Where to begin? We have been SO busy! We had such a great time in the Bahamas! It was absolutely beautiful there and so relaxing! We had not been on vacation since our honeymoon, so it was wonderful!!! Callie did really well with both flights, and slept for most of the time. She took long 3 hour naps while we were there which was nice! She LOVED all the aquariums there, we went to them at least twice a day and she loved going down the slides on our laps. She would laugh the whole way down! When we got back she got really sick though...I think from travelling. Poor thing! She and Jason both got sinus infections and she had a double ear infection and a stomach virus! She never gets sick! So I was the nurse around here for over a week and half. Thankfully, I never got sick! Someone had to take care of everyone! I am trying to figure out how to post videos online and once I do I will post some from our trip!

Since I last wrote I had three of my girl friends have babies!!! Two of them had their babies this week! It was so neat to be back at Winnie Palmer! I haven't been back since Cal was born. One of my friend's rooms was across from the room that we stayed in and as soon as I walked those halls my eyes filled with tears. I just can't believe time has flown by so fast!!! I have this beautiful little girl now! I know I always say that, but I truly feel like she should still be like 8 months old...not 18 (almost 19) months old! Jason always says....I can't wait for her to do this or that...and I am always like I can wait! I just want to enjoy every minute even the tough times which we have had a lot of lately! Like when she throws major tantrums or hits anyone and everyone. We have been working on discipline a lot! She still isn't talking much, which I think is part of our problem. She gets so mad if I don't understand what she needs the second she needs it. I don't want to focus on the bad though, because I know this is just a stage.

Callie's current loves...Elmo! She is obsessed and carries him everywhere, but she doesn't like to watch Elmo on TV. She loves watching the Little Einsteins, Baby Einstein and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She loves for me to read her books. She loves to hide in my cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom with Elmo. She loves to "talk" on the phone to Bebe and Aunt Jess, which consists of them talking and her grunting. It is so funny! She loves to bang on Daddy's office door while he is working, and he will yell "hey boo bear" and she laughs hysterically! She loves Chinese food, bananas, popsicles, oreo cookies, raisins, chicken and would drink a gallon of milk a day if I let her. She also likes to try and feed herself with a fork. She has such a love for animals and water fountains of any type especially the ones that are lit up at night! I am sure I could type a ton more. She is such a joy and I am so in love with her! I thank God daily that He chose me to be her Mommy!

As for Jason, he has been so busy with his magazine! His first issue came out this week and I am so proud of him!!! His whole life he has wanted to be a sports writer and now he is! Well, he is a man of many talents....he is not only a sports writer, but does highlight videos to get kids recruited and helps to get them scholarships, he has his own website and he just got hired by ESPN to give insider recruiting information to the University of Florida! He is the biggest Gator fan I have ever met, so this is also a dream job! I am just so proud of him for living his dream! When I met him he was working with mortgages and told me of these dreams that he had and I could just see his passion for it! I beam with pride now seeing him doing what he loves everyday!

We had a great 4th of July with Nichole & Matt! This picture is of the sunset we saw that night. It was beautiful! It was so neat to see Cal watching the fireworks! She LOVED them!!! She would clap and get all excited and I just love to see the joy on her face! 4th of July is a special holiday for Jason and I. July 4th, 2005 while watching the fireworks in Chicago, Jason leaned over and said "Do you think it is too soon?" and I said for what? and he said "to have feelings of love for someone" and I said why do you love me? LOL! And he said "yes I am in love with you" and I said I LOVE YOU TOO!!! Followed by a million kisses...and that was the first time we said that we love each other so now every 4th of July during the fireworks we have that same little conversation! And laugh and kiss! I LOVE HIIM! Sorry for being mushy, it is just fun to think of our whirlwind romance! We wanted to get married July 4th, 2006 but we figured that no one would come since it is a holiday and I think it was on a Tuesday that year....but it is still our special day!

Callie has been such a little comedian lately and I can see her wanting to be an actress or something one day. She will do anything to get our attention and to make us laugh! She is so outgoing and loves to wave to everyone. I worry about this sometimes though because she will go to anyone. We are dealing with some temper issues lately. She just isn't too thrilled with sitting in her high chair anymore or even eating actually, she doesn't like sharing toys, and enjoys hitting when she doesn't get what she wants! She is my little drama mama! It really tests my patience and I have to bite my tongue and take deep breaths and ask God to help me get through this day almost everyday lately! She is a handful, but I wouldn't trade her personality at all! I keep hearing from everyone with older children that this is the hardest age, because they just don't get it which makes discipline impossible! She goes in time out about 3 to 9 times a day lately! I only leave her in there for one minute but I feel like it isn't helping. I am trying to be consistent but it is frustrating. I am looking into some parenting/developmental books right now just to help myself get some guidance and help me feel like I am doing the best possible thing for her. I just love her so much and have to learn to get tough! I think she thinks she is our parent and we are definitely living in Callie world right now...I don't know how that happened! LOL! We have two leaning book cases in our family room and she was trying to climb them the other night! I look forward to her talking so that may be we can communicate better. She just started signing for milk so now she has that sign down as well as all done, which help!

