A YEAR THAT WILL LIVE FOREVER...

First of all, no one die of shock that I'm actually posting something!!! LOL :)
This year has been like no other in my life!!!

January we finally received the blessing we had prayed for, our sweet little girl Chandani Grace. After 3 longs years of waiting she was here...and boy we had no idea what to do with her (LOL) but hugs and kisses were at the top of the list!

February Ravi turned 28 and we decided that we just might be able to survive a newborn who was SO CUTE...when she was sleeping of course!

March 1st Ravi blessed our litle miracle, giving her a name and blessing as we all shed a tear and soaked in the joy of the moment...on a lesser note, I turned 26 (BOOOOO!)

April is when I finally got the hang of this getting by on no sleep, motherhood thing and watched as my once teeny, tiny baby turn into a little sumo baby...yay for fat rolls and meaty thighs :)

May - June we welcomed warmer summer weather and attended "Mommy & Me Playdates" at the pool as well as had playdates with other good frienads :)

July was the month of some COOL first for us! We finally were old enough for Sun Tan lotion, which we used at the Beach, playdates and Grandma & Grandpas...and let's not forget it's when we started BABY FOOD!!! That was one great month :)

August we took our VERY first Family vacation to New York and SURVIVED! Very Cool!

By September we had just celebrated our FIVE YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY (Aug 27th) at Swanky "Morton's" Steakhouse. It was night I'll never forget! Ravi treated me like a Queen and when the glorious night came to a close and the clock struck...uh, 9:00pm we picked up our little anniversary "present" Princess from Aunt Sarah's and remembered how blessed we were.

October was our first Halloween with our little one as "Lilo" the night of our ward's Trunk or Treat and "Princess Belle" the actual night of Halloween!!! That night was also our first time using an umbrella stroller!

Novemember Chandani enjoyed Turkey (babyfood of course) with the rest of the crew and hit some HUGE milestones...FIRST TOOTH, FIRST TIME CRAWLING and WALKING WITH FURNITURE!!!

AND to finish off the year...

December we were elated to see her pull up to a standing position on Christmas Eve and walk with a push toy Christmas day. Our Chandani is the BEST gift our little family could have asked for and continues to overwhelm us with joy and love EVERY DAY!!!

Hope all of you had a GREAT year and here's to 2010 and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I think I can, I THINK I CAN!

I'm trying desperately to stay as positive as possible, but I feel like a complete FRAZZLE lately :( I never feel like I have enough time for anything...not enough for housework, for Chandani, for Ravi, for my calling, for ME! I write out to-do list and then get depressed when I can't even finish a third of it.

I look around my room, my house, my life and think "why is everything always half done???" I know it's the perfectionist in me but I get so overwhelmed and sad when I can't complete at least one thing to my liking. Am I the only one who feels this crazy? LOL!

On a WAY more happy note...I am very blessed to have such an understanding husband and WONDERFUL baby!

Slipping through my fingers...

What an awesome blessing to be a mother!!!
The hardest, most trying...yet most rewarding thing I've ever done in my life :)
I look at my little girl as she looks up at me and says those words...Ma Ma!
And everytime my heart just melts and I want to give her the world.
I put together an updated slideshow of her growing.
It's just to the right of this post ---------->
Hope you enjoy watching her grow as I do...

OPERATION HEALTHY MOM :)

Let me just tell you, I have felt the laziest I have EVER felt in the last few months and the scale has only reiterated that fact :( I've never been one for lots of exercise and working out, but I was a whole lot more activity when I first got married. Then life happened...

I got married and comfortable in my own skin! Unfortunately for my skin, I stretched it to the max having Chandani, weighing in at 170lbs before I gave birth. None of that seemed to matter to me until she turned 6 months and I STILL couldn't drop the weight or fit in to most of my old clothes :(

However, it's a NEW day and I haven't felt this confident in a VERY LONG TIME!!! I've started watching what I eat and instead of denying myself of all the bad, I've made a concerted effort to replace the unhealthy with other yummy much healthier options. I'm trying to work on going to bed earlier and getting up earlier...although Chandani helps me with that last one (lol) I'm even trying to exercise daily, which is a HUGE task to accomplish with a baby and housework!

