Her Forehead Looks Horrible

Tia's forehead looks horrible. She has been scratching her forehead with he nails and Chris says it looks like we dragged her on the concrete. I hate that she looks like that and daycare says she does it when she is tired and cranky. We cut her nails constantly, but they are like daggers. I hope she cuts that out fast because I don't want her to see pictures of herself when she is older and think we were bad parents, lol. She is so darn strong and when she grabs our face or skin, she scratches us - but of course we withstand the pain because it is so darn sweet. But when she does it to herself, she breaks skin and leaves these horrible scratch marks. My poor baby.

Mommy's New Hobby

Most of you already know about my new hobby...being an independent consultant for Thirty-One Gifts. I've been spending any free time I have on this new venture which is usually after Tia goes to bed so I've been up late almost every night the past couple weeks. But I'm excited about my new venture and I decided to join because I love the products that Thirty-One has to offer. Many of you have received customized gifts from me, whether that be a customized frame, personalized calendar, personalized baby clothes, wine glasses that I glued swarovski crystals on, customized wine labels and the list goes on. So most people know that I love giving creative and personalized gifts. So when I saw the products that Thirty-One had to offer, I picked out a ton of items I had in mind for friends and loved ones...then I read up on how low the start-up cost was to sign up. $99 bucks and they had a new consultant special that if you sell $1000 worth of product in your first 30 days, you get your $99 back. Well, I signed up two weeks ago and I've already hit $1000 - which means I started for free. Well, technically I did pay the extra $50 to pick out the fabrics and embroidery of my choice. But heck, I'm already off to a great start and the best part is that I get a commission check! yay. I'm calling all friends, loved ones, family, and people I don't even know to help me launch my new venture by doing one of the following (applies to anyone - nationwide): (1) host a party at your home (2) host a catalog party at your work or social scene (3) let me know if you are interested in joining my team AND/OR (4) Check out the merchandise and buy something. I can guarantee you'll see at least one or two things you'll love and the best part is that you have the option to personalize! But my thing is not to pressure anyone into doing anything they are not comfortable with. So there is no pressure. I would like to thank all of my friends who have already hosted parties, have parties on the upcoming calendar or have let me know they want to have a party. Without you, I wouldn't be as excited as I am. So thanks for the support.

So check out what I'm talking about. I created a blog to educate people on what Thirty-One is all about, as well as keep people posted on any specials - www.31spot.com and from there you can access my shopping portal. For anyone who is already a Thirty-One consultant and you want to get or share ideas, check out my blog www.31obsessed.com.

Mommy Got a Flipcam

Thursday, May 27th, 2010



So I mentioned that I wanted a Flipcam for my upcoming birthday/Christmas present and Chris decides to find a great deal and purchase now. His thought was because moments with Tia now are so precious so why wait. Plus I didn't get anything last year because I couldn't decide what I wanted and I told Chris not to buy me anything until I thought of something I really wanted. So I'm excited because the ease of use is amazing. So compact, functional, user-friendly and just plain easy

She's Gonna be a Thumb Sucker

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

She has discovered her thumbs and loves chewing on them. For a long time, she would just suck on her knuckles and sometimes her fingers...and I knew it was only a matter of time before she found her thumb. Well she has and she loves them. We try to pull them out and give her a binkie, but she knows and tries to get them back in her mouth. It is cute on one hand and then on the other we picture her with an overbite when she is older if she doesn't kick that habit. I can do what my mom did and put hot peppers on my thumb - From what she said - that cured me right away.

Ear Infections are Back

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Our poor baby Tia. She is having a hard time with these darn ear infections. She had two a couple months back and the amoxicilin cleared her up, but they are back. We took her to the doc and the left ear is sooo severe and the right is minor. Another batch of amoxicilin for her. They weighed her and she is at 14.6 lbs. The past week she has been coughing like an old man and boy is her nose runny. No temperature but she sounds congested again. Her diaper is a bit slimier and she is a bit crankier. The sure thing I noticed was that she'd cough while sleeping and her pacifier would shoot out and then she'd whine because she wanted it again. Let's just say that for a few nights - I didn't sleep much. My poor baby and I hope she gets better. However, I have a feeling this is going to be a pattern for her with possibly tubes put in later. I guess we'll see.

Tia Loves Daddy's Beard

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Tia just loves Chris's beard. She will grab it almost instantaneously when she gets close enough and often squeezes it like she would a teddy bear. Today she was drinking down her bottle and she'd put her hand on Chris's face, squeeze his beard 3 times, then let go, then she'd reach back up, put her hand back on his face, squeeze his beard 3 times and then let go. It was the cutest thing and very systematic. I love it. I know many kids have a fear of men with beards, but I don't Tia will fall into that category. I really do see why kids love teddy bears!

