I’m not even sure where to go from here, with this post anyway. I’m not able to delve into who my dad was to me, and even when I am ready I’m not sure I’ll even share it here.

But I want to keep writing.

I got my knack for writing from him, you know. He was a writer of songs, poems, and short stories. And he was good. Really good.

Last week was the worst week of my life.

But it ended on a sweet note. My brother’s wife gave birth to their daughter Emilee, hours after we buried Dad.

Talk about an emotional roller coaster.

I am doing o.k. We are back home, and I am trying to ‘do life’ as usual, but I’m having a hard time making myself do much of anything except making sure Hannah Grace is taken care of and getting dinner on the table.

I know, one day at a time.

Blog posts will vary in topic for awhile. One may be about my dad and another will be about something completely superficial (like the neatness of Pinterest).

I just need to keep writing.

I don’t think I ever mentioned it here, but a few of my Real Life friends and family knew that Hannah Grace had no problems drinking water and juice from a sippy cup, but she would not give up her bottle when it came to milk.

Until two days ago. I had been offering her milk from a sippy cup for several days, but she always gave it back after a couple of sips because she wanted it from a bottle. Two days ago we had just gotten home from running errands when Hannah Grace wanted some milk. I already had some in a sippy cup, but I knew she was tired and just wanted a bottle and to take a nap. As I took the sippy cup from her bag to take in to the kitchen, Hannah Grace reached up for it. I gave it to her and she drank the rest of the milk from the cup! Ever since, she has taken milk from the same cup.

Of all the milestones she has hit, this was the first one I was actually kind of sad about. Which is ironic because it’s the one I’ve been pushing for three months. Go figure.

Anyway, if anyone is curious, these are the cups Hannah Grace uses now:

Munchkin Mighty Grip. This is the sippy cup Hannah Grace will drink milk out of. Easy to drink from, no spills if knocked over, no leaks when drinking.

Munchkin Mighty Grip Trainer Cup. It’s the same cup as the Mighty Grip, but it’s smaller and has handles (hence the trainer part). We have three of these in varying colors, so it’s fun to mix and match the cup with the ‘lid’.

Tommee Tippee Stage 2 Sippy Cups. I bought these (actually, we have these exact colors and they’re super cute) a couple of months ago because I’ve heard RAVE reviews about Tommee Tippee bottles, so I hoped their sippy cups were just as good. And they were! So many sippy cups have those crazy valves on them (to keep them spill proof), and they make it super difficult to drink from. These Tommee Tippee cups have a valve, but they are SUPER easy to drink from, AND they are spill proof. I also have not had any problems with leaks.

Also, notice these are ‘Stage 2, from 9 months on’. I’d like to point out that Hannah Grace would NOT have drunk from these cups at 9 months. Some babies will, but HG would not. Just don’t let a recommendation on the packaging keep you from purchasing this cup if your child doesn’t fit the age range. Hannah Grace is almost 14 months and will be drinking from these cups for awhile!

Playtex Sipster Stage 3 Sippy Cup. I used the Playtex Drop Ins system for Hannah Grace’s bottles, so I was already a fan of the brand. A family we are friends with who was traveling stopped by our house a couple of weeks ago, and two of their children (one who is HG’s age) were drinking from these cups, so I thought I’d also give them a try.  They have a harder spout than the other cups I’ve talked about, but that didn’t stop Hannah Grace from drinking from them! I haven’t had any problems with leaks or spills either.

Also, notice these are ‘Stage 3, from 12 months on’. I honestly think the way companies ‘Stage’ these cups is completely arbitrary. I say that because the spouts on these Playtex cups are very similar to the spouts on the Tommee Tippee Stage 2 cups. And I’ve seen Stage 3 cups from other companies that have spouts that would completely throw Hannah Grace for a loop. So just use your best judgement when seeking out new sippy cups for your little one.

Sippy cups that just didn’t work for us at all were the Nuby brand cups. They leaked and Hannah Grace just had a hard time drinking from them. I tried the ‘bottle-like’ cups and the straw cups, and she just never took very well to them. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t try these cups out– they may work for you. They just weren’t the best fit for Hannah Grace.

This was long, and my childless readers probably didn’t make it all the way through (except maybe Amy K. who probably has the same obsession with kids’ stuff that I do, ha!), but I hope it helps someone out there on their sippy cup hunt!

This picture right below was taken right after we moved to Jackson, when Hannah Grace was eight months old. Fluffy hair, baby face, toothless grin.

Not quite six months later, and Hannah Grace is almost 14 months old. Her hair is long enough for bows and (I think) a Pebbles-style ponytail. She has six teeth and her facial appearance is looking more toddler-esque. 

I don’t take pictures every day, but I do make sure I have several shots from each week. And while I enjoy the convenience of having a camera on my cell phone, I will not let myself rely solely upon that to capture memories. So many parents only use their camera phones, and I think that is going to become a major regret among the parents of my generation.

Picture organization is work, but it’s worth it. Getting photos in photo albums (or at the very least photo books) is work, but it’s worth it. I’m happy to say I am up to March of this year in Hannah Grace’s photo album. I probably am only an hour and a half’s worth of work away from completing her first year, and THAT will be a major accomplishment!