I started looking at old pics and got down, thinking to myself "I'll never be that little again"...but "That's Not the Goal" I had to remind myself. It's to FEEL BETTER, wear my old clothes again and be able to look in the mirror and say..."hmmmm not too shabby!" :)

There's no magic water or answer...just good old fashion healthy eating, movmement and CONSISTENCY :)

Where Did My Baby Go...?

I look at Chandani everyday and ask myself that same question... "where did my tiny 6lb, 10oz baby go???" Why is she talking...saying ma ma, da da, duck and her own rendition of "gu gur" which is good girl! Why does she always want to stand? Why is she such a GOOD eater and eating three times a day now? Why can't she wear her 3-6 month clothes anymore and why do I get SOOOOOO sad when I have to put clothes away?

I love my sweet, sweet baby...but she's growing up and how did this happen? Will it ever get easier to watch her turn into her own person? Did I ever know how deeply and completely I could love another person...hurt when they hurt, love what they love and be over the moon when they are?

I may not be able to answer all these questions today...or ever...but as I prepare for her 9 MONTH doctor appointment tomorrow I'll try not to think of how close we are to her first birthday and try not to ask myself "Where Did My Baby Go?" :(

5 YEARS OF HAPPINESS AND JOY...

I just CANNOT believe it...in 20 days we'll be celebrating 5 years of wedded, Eternal bliss and I couldn't be happier! It seems like just yesterday we met and became friends and now here we are, an Eternal family with the most precious daughter to show for it. I've been on a very positive note lately and I think it's all in the way I've chosen to see things. I have SO MUCH to be grateful for with a beautiful home, a vehicle to drive, the gospel in my life and my BEAUTIFUL family. I have felt Father in Heaven's hand in my life and am so grateful for his support, encouragement and many, many blessings. We're taking our first FAMILY TRIP the week of our anniversary up to New York to see the sites, visit family and see just where Ravi spent his first years after coming to America. We are indeed blessed from on high to make this trip and to do it under such affordable circumstances.

Here's to you my husband, my partner, my companion, my help-mate...my FRIEND!!! May the next five years be just as wonderful and full of love and laughter!

BLESSING!

What did I do so right? Why am I SO loved? So blessed? I look at my baby girl everyday and even through the hard times, the trying times I'm filled with such love! Her lips, her big gorgeous eyes, her sweet little hands...she only has to look at me to bring a smile to my face. While her smile lights up a room and lightens my spirits as I watch her grow. She's my angel, my miracle and my best friend. She goes everywhere I go, watches everything I watch and the moments we sit in our rocking chair and read books, sing songs and snuggle up together are the best moments of my life and make me realize...I AM BLESSED!

MY INSPIRATION!!!

It's so funny how life can make you a different person, but nothing truly changes who you are! Since becoming a mom I've been SO caught up in the feedings, diapers, bathes and so on that I started to find that I was sort of loosing myself. I forgot what things made "me" happy and decided a week or so ago to start finding time for hobbies that I love again. So I sat down one day and wrote a poem. Another day I started reading a book that I've been wanting to read for some time now. And as of recent I picked up the camera to do a photo session with my favorite girl

I have to say...I have one GREAT model!!! She's so photogenic and has such a gorgeous smile she's become my artistic inspiration :) Infact, I got so in to it that I even came up with a photography logo "Celestial Snapshots"! Here's just a few of the pics I took...

Sink, Warm Water & a Duck!

Well, we've graduated from the infant tub to the...sink? LOL! She just LOVES to sit up now so there was no use prolonging the inevitable :)

Now, there was a toddler side of our infant tub I could be using...but who wants to keep lugging that thing from bathroom to sink?!

I also could put that infant tub in the big tub and give her a bath that way...but who wants to bend over a tub to make sure their little one doesn't tip over like a teapot (LOL!)

She sits up REALLY well by herself but definitely still needs a hand close by for tilting or tipping. So until I feel more secure and my back can hold up...the sink is the PLACE TO BE :)

And just look at this face...I think she agrees!

The Sit Down Interview...after the 4 month shots! :(

This is actually an older video since she just got her 6 months shots last week, but thought it was still worth sharing :)

Floppy Seat Disaster...

Ok, a while back a good friend of mine posted a blog about her "Floppy Seat Disaster". Now, keep in mind I was still pregnant when I read her blog so I was like "Oooooh, I need to take notes so this doesn't happen to me". So that should have meant smooth sailing, righttttt????

