I don't mean to startle anyone by blogging...I just thought I would update you!

I realize that I haven't blogged in 17 months. Wow...17...that's a lot of months! As I'm sure you all know we are expecting a new member in our family April 7, 2011 at 7:00 a.m., Anders Brooks Hardy. We've been busy preparing for his arrival and moving Nora into her big girl room.

The pregnancy has been smooth and uneventful and we are basically just waiting for our lives to be turned upside down once again. Nora seems to be aware that there are changes even though she will only be two next month. She pats momma's belly and says, "baby" and she pointed to the new light fixture in the nursery (that is half girl and half boy as of right now) and said, "baby"...all good progress I think. We are going to try and get her completely moved in before he gets here, and her room is close to being done. Here are some of Anders' ultrasound pics and I will post some pics of the kid's new rooms when they are done!

Anders at 20 weeks:


Anders at 32 weeks:

5 Months! I almost Forgot!

So there are two kinds of bloggers...those that diligently post every new event and happening and me, I always forget!

WAY back on August 26th Nora celebrated her 5th month! She really did have a GREAT month and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

School has been going great, Nora loves to be there and seems to really love her two teachers. I'm so glad she is there, even if it's just for the time being. MDO has really helped us get on a schedule and for that, they are forever in my graces. Nora loves! loves! loves! her some rice cereal, she also enjoys buggy rides and naps. All three are new since school started and I think all three have contributed to a happy baby.

No longer do we scream in the car, thank you! No longer do we wake up in the morning screaming, thank you! And, no longer does someone have to constantly be sitting with me to be happy, THANK YOU! She's so sweet in the mornings..cooing and babbling, I love to wake up to that sweet voice in my monitor. AND JUST WAIT...THERE'S MORE! Nora sleeps all night! We usually put her down around 7 or 7:30 pm after her bath and she sleeps until 5:30 or 6 am!!! WOOHOO! Life is good!

She is rolling over like a champ, back and forth , back and forth and is enjoying being on her tummy more these days too. Still no crawling and not too mobile but I'm sure our days are coming. She loves her exersaucer and her jumper and is very content to sit there ALONE and play and watch cartoons. She loves to laugh at her toys and babble at them, and squeal when she gets really excited. Duckie is her favorite but she's also got some toys she can play with on the floor now too like a V-tech ball & book that talk and light up, very exciting.

In addition she has found her feet and hands! She loves to lay on the floor and suck on her toes! I KNOW! She's crazy! I love to watch her while she stares at her hand, she looks at it just like someone checking out a new manicure, an action I'm sure she'll perfect later in life. According to the "books" she's reaching all of her milestones and surpasing many of them too. She's on her way to becoming a world famous interior designer, Rockette and Mrs. America!

She's almost completely out of 6 month clothes and in her 9 months outfits. I swear! She's a biggin'!!! I don't think we're going to get to wear some of her fall 9 month outfits! boo!

This month flew by really quickly, probably because we've been so busy with school and work - hopefully next month will be better since we won't be going back and forth from school and work! We also made a trip to Birmingham this past month to visit with family and host a baby shower for Mrs. Susan - Nora was a sweet heart at the shower! Our friends Rob & Luci brought their son Will to my shower for Nora and I loved having a baby there so I'm glad Nora could go and be so good!

A Hardy Farewell

Today was my last day at work, you may be thinking, "I didn't know Lea Anne was leaving her job"? Well, no - I wasn't planning on it.

I wouldn't say I was fired, I definitely resigned on my free will (even though my resignation letter had been thoughtfully typed up for me). It just wasn't working out as far as my sweet baby is concerned. I was told it was either work Monday through Friday 8 to 5 or "resign" which I couldn't do because of Nora. Back up 9 months ago when it was time to register Nora for MDO at Whitesburg. We decided to sign her up for part time childcare because we couldn't afford full time. We figured we had a while to work it out but unfortunately we never found any other childcare options. And NOW, there are no spots for full time (which is typical and I'm not surprised).

