Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Santa

Ben and I took Adelae to see Santa for the first time. I was so worried she'd cry and cry. Mostly, she was just a little confused. She couldn't quite understand what was going on.
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Friday, December 14, 2007

iPods are pricey, but really cool!

We went to Ben's company Christmas party last weekend. I was really looking forward to a night out with out the baby. Of course, she got a double ear infection and a sinus infection the day before the party. My mom, bless her, still came over to watch Adelae for us. Luckily the antibiotic had kicked in at that point and she was feeling MUCH better. So, we got to go to the pary. It was our first adults only evening since my birthday in June! :P We were both ready to cut loose. It was actually a really nice party. They had a nice dinner and an open bar. Anybody that knows me and Ben knows that we were way more excited for the open bar then we were for the food. Needless to say, we took full advantage of the freee liquor. After dinner they passed out gifts. We wound up getting one of the new iPod Nanos. I was going to get Ben an iPod for Christmas, now I don't have too! It's a pretty cool little contraption. We've uploaded a bunch of our CD's and downloaded music onto it. I wish I could figure out how to delete some of the songs off of it though. I don't really want the Backyardigans and the Christmas music on there. HAHA! I'm not very technically savvy, so this is all new to me. It's also suppose to play videos, but I can't seem to get any on there. After the gift exchange we got to gamble, with fake money of course. It was still lots of fun. I think I prefer losing fake money to real money anyway. We got home about 2:00 am and of course, Adelae was WIDE awake! It's like she knew we were coming home. Luckily she didn't stay up for very long and she slept late the next day. The moral of the story is that iPods are pretty cool, but they're even better when they're free!

Friday, December 7, 2007

Sick again

We took Adelae to see a pediatric Ears Nose and Throat specialist. He was really great and answered a lot of our questions. He did say that her ears look great. No fluid or enflamed eardrums, which is great news. He also said that her tonsils look great, but he did recommend that we have her checked by her doctor the next time she got sick. He did say that he believes she may have large adnoids. He recommended that we have them removed at some point. They are most likely the cause of her restless sleep and mouth breathing. We had planned to wait until after her 1st birthday to have the procedure done. Of course, the next day she got sick again. So, I'm taking her to her regular doctor today. I really don't want another round of a two month cold. I'm hoping that he'll actually give her an antibiotic this time. If this cold hangs on like the last one did, we'll be doing her surgery earlier than we had expected. I know having your adnoids out is really no big deal, but it's still a little scary. I had hoped to have her tonsils out at the same time. It's so hard to watch her suffer. The poor little thing can barely breath or eat. This leads her to be incredibly fussy and clingy. She winds up sleeping with us at night which leads to not a lot of sleep for any of us. This makes for some very long days. It breaks my heart to see her like this. So, keep your fingers crossed that everything will work out ok.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

It's beginnig to look a lot like Christmas

We finally got our Christmas tree up! I really want to go all out for our first family Christmas. It's kind of silly though cause Adelae won't remember a thing. We've also decided that we want to start a family tradition. Neither Ben or I had one when we were growing up and we want to do something as a family every year. We decided that we'll make ornaments every year. It's a fun thing that we can all enjoy. It's not terribly difficult either. We bought a small kit at JoAnne's and made a few the other day. Adelae isn't quite old enough to help yet, but Ben and I had fun. I also decorated stockings for each of us. It's a great family tradition that I hope we can continue.
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Thursday, November 22, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving

On this day for thanks, I find myself a bit reflective. As you all know, this has been extraordinary year for me. I like to think of at least 10 things I'm thankful for. This year, I have too many to count. I am so lucky to have a wonderful husband and an amazing little girl. When I look at her, I know that this is what I am meant for. Ben is truly more than I could ever have asked for in a mate. He is kind, loving and such a wonderful father. Not to mention the fact that the man is funny. He can make me laugh at the drop of a hat.

