Bring on the rain.. we have an ark!

Well- it has been a long time since I have had the chance to sit down and update everyone. Life has been so crazy, hopefully I won’t forget anything.

September 21st at 11:30am Randy and I woke up to loud claps of thunder. I went downstairs and looked out of the garage and saw the water rising up against the garage door. I got Randy to wake up ON HIS DAY OFF to come down and look at the water. As soon as he got down to the window… our feet were wet. For a video of the rising water- click here!

I was having a garage sale- so there was tons of stuff in the garage that just had to be sacrificed. We ran into the next room (Randy’s man cave) and started running things up the stairs to higher ground. Once everything that we could salvage was up a floor… we sat on the back deck in total disbelief of the river in the back yard. We watched trees fall and pool floats from across the street come and go.

So--- our landlord sucks. They had me doing all the leg work in getting quotes for the repair to the house. After 48 hours without any progress I spent my time ripping up the soaking wet carpet to help get some of the water out! I am talking giant puddles here people. Then the landlord idiots decided 3 days later to go with some MORON that has no idea what he is doing in order to save money. One night the Bellard ladies (animals included) packed our bags and stayed with my mother in law because the MORON used a solution of 50-50 bleach and water. Just so you know- that is enough chlorine to cause your eyes to water. The MORON suggested to just open the windows….

This is when our luck turned around! My amazing parents suggested we take advantage of the 8K tax credit and offered to loan us the cash until we get it back in taxes!!! So… I buckled down and contacted a realtor who was amazing and assisted me in my fast paced search for THE house! So…48 hours later, we found THE house and decided to put in an offer. They countered offered LOWER than we had hoped. On top of that we are getting a 2K flooring allowance for the basement, a new roof and they are fixing TONS of odds and ends. We are set to close on October 26th.

In closing, I would like to apologize to all my friends that I have forgotten to call back in the past week! Once we are back to a “normal” schedule… I promise to catch back up with everyone. In the meantime- Madison would love to hang out with you while I pack!

Mommy and Madison's Mountain "Get Away"

This past weekend the Bellard girls escaped the city life and enjoyed a long weekend in Boone, NC. This past year has been a whirl wind of 5 to 6 hour drives to and from North Carolina. This weekend was simply a weekend to enjoy a relaxed time with my Godmother, Sadie.

One of the highlights of the weekend was visiting the Moses H. Cone home. It is a beautiful home that over looks an amazing view! While we were there a butterfly almost flew straight into me. Tristen grabbed the camera and got within 2 feet of this beautiful creature and was able to take amazing photos!

While we were up in the mountains, my wonderful sister (a.k.a. the Agnello Family photographer) helped us take Madison's 7 month portraits. I am including a few so you all can "ooooh" and "aaawwwww" at them :)

At 7 months, Miss Madison now has 4 teeth and has another top tooth right below the surface. She is sooo close to crawling... any day now!

Madison's First Play-Group

Today, I woke Miss Madison up and hopped in the car to go to our first play group. I am trying to count how many mommy-baby couples were there... I think it was 8-10.

Madison was so sweet even when some of the more mobile babies would try to take the toy that she was playing with or if they bumped her in a drive by crawling. She only got fussy when a little girl next to her got a bottle and she didn't. She came home with an itty bitty scratch on her face from when one of the little boys was trying to play with her hair- Randy was not amused... (don't worry.. the scratch is all gone now)

I am so excited to be taking this step towards a more social lifestyle. I have something to look forward to in the week! Plus--- nothing is cuter than a room full of babies!

I have officially taken a step towards the light! A friend of mine suggested that I go on meetup.com and search for playgroups in our area. Madison and I joined two different groups- So far I have only met with one of the groups. I am looking forward to meeting with the second group next weekend for a visit to the Marietta Farmer's Market. (Also- Madison's buddy Thatcher joined one of these groups! YEAH!!!!!)

****THANK YOU HEIDI! ****

A Legacy of Friends

Five years ago today, I lost a good friend of mine. Today, like every anniversary of his passing a group of his friends and family meet at the side of the road with candles or balloons and talk to the sky. Tonight I realized something as I made my way home from the annual gathering. I realized that even after 5 years, this group of people are still drawn together by him.

Looking down the table I starting noting all that had changed in the past 5 years-4 marriages, 2 babies, countless college degrees- but one thing still is the same- no matter how long it has been in between visits, everyone can pick up where they left off.

