These ain't your grandma's stuffed animals...

So, I promised that I would include a few pics from our recent trip to God's, I'm sorry, Wal-Mart's country. These first few are of the house that we stayed in. This is the living room.

How are you supposed to watch TV when this is what is looking back at you????

And, because I'm a horrible mother....

"One of these things is not like the other..."

Meet Hunter's new best friend, Mr. Badger.

And the one you have all been waiting for, though I couldn't bring myself to strip him down to his diaper and lay him on them.

Betcha thought I was exaggerating!

Big Girl Shopping

I have this illness, you see. Anytime there is an event, of any magnitude, I feel compelled to buy a new outfit. This is a negative thing on many levels. First, there is the fact that I am not made of money and yet I insist on spending it. Second, I hate shopping. Well, I shouldn't say that I "hate" it. Shopping and I just don't get along...
This Saturday my mother, sister and I are attending a wedding shower. Normally, I would try to find something at home to wear. But this shower had a black and white theme and while I have plenty of black clothes (oh, so slimming) I was certainly lacking in the white department. So off I went to the mall.
Now, I'm a big girl. Hey, I just had a kid, leave me alone. Wait, I was big before the baby...damnit! Tonight I came to the conclusion that there is not a single plus size woman that does any sort of buying for plus size departments. It is my guess that a room full of plus size clothing merchants probably weigh about as much as my thigh. These merchants obviously assume that plus size women don't care much about how they look and therefore they chose to add their discount bauble and beading to plus size clothing. I was seriously amazed at the plus size clothes that I was looking at. I mean, what plus size woman wouln't want to wear a boat neck top where the neck hole is actually a zipper? Or why not throw in some giant plastic gems in a haphazard pattern across the chest? That sounds fantastic... Macy's appears to assume that in order to be plus size, you must also be a card carrying member of the AARP. Can you say embroidered capris in sage and coral and tan? Grrrr....
I'm sure you skinny people are just saying to yourself "hey fatty, why not quit your bitching and do something about it." Okay, I'll do that, but it ain't gonna happen before Saturday so bare with me here kids.
I was about to give up hope when that sweet navy blue sign caught my eye and I fell into the Gap. After an hour and a half of scowering the rest of the mall and throwing up in my mouth a few times, I finally found something for the shower in a non plus size store. Now, let's all say a little prayer that I am done puttin' on the lbs because if I do outgrow the Gap, I'm going into hiding with my embroidered tan capris and bauble adorned wide strap tanks.

We survived.

We are alive, well and home from Arkansas. The trip was nice, though it didn't feel like much of a vacation exactly. I guess when you work as little as I do, it takes a little something extra to make it really feel like something amazing. I forgot to upload pictures but I did want to leave you with the quote that pretty much sums up the trip for me...

"Karen, get your gun, that cat's got a GODDAMN copperhead!!!"

Ahh, it feels good to be home.

In case you never hear from me again...

Tomorrow we leave for Arkansas, way back in the sticks of Arkansas mind you. Chad informed this morning that when we get down there I will need to be on the lookout for tarantulas and rattle snakes. WHAT? I started crying, no kidding, I was bawling. I'm going to be staying in a house full of stuffed bobcat carcass(es?) and I am going to be on high alert the whole time looking out for the most disgusting creature to ever roam the planet and deadly, venomous man-eating snakes, all while trying to keep it together for a six month old baby. What have I gotten myself into??? To make matters worse...it's a dry county!
So, if you never hear from me again, you can assume that one of two things has happened. Either a.) I was killed/eaten by said venomous man-eating snake or b.) I saw one of those ENORMOUS furry eight legged beasts and fell dead just out of sheer terror.
Should be fun!

Growing and growing...

Today was Hunter's six month well child visit. I decided to take the whole day off and just spend a little extra time with my little man before hand. He was a complete dream baby this morning (though he rarely isn't) and we both enjoyed sleeping in and tons of cuddles and kisses. His "kisses" are really just him sucking or licking my chin or cheek. Sure, it's kinda creepy, but it's too darn funny to stop him. And the fact that he only gives "kisses" to me makes them that much more special.
Anywho...
The appointment today went really well. We are still growing a stalky little wad. He weighs 20#7oz and is 26" long. That puts him in the 90th percentile in weight and the 50th in height. He's my chubby little bubby!
Tomorrow it is back to work for me and back to daycare for Hunto. This weekend we are heading out on our first official family vacation. We are heading to Arkansas to visit some family of Chad's. It should be fun. The house we are staying in belongs to a taxedermist which has me a bit, um, anxious. But it's sure to make for some interesting pictures. :)
Hope everyone had a good weekend and has a blessed week.
Also, a good friend of ours was in a car accident earlier today and could use some prayers. She skidded though an intersection and was t-boned. She has broken her pelvis in 4 places. At last report, they were preparing to transport her to KUMed.
I don't know much more but I do know that she's in our thoughts and will remain in our prayers until we know more.

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

There is NO WAY that I cried harder than Hunter today during his vaccinations. I'm too tough for something like that. And, because I am so tough, I certainly did NOT get so upset when I tried to give him his eye drops that I just wound up holding him, rocking him and crying right along with him. His eyes may never clear up because I don't know if I can go through that again!

