Tinley's "First Christmas"

Ok, it's technically not her first Christmas, but since we were still in the hospital Christmas morning last year I kinda consider this year her first Christmas. We started the holiday by driving up north. We had a lot of places to be in a day and a half! I think Tinley is still recovering from last of sleep. She was showered with lots of toys and clothes from the Grandparents! She even got a radio flyer wagon from Great Grandma and Grandpa!


We drove back Christmas Eve night. The little pooper slept the entire 2 hour trip home. Good, because she finally got some sleep. Bad, because we got home when she was supposed to go to bed for the night.

Christmas morning finally came. Chad and I were awoken by Hunter (like every year) at 7:00 a.m. on the dot. I think he was counting down the seconds. Tinley was still snoozing away, so we let her be. She must have heard all the excitement in the room below, because she didn't stay asleep for long. Santa brought her MORE toys, some clothes, and a new bath towel!

After all the excitement died down, we attempted to clean up the Christmas mess. I hauled all of her new clothes upstairs. This girl has more clothes than me! The pile was lying in the middle of her room. I believe she grabbed every article of clothing and hugged it. She loves clothes. This will get me in trouble in a few years. She gets so excited when I show her a new outfit!

The boys made out as well. Cody pretty much got a new wardrobe, some books, and a new pair of headphones. Hunter got his "2 die for" Dre Beats headphones.

Chad has been on vacation. I have put him to work to get stuff done on his honey-do list. :) Tomorrow's task: find a place for all these new toys. Sunday and Monday's task: the basement. dum dum dummmmm.

Almost a Year?

First of all, I would like to thank my friend, Kait Baumgartner, for reminding me to update this blog. She has a cute little blog about her boy and every time she posts, I think to myself "oh, crap, I really need to do mine!" So, here it is . . .

A year ago today, I was starting to freak out as I knew labor was on the horizon! I was huge, uncomfortable and ready to get the show on the road. Little Miss Tinsters is approaching her FIRST birthday! I feel like it was just yesterday when she was just starting to crack her first smile and making her little coo and cahs noises.
Today, this girl loves to laugh and chit chat for most of
the day!

She has reached many milestones since my last post. She is definitely on her way to walking any day now! She wants to sooooo bad. For now, I am cherishing the moments of just chasing a crawler.

The little stinker has learned to drop her food on the floor and watch Milo eat it. :)

She has perfected her "hi's" and "bye's".

She only kisses and hugs on her terms, which is a good thing!

My smarty pants can even make a pig and monkey noise, throw a ball, and climb the stairs!


Every morning when I go to get her out of bed, I literally crack up. First of all, she is a crazy sleeper. We have had her in bed with us once or twice and never again. She is a major mover and sleeps with her feet in the air and her hands behind her head. Yes, this is true. Although, they are not in the air most of the night, I have gone in her bedroom to check on her and she is totally asleep in a 90 degree angle. lol Anyways, I think because of all this, she manages to push her head up against the crib bumpers. The end result . . . .

Memory Loss

OMG. I am so behind on blog posts! I blame it on the busy summer and my loss of memory. LOTS has happened since the end of July!

Miss Tinley is 9.5 months old and officially a crawler. She has her moments when she gets stuck and bangs her head on the floor, but she is getting really good at getting around and getting into things. She loves playing with the buttons on the Direct TV receiver, which happens to be the perfect height for her to get to.

She is a healthy 21 lbs and is wearing 12-18 month clothing! I am hoping for the cool weather to come and stay because she has outgrown all of her summer clothing. She has been living in onsies for the past couple weeks because it's too hot for pants. :)

She has been given the OK from doc to start experimenting with table foods! Tin loves whole grain bread, turkey, cheese and carrots. She is just so cute sitting in her high chair and concentrating so hard on picking up little pieces of food.

I am in the early stages of planning her first birthday party! December 17 or 18th will be the date. Looks like I will be searching for cakes without eggs!

As for the rest of the fam . . . . School is in full swing and the boys are loving every second of it (ha!). Chad and I are still dreaming of a Caribbean vacation.



Stay tuned . . . .

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot!

I know, it's been awhile! Summer is going by way too fast and it's a HOT one!Tinley has reached many milestones since the last time I have blogged! She is officially a "sitter" and is pretty good at it! Doc was very impressed at her 6 month appointment. She is 19 pounds and 27 inches long. 90ith percentile for her age! Hopefully, she will be nice and tall, like her mommy.

We have only been to the pool a few times this summer. She loves the water and splashing around!

She loves to talk. Her words of choice are, of course, "ma ma ma ma." She kinda says "hi" too and is also starting to say "ba ba". Oh, and she loves yelling and making loud noises in public!

