Gotta brag...

I've got to brag on William a little bit. He has been using the "bodybugg" for almost 3 weeks. If you've ever seen The Biggest Loser, this is what they use to track their caloric intake and calories burned. My mom used this and had great success losing weight. You wear it on your arm and it monitors your calories burned and you enter in what you ate for that day. I ordered one because I'm going to use it after Hailey is born but in the meantime William wanted to give it a go. He is doing amazing. He pays attention to what he's eating and has even been getting up before work and walking on the treadmill. He is making a point to move anytime he can. He came home from work the other day and told me he had been making laps around the office when things were downloading, etc. I just laughed. He's down 9 lbs so far. We've been eating all our meals at home so we know exactly what we're eating. I can't even tell you the last time we went out to eat! He's worried about this weekend (our trip to Chicago) but I'm sure he'll do fine. We'll do alot of walking so that will help. Anyway, I'm so proud of him!

15 Months

Cheyenne had her 15 month checkup yesterday. She did get 1 shot. She cried...but was soon just fine. At 15 months Cheyenne is walking everywhere. She even tries to run but usually stumbles. She's getting better though. She knows lots of words, although she recognizes more than she actually says. She will say "mama, dada, quack quack, duck, fish (sounds like sish), bubbles, pop, juice." She knows the word upstairs, outside, shoes, milk, cup, eat, baby, bath, chair, bird. She knows who Nana and Poppa are and Emma. She can pick them out in pictures. She still sleeps with her blankie and continues to go to bed around 8 and sleep until 7:30 or 8am. She loves her Little Gym class and swimming at the YMCA and lately love to go outside and look for rocks! Cheyenne will start preschool in September. She will go on Monday and Wednesday mornings from 9-12. I really think she'll enjoy it. She loves playing with other kids.

Cheyenne's Stats

Weight 25lbs 3oz
Height 2 ft 7in
Shoe Size 5

Chilly Willy!

When we were little we called these things "chilly willys." After playing in the pool this weekend, Cheyenne had her 1st one all to herself! She loved it. And what a red toungue she had afterward!

Playing Mommy

Cheyenne was being awfully quiet in the playroom so I tried to sneak in there to see what she was doing. She was rocking her baby to sleep but putting food in the baby's bed! She then proceeds to tell me to be quiet...my little momma.

Using a Spoon!

Cheyenne is starting to use a spoon and bowl pretty good. Here you can see her feeding herself mashed potatoes.

Water Play

It reached 91 degrees here Friday, so we played in the water all afternoon. Chey loved to carry around her bucket of shovels and rocks, of course. She played in the ball sprinkler for the 1st time....that water was coming straight from the hose, so it was cold!

8 Things

8 Things I Am Looking Forward To

1. The day our new baby is born. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of baby "Haley." We are still arguing over how to spell her name. That is my preference...William wants "Hailey."

2. This stage Cheyenne is in being over. Could it possibly be the "terrible twos" already?

3. The Pool opening. I can't wait to start taking Cheyenne swimming and playing pool volleyball this summer. Oh and those summertime cookouts! Burgers, hot dogs, brownies, etc. Yum!

4. Our trip to Chicago next weekend. William and I will be flying to Chicago on Friday morning, May 1st and staying the weekend. We are going to a Chicago Cubs game on Saturday and plan to see as much of the city as we can. I got these tickets for William for Chistmas.

5. Watching our children grow up. I can't wait to see Cheyenne and Haley playing together. Their first dance recital, first tee-ball game, basketball game, first school play, Prom, graduation, the list goes on. I know they will make us proud.

6. Being thinner one day! After this pregnancy I plan to lose all this baby weight. I'm looking forward to being able to be comfortable in clothes.

7. Cheyenne's bed time. This is my favorite time of day. After Chey's bath we brush her teeth, she gets her blankie and cuddles up in my lap in the rocking chair. I read her books while she snuggles on my chest. I sing her a couple of songs and before long she's breathing heavy. She gives me a hug and I lay her down in her crib. (Hopefully) she drifts off to sleep peacefully and I finally have the night to myself. So while I love putting Cheyenne to bed, well, I love putting Cheyenne to bed! I treasure these precious moments.

8. Finishing School. I have about just a handful of classes left at GTCC before I can transfer to UNCG or Guilford College. I haven't decided which yet. I'm not in a hurry to finish GTCC because I'll need to do student teaching once I transfer and I'm not putting Chey and Haley in daycare...so we'll wait until Chey is in school and Haley in preschool. At least that's the plan.

8 Things I Did Yesterday (Tuesday)

1. Took Cheyenne to the park. We met 2 of Chey's playgroup friends and played and had lunch. The girls had a great time.

2. Drove to GTCC. I had physics class last night. I took my last test for the semester and turned in my last project. Just have the final left!

3. Ordered an extra camera for our video monitor. I want to keep a monitor in Cheyenne's room (so I can see if she gets up and plays when she can get out of her bed) and have one for Haley's.