The reason this happens is because of him, because of his memory and because of his amazing family who choose everyday to celebrate his life instead of mourn their loss.

Everyone should hope to be so lucky as to leave behind such a legacy.

Pity? Party of One?

I had a taste of a social life last weekend. I really liked it. Now I am sitting my butt on the couch trying to make plans for this weekend that include something other than the necessary evils (laundry, vacuuming, bathing the dogs) People keep coming up with stupid suggestions like "Oh, you should take the baby on a walk!" I have. I can only take her on so many walks- and that doesn't solve my need for social interaction.

I love being a stay at home mom- but I am sure that a certain amount of depression occurs when you are limited to conversation that is limited to "Let's go change your diapie" and "let's go check and see if it is time to wake up Daddy yet."

It is very odd that when I do get the rare opportunity to hang out with other adults- I have nothing to talk about other than my stay at home life. I find solace in hanging out with other mommies that like talking about their kids. Madison is all I seem to know anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I love my daughter, but sometimes I miss my "pre-parenthood" life.

Three's company

*Disclaimer- this is intended to be completely lighthearted! I am very thankful for all the love and support that Randy and I have received*

So- a funny thing happens when you have a baby- people disappear. When you are pregnant everyone gets so excited and vows their every spare moment to your every possible need! In honor of this phenomenon I would like to make a top ten list of things I never thought that I would say pre-parenthood. However- I say these so frequently that I could only come up with 6- oh well. What is so great about these is they are all considered acceptable topics of discussion at the dinner table (only amongst other parents- some people get grossed out- obviously they aren't around often enough to find any of these funny)

Things I NEVER thought I'd say before the birth of my daughter... here goes!

6. "She only crapped on 2 outfits today!"
5. "Did she poop yet today? I fed her prunes and I wanted to see if her poo came out purple!"
4. "Yeah! She pooped!"
3. "Please be sure to put that outfit in the 'to be oxycleaned' PILE"
2. "I love how cute it is when she farts in the morning"
1. "I have boogers on my shoulder? Today must be my day- just one shoulder!"

This entry was prompted by the onslaught of status updates on facebook regarding babies. I have a few select friends of mine who have had babies "before the curve"- for them I will be eternally grateful. Without the likes of Jessie F., Jessie B., Heidi, Brianne and Kelly- I would have been completely lost. I am starting to feel like a "veteran parent" now that everyone else is finally getting married and having their planned babies. Odd, seeing as I have only been a mommy for a little over half a year.

So- to all you parents to be- congrats! Here is my advice to you- register for size 3 and up diapers, invest in stain removal spray and enjoy the company you keep as of now. Once you have a "scream machine" they will all leave you until they have their own :)

Also- to those amazing women who are trying so hard to get pregnant- enjoy the process! Screaming babies are the anti- aphrodisiac. Eitherway, hang in there- it is so worth it. Oh and Ash- I had a dream about you and babies the other night!

Silence is Golden

I woke up this morning because I was ready to get up. Randy is still fast asleep. No baby monitors for me today- it is our one year anniversary! I didn't turn on the TV. All I can hear is the hum of the A/C! Last night we dropped Madison off at my parents' house for the weekend. I miss her like crazy- but there is something to be noticed here- I am actually getting time just me and Randy.
Last night I ventured back into the adult world for Randy's debut with the Skully Hawk Outlaws. It was great seeing Randy in his element. The music was great and I got a chance to go to the "after party". We got home at 4 AM! HA... Mommy had a social experience!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, I am off to spend the day with my wonderful husband enjoying Kobe Steaks and cake--- what a great day!

Let the typos begin!

Today a friend of mine suggested I make "mommy time" for myself each week. For those of you unfamiliar with this term- “mommy time” is a fictional time where a busy mother takes time away from changing diapers and doing the laundry to do something for themselves. This sounds like a great idea until you attempt to implement this concept- and it falls flat. My "mommy time" is dictated by my infant's sleep schedule.

I wanted to do something for me. Now what can this something be? My mommy time needs to be something that can be put on hold when Madison needs her mommy, something that is not judged, and something that is free..... MY something needed to be able to committed to but not need a commitment. Thus, my blog was born.
I don’t care if anyone reads it. I am not writing in order to entertain or inform. This is just a journal. This is MY mommy time!