She loves playing with magazine, walgreens ads, and pringle cans. Weird, i know. But, it saves me money on buying expensive toys! She is also loving her new bounce-a-roo that we are borrowing from my friend Kari! She goes crazy in that thing!

We have discovered that she is allergic to strawberries and egg yolks. When we moved up to stage 2 foods, I gave her a strawberry/banana mix. She broke out in hives. Last week I gave her a vanilla pudding with bananas and she broke out in more hives. The second time, I rushed her to the doc with the food packaging and doc said it was probably from the egg. She ordered a blood test at the Children's hospital. We had to go to the Children's hospital because doc said they are better at drawing blood from "chubby" babies. ha! Results should be back this week. Apparently, there is a good chance that she will outgrow this since Chad and I don't have any food allergies.

As for the rest of the family . . . . I am busy taking pix, editing pix, cleaning the house, couponing and running around town. I am counting down the days until school is back in session.
Hunter is in full football practice mode. Next week he will start having practice 4 hours a day. In this heat. Yuck. Cody is officially done with his summer job at the local baseball field concession stand. He is currently staying at his moms for the rest of the summer. Chad continues to clean and organize the garage. Milo has been trusted to go outside by himself. No leash. (Yes, I used to put my cat on a leash)

School starts August 23. Fall begins on September 21. Tinley's 1st Birthday Bash is tentatively for December 30. Yes, summer has definitely flown by.

Time Flies When You're Always Busy!

Schools out (boo), my photo business is booming (yay), and I need more time in the day. Some days around 2:00 p.m., I realize that I haven't had lunch yet. I guess that's a good diet plan for the summer! I have officially ended my gym membership because I feel really guilty giving them free money. My plan . . . I am stepping out of home premises with computer in tow two nights a week to "work". . . . . no distractions, no answering to anyone. I am dedicating my daytime to cleaning, shopping (me likey), pool time and hanging out with the kiddos. Life is too short, peeps.

Busy as a Bee!

As the weather gets warmer, the Arndt family gets busier and busier! Hunter's baseball season is in full swing. Chad is the official Assistant Coach this year. And, of course their team name is the Cubs . . boooo. Once it gets warmer, Tinley will have to make an appearance in her White Sox outfit. :)

Cody got his first job yesterday! He will be working at the concessions where Hunter plays baseball. He is excited to start making some money. . . . . maybe for a new car next year? yikes.

Tinley is officially 4 months old! She is weighing in a 15 lbs and 25 inches. She finally is lifting her head. I was getting a little worried there for a second. Now, just waiting for the infamous "turn over". She is getting close, but no cigar.

Chad is still busy, busy at work. Like I said earlier, he is the assistant coach for Hunter's baseball team. He loves to clean the garage now since the weather has gotten better. I got him watching Extreme Couponing and he is now pushing me to search for coupons for EVERYTHING.

I am starting up two businesses to accommodate my shopping addiction. :) Chickpix Photography and Cutie Pie Props. Thanks to friends and friends of friends, I am getting quite busy with my photo business! I am also busy busy crafting, which has started Cutie Pie Props. I was making props for my photo business and thought "hey, I can totally make these and sell them!" I am busy promoting and participating in blog giveaways to get my name out there. I am loving it and can't imagine myself working for the "man" again. Soooooo, if you are looking to get your kids or your family's pictures taken, give me a shout!

www.chickpixphotography.com
www.facebook.com/chickpixphotography
www.facebook.com/cutiepieprops


Can't forget a cute pic . . . .

Not a Peanut Anymore!

Where did my little peanut go? Tinley is approaching her 4 month birthday very soon! She has reached many milestones in the past few months. Our little one is getting stronger by the day. She is holding her head up and prefers sitting propped up so she can see the world! She is a smiler. She smiles at anyone that will talk to her. She is close to laughing. Her brothers are the best at getting her to chuckle. She loves her brothers! Little Miss Tinley is also a talker! Once she starts, she keeps going and going and going . . . . she must get this trait from her dad. :)

I was going through my camera memory cards the other day and realized that I still had the pictures on there from the day she was born. For some reason, it's hard to take them off! I am afraid that they will get lost in the transfer, I guess. :)

Her next doctor appointment is April 18! I am excited to see how much she has actually grown! She is wearing 6 month clothing right now. I have a closet full of 6 month summer clothes, so I am eager for the warm weather to get here and stay. She has way too many cute summer outfits that I don't want to see go to waste!