So I go over all the steps before I leave the house...
1) Pack diaper bag with bottle, formula, warm water, diapers, wipes, spare clothes, ECT.
2) Make sure Floppy Seat is in the van
3) Bring Paci for any sudden melt downs
4) Grab Coupons (doing a little dance for coupons)
5) Grab phone that has grocery list on it, calculator feature...oh, and it can also just be used as a phone

I feel confident, covered all my bases...I'm ready :)

Get to Winn-Dixie and find a parking spot right next to the carts so that one will be at my disposal for "installing" the floppy seat while my sweet baby looks on from her comfy seat in the van (little tip from my aforementioned friend)

See DARK storm clouds overhead, hear loud thunder..."Uh, oh!" Getting nervous now!

Look at package with picture to see which side is front and which is back...seems simple enough. Look at strap and try to connect around back of seating area of grocery cart before realizing it's backwards and needs to be pulled out and fed back through so the strap can click together in the front instead of the back.

Proceed to do so, starting to sweat like a fat, farm pig while the "kart boys" look on with glee (raaaaaah!) "Why is this taking so long and why is my face starting to melt off like those guys who open the arc on that Indiana Jones movie?!"

Finally get it all settled in and unhook Chandani from her carseat in the van and put her in, place a fluffy blanket around her for added cushion on the sides of her and give her her Pooh Bear Snuggly for the shopping adventure. Place paci in mouth and reach for diaper bag to get out debit card for easy paying access later when in store. Now dripping sweat onto grocery cart...rarrrr!

Dig hand in bag, dig some more..."Awwww MAN!!!" Left my wallet AT HOME!!!

Chandani was even more displeased...I believe she said "MOMMY, YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

Needless to say it was a good dry-run :) Had to go all the way back home, get my wallet and head back to the store. Got her set up again and did some heavy duty shopping!!!

Even saved $35 in deals and coupons...



Even with all the "no wallet drama" we had a GREAT "First Time in Floppy Seat" shopping trip!!!

Somebody LOVES her High Chair!

Chandani is officially a Foodie :) She's had applesauce, bananas, green beans and pears so far...and we haven't found anything she doesn't like, yet. She looks like such a big girl in her high chair that it has become my new favorite parts of the day feeding her some breakfast and dinner! Being a mommy is the GREATEST!!!

4th of July...BABY!

Chandani's FIRST fourth of July...COULD NOT have been BETTER!!! She was such a trooper taking on the Beach for the first time and then Fireworks...yep, my almost 6 month old sat through a fireworks show and didn't even make a peep. She just took in the sights of beautiful sprays of bright lights across downtown Jacksonville's sky and all the sounds of ooohs and aaaahs from the crowd. This little girl couldn't make a Mommy & Daddy any prouder!!!










Here we have Mommy letting Chandani experince the tide rushing over her little feeties...she was SOOOO good!











Warren (Chandani's youngest cousin and her Best Bud) came to supervise and let her know "it's ok Chandani, it's ok)











She was such a BIG GIRL and even went out in the ocean to float in her canopy float. She was a little skeptical at first, but after a few verses of the ABC song from Mommy AND Daddy she got used to the cold and was AWESOME!!!










Everyone took turns holding her at the beach, but no one quite as "proud" as Paw Paw...hey they kind of match skin colors! (LOL)


Needless to say, after all that excitement Miss Chandani was pooped out...or as Casey would say "a tired bear" so we let her get some shut eye in her pop-up tent! (Check the fan inside...this girl had it made!)

Then onto the Down town Jax fireworks...


Ok, she looks a little freaked in this pic, but it wasn't the fireworks...it was Daddy's blinding camera flash (lol)



Here is Mommy and Baby taking in the beautiful scene!



It was a banner day for the Armogan Family...and one we won't soon forget!!!

It's a Sunshine Day!

I'd have to say, although this Summer's started out rediculously hot, it's just made our family VERY grateful for pools :) Father's Day weekend we took Chandani in the pool for the first time, at Grandma & Grandpa's house (Ravi's parents) and I'm happy to report...SHE LOVED IT! Then the following Thursday we had a little get-together back at Ravi's parents and tried out her little canopy float for the first time. Besides the fact that daddy forgot to blow it up and Mommy put her in backwards to start, our "little kicker" swam herself around the pool all by herself...although Mommy, Daddy and Aunt Sarah were always close by.

