Happy Birthday Macie!!!

Today my baby girl turned 1...I can hardly believe it! We started off the day with a well check and some shots. I know, what a nice Mom I am. I was surprised to hear that her weight is now 19 lbs, 11oz in the 25th percentile. Macie has always been at least 70th, so this was quite a surprise. It is normal though, just a result of her running around everywhere. She is quite the busy bee, so I have to watch her like a hawk. We are great friends though and she loves to be with me all the time. If Josh has her and I'm around she fights to get away from him and over to me. Poor Daddy, or should I say poor Mommy? We went out to dinner tonight since we'll be having a big family party later on with all the cake and presents. She had a birthday dessert and was quite fascinated with the candle on top.

When we were visiting my parents last week my Mom got Macie to do the number 1 with her finger. She already points, so it was definitely easy for her to catch on.

Baby + 7 hr. road trip = Not Fun

We decided to take advantage of Josh's school break and headed up to visit my parents in Genoa. We've always flown before but decided to drive this time; I'm not quite sure why. Macie actually wasn't too bad, but she wasn't great either. She slept 2 hrs. each way and had lots of snacks to keep her entertained. She loves to do actions to songs like itsy bitsy spider, wheels on the bus, patty cake, and I'm a little teapot. I think we read her animal books about 50 times. And then there was the whining to get out of her seat when she got bored. Everytime we stopped the car for a bathroom break or to get gas she would start screaming with joy and kicking her legs. Next time we're flying for sure.

This picture is from our front yard, not from the vacation. I think its really cute. She likes to explore the yard and pick up leaves and rocks. I'll post some pictures from the trip once I download them. Yes, I am too lazy today.

Why's Everybody Always Pickin' on Me

It seems to me that my eccentricities are somewhat misunderstood. While I do admit to them, I laugh at myself as well. I know I'm ridiculous. However, I hope that I haven't offended anyone. With that being said...I have a funny story.

Josh came home last night and Macie and I were outside playing with some of the neighborhood kids. Josh joined in all the running and chasing around BAREFOOT. Obviously I was disgusted. He said it was too hard to run in flip-flops. Right. So naturally the bottoms of his feet were as black as can be. When we were getting ready for bed I told him to wash his feet. He said no. So I went and turned on the shower for him. He turned it off. As he headed for the bed I told him he better be sleeping on the floor with those dirty feet because I didn't want them in my bed on my white sheets. He didn't answer me. I finished getting ready, turned off the lights, and went to bed. A few minutes later Josh scared me to death when he mumbled a couple words from the floor. Yes that's right, he actually was on the floor and I didn't see him. I thought he was downstairs watching tv. Anyway, I told him that he could get into bed if he put on some socks. He thought about it then got up and put some on. I was telling my sister the story this morning and she said "wouldn't it just have been easier for him to wash his feet?!?" HELLO, that's what I said!!!

Pointer Sister

Macie has been in the pointing stage for quite a while
now and I still think it is cute every time she does it.
It's fun to name something and then see her point at it.
When she first started pointing she used two fingers, so
we would point back and say "peace out Macie". We were
at Costco the other day and she had so many things to
point at. (Notice the shopping cart cover, it's worth every penny for my own sanity.)

Technologically Challenged

Ok, so I am not as computer savvy as I once thought. I had problems uploading Macie's walking video and adding text to it. I finally got it (all by myself I might add), so sorry about the glitches. I think video postings could get addictive now that I know how!

On the Move

Here's a clip of Macie walking back and forth between me and my sister Mel on Sunday night. Since then, she's already walking way more and going for things on her own. Sometimes she lets go of my hand too because she wants to do it on her own. I love watching those little arms waving for balance while she goes. It is so exciting and so sad at the same time...my baby is now a toddler. Didn't I just give birth the other day???

OCD Confessions

Ok, so I have come to terms with the fact that I am slightly obsessive about certain things, mainly pertaining to cleanliness. The real truth is that my obsession has been getting increasingly worse as time goes on. What really pushed me over the edge was having a baby. I know what you're thinking..."it's totally normal to be cautious and worried about germs with a newborn..." but I didn't stop there. Let me give you some examples:

- When Josh or I come home, the first thing we have to do is wash our hands. Reasonable, right?
- While we are out I don't touch public doors, handrails, shopping carts, toys, etc. If I do I have my hand sanitizer on hand at all times. (The exception to this was at Best Buy they had Guitar Hero out for customers to play and I couldn't stand it. It was a hard decision because I REALLY didn't want to touch the guitar.)
- We bought a shopping cart cover that covers 100% of the front sitting part of the cart so Macie can go shopping with me. Until we got this I refused to take her shopping after she outgrew the baby carrier where I could strap her in to me and she could look around without having to touch anything.
- If people touch Macie I look at their hands to see how dirty they are. I wash Macie's hands after they're done. This is mostly for little kids and strangers.
- When we were at Disneyland I sanitized Macie's hands after any of the rides where she touched something.
- At restaurants I don't like to touch the tables because they are simply wiped off with a rag carrying germs from who knows what. We have a cover for public highchairs that we use for Macie and I NEVER put food her food directly on the table.
- If we go to a movie I make sure only my back and bottom touch the seat then put my clothes straight into the hamper when we come home.
- I literally stress out about cleaning my house.

These are just a few examples of everyday things that go on. I really can't go anywhere without thinking about how dirty things are. I know it's crazy and that we're exposed to germs all around us yet we continue to thrive, however, I can't seem to get over it. It's not just a fear of getting sick, it's a fear of germs themselves. Have you seen the movie What About Bob? Bill Murray plays a man who has a similar germ phobia. In the movie he carries tissue around to use to touch door knobs, etc. Well, I don't consider thin sheets of tissue paper to be an effective barrier. Do you see how bad I've gotten? I know it is a real problem and I am making a conscious effort not to freak out about certain things. I don't overdo it with Macie because I don't want her to be neurotic about germs like me. There's a difference between being clean and being compulsive. However, at the rate I'm going I will end up in an insane asylum.