Blogging with the Bills: October 2012

My baby girl is growing up way too fast. She turned 11 months old on October 16th. I cannot believe that next month, we will celebrate her 1st Birthday!!!! It's AMAZING to me to see her as a little bean in my belly:

And then grow into this:

And now here she is....pregnancy and childbirth are truly miracles og God....

Sam was not the easiest newborn...she was borderline colic and had reflux, so she fussed and cried a lot her first 3 months.

Here she was just about an hour old. We saw this expression a lot those first 3 months. And we saw this....

But only during the day. Sam was a night baby...mainly because she had problems with gas....I should own stock in those simethicone gas drops. Gripe water didn't do much. Her insomnia is partially genetic, too, I think. I was a night baby, too. And I still suffer from insomnia. Other than gas and having her days and nights confused, Samantha was a delightful baby. She smiled A LOT...

And made silly faces....

She was so sweet and cuddly. She loved to be held and would often pitch a fit if you sat down. May dad used to say she was an altimeter!! Lol!! She also needed to be rocked, bounced, jiggled, swayed, and swung. I guess the movement made her little tummy feel better. She was also facinated by ceiling fans. She would stare and smile and coo at them. It was precious. She would flirt with the fans!!! She was a fan of the ceiling fan!!! Lol!!

Oh how I wish I had documented all her little habits and quirks. She would get so excited and if you said, "oh, get excited! Get excited!!" she would punch and kick and get the most adorable, wide-eyed expression on her face....

She loved to "kick kick kick" and would kick those tiny little legs with enthusiasm when you told her to. Oh, and such a beautiful baby. I'm not just saying that because she's MY baby...she truly was (and still is, of course) a pretty baby. The doctors and nurses said repeatedly she was one of the prettiest babies they'd seen, and people would stop us in public to look at her and talk about how beautiful she was...and we get stopped even more now!! She was an angel...

And she still is...

I just can't get enough of her. There's so much to share about my sweet Sam. It will ake multiple posts to get caught up on all her milestones over that last 11 months. But here is what I want to remember about her today....

Things to remember about Samantha's 11th month

~ You weighed 19.2 lbs. and were 27.5 inches long at your 11 month appointment. You are still very petit!
~ You are STILL wearing size 3 diapers
~ You are stil wearing 9 month clothes....but some of them are too short, so even though 12 month clothes are big on you, they tend to fit your long legs better
~ You are nursing 3-4 times a day, and sadly, appear to be less and less interested in nursing except in the morning and at bedtime. You eat 3 meals a day plus snacks. You can be very picky!!
~ You prefer to self feed and eat off your own plate. You have been known to shake your head no and swat the spoon full of food out of our hands when we try to feed you something that you cant pick up, like yogurt.
~ You have finally mastered the sippy cup and drink water all day
~ You still refuse any kind of juice, no matter how much I dilute it
~ You are saying "dog" all the time and make the cutest "O" with your mouth when you say it
~ You are addicted to Blueberries!!!!
~ You are finally sleeping 10-11 hours a night in your crib, although, you still wake up 5 out of 7 nights and need to be nursed back to sleep
~ You still need to nurse to fall asleep
~ You only have your two bottom teeth!!! We have no idea where your teeth are!! Lol!!
~ You crawl fast!!! You pull up and walk while holding onto furniture or the wall. You LOVE to walk behind anything that will move with you (you love your walker) and squeal with excitement when you do...you are so proud of yourself!!
~ You stand alone for many seconds at a time and swing your arms and laugh
~ You are a chatterbox!!! You talk constantly!!! We have great conversations!!
~ You are a handful and into everything!! You are so smart and so curious!!
~ You have started throwing little tantrums. You get mad and roll around on the floor fussing if I take something away from you, you won't let you do something. Sometimes you even scream!
~ You absolutely hate having your diaper changed and putting on clothes!!!! You kick and scream and flail around. Unfortunately, it seems to be getting worse.
~ You still LOVE bathtime
~ You have suddenly become very attached to daddy and cry when he leaves for work, or to go anywhere....sometimes you cry when he simply leaves the room
~ You are obsessed with dogs
~ You finally started saying Ma Ma!!!!!
~ You are incredibly beautiful. We still get stopped by strangers out in public who want a closer look.
~ You are getting a little better with the stranger anxiety. You don't cry and try to hide anymore. Sometimes you smile at them...but sometimes you do turn your head away
~ You love other kids and are the life of the party at playdates!! You are so so sweet and gentle. You don't get mad when a toy is snatched fron you by another child, and you always offer up your toys to other kids.
~ You give kisses...they are THE BEST!!!!!

