It's been a while....

It's been so long since I've written a blog entry that I don't even know where to begin.

Delaney is officially running, climbing, dancing, singing, flipping, and attempting to spin in circles.  Usually this ends up with her head towards the ceiling and her falling over laughing.

Laughter - Punky laughs constantly!  She is one the happiest and funniest little munchkins I've ever met.

She is spouting out new words daily.  She is attempting to recite songs.  She is recognizing letters.  Basically, she is growing and developing at warp speed.  So quickly in fact that I have zero time for these blog entries.

Well, that coupled with the fact that I am an officially licensed in-home daycare operator.  I couldn't be happier or more proud.  My dream came to life right before my eyes!  Yay!!  And staying home with Punky every day is the biggest blessing ever!!  Punky definitely thinks she is my assistant.  When a baby cries, she immediately runs to their rescue by patting their bum, sticking a binky in their mouth or smothering them in kisses.  Oh, my little take charge gal.

Our Christmas season was amazing!  We spent our first Christmas in Florida and then went up to NJ to visit family.  Delaney experienced her first snowstorm and let's just say she is her Mama's daughter.  Does not like being bundled up and definitely doesn't like the snow.

The New Year is off to a great start.  We have so many things to be thankful for.  Dan is halfway through Law School and still remains at the top of his class.

I am hoping to create more blog entries.  Hoping being the key word.  Ta Ta for now.

One Year Old...and walking!!!

Whew!  What a weekend!  We had tons of fun this weekend and pictures to prove it!

Delaney celebrated her actual birthday on Thursday the 30th.  My Mom made some homemade baked ziti with her special "Grammie Bo" sauce and we all chowed down on that in the evening.  Delaney can't seem to ever get enough of the baked ziti.  She really enjoyed her special mess cake that I made for her.  She didn't quite know what to make of it at first but when Brady (our 87 lb dog) came over and licked her fingers clean, it was pretty clear she wasn't happy with that!

On Saturday we celebrated Delaney's BFF, Ella's 1st birthday.  That was a blast and Delaney decided to WALK the entire time!  Yes, WALK!!  She has been taking steps for about 3 weeks now, but she just took off yesterday.  And, then of course, all day today as well.  When she wants to get somewhere quickly, she crawls.  I am sure the crawling will be a thing of the past in just a week or so when she decides running is a much better alternative.

We had such a wonderful celebration today with our friends and family.  Delaney actually stayed in her party dress right up until cake time.  I think all of the other kiddos around took her mind off the fact that she was in a dress.  My girl is SO NOT a girly-girl (thank goodness!).  Anyone who is reading this knows having a girly-girl would have been my worst nightmare come true.  I suppose she still has time but she is off to a great start.

So how do I feel about being a Mom to a one year old?  Overwhelmed with so many emotions!  So happy that she is growing into a little person and can do so many fun things.  Sad that my baby seems to be officially gone.  Surprised that literally overnight she is a toddler.  It definitely tugs at my heartstrings, however, I am honestly so proud of Dan and myself on our first year of parenting.  We see eye to eye on many things and our parenting style is so similar.  HUGE plus!!!

Punky is our everything and I can't even remember what life was like before she came into the picture.  She adds so much pizazz to daily life as well as so much noise, sass, mess, and giggles!!!


Happiest of birthdays my little Punky!  I love you higher than the sky and deeper than the ocean.

Almost to the big ONE!

In 13 days ( but who's counting? ), my little Punky will be an entire year old!  It's utterly amazing to me.  Before I drench the computer keyboard in my tears, I will stop myself.  I will blog more then and reflect on the most amazing year of my life.

Lately, Delaney thinks she is by far the funniest person EVER!  I know I've said this before, but now that she is using words, cute faces, signs, and other forms of communication (like picking her nose, smearing yogurt in her hair, and attempting to undress herself when she has a dirty diaper) she definitely thinks she is some super funny Miss Thang.

She has figured out how to escape out of the play room.  You see, there is this small gap in the gate that she found out if she steps through it just so she can be free to wreck havoc on the rest of our house.  Needless to say we ordered a new gate.  If we didn't I would also be having other people's children running amuck on our abode as well.