4. Hung Cheyenne's curtains in her new room. I put up the rod all by myself and hung her lavender gingham curtains. William wasn't too happy with me doing this. I shouldn't be doing those kinds of things in my current condition he says.

5. Walked on the treadmill. I really am trying to get excercise. Some days I just don't feel like it. It helps that William put up a little t.v. on the wall in front of it. At least I don't get as bored now. William's even using it when he gets home from work.

6. Watched The Biggest Loser. I'm hooked. I am amazed at how much weight those people lose in a week!

7. Made a "Subway" wrap. I've been craving Subway lately, but it gets expensive. So I went to the grocery store and bought all the ingredients for my "sub" but instead of bread I got wraps. So much better!

8. Watched Barney with Chey. We had an appraiser come to our house yesterday because we are refinancing. To keep Cheyenne out of it way, we watched an episode of Barney. She loves it.

8 Things I Wish I Could Do

1. Cook. I cannot follow a recipe to save my life. Even when I try really hard, it never comes out right. Just ask William. Poor guy, it's out of a bag or box or something simple like chicken.

2. Become a photographer. I love taking pictures. Of scenery, people, it doesn't matter. I would love to photograph weddings one day.

3. Take a monthly week long vacation. Wouldn't that be awesome? 1 week a month go to a resort, the beach, on a cruise.

4. Sing. I cannot sing. AT ALL. I'm surprised that Cheyenne doesn't cover her ears when I sing to her.

5. Get more sleep. I go to bed between 10-10:30 and I'm up around 7. May sound like a lot, but for a sleep-a-holic like myself, it's not enough. I don't know what I'm going to do when baby Haley gets here and I have to go back to middle of the night feedings. Cheyenne sleeps 11.5 hours at night so I'm spoiled right now.

6. Be more creative and organized. I would love to be able to come up with creative things to do with Cheyenne. The most creative thing we've done is paint with pudding in the bathtub. I would love to be able to organize and decorate my house better.

7. Go skydiving again. I've been once and it was amazing. Now that I have a family, I won't go again, but I think everyone should do it once. It's such a rush!

8. Bend over. My belly is in the way now. Bending down to pick up toys, clean up, etc is reall tough now.

8 Shows I Watch

24
The Biggest Loser
American Idol
Two and a Half Men
The Hills
Survivor
House
Friends


Jen your turn...Amanda if you have time with all the moving in, go for it!

Morning at the Park

This morning Cheyenne and I ventured out to Summerfield Community Park. They have a great playground that is fenced in. We met Meredith and Jolie and Julie and Jordan there. The girls had a great time playing together. Cheyenne playing in the bubbles.

Jordan, Jolie and Cheyenne

Jordan and Cheyenne

Swimming...sort of

Saturday while William was getting some work done outside and mowing, I got out the little pool that I got for Cheyenne. I filled it up while she was napping so the sun could get the water a little warm. She loved playing in the water, but she kept getting in and out. She would throw a toy out and have to go get it, put it back in the pool and climb back in. Then she remembered she had a pile of rocks, (her favorite thing right now) and had to put those in the pool with her. She had a great afternoon splashing around.

Dinner with Cheyenne

Cheyenne had a messy dinner tonight, as you can see! A face only a mother could love!

NC Zoo

This afternoon we took Cheyenne to the NC Zoo for the 1st time. It was so crowded! I guess everyone decided to go for spring break! We got to see a few animals. Most were so crowded we couldn't get up to see them. We were able to see zebras, giraffes, flamingos, elephants, a couple of monkeys and a grizzly bear. Cheyenne alternated between walking and riding in the stroller. She did great. It was just the right temperature, although I was little hotter..being that I'm lugging around a bowling ball! I hope to take her back when it's not so crowded. At the playground.

Cheyenne and mommy. Cheyenne's on an elephant!

Zebras and giraffes!

Daddy and Cheyenne posing in front of the elephants!

Lovin' this beautful weather!

We are loving this warm weather. It's so great to get outside. We played outside for a good while this afternoon and are planning on going to the zoo in Asheboro tomorrow!



Our beautiful little girl

Cheyenne is all about rocks right now. If we're outside, she has to have one. She'll search around until she finds one and then carries it around. Don't even try to take it from her!

New Playroom

With the arrival of our new baby girl coming up soon, we are making changes around the house. We are getting the 2nd bedroom ready for Cheyenne to move into. It's been painted lavender and we've been taking her in there every so often to let her get used to being in there. Cheyenne' current room will stay as the nursery. William's old bed which is a queen sleigh bed was in the 2nd bedroom. We are going to move it downstairs to the 3rd bedroom which was serving as Cheyenne's play room. We have moved all Cheyenne's toys to the formal dining room, since we don't have a dining room table anyway! It's right by the kitchen and is working out great. I even got a changing table pretty cheap to have downstairs so we're not constantly going up and down the stairs to change diapers. Here's a few pics of her playing in her new playroom!

Being my silly self

One day this week I was super silly. I just laughed all day long. Mommy even said I had a giggle box and it turned upside down...whatever that is suppose to mean.