Overall, she is the perfect baby. She is sleeping about 9-11 hours a night. She only cries when she is hungry or has a wet diaper or when she wants attention. She loves her hand held when she eats and when she is about to fall asleep. And, most importantly, she loves shopping with mommy. :)

Full Time Job

So, one thing I have realized in the past 8 weeks . . . . being a stay at home mother to a baby is a full time job! I mean, I didn't envision myself sitting around all day munching on bon bons or anything (yes, i did) but who would have thunk that I would be wishing and praying that I could just get a 30 minute lunch break. I clock in at around 7:30 a.m. Change her, feed her, burp her, playtime, tummy time and repeat. If she decides to get a cat nap in, I am cleaning bottles or cleaning something else in the house. I know people say to "sleep when your baby sleeps", but that is a bunch of crap. My house would be a complete pit and everyone would be wearing dirty, stinky clothes. Soooo, in lieu of my sanity, the whole family benefits with a clean house and clean clothes. I get to clock out around 5:30 p.m. when Chad gets home and then it's his turn!

It's amazing how fast the day goes. I think that's why people think their kids childhood goes by so fast! Next thing you know, she'll be heading off to kindergarten. I mean, tomorrow is already her 2 month birthday. It just feels like we brought her home yesterday. At the end of the day, when I am exhausted and would do anything for a foot rub, nothing beats seeing her big wide smile. I think it's her way of saying "thank you, mommy, for taking care of me today." :)

Zzzzzzzz

Ok, so I am sure there are a couple moms out there who have new babies and are going to be pissed when I say this . . . .my 7 week old sleeps through the night. I know, I know, I have heard how lucky I am. The pediatrician said that if both parents require a lot of sleep then, more than likely, your baby will too. In fact, she has been sleeping through most nights since she was about 4 weeks old. How did you do it, you ask?? Simple. Chad annoyed her and kept her from falling asleep at 9 p.m. Her bedtime is 11 p.m. We don't put down a minute earlier. And, if she tries going to bed, we do our best to keep her awake. She wakes up between 7:50 - 8:00 a.m. everyday . . .right after Daddy leaves for work. It's like she knows he is gone and immediately wakes up when she hears the garage door shut. She will eat and then usually go back to sleep around 9:30 a.m. and then back down around 1:30 - 2:00 p.m. These are my "work" breaks and I cherish them dearly! :)

It's About Time

So, one of my biggest pet peeves is when people are late. I always made sure that I was early or on time for all meetings, appointments, and get togethers. The reason I don't have parties anymore is because my friends never come on time, but that's a whole different post.

Anyways, I always wondered what the big deal was to get somewhere on time when you had a little one. I have discovered what the big deal was two days after she was born. It was her first doctors appointment. I have to get ready and I have to at least look presentable. I have to get her ready. I have to change her diaper. I have to feed her. I have to load up the diaper bag and pack it just in case the car breaks down and I am stuck on the side of the road by myself without any means of communication for the entire day. I have to strap her in the car seat without upsetting her and jarring her neck around. I have to gather all my stuff that I need . . .purse, coat, hat, gloves, bottle of water. Usually when I go to put my shoes on, I realize that I forgot my socks upstairs. I'll come back down to load the car and realize that I forgot my phone upstairs. And, when I go to load the car I realize that I haven't warmed the car up. I don't want to have her sit in a cold car and freeze to death!

I am getting better as the weeks go by. I try and start the "getting ready to go somewhere" process about an hour before departure time. I have learned to start with myself first. I have a checklist in my head that seems to be working. I'll be back to my good ol' timely self one day!

One Month Miracle

Four weeks ago today, I was rushing around town trying to get Christmas shopping done all while experiencing my first signs of real labor. Of course, not even labor would stop me from shopping! Tinley is officially 4 weeks old tomorrow. It's hard to believe she has been in this world for 4 whole weeks and that I have managed to keep her alive! Chad, on the other hand, is an old pro. So, I owe most of this accomplishment to him. :) She eats, pees, poops, cries, sleeps, wiggles arounds, makes grunting and snorty noises. She had her one-month check up yesterday and has grown a whole 2 1/4 inches and has gained 1 pound and 6 ounces since birth! She is getting strong by the day and has already managed to lift her head up. She has also inherited her mom's control issues by insisting on holding her own bottle and pacifier in her mouth. The only issue we have is trying to get her to go to sleep at night, but once she is out we can expect her to only wake once during the night to feed and then she goes right back to bed. Overall, she is a good baby and we are fortunate. She brings joy to us everyday and it is a wonderful feeling!

Here are some snapshots from the past month:

Our New (Cluttered) Life

Life with a new baby in the house has been an adjustment. Although the disruption of sleep has been the obvious change, I would have to say that it hasn't been the biggest adjustment. My house is a complete mess. The dust, the unvacuumed carpets, and the clutter of baby stuff is taking over. I have always wondered why people with kids had such messy houses. Now I know why.
The monstrosity of Christmas presents didn't help either! The kid doesn't even have any major toys yet. I have been told its not going to get any better so my best bet is to take a deep breath and pick up and clean as much as I can. The next time you come visit, please don't judge. I really want a clean house, I am just too tired. :)