When I went back to work at the end of May our family came up and stayed a week or two at a time and kept Nora. This was not an ideal situation but it worked for the summer (even though constant house guests made for a long eleven weeks). So when Nora's MDO opened at the beginning of August the family left and I started taking her with me in the mornings then I would leave and take her to school then pick her up and finally have her with me at work for an hour and a half in the afternoons. It was exhausting. But it was all I knew to do. On top of that her MDO isn't open on Mondays so we still had family in town on Sunday nights and Mondays, which really wasn't bad.

Well, what do they say? One bad apple. One of the housekeepers at the church has a little boy a month older than Nora and she had brought him with her to work a few times even though she technically does have childcare. But they told her she couldn't bring him and something to the affect of, "If Lea Anne can bring her baby, why can't I bring mine"? came into play. If I weren't a kind person I could answer that question for her but I'll leave it to this, pushing a vacuum and typing don't exactly require the same amount of childcare. That plus another event led to our Operations Manager telling me that I could absolutely not bring Nora to work with me anymore after this week...chirp...cry...chirp...cry...meltdown.

So this all happened Wednesday, so Wednesday night I worked on my resume and I had a meeting planned with my boss today. Well, when I went in to talk to him this morning I was under the assumption that I would work this week and next but they told me that they would pay me through the end of the month so I might as well just leave and use that time to look for a new job. Which, I really do appreciate. So that was it, today was my last day. It was very shocking, especially for my ministers who had NO idea this was going on and all my friends, who by the way I'm going to miss terribly.

In conclusion, I serve a Mighty God. A God that has never let me fall to the waist side, a God who has carried me through ever trial in life with great love and mercy. And with that kind of tract record I will not worry but only press on with grace and dignity. I feel very at peace and a bit relieved that all the hustle and bustle is done with. I'm going to try to find a position at a church that has a full time childcare and start putting Nora's name on waiting lists in the mean time. I think even if I did have Nora in full time childcare and I could go back to my old job, I wouldn't. As much as I love the people I worked with I feel like I need more flexibility. Nora is going to stay where she is for now - I love her teachers dearly and I don't want to move her but of course, we'll do what we have to.

We're keeping our heads up at the Hardy household and looking forward to our beach trip next week. Nora has exactly 1 million cute new outfits to wear.

I'll leave you with how we handle problems in our house:

August 22

2008

2009

What a difference a year makes!

Halloween is just around the corner...

What do you think? There are lots of cute choices out there, this is just one we like...you'll have to wait two more months to see what our little cutie will be this year!

Some of you may be asking, "I thought Lea Anne wasn't going to dress her baby up for Halloween"? I wasn't but Brannan said I was being RIDICULOUS and that we HAD to dress her up!

She'll be a doll, I'm sure!

Nora's first day of Mother's Day Out

Was a hit!

I was a little nervous about how both Nora and I were going to get out of the house by 6:30am(dressed, fed and caffeinated [me, not Nora]) but we did it! As a matter of fact we did it again this morning. She's been very good in the mornings, yesterday she slept until 6am but this morning she got up at 5:10am so I just fed her first then stuck her in her exersaucer and she watched The Backyardigans (T.G.I.DVR'd.)

Our next stop was work, I have to go in at 7am in order to get off at 3pm and I have to get off at 3pm b/c her MDO gets out at 1:30pm and that way she's only back at work with me for an hour and a half (maybe I won't get fired :) She has been pretty good at work. I have her play yard set up and today I brought her door jumper. Mornings aren't a big deal b/c I'm the only one here but one of my bosses is usually here in the afternoons. She's not so big on playing by herself but hopefully that will get better when she can sit up. The play yard has a removable diaper station which is VERY helpful.

Finally, off to MDO! I have now been awake for 3 1/2 hours...for anyone who knows me, this is a MAJOR accomplishment. I was strangely calm and not at all sad. I can't exactly figure out why not, maybe because I got to spend the morning with her and I knew it was only for 5 hours, but I was excited for her. I guess it's because I think Nora is going to really enjoy being around other babies, she's such a busy girl and I think it will be great for her. Her teachers, Mrs. Gerre & Mrs. Virginia, are two lovely grandmas and Nora goes right to them. They are sweet ladies and seem very "with it", something I had to assure Brannan of when he saw their picture. They've been doing this for a long time and I'm sure they know WAY MORE about babies than I do. She didn't cry when I dropped her off, she was cool as a cucumber!