I love to see her interact with older children, she wants to be just like them. It is so cute! Her favorite thing is still sunglasses. She is obsessed and goes around pointing out all the "sssss" "sssss" in sight. Her favorite website when I am online is sunglasshut.com Her biggest meltdown so far was when we were leaving a store and paying the cashier and see spots the "ssssss" and just starts screaming because I won't give them to her! I wanted to hide it was so bad, but when we walked out of the store I just cracked up laughing! She is in love with her milk and will drink milk all day long if I would let her. She prefers to drink her calories. She just got a pair of crocs and she loves them! She brings them to me all the time to put on her. It is so sweet! She loves to wear necklaces and hold a purse! She is so girlie! It is hilarious! She will put on her necklaces and grab her purse and come up to Jason and I and just ham it up and wait for us to say "Oh Callie, look how pretty!!!" "You are just SO beautiful!" Sometimes Jason won't see her and she will just stand behind him and wait for his compliments. I love this little girl!

I can't wait to be pregnant again and to bless Callie with a sibling! We are trying again in the Fall! I loved being pregnant! I loved feeling this little life growing inside of me and seeing her on her ultrasounds! It is just the most amazing experience! I would be absolutely thrilled with a girl or a boy next time! I just assume that all our children will look just like Cal, but it will be so neat to see their resemblances and differences! And to see them play together. I worry about a lot of things when it comes to having another child, but I know that is normal and that God will get me through those worries. I love this little family that we have! Jason is really excited too! I think he feels a little more experienced now that he has Cal. It is just the most amazing experience and I can't wait to experience it all again! I feel like nothing is more important in life than family and I look forward to expanding ours! I'll keep you posted on that one! ;)

We had a scary thing happen on June 6th, we went to 5 Guys Burgers & Fries for dinner to start off Jason's birthday weekend, and we have been there at least 3 times now with Cal. She always does fine with eating their grilled cheese sandwich and a few fries...well, last night I broke up a few fries into small pieces and she started choking on her first bite. So, I jump up and get her out of her high chair, I pat her on the back, put my fingers in her mouth to try and get it out, flip her upside down and shake her...and NOTHING would work! She threw up on me and I thought ok she is ok...and then the guy at the next table starts yelling no she is still choking. At this point I start to really freak out...I am just dying inside. She stopped gagged and her body started going lymph. I thought I was going to lose her! I was just crying and shaking her upside down and I didn't know what else to do. A Mom comes running over and sticks her finger all the way down her throat and she throws up again and finally she is fine. I have never been so terrified in my life. She has choked before, and nothing that worked before was working that night.

I owe that Mom everything. I just feel so bad that I didn't know what else to do. She said that I was doing all the right things, but that it was probably just really lodged and to not be afraid to stick your finger all the way down her throat. I was so shaken up by the whole thing...I just cried and cried that night after I rocked her to sleep. I just love her more than anything in the world. I am paranoid now about feeding her and make sure the pieces are tiny, but like that Mom said even adults choke and I can't blame myself...but that seems like all I can do since it happened. I just keep playing it in my head over and over. I choked a lot as a child because I had huge tonsils and I had to get them removed at 10 years old. I just remember how scared I used to feel! She was so upset and lethargic afterwards it was so sad! I signed us up for First Aid/CPR classes in July, so hopefully that will help us to feel more prepared. It was just so scary!

We went to the beach this past weekend for Father's day. We had a really great time! Cal slept surprisingly well every night but the last night. She never sleeps well in her pack n play so I was shocked. She loved going down to the ocean and swimming in the hot tub (that we kept cool). My parents and Jess & Nick were there and we got to see Mema & Papa Bill and Meme...so it was a lot of fun! It was so nice to relax. We had 4 dogs there...Myles, Madison, Marley and Mac...so that was a little chaotic, but definitely fun. I think all the dogs were getting very tired of Callie though. She likes to plop down and sit on top of them or lay on them and drink her sippy of milk. With Maddie we know better now and make sure to keep them apart when Maddie looks irritated, but Cal definitely got some growls this weekend from the other 3 dogs, so that was hard to try to keep her apart from them. Overall it was a great time! Here is a slide show of pics from the beach! http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z72/jenniferpughe/?action=view&current=b3896acc.pbw