A small part of me is wondering if I should just do her second year in the form of a photo book. It’s not quite as time consuming, but I know I would miss having hard copies of the photos at hand. We’ll see.

Yes, that one up there.

That, my friends, is deceitful.

Pottery Barn Kids produces some beautiful children’s room decor, storage solutions, and furniture, but this picture of three little girls ‘playing’ in their playroom is a lie.

How do I know? Because I have a 13 month old. And I was seven once, so I remember. No child plays in a designated playroom without wrecking it.

And I have to keep telling myself this every time I see those pictures. Because as much as I would love for Hannah Grace to have a fairy tale play area that was never messy, I know that just isn’t real life. If you were to walk in our living room right now, you would see no less than books scattered on the floor, her Little People Barn in the middle of the room, and random toy pots and pans, toy food, and blocks haphazardly placed throughout the area, and a vibrantly colored Winnie the Pooh and friends rocker. The rocker goes quite nicely with the earthy tones the rest of our furniture and decor display. Would Pottery Barn Kids ever take a picture of my living room to try to sell to a parent wanting to create a dream room for their child? Doubtful.

But at least it’s real. That’s what I’m gonna keep telling myself

I had a really nice birthday that began with a trip to John’s store for a little visit, and from there we went to lunch at my favorite Mexican restaurant. Hannah Grace fell asleep on the way home, so I got a nice two hour break to not clean (I took my birthday ‘off’). John was able to get off a few hours early, so once he was home we piddled around until late afternoon before going to Essex where John bought me a serger!

That’s the serger I now own! It looks intimidating, and the first time I threaded was a super tedious job (that took several tries), but I finally got it and have been using the included thread to serge some scrap fabrics.

We then headed to one of my favorite restaurants that serves Cracker Barrel-style food in a fast food setting. By this time Hannah Grace was beyond tired, so we headed back home once we finished eating, put her to bed, and I started tinkering with the serger.

My 20′s have definitely been nothing less than exciting. Take a look at this timeline:

20- met John, got engaged

21- got married

22- graduated college, moved to Florida

23- got pregnant, had Hannah Grace, moved to Knoxville

24- moved to Jackson

And those are just the BIG things!

5×7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Shutterfly is probably my favorite place to order pictures from. A few days ago they e-mailed me an offer for ten free photo greeting cards, so I whipped this pretty one right up and saved a TON of money in the process! Thanks Shutterfly!

Hannah Grace, 13 months

LOOK at her.

Huge, blue eyes. Six teeth. Strawberry blonde (with the strawberry becoming more prominent here lately) hair. Walking everywhere. Climbing everything.

She doesn’t really say anything other than ‘mama’ and ‘dada’, but she jabbers all. the. time. Do you remember Animal, from The Muppets? She reminds me of him.

Small fits are getting thrown if she isn’t allowed to do what she wants, but they don’t last long. Most of the time she is a very laid back, happy, and energetic baby (toddler?).

She has finally started sleeping all night long.

And she eats almost anything you put in front of her. Her favorite foods are any fruit, green beans, cheese puffs, yogurt, pasta, tomatoes, and chocolate.

(she only gets chocolate every once in awhile in very small amounts)

Hannah Grace, 12 months

She expresses joy like no other.

Last week John and I went to Essex to see what deals they have going on. I’m keeping my eye on a serger that is slowly, but surely, lowering in price week by week. I’m hoping no one buys it for about three more weeks; by then it’ll be about 70% off the original price.

Anyway, while we were at Essex, John noticed they had some Samsonite luggage, so I looked through it all and found a nice looking (not to mention great quality) suitcase with swivel wheels that was price at half of the retail price. I really liked it (and have been needing a new suitcase anyway– the luggage set I got when first married was a $40 deal for a three piece set from Macy’s, and while it would probably have held up nicely for normal people who travel once or twice a year, it was starting to fall a part after our five moves and 87 trips made hither and yon). Moving on– I really liked the suitcase, but at $100 I wasn’t sure if was worth it. Then I remembered the broken zipper on the large pocket that normally holds my undergarments. Noticing that Samsonite offered a ten year warranty (and thinking about two or three trips we still plan to take this year), we decided it was worth the money and could just be my birthday present!

I’m sure that tidbit was thrilling for all of you, but new luggage is a big deal to me!

I’ve been sewing. A LOT. I mentioned a few days ago that the quilt top is complete for the small quilt I’m making for myself. I also finally got around to preparing a bunch of fabric I got several months ago to make pencil rolls. AND I’m making my friend Cherie a diaper stacker (and one other thing with some leftover fabric!) using some super cute Winnie the Pooh fabric. All of this sewing is taking place during Hannah Grace’s nap times, and I’m really enjoying it. There is something so incredibly satisfying about having pretty, practical (and not so practical) things in your house (and other people’s houses) and knowing you made it.

I’ve also been vacuuming, sweeping, laundering, cooking, feeding, and errand running all week long, but I figure you guys don’t want to hear about all that, am I right?

I just used the word ‘squares’ four times in a sentence. Wow.

I have a pretty coordinating fabric I plan to use as the backing, so all I need to do now is buy some soft batting!