Once I got back to work I worried b/c I forgot to tell them the formula that I had pre-measured was for a 6 oz bottle. I called Brannan and asked if I should call them but he assured me that they would call me if they had any questions. I've been back at work since she was two months old, so that wasn't really a big deal...I'm use to not being with her during the day, and I think that helped alot. Of course no calling home and having mom put her on the phone, sad.

So, then, 1:20 rolls around and FINALLY I can go get my baby!! YEAH!! So I bounce into the MDO knowing that my sweet girl is going to light up and squeal with delight and flash me the biggest grin in the world when she sees me because I've come to rescue her....chirp chirp...NOT AT ALL. She sees me, then, she cries. Great. Evidently MDO is way more fun than anything I have to offer. I guess she knew I was going to drag her back to my fluorescent lit "Hell on Earth" we call my office. She did smooth out by the time we got back.

So the last hour and a half we spent at work was less than productive (even though I did get a few things done). And my boss was all, "She's out of school already?"....chirp chirp...."yep". Luckily he had a meeting in the other building. She took a boob and a nap but was up by 2:15pm so I held her in my lap and finished working. We've got a plan today though, and it's called the jumper. She'll stay in it forever at home so maybe that will be our saving grace.

She only had 2-45 min naps and the 20 min nap at work yesterday so she crashed pretty early last night. Brannan was late getting home from work, about 7pm, so I had to keep her awake until he got home. Then he fed her, her bottle and she went sound to sleep. I promised my self I'd be in bed by 9pm but of course it was after 10pm. Maybe I'll do better tonight. The key to all of this is preparation. Her bag is totally packed before we go to bed, my coffee is set to "Ready Brew", and the biggest help - I'm pre-showered. All I have to do is wash my face, brush my teeth put on makeup and get dressed.

Her baby-gram from MDO said, "Nora had a great day". The End.

Nora with her daddy!

"Mom, are you really going to make me take pictures this early?"

"Ok, I'll play along for a little bit"

I'm sorry, this was just too funny not to include!

She's TOTALLY over it at this point

With mommy at work

Temporarily playing in her play yard

With Mrs. Gerre & Mrs. Virginia

Washed and ready for bed so she can go again tomorrow

FEET!!!

Four Months (& 9 days...I'm a little late)

These past four months really have flown by but at the same time it feels like FOREVER since we brought her home. I guess because she is SO different than that little lump of love we brought home from the hospital. She has definitely taken a turn for the better this past month and we are all much happier at the Hardy house since Nora has been sleeping through the night. She consistantly goes to bed between 8pm & 9pm and wakes up somewhere around 6am...works for me!

A quick update on stats. Priss weighed in at 16 lbs 6 oz at her 4 month well visit and I can't remember how long she is (terrible I know, but they didn't wright it down for me like they usually do). I do remember that she was in the 75% for height and 95% for weight, go big girl!!! She is such a doll all plumped out. I love her.

She's learned lots of new tricks like blowing bubbles, drooling (is that a trick), grabbing her sweet feet and of course ROLLING OVER! She can do it pretty easily but still isn't rolling all over the house. I don't think she really cares to be on her stomach so she doesn't have much of an initiative. She LOVES her door jumper and sits in it every morning while I eat breakfast and drink coffee and plays in it every night when I cook supper. If she gets fussy I turn the radio on and dance for her, she loves it, and I get to finish whatever I'm doing. She has also been sitting in her exersaucer and loves it more and more everyday. Yesterday she was VERY busy in it. Nora is not a Bumbo fan but will tolerate it in small doses...very small doses.

She has started eating rice cereal in the evenings and she loves it, it's food isn't it? Nora LOVES food! The doc said that once she masters it we should start giving it to her for breakfast too...chirp chirp...I don't know that I have time for that!?!?! We'll have to work out our new schedule next week when she starts MDO.