Summer has officially begun in the Armogan house and we can't wait to take our little, tan baby girl to the Beach, the Lake and every Pool we can find :)

Mmmmm Mmmmm Bbbbbbpst!

Our little Chandani has become quite the little talker...and often times screamer :) Was there really any doubt though? With me as her mother this little girl was destined to have some pipes! (LOL) Check out one of our little convos...

My GURU Wife Has Now Made Me A "TEAM MEMBER"

I am totally excited that my wife has now made me a team member of our family blog. This is so cool and I am so proud of what she has done with this site and how great it looks. I have always been the GEEK to build an actual website but thanks to Nathan and Katheryn's suggestion life is on cruise control with our BLOGSPOT!!! I will be adding more blogs soon...

Preparing for Baby :)

First of all...this is not a way to tell all of you that I'm expecting!!! My baby is 5 months old for goodness sakes (LOL!) So many people are pregnant and expecting their first babies right now. Such a wonderful time that it makes me reflect on my own baby preparation. A good friend of mine just posted a blog asking for advice on what we had that made our lives easier with our new little bundles. Another good friend of mine posted a blog a while back that I believe was titled "What we could not live without the first year". Well, my little bundle's only 5 months...so here's my list of:

What We Could Not Live Without the First 5 Months :)

1) Baby gowns (even for little newborn boys)
I'll agree with my cousin Katheryn...trying to snap a million snaps on a tiny, little newborn in the middle of the night is a nightmare! Baby gowns were wonderful for us to keep our little one warm and cozy and the newborn ones always had fold-over hand mits.

2) Pacifiers (Nuk)
Since we started out nursing the Nuk Pacifiers were the ONLY ones Chandani would take. Now I know "the paci" can be a subject debated down to the ground for some moms but they were a lifesavor for us and a HUGE comfort for Chandani. She only takes them now at bedtime or naptime, but they help lull her to sleep and then she spits thems out :)

3) Receiving blankets
After being swaddled in the hospital for three days the receiving blankets we got were a lifesavor for swaddling at home! Chandani loved to be swaddled up and snug and warm so we definitely got a lot of use out of them.

4) Baby Furniture (Crib, Dresser, Changing table & Co-Sleeper)
Again this could be debated by some moms but ALL of the furniture we got we use almost everyday if not everyday. We've always used her crib for naps and now nighttime too. We love her tall dresser (or I guess it's called a Chest-of-drawers) for all her clothes, her Changing Table is her FAVORITE place...it's where we change diapers, get ready for bathtime, and just coo and PLAY), the Co-Sleeper is a wonderful bassinette that hooks on to the side of the bed for easy access and she still uses it at 5 months when she's having a rough night and we bring her in with us.

5) Exersaucer
This piece of baby furniture is SO wonderful it gets its own description. What can I "not" say about the Exersaucer?! Chandani's used her since 3 & 1/2 months old and she LOVES IT! It helps strengthen her back, stomach and legs and gives her a place to exercise, explore and burn off energy while mommy eats, uses the potty and takes a much needed break :) This little item was DEFINITELY a must for us.

6) Boppy Bouncer
We don't quite use this anymore at 5 months now that she LOVES to sit up, but it was practically her bassinette from birth to 2 & 1/2 months. She WOULD NOT sleep in the co-sleeper or her crib. So if I didn't want to sleep with a baby on me every night the Boppy Bouncer was my saving grace. Because it was a Boppy product it really craddled her and made her feeling cozy enough to sleep really sound...when she slept that is :(
b) Baby Positioner
Once she started sleeping in the bassinette the Baby Positioner made the transition REALLY smooth. It helps craddle them and support them during sleep.

7) Graco Swing
After the bouncer, next came the Swing!!! For a whole month, the swing was the only place she'd nap during the day. I'd put a soft blanket in it, strap her in and give her her Pooh Bear Snuggly and Paci and she'd be out before you could say Pooh :)
b) Soft blankets
These were and are a must now that she's getting older. She loves the way they feel, cuddles them and uses them as teethers when she's cranky going down

8) Pooh Bear Snuggly
Speaking of Pooh Bear Snuggly, Chandani has pretty much used this since birth. A snuggly is basically a little soft, silky blanet with an animal head attached...sounds a little creepy but it truly is quite the wonderful invention. We take it everywhere we go as a little travel companion. She just loves to feel it with her hands, chew on its nose and I always put in her arm so if she falls asleep (which she usually always does) she has something soft to fall asleep against.