Samantha - you are the light of my life. You are so beautiful and amaze me everyday with all you are doing and learning. You make me laugh all the time. My heart just overflows with love for you. You are really starting to develope your own little personality...you are stubborn, strong-willed, and fiesty. You are a handful and I love every second of it. You make me so proud. I love you so very much sweet girl!!!

Please allow us to introduce ourselves....

This is Chris:

Chris is the love of my life. He is 34 years old, and almost 6'5"...which I LOVE!!! He is HOT, huh? We met on September 9, 2005 in Dallas, TX.

I knew I was going to marry him the minute I saw him. He was actually dating a friend of mine when I met him. They only dated for a couple of months. I ran into him 4 months after they broke up, on April 7, 2006. We have been together ever since. Chris is in the middle of his 2nd year in Law School at UALR Bowen School of Law. He also works full time at Southwest Power Pool assisting the trial lawyers. He works so hard to juggle a full time job, law school, and time with his family. He is amazing and I know he is working hard and sacrificing a lot so that he can provide for me and Samantha (we call her Sam, or Sammie). Chris and I, like many couples, have had our share of rough times....we have had knock down, drag out fights, and we have even separated before. But, one thing I can say about this man, and our relationship, is that he is loyal, and committed to this marriage. No matter what, we always work it out...we always stick together. I know he is my soul mate, and I love him with all of my being.

This is me:

I'm about to turn 37...eeekkkk!!!! And I am only 5'5"...Ha!! I was born in Columbia, SC and grew up in Winston-Salem, NC. I'm kind of a gypsy, and after college at The University of South Florida in Tampa, FL, I moved around a lot. I lived in Denver, CO...St. Louis, MO....Dallas, TX....and all over FL. Now I am in Little Rock, AR and think I'll stay awhile. I LOVE LOVE LOVE being a stay at home mommy to my little girl. I did things late in life, and at one point, I was disappointed about that. I got married at 33, and had my first child at 36. Sometimes, I get concerned about possibly not living long enough to see Sam get married...sometimes I am afraid I may not meet my grandchildren, should Sam follow in my footsteps. But, I have to trust in God's plan for my life...and I am grateful for all He has blessed me with. His timing is perfect.

I adore my family...I am very close to my mom and dad...they are divorced and both live in FL. I have a brother who is 4 1/2 years younger than I am, and I am very close to him. I miss my family terrible everyday. I long to live closer to them...I am a HUGE family person, and hate that we are so far apart. Family is so important to me and I cherish all of mine:

My Mom, Susan, and my brother, Steve

My dad, Steven, and my stepmom, Mary Jane

My wonderful in-laws, Craig and Mary

There will be more pictures of my family in later posts. But if you want to know me, the most important thing in my world, other than God, is my family, so that is why I am putting so much emphasis on that part of my life in introducing myself.

Here are a few other tid bits of information about moi:

I HATE spiders...I will totally freak out and cry like a little girl if I see one
I eat sunflower seeds in the shell...including the shell
I also like to snack on raw potatoes coated in salt
My guilty pleasure are fried BBQ Pork Rinds
I cannot sleep without a humming noise and the room temperature has to be around 68 degrees
I'm blind as a bat without my corrective lenses
I was a super star cheerleader from the time I was 5 until college
I also played some pretty mean soccer up through high school
I set records for fastest breast stroke when I swam competitively in elementary and middle school for a city league
I was obsessed with the 80s hair band Poison in middle school and went to one of their concerts
I also went to a New Kids on the Block concert
I love classical and jazz
Every night before I go to bed, I scrub my kitchen sink and cover it in oil to make it shiny and new
I am completely grossed out by feet
I used to iron my hair because it is so curly
I despise dishonesty...with a passion
I suffer from a severe case of insomnia every night
I live on about 5 hours of sleep a night
I have won awards for my writing and art
I am obsessed with butterflies...everything butterflies
If I have a plate of various foods, I go around the plate and eat each item by itself instead of taking bites of everything
I will drink blue cheese dressing out of the bottle
I can't whistle
I'm terrified of the dentist and haven't been in 14 years...but my teeth are perfect
I am deathly allergic to cats and will end up in the hospital if I spend more than 10 minutes anywhere near one
I get car sick if I try to read while riding in a car

These are just a few things...I hope to share more with you in future posts!