Speaking of MDO...she starts next Tuesday! It will be a bitter sweet day I'm sure. On one hand, Brannan and I are finally getting our house back to ourselves. We've had family staying with us since MEMORIAL DAY, since you don't have time to figure the math, that's 11 weeks! I love my family and I really am going to miss my mom being there in the mornings but we are ready to start this family adventure as a threesome. I'm also a little nervous about Nora starting MDO and not being at home all day with someone she knows. Ok, let's face it, she'll be fine, but I'm seriously sad. It surprises me really, because I NEVER cared a thing about babies until I had Nora, but I LOVE ME SOME BABIES now, well, not all babies but my baby for sure and I really do wish she could stay a baby for at least another two years ;)

My sweet girl is getting so big, she's so sweet and her toothless smile and bald head get me every time. We have the best time together playing and talking. She loves to talk and tells me all about her day when I get home from work. My favorite time of the day has ALWAYS been when Brannan gets home from work, and now it is that much sweeter to have my whole family back together. Nora adores her daddy and he is such a sweet father. My heart is exploding with love for the two of them.

Three Months

My child, my child, my child!

LOVES to be the center of attention and has to be entertained CONSTANTLY! Evidently I shouldn't be too surprised, my mother said I was the same way. I really haven't been alone with Nora all that much since going back to work because I don't keep her during the day and on the weekends Brannan is home, but I kept her yesterday and I had forgotten what a handle she is! Lord help you if you have to go to the bathroom! She is NOT going to be happy if she's left alone for two seconds! I guess she just loves mommy that much ;)

She's getting so big, way too big! She puts those sweet little hands up on her bottle like she wants to hold it (not that I'm going to let her this early), she has to be sitting up (laying down is for babies and she's a big girl), and like I said she has to be doing SOMETHING. She loves her jumper that goes in the doorway...by far that is her favorite activity during the day. She is also up for a good swing during the afternoon where she finds a short nap. She really doesn't take too many naps, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

She appears to be teething and is constantly gnawing on her hand. We've gotten her teething toys but she isn't too interested and she still won't take a pacifier. She loves to eat but is very inconsistent. Some days she take 6 oz a time every 3 or 4 hours and then some days she's back to her 2 - 4oz ever couple of hours...she is a mystery to me.

I'm hoping that in August when she starts MDO she will get into some kind of schedule and maybe not being the only baby there will teach her to entertain herself better.

She's such a little person these days, I catch her watching the dog very intently and she and I have had some serious staring contests. Her wheels are definitely turning. She still loves her some ceiling fans and T.V.'s. She LOVES to watch the television and now that the Backyardigains are in HD...you have to turn her back to the tv to get her to pay attention to eating and burping, she loves it!

I have no idea what she weighs...last time I did a home weigh in she was around 15 lbs...she's just a little sack of sugar!

12 Weeks!!!

Nora is twelve weeks old today! Oh my! I'm cherishing every second I have to spend with her because I know she'll be so big so soon. She is just the sweetest, so funny and personable - I love her to pieces. She loves to talk, she just chats away about who knows what. She is slightly impatient (she gets that from daddy) especially when it's time to eat. She squeals when I take too long getting her her food.

Just recently she has begun to use her little hands, she grabs her dress and pulls it up so we can see her perfect little tummy and she also has found mommy's hair. She is also more interested in her toys these days, looking and swatting at them. She likes to lie on her back on the floor and play with her mommy & daddy (and of course this is her favorite tv watching position as well). She gets in a little bit of Bumbo time, but I don't know if she's completely convinced it is a good idea. She still enjoys her swing and gets the "swing" treatment if nothing else is making her happy. Sometimes I have trouble putting her down at night (it may take 2 or 3 times), I just like to pretend that she loves me so much she doesn't want to leave me. I continue to assure her that we'll be here when she wakes up, that seems to help ;)

She is starting to eat more, up to 6 oz at a time and she's going longer in between feedings, which is great! She is still nursing and taking a bottle and that seems to be working well for us. Still no rice cereal or baby food, but I know she'll be thrilled when that time comes.

