Madden is Makin Progress!

Madden is four and a half months old and just starting to try and hold his weight. Once the milestones start they just keep on coming!

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Monkey Business

Just some pictures of what my babies are up to.

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Ready for Summer!

Pink and orange nails to welcome the summer season.

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My Day All Alone

      I finally got to enjoy my day all alone. My boss ended up taking Good Friday off work which in turn meant that I got a day off, AWESOME! Since my mom was home with Katie I felt it was a great time to accomplish my goal for April. I grabbed my camera and headed for this really awesome rusty old farmhouse that I've been wanting to photograph for years. On my way there it became apparent to me that my "Personal Day" was definitely a God given gift. I was driving up the road that the house is on when I was distracted by a Garage Sale sign. I thought to myself, "I've got ten bucks in my pocket and I'm getting my own place in a few months... Why not check it out?" So I followed the signs deep into the neighborhood and almost passed that sale right up, there was nothing I could see from the street that was interesting but I decided to stop anyway. I ended up being SO glad that I did. As I walked up the driveway the very first thing I saw was a pair of really cute black leather cowboy boots. I checked the size and sure enough, they fit! So I picked up the boots and headed for the homeowner figuring that they'd probably cost more than I had. Sure enough, they were exactly ten bucks!
     I headed back to my car, new boots in hand and a great outlook on what was to come in my day. I finally got to the little house I wanted to shoot and got some great photos of it, then I got this idea to pick some wildflowers and put them inside my boots. The images came out awesome!!! It was so relaxing walking around out there in the midst of this huge field of green. I've loved that house for so long and I'm looking forward to framing my favorites out of the shoot. After I left there I drove around for a little while looking for some more places to shoot. I didn't find much but I did stop and have lunch. Since Lent is finally over I got to have some fast food which just made my day even more amazing.
      After lunch I headed over to another bayou that I wanted to photograph and had another divine experience. I was walking around photographing things here and there and then all of a sudden I stumbled across a wooden heart in almost perfect condition. Its obvious that someone took great care in carving this wooden heart and you can even see the age circles in the wood. I couldn't believe it! Of course I kept the heart and used it in some of my photos before taking it home. Nick and I plan to paint or stain it and use it as decoration in the new apartment.
      All in all it was a really great day. I relaxed, enjoyed myself, and got some great shots while also enjoying the warm, sunny weather. I think I'll make it a point to do this at least once a month if not more. <3
     Oh and I'll be posting the photos as soon as I've got the chance.

Take a Breather

I've been seriously contemplating the fact that I quite literally am alone about 20 minutes each week. That's IT. Now I know that anyone who reads this and is a parent (though I myself am not) can relate. I came up with my April goal to spend one whole day alone, completely alone. That has yet to happen, but I promise to write all about it when it does! In the meantime I have started brainstorming ideas for little ways to include some ME time in my life. For example, I usually fold my clean laundry on the floor in the livingroom. This is a very stressful chore for me usually because Katie absolutely LOVES to come running through my freshly folded clothes, my mom is usually talking up a storm, the TV is on in the background, dogs are chasing each other around me in circles... You get the idea. Today I got home from work and took my dry clothes out of the dryer and it hit me, HEY there's no law saying I HAVE to fold my clothes in the livingroom. So I took my clothes to my room, turned on my brand new Tim McGraw CD that I barely EVER get the chance to listen to, and I sat on my bed and folded my clothes in peace. I took my sweet time, which amounted to about twenty minutes, and felt much better afterword. Its amazing what twenty minutes alone will give your peace of mind. I decided to post the things that I focused my mind on while doing my laundry and relaxing:

• The Beach
• Sand between my toes
• Coconut scented sunscreen
• Laying in the hot sun in my bikini
• Strawberry Lemonade
• Trees swaying in the hot summer wind.
• The way Aloe feels on a fresh sunburn.

The lesson I'm taking away from this is that it may seem like there just ISN'T enough time in the day, but you CAN make that time for yourself that you need. Yes, it might involve doing a chore that is necessary at that moment but take a breather, do it alone, put on the TV or some music and just daydream for a minute. Remember high school when the cute teacher would talk and you would suddenly find yourself immersed in a faraway place? Take a breather and let yourself go there again, just a few minutes here and there will give you so much.

Wow what a day!