Making silly faces while having a snack.

Dancing!

Doing a flip

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Cheyenne here. I had a great Easter! We spent the morning at Grandma Katherine and had a wonderful brunch with her and Uncle Miles and Aunt Jessica. I got to hunt eggs in the front yard too. Mommy didn't do a very good job hiding them. I could see all of them! Inside each one was a smartie. Yum! Here are some pictures that mommy and daddy took of me.

Here is me going through my Easter basket. I got a chocolate bunny, a Barney DVD, a duck and some jelly beans!


Mommy and me all dressed up for Easter.

I found an egg!

Mommy said this was a great picture of me...I'm so photogenic!

After I found an egg all the grown ups clapped for me, so I clapped for me too!

Mommy put my hair up...isn't it pretty?

Grandma got me bunny ears!We spent the afternoon at Nana and Poppas and had dinner with Jenny, Josh, Emma, Joe and Katie. Poppa is pushing me on the swing.

Some much needed time to myself

Saturday morning I got to spend out all by myself. I had a prenatal massage at Balance Day Spa with a gift card I got 2 Christmasas ago from mom. It was amazing! I didn't want it to end. Then I got to do some shopping which was great! I usually only get to go to 1 store at a time and I've got little hands reaching for everything. I got some Easter stuff and a few things for the new baby. William watched Cheyenne all morning. Thanks sweetie!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

I found out the sex of the baby on Wednesday. I couldn't take it anymore. It was driving me crazy! I hated not having any idea..not being able to prepare. I've been in nesting mode this week and I couldn't do anything so I just had to find out. I went to Tiny Toes Prenatal Imaging for a gender determination. We are having...

A GIRL!

After I told William, (on Friday!) that I knew the sex, he said he figured I would find out, but he thought I would wait until after he or she was born to tell him that I knew. He knew I couldn't handle not knowing!

Our family just can't get a boy. Jen, your turn to try! I had hoped for a boy so that we would have one of each and I don't know if we'll go for a 3rd. We'll have to see how having 2 is. We are praying for a healthy baby just like any other parent and I know Cheyenne is going to be a wonderful big sister. Looks like daddy is going to be in a house full of girls. Ask my dad how that was!

Chuck-E-Cheese

I had planned on eating at Chuck-E-Cheese but I had to get out of there. We went to Red Robin instead...I have been craving it for days!

This morning was really chilly and we've been stuck in the house lately because of the cold weather. William has made it clear that he does not want to go to Chuck-E-Cheese, ever. So I decided to take Cheyenne myself this morning. I was really disappointed. There wasn't much there and the "rides" last all of about 15 seconds. It was really, well cheesy! Here are a few pictures...I don't think we'll be going back anytime soon.

Sleepy girl

When I went to get Cheyenne up from her nap...this is what I saw! She loves her blankie!

1st Mowing of the Season

William mowed the yard this past week for the 1st time this spring. It looks great! I meant to post these pictures earlier but I've been busy. Here is Cheyenne and daddy on the lawnmower. This was after he was done and he was just giving her a ride. The blades were off, I promise!

Baby Hollifield Registry

I've had a few questions regarding baby showers, gifts for the new baby etc. We did not find out the sex of this time. Since we do not know, I can't really buy clothing (not that I need any if it's a girl!). I've created a short registry at Babies R Us of things that I need replaced or that I borrowed from someone and worked great with Cheyenne. I don't know if we'll have a baby shower or not...I don't think it's really customary for subsequent pregnancies.... Anyway, you can view the registry by clicking on "Baby Hollifield" under the Link section on the left.

Walking

I've been trying to get some good video of Cheyenne walking. It just so happened that she walked all over the Children's Museum today. When she's got somewhere to go and the room to go, she's a good walker! I think maybe having shoes on helped too...

Children's Museum

What a day. It's been rainy today so I thought we would check out the Greensboro Children's Museum. It was really cool! I think I enjoyed it as much as Cheyenne did. They have so much for kids to do, even at Cheyenne's age! They had a real firetruck, police car, an airplane, toy train tables, a kid size kitchen, market, pizzeria, health center, art studio, post office and a theater. I will definetly be taking her back. This was a great activity to do on a rainy day. She was exhausted and fell asleep on the way back. So I figure she'll be good and tired for her nap today. It took me over and hour and a half to get her to sleep. This hasn't happened for months! She would throw her blankie out of the crib, then cry for it... The only conclusion I can come to is that the short nap she had in the car was enough to make her not tired enough to nap at her normal time. Anyway, it's drove me crazy because I had so much to do! An paper due that I hadn't started yet, etc, etc. Anyway, she's finally asleep now. Maybe she'll take a long nap for me!

Making music. Cheyenne knows just what to do with a baby and a bottle. Then she tried to burp it.

Kid sized kitchen! Cheyenne was helping another little girl.

Soft blocks

They had a real fire truck! Here's my little fire woman!

Cheyenne's favorite place was the market. She liked putting food into the cart and when she found the corn, that's all she carried around!

The Children's Museum.

On the way home...