She is sleeping better even though it's not always through the night. But then, sometimes it is. She goes to bed from anywhere around 8:30 to 10 and usually sleeps until 5 am unless it's one of her wake up at 3:30 am nights....which has been several times this week. She is definitely experiencing a growth spurt.

Last night she cried, uncontrollably and inconsolably, for about 30 minutes. It was H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E!!! I finally calmed her down by singing into her ear until she fell asleep. I thought maybe she got stung by a bee or something (not that we were outside) but alas, nothing was wrong! She was evidently just tired.

I don't know what else to say except that I LOVE HER! I can't get enough! What was I thinking not wanting a baby for 2 years!!!

Here she is sound asleep

Showing us her belly

With her sweet daddy

Dazed & Confused in her swing

Daddy helping her out with the Bumbo

She doesn't quite have it figured out on her own

Here she is with my sister, Shanon, and her cousins, Zach & Wade

Playing Catch Up with Nora

Where has the time gone! It's VBS week here at church and I can't figure out where the last year of my life has gone!?!?! Being pregnant is like going on some whacked out ride at a supernatural theme park where you get on totally normal and get off a complete wreck! (Thanks mom for the mini makeover, I needed it)

I've been back at work for two weeks now and that is going really well. I've handled it alot better than I thought I would. It helps that Nora is staying home with grandmothers and relatives until August. It makes me feel better for some reason to know she is at home with people who love her. Her Mother's Day Out program doesn't start until August 11, so basically we have house guests ALL summer watching her. At least we are lucky enough to have family that loves us and has agreed to come up and stay with her.

Those first 8 weeks I was home with her were perplexing. The days flew by but the weeks seemed like months. Who knows! I guess because I didn't sleep the first two months! It's amazing what you can persevere when you love someone so much. Nora was not and is not a sleeper! She hates sleeping, loves eating and isn't afraid to tell you what she thinks. I think she cried the first three weeks straight. We finally starting supplementing at 3 weeks with formula and she's smoothed out quite a bit because of that. I felt so much better when her doctor told me that God invented formula and it was ok to give it to her. So we are still nursing, pumping and supplementing and she's one happy little girl.

The second month started out better but quickly turned south with a cold! A COLD? My sweet baby has a cold? What have I done wrong? It was kind of terrible, we had to sleep her in a incline, use saline spray and a suction and use a humidifier for a week and a half. After she got over her cold she decided she wanted to eat every two hours. EVERY TWO HOURS. Are you kidding me! Back to no sleep!

Luckily she is sleeping longer at night 6-7 hours! HALLELUJAH, but she does still eat every two during the day! She is so much fun these days. She loves to laugh and smile and I even get a chuckle out of her occasionally (usually after she eats). She loves to talk to us and has even said Momma (of course by complete accident, and who cares! She still said it). Our favorite game is, "How are you doing, Nora"? to which she replies, "I'm good"....which is Ah goo...for all you haters. But when she says, ah goo it totally comes out "I'm good" and it's the cutest. She even told me, "You good" after I changed her diaper one day.

She's a feisty one that's for sure! She hates going to sleep and I usually have to rock her to sleep and sing in her ear. Her current favorites are "I love You Lord", "Sanctuary" and "Goin' up a Yonder". She also loves the SHUSH sound in her ear. Of course if rocking doesn't work nursing usually does. Ask me if I'm worried about rocking her and nursing her to sleep...NO...that sweet child couldn't be loved more and I'll stop when I want to.

She loves to swing and nap, she also loves to sit in her bouncy seat and watch tv...Oh MY! What are we going to do!?!? Her daddy has her watching hockey games and she loves the Backyardagins too. Her pink bear keeps her company in the crib and plays music to entertain her. She will on occasion lay in her crib and watch her mobile but it's not enough to convince her to go to sleep on her own, so it doesn't get used too much.

I just can't get enough of her...I don't even want to let other people hold her (even though I do). I could just stare at her all day and kiss that sweet head a million times. Thank you Lord I skipped that birth control for a week. Thank you Lord again.