9) Graco Travel System
This comes with a Carseat Carrier, base and Stroller :) This has been the biggest help when it comes to getting out of the house, giving mommy and baby a break. After being pinned up in the house all day long, sometimes the best medicine is a little trip out and about. I hook her in to her carrier, slip Pooh in her arms and head out the door. Next we lock the carrier into the base and we're off. Finally, when I get to my destination I just unhook the carrier from the base pop it into the stroller and I'm set for a day of shopping, walking and getting out and about.

10) Bathtub and Bath Products
When Chandani was a teeny, tiny newborn she'd SCREAM bloodly murder through her bathtime. Finally at about 2 & 1/2 months when my piggy-mama finally got some fat she LOVED her bathtime and still does to this very day. So the infant bathtub with sling was a GREAT help. She used the sling to cradle her until about 4 months. Then she'd lay back in the tub without it until 5 months. Now, she wants to sit up in the tub during bathtime. I especially loved the Bedtime Bath Set that came with the lullabye CD!!! Chandani LOVES the songs and we play them in the van over and OVER when we go on car rides :)

***As far as diapers go...we've used them all so here's our take on it...
Luvs - Fine but don't hold as much so they have to be changed A LOT more frequently
Nature's Best Organic - Ok, but kind of stiff feeling and hold a little more than Luvs
Huggies - Fit nice, hold pretty good but tended to be more narrow and leak more often with our Miss Chub, Chub
Pampers - by far seem to be our best Diapering experience...they do cost a little more but coupons help cut cost and they're worth every penny
(The newborn swaddlers gave her a little rash, but the "Baby Dry" and "Cruisers" have been great)

Trying to Crawl or Swim?

Are little Chandani is growing up so fast! She is officially 5 months and we just don't know where the time went :( She's sits by herself now and stands with help, but her newest trick is "trying" to crawl...it's hysterical!

ELMO, who?!

Happy to report that Chandani has a new friend!
Ok, it wasn't all good feelings from the get go...

First we brought them face to face. You know how important first impressions can be in any good relationship, but Chandani had other ideas as she said...


..."Are you kidding me with this puffy, red guy??? I would like him to go away now, please! He's kind of creeping me out."



Then we decided that maybe they should get to know each other a little better, so we got him to talk to her. You know, strike up a little convo about letters, numbers, what's going down on the Sesame Street. However, Chandani didn't feel so social as she said...

..."Mommy, I'm not playing around here. His red fur is kind of burning out my retinas and he just keeps rambling on and on about 'HI, I'm Elmo', it's so lame. I would like him to go away now, Please!"


We tried to explain to Elmo that this probably wasn't gonna work out, but he was so insistent that he could win her over. He said that no one can resist trying to tickle him. So he began asking her, saying 'Tickle me', but Chandani wasn't having it. She finally had enough and said...


..."Arrrrgh, if you want something done you just have to do it yourself! Listen Eljo, I don't want to tickle you, I don't want to hug you...GET OFF!"


I'm not gonna lie, it was hard not to laugh...but a Mother's job is to teach what is right. So after a long, deep talk Chandani about respecting other people's feelings no matter how different they may be she decided to "bite her lip" and give Elmo a chance!

And I'm happy to report they're playing very nice together now :)

Mall Diva!

So, I recently went Mall Walkin' with Big Jee and Lil' B (LOL)! It was SO nice to get out and about and window shop. There was quite a bit of stroller pushin' going on and we even took the kids to the Mall's playplace (arrrgggh!) Ohhhhhhhh, so this is where it all went downhill! :( Where are the manners?

It "should" be fun to take your little ones to the local playplace, right? However, in OP this is apparently not possible because "some" mommas apparently don't teach their children manners. Here we have a four month old (who obviously wasn't down running around, but wanted to stand and spectate) and a one year old who wanted to play. However, you've also got these older kids running...no speeding...around almost trying to knock down these little ones. Meanwhile, the parents (a.k.a. the local 12 year old moms and dads...LOL!) watching and not saying a word. There was no "honey be careful around those little babies" or "hey, play over here"...I mean this playplace isn't tiny, they had a whole other section.