Tia's First Restaurant

Sunday, May 23rd, 2010

Today, we went to Hometown Buffet for my mom's 60th birthday lunch. She said she picked Hometown Buffet (She still calls it Old Country Buffet), because she wanted to get her Senior Citizen card, lol So, we brought Tia and she did really great. We brought her Bumbo and she sat in that for a while and was passed around a bit, and eventually fell asleep in her carseat. My brother, his wife and two girls were there and they got to play with Tia a bit too. We also went and watched my older sister Nan bowl in a Celebrity bowling tournament. We didn't stay long, but Tia did well there too. So I wasn't sure what to expect, but I have to admit it went very well. She was an Angel.

The Blog is Getting Neglected

Saturday, May 22nd, 2010

I apologize for the week of no blog posts. I've been really busy working on other things and have been neglecting the Baby Norris blog a bit. I think it is about time to stop posting every day and just post when I can. So please check back from time to time to see what is going on in the Norris Household! Thanks for those who have followed up to this point. Almost 400 posts - not bad!

Tia Got Lots of Attention

Sunday, May 16th, 2010 - Day 146

The past few days have been crazy with my sister's graduation and Steve/Ashley's wedding. Chris was a groomsman and he had the rehearsal dinner Friday night and the wedding pre-party starting at noon on Saturday. I had my sister's graduation on Friday and had to fulfill a favor for another friend during the day Saturday, then the wedding Saturday night. So Katma stepped up and babysat both days for us. It has been awhile since she had babysat. Chris and I haven't needed to get out for a while, and I know Katma was super excited to get some QT with her first grandbaby. Saturday, we loaded the car about 11ish and got on the road. I dropped Chris off down at the Grooms house and I went to meet my friend Leslie who made centerpieces for another one of my friends, Michelle's wedding that was also that day. So I picked up the centerpieces then headed from South City out to Chesterfield to drop them off. Dropped the beautiful centerpieces off to Michelle and Mike (Congrats on your nuptials!) Then I headed to Katma's house and dropped off Tia. The trip was about 2.5 hours long and baby girl was such a good girl. She didn't fuss at all. I got her all settled there and I headed home. I was literally on the road for over 3 hours by that point and by the time I got down to the wedding - I could have been almost to Chicago with the miles I put in, but all worth it!

At Katma's Aunt Amber (to Tia) and Uncle Brandon were already there waiting to see their niece. She was getting so much attention I could see she was eating it all up and of course hamming it up as much as she could. So cute. I love that she has so many people that love her!

Saturday, May 15th, 2010 - Day 145

Finally meeting some fellow bloggers. I'm sure many of you have read some of the comments from Jen Allen. Well, even though we've 'known' each other for over a year now, we had never met in person. We met through this blog and I've been blessed to have her comments, advice, and fellow baby stories. Our mutual friend Ashley Combs got married today and Jen and I were finally going to meet. It was so nice to put a face to a name and boy did we have fun! Congratulations Steve & Ashley on your wedding. We had a great time and I thought it was perfect. I truly saw how happy you two were last night - I'm not sure what it was - more of how you looked at each other. I got some great video of you two that I'll have to send over soon. Congrats and best wishes on a long and happy marriage. LOVE.HONOR.CHERISH.

Friday, May 14th, 2010 - Day 144

Speaking of babies, I remember when my little sister Sam was a baby. I used to carry her around and people, although I was only 16 would ask if it was my daughter. When she got to be 2+ she used to say 'mommy' to me on purpose. I knew at that moment that she was going to have a great sense of humor. It is amazing to me that she just turned 18 a few weeks ago. Boy does time fly. Tonight, I went to her high school graduation and I was so proud of her. It was the longest graduation I had ever been to, but I was so glad I was there. She graduated from Parkway South High School and she looked amazing...she had gotten all gussied up for Prom last week. I do admit I teared up a few times and when they called her name...my mom and I screamed at the top of our lungs. The lady in front of me said 'that was a good one'...but I wanted to Sam to know how proud we were of her. She deserved it! She will be attending Missouri State University in the fall and I am so glad she is starting that chapter of her life. I'm just a proud 'momma', even though I'm only her sister. I think having 15 years between us made me look out for her and I always will. Congrats Sam - you did it!