Callie was 26 pounds 5 oz at her 15 month appointment. She had to have 1 vaccine the DtaP. It was only her second vaccine so far and she did great and didn't cry at all! I love our Ped! She is so wonderful!!! She gave us some great discipline advice, and we finally got her off of Stage 2 formula. She didn't like whole milk at all, but LOVES 2% milk, which our Ped said was fine to give her. She drinks SO much milk everyday and really loves it! She would rather drink her calories than eat food, so I have to try to feed her food before offering milk. Overall she is doing great besides the little temper she has on her, but I think that is mainly because she cannot communicate to us what she wants and just points and fusses until we figure it out or she throws herself on the floor in a fit. It used to really bother me but now I just walk away and laugh about it. She is sleeping pretty well, but keeps trying to push her bed time later and later. She has always been a night owl! Her current favorites are: her sunglasses, her lovey blanket, any and all of Daddy's electronics (she especially loves to hear out of his head phones while he is trying to work...it is really funny), her toy vacuum, and her lion push toy. She loves baths and loves to go swimming in the tub, she loves to eat raisins, oranges, and popcorn! And did I mention she LOVES milk! ;) As I type this she is watching her Children's Songs DVD that Mema bought her and is dancing and clapping. She loves to watch this at least once a day...sometimes I let her watch it twice, once in the morning and once at night. But she cracks us up with her dancing...any music she hears she instantly busts a move!

Thanks for reading! I am really going to try to write more! I hope all is well with everyone! XOXO

So much on my mind today....

Miss Callie Grace Pughe is working on 6 teeth right now!!! AHHH! She almost has 17 teeth, so only 3 more after these and we will be DONE! YAY!!! With all this teething comes no sleep, major clingyness, up to 5 yucky diapers a day, and one cranky little 15 month old! Who would have ever thought teeth would cause this much stress? I am actually loving the nights we sleep together though. I love just looking at her and kissing her. It just amazes me how incredibly blessed we are! Last night as I was rocking her to sleep she kept looking up at me and laughing and smiling, while her eyes were drifting off to sleep and I just teared up and thought how did I get so lucky?!?

My whole life I have wanted to be a wife and a Mom, and now I am living my dream everyday! Life doesn't get much better than this! I love watching her grow up. I love watching her learn new things. She is such a little girl now! No longer my little baby! I love to look at her and see little bits of Jason and little bits of me. When I look into her eyes I see my eyes, and when I kiss her sweet little mouth it is Jason's perfect lips! When she is asleep she looks EXACTLY like her daddy when he sleeps! And she has her Mommy's smile! :) But she is her own little person at the same time! She overwhelms us with joy! We spend our days laughing at her...our little comedian. And then when she is in bed at night we are talking about her and laughing at how funny she is. When we go on dates we spend our time talking about her and missing her. We just can't get enough!

Her current loves: Anything that has to do with dogs and cats! She is OBSESSED with dogs and cats!!! She has learned to not be so rough with them and loves to kiss them. She loves her Daddy's electronics...laptop, cell phone, channel changers...basically anything that isn't her toy! She loves oranges! She will go in the fridge and pull an orange out of the drawer and bring it to me. While I am washing it and cutting it up she will pull on my legs and pant like a dog and clap her hands until I give her a bite! She just loves them! Which is funny because oranges were my biggest craving when I was pregnant with her. Coincidence? I don't think so! ;) She is so smart, it just amazes me! She loves to run and play outside and loves to be in the pool, ocean or lake! She is fearless!! Which is why we started swim lessons on May 19th. She goes everyday for 10 minutes a day. She is taking the survival classes. It is so hard for me to watch, and everyday my eyes fill with tears and I have to remind myself to breathe! The first week I wanted to quit, and this week has gotten much better. She has learned how to float and how to swim back and forth from Mommy and Daddy! By the end of June she should be a pro!!

We are going to the Bahamas and are staying at the Atlantis in August for Nick's 21st birthday!(I cannot believe my little brother will be 21! I remember the day he was born! I remember spending my mornings trying to make him laugh.) I remember him screaming and crying at my 5th grade play because he couldn't understand why I was dressed like a monkey!!! LOL! He has grown into this amazing man. Who is so kind and loving and incredibly funny! He would do anything for anyone! It just warms my heart to see him with Callie. He is such a great Uncle to her! And she adores him!