Finally, we formed a battle plan! :) We went over to a small corner where there were some mirrored, rotating blocks and blocked it off with our strollers...ha! LOL :) Let's just say we took one for the tiny baby team. And when one of these older, out-of-control kids tried climbing over the bench (flinging her legs near Lil' B's head) to get into our "tiny" little space for our kids...Big Jee had to give them the "burning stare" (ha ha ha) Needless to say...we staked our claim :)

Motherhood & The Book of Mormon........ Go Hand & Hand!

I have always been a person who loved to read, but as I've gotten older and busier I seem to have less and less time for it :( That is... until the recent 5-Stake Women's Conference where Sister Beck and Sister Cook came to speak to all the sisters ages 12 and up.

It was after that conference that I had a renewed and refreshed desire to read the Book of Mormon for "just" 5 minutes a day...shortly after the "Book of Mormon Journal" Blog was born (or what I lovingly refer to as the B.O.M. Journal. Any and all who would like to follow it and add any comments, insights or testimonies of your own are more than welcome!!! Many of you could teach me far more than I could learn on my own, with your own testimonies and spiritual wisdom :)

http://bommomma.blogspot.com/

Carrie's Book of Mormon Journal

Full Fledge Thumb-Sucker!

It is now definite...somebody LOVES her thumb! !! So I thought that Chandani was a straight-up Paci baby, but WHOA WAS I WRONG! LOL :) Most of the time now she'll sucks on her paci for a little bit, pull it out, examine it and then throw it...annnnnnnnnndddddd THUMB! She might start out with her whole hand in her mouth, but eventually ends up with her new little friend, Thumb :)

Nap...what nap?

Oh the joys and trials of motherhood! Chandani has recently decided to boycott her naps :( She used to nap three times a day anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour and a half each nap. However, now I'm lucky if we get two naps in and they're either super short naps in the crib or super long ones in the swing. My dad always says...."the only constant thing about babies is change." Boy is he right ! Any advice or mommy stories are always appreciated :)

Oh, the WONDERS of Singing Time

Oh, how Chandani LOVES Music :) She can be fussing in the car and all I have to do is start singing one of her favorite songs and she perks right up and is so happy again. Music truly is a wonder, especially in the lives of children :)

Here's a video of one of our "Sing Times" together when she was around 2 & 1/2 months...

Saturday Morning Cartoons

As soon as Chandani learned to focus her eyes she has been IN LOVE with the tv! LOL! Which is especially ironic since I promised myself that I'd never be one of those moms that plopped my kid down in front of the tv for hours...which I still don't and never will...but I'll be darned if she isn't drawn to it anyway :)

I let her watch a little Playhouse Disney in the morning before her first nap while she plays in her Exersaucer and then a little Baby Einstein during the afternoon before her next nap, but I really try to limit it as much as possible with things like Exercise Time, Singing Time and Story Time (which she LOVES to read books in the rocking chair "almost" as much as tv...sheeessh!)

This was her at 11 weeks (2 months, 2 weeks & 4 days) watching her first Saturday Morning Cartoons :)

Chandani's (Bollywood Star) First Movie :)

Ok, so this video was shot 7 weeks ago...but Mommy is a little slower with Technology than Daddy is... ENJOY!

Oh, Green Cove...How I LOVE you!

Ok, so I was reading one of my cousin's blogs about how much she loves her town...and I just had to represent for Green Cove! (LOL) I'll be the first to admit, it is pretty darn small, but from the first time Ravi and I drove through it we knew this would be the place we'd start our family.

You could probably walk from one end of it to the other in the time it would take you to walk the Orange Park Mall :) I absolutely LOVE being right off the River and the beautiful sky at sunrise and sunset over by Black Creek...


It is no AMC 24 Theatre, but the town theatre is just the cutest thing I have ever seen!!! It was originally an Opera House, but was converted to a Movie Theatre in 1936. It only has two theatres as the original balcony was converted to another screen in the '90s, but it is quite the place to be on a Friday or Saturday night!