Today my mom and I ran errands with Katie, just like we do every weekend. We went to Trader's Village, the local swapmeet but it was hotter than haities so we left and went to the mall. Well once we were finished at the mall, where I got a VERY cute pair of shoes for the wedding I'll be attending in a couple weeks, we went to WalMart and then headed home. This is where it gets good. We are driving home down West Road and we nearly hit what looks like a rock but is in fact a turtle. I jump out of the car and my mom comes back to the area. Well its a darned SNAPPING turtle. Some nice security guards helped us get the turtle into our trunk in a box and we promised to drop him off in the bayou by our house. Oh my lord I haven't laughed that hard in a VERY long time. Here is the video for all of you to watch and laugh along with us!

Mission: Save the Snapping Turtle

Katie loves Madden

Madden's schedule has worked itself out where he's awake when I get to work and he eats almost immediately after his mom leaves. Well that's also when Katie goes pee pee and puts on her big girl panties. So this morning all of these things happen at the very same time. I go ahead and make Madden's bottle, set it on the kitchen table, and take Katie potty. Well of course once Katie is done going potty she runs away before I can even blink. I return to the kitchen to pour myself a drink and notice that suddenly Madden isn't crying. Hmmm that's odd, I'm pretty sure he was starving two minutes ago. Well I come out of the kitchen and Katie has gotten his bottle off the table and is standing next to his bouncer, feeding him. What a crazy toddler she is!!! It was so darned cute I went ahead and let her feed him as much of it as she could. (She doesn't understand that you have to hold it at an angle, so when it gets low I take over...)

Katie, 20 months feeding Madden, 3 months

Oh and I just wanted to note that I'm making a prediction, Madden is definitely going to roll over in the next couple weeks. He is starting to throw his leg and spin around in a circle.

Being 22

So I was laying in bed last night trying to fall asleep and I had about a million and one thoughts running through my head. I'm still kicking myself for not writing them all down, but I'll do my best to remember them and hopefully I will make sense in my ramblings.

I've come to the realization that everyone grows up at different rates. Each individual person has been raised differently, has had different life experiences, and have dealth with those experiences in their own ways. This is what leads to such a range of maturity levels in any age group. I spent a lot of last night considering all of the things I have been through and the things I've seen my friends go through, there's a whole lot of hurt in this world! However, there is also happiness and love and friendship.

Let me get back to the point of this post... I am 22, it has been four years since I graduated high school and I've probably got another four years left of college. For now, I am midway between two major milestones. When I look back at the person I was in high school, and I consider the person I am now, I am shocked at the change. I have grown in ways I never expected. I have learned parenting skills without having a baby at 16. I have become a little more fashion forward than that dorky girl hiding in the yearbook room. I have lost some friends and I have gained some friends, unfortunately there's been more losing than gaining but that's ok. I have found the confidence and self assurance that I never possessed as a teenager. I look back at the awkward girl who was so worried about having the perfect high school experience and I'm so glad I didn't. I obtained the ability to see through the fake friends and the intelligence to hold on to the real ones.

So here I am, a nanny for the past four years, raising other people's children. I used to feel like I was watching every one else's lives fly by while mine remained in park. I was that stupid girl once, the one who let a boy mistreat me, who let a boy make me believe I wasn't good enough, that I had something to prove. Well that boy left me, as they all do, and I gained something from him that he'll probably never realize, I gained the ability to stand on my own two feet. At 22 years old I know that I will never rely on a man to make me happy. Sure I will be married one day and I hope to live a fulfilled life with whomever that man turns out to be, but I will never rely on only him to enrich my life because ultimately it is exactly that, MINE. I don't need someone constantly telling me how pretty I am or reassuring me that I'm not fat. When I get dressed I ask how my outfit looks, but I am happy with what I've chosen no matter what reaction it brings. I am leading my life the way I want to, I living for me and I am merely taking every one along with me.

I have developed a deep love for art in my life. As a kid I loved to draw, just basic colored pencils and a sketch pad. As an adult I have found that photography really captures the world in a way that those Crayolas never could. I have realized that a good book doesn't always consist of a princess being rescued by her knight and shining armor, there aren't always happy endings and that is ok. I have learned that cutting and pasting is still endless fun, but now I prefer to cut and paste things that really mean something. I can still see the innocent joy that cartoons bring to little girls and boys, but I have found that I prefer to watch shows and movies that touch me. I want to engross myself in things that make me laugh hysterically, cry like a baby, get angry as a bull, and inspire me to change the world. Cinderella just can't hold a candle to the real women who are making a difference every single day.