The tupperware cabinet is still her favorite.  She can have it emptied completely in mere seconds.  Then she moves onto the bottom drawer in the kitchen where I keep the aprons, rolling pins, and trivets.  Yep, all over the floor.  Now, she moves onto the pantry.  Guess what?  Yep, all over the place.

Poor Brady - the door to the laundry room (where we keep his bowls) is locked more often than unlocked these days. We have found so much kibble in Punky's mouth that I don't understand how she possibly even stuffs that much in there.  I don't get grossed out by much, but this for some reason really grosses me out!  The brown drool that comes out of her mouth is what gets me every time.  Onto the bathroom - she loves lifting the toilet seat and unrolling the toilet paper.  GREAT!  The talking potty that she is in there for herself is apparently not entertainment enough.

All of the above completely cracks her up.  As well as when she is going to feed me a piece of her food and then quickly takes it away with a devilish grin on her face.  She wants me to say "sike out" and then tickle her.  Of course then it becomes the game for the rest of meal time.

And who could forget that she has now realized that she can splash water all over herself, Mommy, and the bathroom floor while taking a bath.  When I am washing her hair, she nearly throws a fit when water gets on her face, but when she does it from the crazy splashing episode, all is good.  Hmmm?

But, at the end of the day, I am laughing right along with her because she IS so funny and I am so blessed to have such a free spirited little chica on my hands.  AND she has finally decided to call me MOMMY instead of dada, doggy, daddy, baby, or whatever else rolls off her tongue.

11 months old already?!?

I can't even believe it.  My goodness.  In a month from now, we will be celebrating the most incredible day of our lives - the day you were born.  Daddy and I were talking about it the other day and reminiscing about how surreal it all was.  Bringing new life into the world.  Unbelievable!!!!

You never cease to amaze me, little one.  You are taking so nicely to our newest little addition - another little baby that we watch daily.  You shower her with hugs and kisses and even pat her bum bum if she starts to fuss.  I am so incredibly proud of you!

Last night, you took 3 steps and then took one step two other times.  You surely are on your way to moving and grooving.  If I think you have kept me busy up until this point, I believe I may have to start going to bed much earlier just in order to keep up with you.

Have got to cut this one short since our daycare day is about to begin.  I love you more than you will ever know and look forward to what the next month is going to bring us.

Things are coming together.....

Okay, so this isn't so much a post about Punky, but more a post about what has been going on in the lives of us crazy Strader's down here in Florida.  I touched on it a little bit in the last post, but allow me to elaborate a bit:

Dan is extremely busy and doing so well in his Law School endeavors.  He is clerking at a local law firm for the summer and he loves it there.  We are hoping and praying it leads to a potential job once he graduates.  It's a very family-type of atmosphere over there and it's only a 15 minute commute.  Dan has maintained amazing grades throughout his first year and continues to receive various acknowledgements.  He made Law Review- which is HUGE!  He is on the Dean's List for both semesters and remains in the top 5 in his class (out of 274).  Go, Dan, go!!!!!!  Hopefully he doesn't read this post as his head hardly fits through the door the way it is. :)

Things with the in-home daycare are moving along so nicely and rather quickly, actually.  I had to take a break from all of the paperwork to write this blog.  There are so many loopholes that I must make sure are attended to.  I am hoping to have it up and running by end of September or beginning of October.  Rest assured I will be having a HUGE Grand-Opening Party.  Website and name coming your way once I am officially licensed.  I can't advertise until then, so please spread the word for me.  I have already met with various people and I have a feeling a waiting list may be in order soon.

In other news, Punky is being her Punky self.  Talking lots, doing cuter things everyday and just soaking up the world around her.

We are all very excited to have a nice, mellow week up in NJ next week.  We most definitely need a little break from the day to day stuff.

Until next time.....

You're 10 Months old, Punky!!!!!

I always mean to write more blog posts, but alas, I never seem to find the time.  Hmmm,  I wonder why? :) I actually started this post 5 days ago and am hopefully finishing it up before dinner.  And, yes we do usually eat dinner around 8:30PM.