Another cool fact is that the community swimming pool is actually fed by a natural spring!!! The history of the spring is quite interesting... "The rich history of Green Cove Springs is tied to the natural springs and the St. Johns River...the area was first settled in the mid-1800s and was called White Sulfur Springs. After that and around 1850, Green Cove became a prime tourist attraction, famous for the warm, therapeutic springs. The sulfur springs, or the “boil” as it was called brought wealthy visitors down the St. Johns River by steamboat to vacation at the grand hotels like the Clarendon and Qui-Si-Sana. Visitors of the period included Henry Flagler and his new bride, the Astors and Vanderbilts. The visitors drank from the spring believing in its medicinal values. It is said one local physician prescribed the spring water for various chronic ailments of the liver and kidneys. There are those today that still have confidence in the therapeutic value of the springs and can be seen daily drawing water from the spring for consumption." I have yet to take a dip yet, but for $1 you can swim all day long :)

However, my favorite place in Green Cove is the children's park!!! We've taken my sister's kids there since they were little and now it's finally our turn to take Chandani there to experience it's beauty and amusement. It's right off the River so every now and again you get a cool, refreshing breeze as you play. There's a beautiful gazebo, bridge and many, MANY absolutely gorgeous old trees lending lots of shade. I might be a little bias, but I'd have to say that in my opinion..."Green Cove Springs is where it's at!" (Sorry Kim...LOL!)

YAY...for figuring out Blogspot!

Ok, so this is going to make me sound VERY silly, but I have spent the past few days trying to figure out how to post a slideshow in my side bar ... during naptime of course (Sheesh) LOL! I'm not gonna lie I thought I could figure it out quicker, but apparently pregnancy killed a lot more brain cells than I previously thought.

First I had to put together a slideshow in photobucket (which didn't take very long at all) but then came the hard part...figuring out how to put it into the sidebar of Blogger where it would fit...OY! I tried using the "Slideshow" gadget, but after a day and a half said "FORGET IT!" LOL :)

Finally I just put it in as an HTML and googled how to enlarged the widget borders and went through the slideshow code to find the dimensions to shrink it to fit my now "somewhat" enlarged border... I'm tellin' ya my hubby would have been proud of a wifey (ha ha ha)

Teething Stinks :(

My poor little Chandani has been teething off and on since she was 2 months old :( I didn't think it was possible for her to teeth that early, but the doctor confirmed it at her 2 month well visit! OH BOY!

Daddy went out and got her three little teethers she can chew on...and OH HOW SHE LOVES THEM! They're the ones you can refrigerate or freeze and are little gifts straight from Heaven :)

It's still a little crazy to me that she could start teething this early...any other mommies out there have an early teether? What did you use to help soothe?

"So Much Friendlier With POOH!"

So, I always try to follow the cardinal rules of sleeping...on your back, no loose blankets, NO STUFFED ANIMALS...until now that is :) Chandani is 15 Weeks old today and cuter than ever...although I may be a little bias (LOL) I gave her a bath, changed her clothes and decided to lay her down for a nap before Daddy came home from work. I rocked her, read to her, sang all her favorite songs...STILL no sleeping baby.

Hmmmmm...what to do? Then it occurred to me...she always falls asleep in her carseat with her Pooh Bear Snuggly! Well, let's try it, couldn't hurt right? I placed her in the crib, put Pooh in front of her and gave her her Paci. She of course did not fall right asleep but decided to start stroking Pooh and telling him "It's ok Pooh, Mommy puts me in here for a nap all the time"...well, at least I imagine that's what those coos and high pitch squeals meant (LOL!)

I walked out to get a glass of water, peaked back in and this is what I found...

HOW CUTE IS SHE??? Oh, I love being a Mommy!!!!!!!!!!

TA-DAH!!!

Ok, so Ravi and I decided to do an experiment last night...we decided to test our 8 to 10 hour sleeping baby in her crib. Now, I'm not going to lie, we have not cut the bassinette-in-the-room strings yet but we are getting closesr :)

We decided to put her down in the crib last night and sleep on the pull out couch...just in case...I know, I know we're so OCD (LOL) Needless to say it was a HORRIBLE night's sleep for Mommy and Daddy, but wonderful for Miss Chandani :)

This morning before Daddy left for work he peeked in just to check on her and she was
just-uh cooing it up, smilin' and studying her crib...like she hasn't been in it a million times before for naps during the day (LOL). Then mommy came in to take a peek and I got the
"TA-DAH! Look at me, Mommy" pose :)
It was just classic!!!