I cannot wait to go back to the Atlantis!!! It will be Cal's first vacation. And her first time on a plane. I am a little nervous but I know she will have fun! She is going to love the aquariums and love swimming! I have so many memories from the last time we were there in 2004 with my Pepa for Thanksgiving. Who would have known at that time that we had less than 5 months left with him. I can still hear his laugh and the way he used to call my name. I can still feel his hugs and the way he used to hold my hand so tight. Sometimes I miss him so much that my heart aches, but I can see him everywhere in my Dad...in my brother...in my Meme...in my Uncle Greg....and in myself. I think of him daily and things that he has said in the past encourage me to be the best person that I can be. I talk to him also daily and ask that he be Callie's guardian angel and watch over her. It is comforting to know that through God I will see him again one day, and that is what helps me get through. Some people don't understand why I still struggle with losing him, but those people didn't know him and they didn't know how close we were. I think in losing his daughter he gained her back when I was born. He always called me his gift from God, and I'll never forget how much he loved me. He called me a few times a week, im'ed me late at night on AOL (we were both night owls and talked while I was in college at 2 a.m.), every birthday that I was in Gainesville he drove all the way up to take me to wherever I wanted to go. When I would come home from school I would often drive straight over there and spend time with him and Meme going to movies and out to eat. He would sneak candy for us to eat, since Meme always thought he was on a diet! LOL! I hate that he never met Jason and that he doesn't know Cal. I can only imagine all the laughs he would have over her and all the advice and love that he would give to Jason. Sorry to get so deep, I just have a lot on my mind today!

I have been working out and trying to eat as healthy as possible. So far I am 5 pounds down! I have another 10 to get to my first goal by the end of June! Hopefully I can lose more than that, but I would be happy with another 10! I hope to be down by at least 30 pounds total by August 1st. So another 25 pounds to go!! If only I could get my hubby to go along with this goal! He loves to eat bad, which makes it hard! He has been watching Cal for me though while I go to the gym so that he can have alone time with her everyday. I need all the healthy eating and will power vibes that I can get my way! :)

Jason is working like crazy right now. I never get to see him and it has been hard on our marriage. I know it is what he has to do right now, but it is tough. He works from the minute he wakes up until the minute he goes to sleep. He is so driven and I am so proud of him for doing what he loves. I just hope the magazine and his website take off soon, so he can have better "set" hours and more time for us! I long for those weekends of just being lazy and spending time together back! It would be so nice to just wake up with no plans and go to the pool and watch movies and have a glass of wine or two! :) May be one day! Today he said was just for us, but it is 2:00 and I have only seen him for about 10 minutes. He promises tonight is with just us, but we will see if he can leave the blackberry alone! I am not upset or angry...I just miss him! He is trying to make the best life for us possible and trying to make it to where I can have my dream of being a stay at home Mommy. So fingers and toes crossed that all goes well in the next few months and some stress is lifted! The first issue of his High School sports magazine should be out August 15th! I will keep you posted!

Thank you if anyone reads this and thank you if you keep our family in your thoughts and prayers! I mainly just want to keep this as a journal and print the pages for a keepsake for Callie, but love to keep everyone updated too! Hope all is well with everyone!

Almost a year....

It is so hard to believe that it has been almost a year since our sweet baby girl Callie Grace Pughe was born on Monday February 12, 2007 at 5:58 p.m! Our life has changed so much, but at the same time it is hard to remember life before her. She brightens everyday and I feel so incredibly blessed that God chose us to be her parents! It is amazing all the feelings that I feel when I look at her....overwhelming love, joy, hope, fear, pride, promise...and to think I get to be so lucky to feel these things daily! I never knew that I could love someone this much and kiss someone a hundred times a day and still want to wake up and do it again tomorrow! I have always dreamed of becomming a Mommy, but I could have never prepared myself for feeling this much love! She is doing so much now. She started crawling on December 21st at 10 and 1/2 months old and since then she is pulling up and cruising the furniture, she also walks behind her walker now! I have a feeling that her first steps are in our very near future! Apart of me wants to stop time and take it all in, but the other part of me if so proud of the little girl she is becomming....no longer my baby! She says Dada, Mama, Yeah, Hi, Hey....never on demand, only when she wants to! She has such a strong personality already and she makes everyone laugh and smile everytime they are around her! I want to be the best person that I can be now that she is in my life! She gives the best kisses and makes both of us a little teary eyed every time! I never thought I would be a silly as I am now. I go to great lengths to make her laugh and smile! I spend my days singing, jumping around and playing and would do anything just to see her smile! She has 8 teeth now, 4 on top and 4 on bottom and she is in so much pain at the moment because she has more on the way, I wish I could take the pain away from her! I often worry about silly things like her getting hurt one day or her heart broken....they are both inevitable, but I wish she wouldn't have to experience those things...although I know that those experiences make us who we are! I worry about horrible things, and when I think back now to my high school years I think why did I lie to my parents about where I was, or ride around with people who shouldn't have been driving! I can only imagine the worry they felt! I always ask my Mom, "do you really love me as much as I love her?" She always says....yes! I guess you truly never know until you have a child of your own! So in a week from today my sweet baby girl will have her first birthday and I can honestly say that this has been the BEST year of my life!!!!!