I also did NOT buy Hunter a tub-o-toys from Wally World today after his shots out of guilt. That is a nasty habit that I would most certainly NOT be starting at the ripe old age of six months.

We did NOT enlist my parents to babysit Hunter on Friday night so that Chad and I could have a date night/party time only too come to the realization that we are not 21 anymore and we're much better off as mommy and daddy as opposed to party animals.

When Hunter decided to take a nap at 7:30 this morning, there is NO WAY that I thought I should join him and snooze by his side until 9:15! I certainly would NOT waste my day off by sleeping in that late.

I think that is all that I have NOT been doing this week...

Smells like a winner.

The building I work in is (strategically) placed between a burrito factory and a women's prison. While one would think that playing neighbors with a bunch of murderers and other assorted female felons would be the turn off, they would be mistaken. If those women were to break out they would want to get as far away from the area as possible, not just next door.
This morning, the temperature was right, the humidity was that perfect bit of heavy and the sun was just over the horizon when I pulled into work. As I opened the door of my car to step out I was punched, beaten and shaken to the ground by the horrible, HORRIBLE smell of rotten potatoes and beans wahfting into our parking lot from the burrito plant. I simply sat back in my seat, closed the door and asked the heavens why I work here again and thank the heavens that I wasn't hungover.
That is all.

Six Months one way, half a year the other.

Six months, really? I can barely get my head around it. Six months ago today I woke up and knew my life would never be the same. I was excited, and terrified. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. You know what? I wouldn't change one second of it. Not one. Not one poopy diaper, not one sleepless night. I am head over heels over head over heels in love with every last second of the last six months.
Don't get me wrong, the last six months haven't been easy. It has been an adventure none the less. An adventure in patience. An adventure in marriage. An adventure in selflessness. An adventure in the purest, most amazing kind of love. I still have a hard time watching Hunter sleep without breaking down in tears because of how wonderful he is. Hunter is amazing. He's so fun and happy. I'm totally bless, Chad and I are totally blessed.
I'm so looking forward to the next 6 months. He could be walking by then, talking a little. Who knows!?! It's pretty awesome to think about.
Okay, enough gooshy mooshy stuff.

Happy half birthday Mr. Hunter!

Not Me...not again.

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

It certainly was NOT ME that, at the first sign of my son’s first runny nose, ran out and bought a brand new humidifier and batter operated nasal aspirator as well as moved a mattress onto the nursery floor so that I could be in there to listen to him breathe – just in case... Nope, not me. There is no way that I am that neurotic of a mother. No way, no how.

I am definitely NOT delaying solids for Hunter partially because I just don’t want to worry about cleaning up baby mess (at least) twice a day…every day…once we decide to start. I am strictly doing it for his own benefit and certainly NOT for my own benefit in any way, shape or form.

There is NO WAY that Chad and I stayed up way past our bedtimes last night watching “Megan Wants a Millionaire” on VH1. That show is an undeniable train wreck of akwardness that NO ONE of my great intellect would be caught watching or *cough* enjoying.

When out to lunch on Saturday I did NOT for get to bring Hunter’s paci and therefore choose to entertain him by allowing him to chew on a *possibly* clean baby spoon that came out of the bottom of my niece’s diaper bag. And only the most insensitive of mothers would giggle at the faces that he made when he would accidentally gag himself with it, and that is certainly NOT ME.

**Happy Six Month Birtday to my sweet sweet baby Hunter** Hard to believe you've made it this far with me for a mother! :)

Follow Along...

Since so man of my fans have begged to know which blogs I follow (okay, so my mom mentioned the question in passing one day and quickly lost intrest in my answer) I have decided to share just a few of my current obsessions with you all. Please note, these are just my current top three. The list of blogs that I follow on the side are actually all mini obsessions...keeping up on them all usually leaves my son feeling somewhat neglected. Relax mother, I'm kidding -- sort of.

I couldn't give a list without first mentioning the woman that turned me on to blogging to begin with. One of my bestest buddies in the whole wide world...MO! Michelle's Moments is our little Mo's way of keeping her bazillion friends up to date with her ever excting live. Seriously, no one makes friends like this woman. She loves to talk and if she was forced to share these stories with all of her gagillion friends one at at time, she would have no time to create new stories...or breathe, for that matter. Hence, the blog. The blog is a fun little journey through the life of a successful single gal in her *almost* late twenties and all of her journeys, quilts and recipes. Good times.

Dooce is a blog that my dear friend Oprah Winfrey turned me on to. This woman is "piss-down-your-leg" funny. It's not your typical "mom" blog but it's entirely entertaining. She has a pulls no punches attitude and sarcasm that goes on for miles. Love it.

The third in my current top 3 (though they are in no particular order) is my MckIdol. MckMama leads a pretty sweet life and is kind enough to share it with the world without making you feel absolutely pathetic about your own existance. She is the mother of 4 stinkin' cute kids (though none are cuter than the little Huntin' Dog) and the youngest has a heart condition. It's hard to read about little Stellan's struggle and not think about my own little guy and what I would be like in her situation. Her faith and optimism are unwavering and very inpirational. She is also a great photographer and I love looking at her pictures. Her sense of humor is also very relatable. She's MckGreat!

So, there's just a few of the people whose lives I enjoy stalking. There are more though, that's just the start.
It wouldn't be my blog though if I didn't leave you with something like this...