Chandani's First Shopping Trip :)

I'm happy to say my little girl is a BORN SHOPPER! LOL :) In a recent shopping trip, for some new clothes for mommy, I got to take miss Chandani out and about to see how she'd do and she was "wonderful" :) As we went down rows of clearance clothes (Holla for bargains) she'd reach her little hand out of the stroller to touch all the clothes...of course probably inspecting their color, texture and overall quality as a skilled shopper would...ha ha ha! Everything was going so smoothly until...the dreaded diaper check :( The smell was undeniable to a seasoned mommy...ok or anyone else with a nose with the shopping radius...but it was so terrible I even purposely checked her back and saw nothing suspicious, but knew from the stench I still needed to take her to change anyway. For the first time ever, I made the mistake of thinking I'll just take her wipes and diaper...I mean there should be no need taking the whole bag, right? BOY WAS I WRONG!!! It appears she had nothing on her back because it had gone up her front...oooooh :(
This darling little checkered outfit you see to the left is now sitting in a Kohls garbage can...needless to say it was not able to be saved and beyond repair. "Thank goodness I always keep at least two changes of clothing in my bag, " I thought "WAIT...my bag!" Needless to say I ended up carrying my half naked baby out of the restroom and back to my stroller to grab the clothes. Luckily I was shopping with my friend Jac and she was able to help me clothe my poor baby quickly. Oh, the joys of motherhood...LOL...I'm sure I must be the only one with such a story, right???

A Dream Come True...

Looking back now Chandani's birth was so surreal...like a dream almost. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the whole pregnancy even up to the birth just never felt real for some reason. I don't know if it's because we had waited so long, because I had imagined it feeling differently or because of the absolutely wonderful drugs they gave me to help with the pain (LOL), but somewhere between becoming pregnant and now I expected it to sink in, hit home or feel real but it hadn't...until this week. It's so hard to describe these kind of emotional things, but this week it finally all became very real for me. For whatever reason Chandani has become VERY attached to me! She does ok with other people for a bit, but then will cry and cry until I hold her again. It's just like that too...crazy crying and then as soon as she's in my arms she stops. It's worried me a little because I want her to feel secure and comfortable with family and good friends, but I also can't stand to see her upset either. It's become apparently clear to me now how much she needs me and that I am her mommy through and through. It's so humbling, yet stressful to think how much Chandani needs me 24/7 and that no one can take my place as her mother. This sweet little angel is depending on me and I can't let her down. She helps me get up in the morning, she makes me want to clean my house from top to bottom and she makes me want to love more, push harder and be better. What a miracle these little spirits are!

To All My Preggos!

Is it just me or is everyone bursting with babies?! Kind of makes me wish I had waited a little longer to get pregnant...WAIT...what am I saying, three years is plenty long enough (LOL) It seems like just the other day I was sportin' Miss Chandani in my tummy and now's she's here. With Mother's day rapidly approaching I wanted to give a shout out to all my "PREGGOS" and even you soon to be pregos (wink, wink). Ah, heck...to all my mommies, I LOVE YA!!!

Bath Baby!!!

Ok, so I found a new favorite worth blogging about ... my little-wittle "Bath Baby"!!! Chandani HATED bathes when she was a tiny newborn :( She'd scream from the times her clothes came off...so modest (lol)...until she was dried and dressed again. Then sometimes even after being dressed she'd cry, it was SOOOO sad :( However, around about 2 months (which is also when she finally got some baby fat...yay!) she started to LOOOOOVE her bathes. It's enough to make a mommy go crazy with happiness :) Ever since then bathtime is our FAVORITE TIME of the day. Whether she's cooing and gurgling, big-cheesy-grinning or looking a little drunk and groggy...it's always a daily favorite! There is absolutely NOTHING SWEETER than a fresh bathed and lotioned baby!!! Oh, the smell of their precious little heads, their soft round tummy and their man-I-just-want-to-eat-you toes...it's just bliss. After bath we always get our daily massage (oh, to be a baby) and then get our jammies on for story time in the rocking chair. We end up reading about four or five books (some more than once) and singing some favorite lullabyes. It's just so absolutely WONDERFUL...just me and my "Bath Baby" :)