I am so grateful for my family. I can't imagine getting through this last year without any of them. My mom has been such a wonderful person to bounce ideas off of, or to complain to. She's been a source of sanity for me in this crazy crazy year. My relationship with my stepmother is on the mend. Something that has been a long time coming. As a result, my relationship with my father and my siblings is much stronger. This means more to me than I could ever explain to anyone. I am also extremely lucky to have such a wonderful extended family. My Aunt Carol, who is also my godmother, has been a wonderful source of information and love this year. I know if I have a question, I can call her and she'll have the answer. Not to mention all the tireless hours she put into altering my wedding dress. My Aunt Jean is also a wonderful influence in my life. I don't think she realizes how much she means to me. I know that if I ever need an impartial opinion, a word of advice, or just an ear or a shoulder to cry on, she's there for me. My cousin Donna and her daughter Audrey are other wonderful family members in my life. Donna put so much time and effort into making our reception beautiful. Not to mention her hand in getting Grandma to and from the wedding and reception. Audrey is like my little sister. I love that girl so much. She's such a wonderful, smart and funny preteen. She is a wonderful babysitter and I'm so glad that Adelae will have Audrey in her life.

My Grandmother...I can't say enough about her. She is such an amazing woman. I have learned so much from her. She is patient and kind (except when you wake her up at night :) ) I try to model myself after her, knowing full well that I'll never be the woman she is. If I can be half the woman she is, I'll be happy.

I am thankful for my friends. This has been a traumatic year for me and friendships. I've lost friends that I thought were true friends, but I've gained so much more from the friends that have stuck by me. Brandon and Danielle have been my greatest champions this year. I love them so much. I don't see or talk to either of them as much as I want to, but when we do chat it's as if we just saw each other yesterday.

It's impossible for me to list everyone and everything that I'm thankful for this year, but this is a good start. To everyone that I didn't mention, thank you. Thank you for your love and support. Ben, Adelae and I are so lucky to have you all in our lives. I'm giving you all giant hugs right now. I only hope that everyone has so many wonderful people to be thankful for.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

BIG 10 CHAMPS

I am tried and true Buckeye fan. I hate that I have to watch all the games by myself. :( I also hate the big 10 network, but that's a subject for another day. I'm so happy that Ohio State won today. Adelae and I watched the whole game. Well, she napped and I watched the game...but still. She loves the song "Hang On Sloopy." Everytime I sing it, she dances. It's pretty cute to watch. The win today should quiet all those people that think OSU didn't deserve to be #1. HOORAY!!!!!

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Monday, November 12, 2007

Proud Mommy

As I sit here and type this, I am listening to my husband sing to my daughter while giving her a bath. I am such a lucky woman to have such a wonderful man. He truly enjoys the time he spends with our little girl. And she truly enjoys all the attention she gets from her daddy. She is such a daddy's girl. When he comes home from work and he sees Adelae, his whole face lights up. The same goes for her. When she sees him, she's all smiles. It's really wonderful. Apparently our daughter is a big fan of '80's rock. He's now singing Tesla to her. How funny! :) I can hear her laughing and giggling. I think I want to go see this first hand. Have a great night! :)

Thursday, November 8, 2007

What's in a name?

As I begin the process of changing my name, I find it's much more difficult than I had thought. I love my husband, and am very proud to be his wife but it's still strange. It's strange to think that after 29 years I will no longer be a Wannemacher. I feel like I'm losing part of my identity. Despite it's many letters and all the hand cramps I get whan I have to sign more than one document, I like my last name. In the small town where I come from, it means something to be a Wannemacher. I wonder if other women feel the same way when they change their last name. I'm sure I'm not alone. I had considered hypenating my last name. Then I wrote it out. Can you imagine signing Wannemacher-Collins every time? Neither could I. I just sort of feel as if I've lost some important part of myself. I've always been an advocate of women changing their last name. I always thought "what's the big deal?" I think I get it now. I think I may be having some sort of minor identity crisis. I don't feel any different than I did yesterday, but suddenly I'm a whole new person....or at least the same old person with a different name. It's such a strange feeling. I can't quite describe it. However, it will be nice for all of us to have the same name. It really makes us feel more like a family. I know Ben is glad that I'm (almost) officially a Collins. I think he was worried that I was having second thoughts or something. I kept telling him it was a little too late to be having second thoughts about being his wife! As I slowly begin to get used to the idea of shedding one last name and adopting another, I'm optimistic. I mean, who is this Shaun Collins? I suppose she can be anything I want her to be!