my first day off after we closed the Center:

5:50am: Lydia woke up and started playing off and on in her crib. I turned the monitor off so that she wouldn't disturb Brian and his last, precious, 15 minutes of sleep.

6:30am: Said goodbye to Brian and tried to doze in between Lydia's playing.

6:45am: Lydia finally started fussing so I went in to get her. Even though I had told her we could sleep in as late as we wanted, she was up and ready to play!

7:00am: Fixed Lydia a pancake and applesauce for breakfast. We didn't have any milk, so she got to drink yummy veggie juice, too. She ate her breakfast really well, even after tipping her plate off the table and applesauce got on my carpet!

7:25am: I loaded Lydia up in the jogging stroller, put my ear buds in to listen to Glee tunes, and we headed out for a (super) early morning walk. There were several other people out walking and biking, enjoying the "cool" morning weather.

7:50am: We arrive back home and I am quite sweaty. I had hoped for at least a 30 minute walk (a quick walk), but we'll get there - especially when it gets a bit cooler.

8:00am: I get Lydia dressed up super cute, brush her teeth and fix her hair. I stay in my workout clothes, since I'll be heading over to Leah's house to clean in a bit.

8:15am: We watch WORD WORLD on Netflix. There are two shows in one episode. It's a pretty cute show, but Lydia was busy playing with her puzzles and ignored the show.

8:45am: Lydia has a snack of cheerios and apple slices, while I enjoy an apple.

9:00am: We finally get a text from (lazy) Leah saying she's ready for us to head over to her house to start cleaning. I bring a box of snacks, juice, and my laptop for Lydia to watch Yo Gabba Gabba. 

9:00-10:45am: Leah and I busily clean the Center. We started by clearing the shelves of toys and taking everything off the walls. We got everything off the floor so we could clean it later. Leah started cleaning all the toys while I chose what I wanted for Lydia, what to give to our mom, and what to give to Leah. By the time Lydia and I headed out, the whole floor was cleared of toys and we brought over a wagon-full of trash bags and extra snacks.

10:45-11:05am: I made Lydia a turkey and cheese sandwich for lunch and I had a grilled cheese and turkey sandwich (Lydia, of course, ate some of mine).

11:07-12:07pm: Lydia naps - it's crazy how she can get her naps to exact hours! I watched an episode of Desperate Housewives (that is my new series to watch on Netflix) and was surprised when Lydia woke up so early - I stupidly didn't take a nap when she did.

12:15-2:45pm: Lydia and I are back over at Leah's house. This time we vacuumed, washed windows, Swiffered the floor, dusted floorboards, scrubbed the floor, and cleaned and threw out toys outside. Lydia does not like the vacuum cleaner or the Swiffer, but she enjoyed playing outside, even though it was super hot!

2:45-3:00pm: Lydia and I cooled down at home and played in her play area for a bit.

3:00-4:45pm: Lydia naps. I organize her snacks, new toys, and do the laundry. I watch a bit of TV, and get the little pool filled up outside.

4:45-5:30pm: Lydia and I get our swimsuits on and got for a dip in the little pool in the backyard. Lydia likes to cool off in the pool and then wander around the yard. I watered the flowers and then pushed Lydia in the swing. Brian came home while we were outside and quickly dropped off toys and a stroller to Leah's house ad picked up more new toys for Lydia.

5:30-6:00pm: I made a yummy chicken, salsa, bean, corn, and rice dinner. Lydia had my leftover three-cheese raviolis from Maggiano's from yesterday. She loves ravioli!

6:00-6:30pm: We eat our dinner. Lydia was very well-behaved at the table tonight.

6:30-6:45pm: We clean up and Brian empties the water from the pool.

6:45-7:00pm: Brian, Lydia and I go outside and let Lydia walk around our cul-de-sac. She loves wandering around outside and pointing out birds and dogs.

7:00-7:15pm: Lydia gets her bath, her teeth brushed, a diaper (she likes to play for a bit before getting PJs on).

7:15-7:40pm: Lydia hangs out with us while Brian turns on the Cowboys game. She seemed really interested in the game for a bit. She likes to sit on the couch with us and play on Brian's phone.

7:40-8:15pm: I put Lydia to bed and then Brian and I organize all of Lydia's old clothes. We had to get rid of a lot because they were stained, but were able to take out gender-neutral clothes for Leah's baby. Even when organized and neatly put in the large tub, there's still not enough room to add all the extra clothes I have to put in - we need another tub! This girl has a ton of clothes!

Now: Watching the Cowboys game with Brian and updating my blog.

No, I didn't take a shower at all today and makeup never touched my face. This was a busy day, but so much better than having to go to work! It was sad taking all of the kiddos' artwork off the walls and looking at old pictures of them. It's definitely bittersweet!

Tomorrow I plan on going on another morning walk (I want that to become routine), going to HEB, cleaning the house, organizing all of Lydia's toys, and getting ready for Brian's parents to come visit.

Lydia chilling in the swing she hated when she was an infant!