Miss Show-Off

Thursday, May 13th, 2010 - Day 143

Tia is getting to the point where she wants us to be watching her every minute and not because she is afraid to be alone, but more because she wants to show off her skills to us. We've gotten spoiled to the point where we really could leave the room to fix dinner or go to the bathroom and she was completely fine. Now, she seems to grunt and do these subtle screams to get our attention. We'll come to her aid to make sure she is okay and then she'll smile and carry on with her toy grabbing or rolling over. I personally think she is just showing off for us, which is adorable. Although, Chris and I were always athletes and quite competitive our whole lives. I wonder if she has a bit of our need to do well. She has been working on rolling back over from belly to back. She gets it once or twice a day, but she just doesn't do it confidently yet...she's almost there. But when she can't figure it out again, she gets so mad and some times to the point where she cries out of frustration. It is my hope that one day this will mean she'll be a star athlete or at least give it her best at sports to follow in the footsteps of her mommy and daddy...many years to find out!

Her Mom is El Presidente

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 - Day 143

Before I had Tia, I used to envision myself as a stay at home mom. I knew I could never do it full time, but I always thought I'd love to stay home with the kids once I started having them. I've done well in my career up to this point and love what I do, so giving it up would have been a challenge. What I found out once I went on maternity leave is that I really don't think I could stay home with the kids. I loved it for the weeks during maternity leave, but I really realized how much I do love getting to the office, having daily social interaction, working hard on projects, and being accountable when working. I could not wait to go back to work and I didn't have any separation anxiety leaving Tia at daycare. Don't get me wrong, I thought about her every minute and worried like crazy, but I knew that I'd fall back into work life just fine. So since I've been back, I've decided to start buckling down and really making some headway into furthering my career. As part of my job, I was in charge of working on social media, and as part of that, I decided I needed to build my credibility. So I've been joining organizations, getting my own person social media sites up to speed like LinkedIn and Twitter. One organization I joined is called the National Association of Professional Women and I liked what this org was all about. It really helps empower women, especially working mothers. So I joined earlier this year and when I found that there was no existing St. Louis chapter, I decided to rise to the challenge and become the lead on getting a St. Louis chapter up and running. I submitted my request to become President and my request was granted this week. I have some work to do to getting the chapter up and running, but since I've planned over 500+ events with some having 500+ event-goers, I'm technologically savvy with web design/social media/blogs, and my 13 years of Corporate Experience will surely make this challenge a pretty easy feat. But we'll see. I'm excited about it and hope that it is a success.

My Biggest Loser Weigh-in was 146 which is down 14 lbs so I was pretty pleased. I was able to fit into a few more pairs of older pants - yay! I will have 11 lbs to get down to my ideal weight. So I'm going to keep trucking along.

She's Been Teething

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 - Day 142

We've noticed for a while that she has been slobbing all the time, chewing on everything in sight, and we can feel something of a hard spot on her upper gum. But just the past week, she's been grinding down with her mouth while screaming out in pain. I can tell you, I'm not looking forward to seeing her pain, but I know it is all part of it. I hope we can give her a wet wash clothe to soothe the pain and use any other other remedies. I just hate seeing her cry out when we can't do much to help her. It is exciting that she is growing so fast and getting her first tooth already - just makes me all emotional thinking about how quickly she is accomplishing these milestones. Boy they do grow fast!

Introduction to Rice Cereal

Monday, May 10th, 2010 - Day 141

Yesterday, we decided to introduce Tia to rice cereal. Tia has always slept very well at night, so we've never had to introduce her to it any earlier. Doc gave us the go ahead and so we finally got her a baby spoon and bowl for the big day. I should have read up on introducing rice cereal, but I didn't and I didn't remember what the doctor said. So we made up a small batch of rice cereal and fed her 4 to 5 baby spoonfuls. She was all about it - wanting more and even opening her mouth real wide a couple times. It was literally all over the place including her face, hands, bib, bumbo, and outfit. I was pretty amazed how great it went. I then went and read up on introducing rice cereal and read you are only supposed to give 1 teaspoon to start - oops. So I guess since she took a liking to it, that is quite okay. Plus, I made it thicker than they had said - but again she seemed to like it. I'm excited for her to be introduced to solids!

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!

Sunday, May 9th, 2010 - Day 140

This is my official First Mother's Day and it is very excited when I really think about it. I've dreamed about being a mom my whole life and now that I am one, it is just serile. I wouldn't change a think either - everything has worked out perfectly and I love my baby girl so much - she's perfect. Tia was able to send out her own Mother's Day cards this year. We got some crayons and I helped her scribble on each card that was send to 4 Grandmothers and 4 Great Grandmothers. I also included some pictures for everyone too. They say Mother's Day is the 3rd largest card giving holiday and I can see why. I've been really bad about card giving the past several years when I used to be really good. It was when I got married that I decided to start it up again and be good at it. I haven't quite made it there, but I'm working on it. I have Mother's Day down though. I sent them on a Tuesday to give them plenty of time to get to their destinations and I was amazed that they got to some the very next day. I guess I'll have to time it a bit better next year. I just didn't want them to come after the holiday. Happy Mother's Day to all of you Mother's and Caregivers out there. I think Motherhood is taken for granted by many people in the world. It is not an easy job and I know it can go thankless from time to time, so enjoy your day and be pampered by your children and loved ones - you DESERVE IT!