This is Samantha (get ready for a tidal wave of pics!!!!!)

Samantha Leona Bills was born November 16, 2011 at 12:59 pm. She was 8 lbs. 15 oz and 21 inches long. She had a head full of black hair and was absolutely perfect. I will do a post dedicated entirely to her birth in the future. Samantha is the reason I am alive. I never knew my purpose in life until she was born. My life has been turned upside down and sideways because of her...in a good way. She has brought out in me a person I never knew existed...I never knew it was possible to love so deeply, so purely, and so incredibly soulfully. It is a love I cannot explain and you will never understand unless, or until, you have a child of your own. She is the most perfect gift from God and I thank Him everyday for allowing me the honor of raising and loving her. I could go on and on and on forever about how I feel about her. She amazes me everyday and keeps me laughing. Now, at almost 11 months old, she is developing a very distinct personality...she is beginning to assert herself and her independence, which makes me a little sad. She can pitch a mean little fit when she doesn't get her way or when I have to take something away from her, or won't let her chew on my iPad. LOL! She is a chatterbox!! Ha Ha!! She is going to be a talker. She said "dada" first...but not directly to Chris until recently. She says "ma ma ma ma ma"...sometimes it's directed to me...
sometimes it's not. She is crazy about dogs and says "guh guh guh" over and over when she sees one. Whenever I would say the word dog, I guess I always enunciated the "guh" part...like, dogUH! So now she just says the "guh" part for dog...it is precious! She waves bye bye, and hi. She knows the words book, ball, toy, water, Elmo, dog, walk, and if you ask her to get, find, show, or bring you any of those items, she will. It is amazing...she is so smart. She flashes the biggest smile when she brings you something and you say "thank you". She also knows that if anyone says "cheeeeeese" to SMILE really big!! She has always loved water and bathtime and she dances to music. Gosh, there are just so many incredible things about her and how she is growing and developing. I plan to record her stats in monthly intervals in the future, and hope to go back to all the previous months and share those with you, as well. One thing you can be absolutely sure of throughout this venture, is that there will be plenty of posts and pictures of my angel...after all, she is why I exist.

This is Charlie...he also answers to, Dude, The Dude, Doodle, Doodle Bear, and Chuck...he is a 100 lb. Labradoodle:

Dude loves to eat and chase balls. He's also a swimmer and will jump into a frozen lake in the dead of winter fs we let him...he LOVES water...except during bathtime. He has been known to pull food off of counters and tables, so, it's best never to leave food out where he can reach it, which is pretty much anywhere, because he's as tall as the kitchen counter. The dude is incredibly gentle and sweet, but appears to be afraid of Samantha...he's not sure what to do with her yet. I imagine that when she gets old enough to run around and play with him, they will be best buds. He is attention hungry...he thinks he's a lap dog...he also thinks he is still a puppy. He's also a 100 lb. baby...he's afraid of everything, including our 10 lb. Mini Dachshund. He's playful and needy and addicted to his daddy...he was my husband's dog and was spoiled rotten, and still is, by my husband, so he is a little codependent. Charlie does, on occasion, get sick to his stomach if Chris goes out of town and is gone for more than a day!! I have cleaned up the contents of his stomach on numerous occasions when Chris has been out of town. I swear this dog needs some doggie Prozac. LOL...seriously, though, he is a great dog who makes a terrible guard dog, except for the fact that he has a terrifying bark that without a doubt will keep intruders away. He has been known to growl if he thinks the family is in danger, and as much of a baby as he is, I have no doubt that he could and would do some serious damage to anyone or anything that tried to hurt us. He is a deeply loved member of our family.