The time sure is flying by and every day it seems there is something new added to your daily doings.  You are simply amazing!  You are calling Brady by name but not me.  What is wrong with this picture?  I guess I can understand since he does lick you from head to toe and share his bone with you.  You have even stepped up to using your sign for "Daddy" as well as calling him "Dada".   "Mama" just slips out but you never use it when looking at me or anything.  :(  One day I know you will be saying "Mom, Mom, Mom, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy...." and I'm going to want to change my name, right?

Your new game is to see how long you can let go of whatever you are holding onto at that moment.  You get really proud of yourself when you succeed with a big, huge smile on your face.

You also REALLY love throwing yourself backwards.  I'm just thankful I have always been there to catch you as you have done this.  Please don't do this, Punky when someone isn't there.  Remember gravity is not forgiving and neither are the tile floors we have all over our house.

"Hi Baby" is your new phrase.  "Hi baby" this, "Hi baby" that.  Very cute.  You are so into babbling that I can't help but just giggle.  I really wonder what you are saying.  You could go on and on for minutes on end.  You talk to your animals, flip through books, and sometimes I believe you are even telling me off!

The sweetness that exudes from you amazes me.  You are just such a happy and bright little spirit.  You make everyone's day.  But watch out when something makes you angry, or more likely frustrated.  You literally tug at your shirt in what we call your "Incredible Hulk Moment".  You make this ungodly noise, very deep throated, and act like you can rip apart your clothes.

Delaney, you are my angel sent from heaven and I love spending my time with you. When I am not with you, I want to be.  I never want a break from you!  You and I fit together like a puzzle and that's the way I like it.  We have our own inside games that Daddy doesn't even know about.  It's great being a Mommy.  Don't get me wrong, there are times when pulling my hair out seems like a  great option, but I don't think I would make such a hot bald chick so I just use the famous saying "This too shall pass".

On another note, things around the Strader household are VERY busy.  Dan is clerking at a local law firm and also glued to the books on the weekends.  We make the most of the time we get to hang with him since it is few and far between.  We knew Law School was going to be a huge sacrifice so we are rolling with the punches.

I am in the process of getting our home licensed to start my own in-home daycare.  This is something I have always wanted to do once I became a Mommy.  It is a very long and tedious process, but truth be told, if I was sending Delaney somewhere, I would want to know that where she was being sent was put through all of the background screenings that we are.  Once I am licensed, I can actually start advertising.  I plan on throwing a huge Grand Opening Party.  I am putting in tons of hours getting things off the ground as well as attempting to educate my little sponge of a Punkster, be a good wife, keep the house clean, and all the errands that go along with the typical stay-at-home Mom duties.  To say I am spread a little thin these days is an understatement.  I know it will all pay off in the end.

Today I am very thankful for my family, my friends, especially my girlfriends, and my crazy life!

Happy Nine Month Birthday!

Wow, baby girl.  I can't believe you've been out in the world for nine whole months!  My goodness the time sure does fly....especially when you're having fun.  And fun we are having!!  You, my dear, are one chipper little chicken.  You are always smiling and laughing from the pit of your belly.  It surely is music to our ears.

You are one of the most active little munchkins I have ever met.  Thank goodness you sleep so well at night.  That means I get a good sleep as well.  Add some morning coffee to the mix and I am (almost) ready to keep up with you all day long.  By time I lie you down in your crib at night, I am about ready to crash as well.  Nothing like spending my days interacting with you, though - and I mean NOTHING!  Apparently it is paying off since your pediatrician informed me yesterday that you are well above where your peers are at this age.  Woo Hoo!  You go, little sponge!

So, what have you been up to lately?  Let's see.... you LOVE to sing, imitate noises, are starting to say words (but only on your terms and most definitely not when prompted) - you yelled out "YEE HAW" at the doctor's office yesterday and I'm not really sure where that came from, you are big into music (go figure :-)), you really enjoy pulling yourself up on everything (including the dog), and you only will eat table food.  Heaven forbid I ever try to give you pureed food - it will end up all over the both of us.  At least you know what you want.  And have I mentioned that you are entirely too funny for words?  You know it, too and love making people laugh!

Happy nine month birthday my precious angel.  I love you as high as the sky and as deep as the ocean.  You are my little love bug.  All my love, your Mama Bear! xxoo