Being 22 in my world is being on the fence between childhood and the rest of my life. I am in no way perfect, I am still immature and naive in a number of ways. However, I can look ahead and know that those things will change one day too. I won't always get grumpy if I don't have at least one soda a day, well maybe I will! The point is that for me, 22 has changed me. 22 has made me realize that I am dying to be a mother. I want nothing more than to be in a happy, stable marriage where I am loved and accepted for everything that I am. I no longer have my heart set on being a teacher, I have opened my mind in the last six months to an array of careers that would all make me happy in one way or another. Maybe I'll grow up and become a copy editor for a major book publishing company, maybe I will enter the wild and crazy rhelm of talk radio, maybe I'll be a stay at home mom and try my hand at writing novels, or maybe, just maybe, I'll still end up a high school English teacher. Being 22 has given me the freedom to realize that it is my choice. Every single thing that happens in my life from here on out is my choice. I can't wait for every day of the rest of my life, because at 22, the possibilites are ENDLESS...

Potty Time!

Today was Katie's first time coming to work and wearing her big girl panties instead of a diaper. So far so good! She had one very small accident this morning, and really it was my fault because I was changing Madden's diaper when she decided she finally needed to go. Of course I had put her on the potty right before I changed him but toddlers never need to pee when you want them to. The biggest downside was that she peed in my brand new Coach purse... Couldn't she have aimed for something a little less expensive?!? Oh the joys of being a stand in parent.

Its been awhile...

I haven't posted on here in awhile, there's only so much to say about the daily care of a two month old. Although he's three months tomorrow and changing so fast! He is loving playing with his activity center, he's realized that when he hits the chains and toys, they move. But anyway, the purpose for my post tonight is to get down some creative ideas I've been working on.

My mom and baby sister Katie are thinking about moving to Virginia next year, and my little sister Amber currently lives in North Carolina. This presents the ever difficult issue of how to keep in touch. Sure there's Skype and Facebook and texting, but sometimes I miss the every day, old fashioned letter. Its always so exciting to get a card in the mail or to get a post card from a friend. So I was laying in bed reading a book I bought my mom for Valentine's Day that she insisted I read. It got me thinking about how often we exchange books and I came up with a great idea to keep in touch with long distance family! Start a book club. I figure I'll buy a book, read it, write a letter to my mom and send it to her with the book. Then she'll read it, and when she finishes she'll write a letter to my sister and send it on to her. When Amber is done she can either return the book to me or a buy a new one and include a letter when she sends it. This way we're all enjoying something we have in common and keeping our relationship close. I'll let everyone know how it goes when they move. I am so excited to put this plan into action!

Speaking of moving, my boyfriend Nick and I will be moving into our own apartment in July, which is only four months away!!! This will be my first time living on my own with my spouse. We can't wait to have our own place and to have some time alone. I am most excited about decorating. I spend hours on Stumbleupon.com and www.Pinterest.com planning how I'm going to decorate our livingroom, bathroom, kitchen.. We really have the bedroom decorated already so that's one less thing to daydream about. I can't wait! <3

Three Weeks with little Madden

So I have been taking care of baby Madden for about three weeks now. He's already changing so much! He's recently begun taking notice of his toys and realizing that they do fun things. It is so much fun to watch his surprise when things move and sing to him. I can't wait until he starts doing even more! Katie is doing really well helping me with him too, she loves to play Peek-A-Boo with him while I'm changing his diaper. She also likes to hold him which she really can't do yet, but man oh man does she try!

First week with baby Madden

 Hello everyone! My name is Ashley, I am a nanny and have been doing childcare for around five years. I love my babies and upon starting a new position have decided to write about my experience. Madden is 6 weeks old and I am his very first ever caregiver. I really look forward to watching him grow and learn and being present for many of his "firsts". Nothing is as fulfilling as watching a baby grow.

This week was all about getting to know each other. Newborns always have their cues when they need something specific. I have learned so far that when Madden is hungry, which is pretty much all the time, he makes this funny sound with his pacifier and starts nuzzling in my chest. I had him up higher on my shoulder and he about near sucked my cheek off! I also had forgotten just how crafty you have to be to change a little boys diaper and stay dry!

Katie Bug holding baby Madden for the first time.

I am having such a good time watching my baby sister, who is nineteen months and comes to work with me, interact with little Madden. She absolutely adores him! All day I hear "Baby..Uh Oh..Baby!" She pets him, and likes to try and hold him. I let her feed him, with close supervision of course, and she was sooo excited.
That's all for now folks
Ashley