This is Hunter....also answers to Munch, Munchie, Munchkin, Munchie Bear, and Bubba...he is a 12 lb. Mini Dachshund:

Hunter is just pure rotten...lol!!! He is a jealous, possessive, stubborn, feisty little guy and I love it...except for the fact that I am not totally comfortable with letting him around Sam too much. He sometimes gets agitated and annoyed, so to be safe, we are cautious when it comes to letting him near her, although, he has shown no signs of aggression at all thus far with her. He has given her kisses and appears to be pretty ambivalent regarding her presence. He's a sweet little boy who suddenly becomes deaf when you try to get him to come inside. He will flat out ignore you if he wants to. He's a rodent killer and has slayed his share of squirrels, birds, lizards, frogs, baby rabbits (I know, so sad!!!) and he thought he caught himself a opossum or two, but they were...playing opossum. He once ran into the house with a dead squirrel in his mouth and hid under the master bed...he bit me when I tried to reach under the bed and grab him....he's a real brat. He has a real death grip with his jaws and when he has hold of something he doesn't want to let go of, you couldn't pry his mouth open with a crowbar, or even the "jaws of life"...it is unreal. He loves to plat fetch and ride in the car. He is a real Houdini...a master escape artist and for some reason, gets real pleasure out of scaring the crap out of us by digging out from under the fence and disappearing for hours...and on two occasions, overnight. Needless to say, Chris and I didn't sleep those nights. I think his entire skeleton is double jointed because he can squeeze between, under, and through the smallest spaces. As with most Dachshunds, he loves to burrow and bury himself in clothes, sheets, towels, blankets, and pillows. He always sleeps in bed with me and my husband. He definitely has "Big Dog Syndrome" and has been known to attack dogs 3 times his size...including a couple of Great Danes. He's a real treat who just showed up on our doorstep in FL 4 years ago and has been a beloved member of our family ever since

Finally, I have to include our very special baby girl, Kiah. Kiah was my dog. I adopted her from the SPCA in Dallas, TX when she was a year old. She had a bad case of heartworms and had been neglected and abused. I nursed her back to health over the course of several months. If any of you have any experience with it, you know that the heartworm treatment is almost as deadly as the heartworm disease itself. She was rushed to the emergency vet on a couple of occasions for complications from the treatment. It was a scary time, but she pulled through. I was going through a rough breakup, so she saved me, as much as I saved her. She was my very best friend, the best friend I have ever had. She loved to chase squirrels, and caught herself a few. If you said, "Kiah, get it, get it" she would bark incessantly at nothing...she would stare at the wall and bark, as if there really was something there it get! It was hilarous!! She was so incredibly gentle with a sweet demeanor and a soul of gold. She was an old soul who could read my mind and my feelings and always knew what I needed. She had lots of health problems...some from the heartworm damage, some just from poor genes. She had an autoimmune disease called Masticatory Muscle Myocitis...basically, her body was attacking the muscle fibers in her head, neck, throat and face. Her esophagus was weak so she had trouble eating, she couldn't run like other dogs, her immune system was weak, but she was always happy. She was the kind of dog who spoke with her eyes and they were full of love and extreme gratitude. On November 11, 2011, I had to make the most painful, heartbreaking, and difficult decision of my life. Kiah had been going downhill for about a month...her heart was enlarged and she could no longer climb stairs or walk more than a few feet without stopping to rest. It was excruciating to watch my little furry soul mate fall apart. I knew it had to be done. I spent my last night with her, 9 months pregnant, laying in bed holding my precious Kiah. I spent the next day loving her and letting her eat whatever she wanted...although, she has pretty much stopped eating a couple of days prior. Chris and I held her and caressed her and spent the day letting her know how she had influenced our lives, brought so much joy to our world, how special and loved she was and always would be. I think she was ok with things...I think she was tired....I think she was ready. Her eyes appeared to say it was ok to let her go. Sam was being delivered via c-section in 5 days and I think Kiah wanted to lessen our load...she knew it would be tough to juggle a new baby and a sick dog, even though, I would have gladly taken on the work...Kiah wanted to make things easier for us...for me. I am forever grateful for her constant selflessness. She was always more concerned about me than anything else. At 3pm on 11/11/11, I held my sweet Kiah in my arms as she took her last breaths...I cried and told her I was sorry, and that I loved her and she was my best friend and what a wonderful companion she had been. I told her she had a new heart now, and brand new healthy muscles and could run faster than ever for as long as she wanted now...something she could never do here on earth. I know my sweet girl is playing at Rainbow Bridge and waiting on me there. I keep her ashes next to my bed and I even take her with me when I travel. My heart aches everyday for her. I know she visits Sam and looks over her...and I know she is with me all the time.

RIP SWEET KIAH