Tia Peed on Mommy

Saturday, May 8th, 2010 - Day 139

We were getting Tia ready to give her a bath. I put her on my hip for a second after I took off her diaper and onzie. It was only moments away from her being put into the water, when I hear some splashing on the ground and then feel some warmth on my hip. It was a small drizzle either, she must have held it until that moment. Chris started laughing and when we looked at Tia's face, she sort of had a smirk that I could have sworn said 'ooops' with a giggle...but it might have been my imagination. So not only did we have to give Tia bath, mommy had to jump in the shower shortly after. I guess it being the first time in almost 5 months isn't a bad track record, since she has pooped on daddy before.

Last One at Daycare

Friday, May 7th, 2010 - Day 138

Poor Tia seems to be the last one picked up at daycare. With Chris and I both back at the gym and working out, we try to squeeze it in before we pick her up. The daycare is open until 6:30pm which is great. So we have a pretty good schedule: Mon-Wed I pick her up by 6:30pm and Tues-Thurs Chris picks Tia up by 6:30pm. Fridays, we take turns. On the days I pick up, I get to the park as quick as I can, do 3 or 4 miles, then get over to daycare to pick her up. When I get there, she is being held at the front by one of the directors. They don't seem to mind, so we will continue this routine so we can get our workouts in. I think Tia enjoys it and she is all smiley when she sees me. I hope Tia doesn't mind being the last kid to be picked up because for a while, that will be the way it is.

Daddy's Back to the Gym

Thursday, May 6th, 2010 - Day 137

Chris had a birthday last week and for his birthday a bunch of us went in on a gym membership to Gold's gym for him. He had been wanting to get back to the gym, but didn't want to pay the membership since we are saving for daycare/moving/etc. So I thought I'd surprise him and he was super excited. So this last week, he's been going to the gym on a regular basis and getting back into the swing of things. He is trying to get his knee back to 100% and he also wants to get back in shape. With me on a health kick the past month, it was appeasing to him to get on board as well. So now that we are both going to work out every day, Tia should be starting to keep us moving. Now we'll both be able to keep up!

Cuts and Marks

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 - Day 136

So I hope my baby isn't the only one that gets little scratches and cuts from time to time. I'll see one on her nose, then on her leg. Today it was on the inside of one of her fingers. The other day, it was at the top of her forehead. Looks like her knees have taken a beating too. I know she is really active with rolling over and her nails are like knives, but I hate seeing her with these tiny marks all over. I am sure I'm not alone on this and other mothers see the same on their babies. I just wish I could ask 'how did you get that' and hear her say 'at school I rolled over' or something to the tune of what happened. But as we all know, I can't understand goos and gas yet. I just hope they stay tiny and small and I don't have to see anything major for a long while or hopefully never!


Biggest Loser weigh-in today was 151 which is 1 pound up from last week. I've been doing everything right and know that the short term ups and downs are okay because the longer term will result in a big loss. I may not have lost anything the past two weeks, but I can tell my pants are super baggy. Today, I had to keep pulling them up...an annoying, but great thing! So I know my efforts are working - yay!

All Bowed Up

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010 - Day 135

I've been really into bows lately. She got called a boy once and from then on, I wanted to make sure I dressed her in pink or purple. I have tried to get the mini bows to stick to her head, but could not get it to work. I tried everything. So I've invested in some bows that are headbands. She looks so cute in them. Chris makes fun of me because he noticed that she was wearing bows 24-7. When I take her to daycare in a bow, everyone goos and ga's over her. I try to space it out a bit because I don't want her to get a headache, but I do want her to look like the cutie she is.

Sleeping 10 Hours a Night

Monday, May 3rd, 2010 - Day 134

So we did the unswaddle thing for a few days but when I was only able to get a few hours a sleep a night, I was ready to go back to swaddling. So, the past week, we've found a way to swaddle her, but keep her from getting out of it. I can say that she sleeps like a rock. She has been sleeping 10+ hours this past week, it's great. I think she has so much fun at daycare that she doesn't like to nap much during the day, so with her being ready for bed around 8ish and being swaddled still, she's sleeps like a rock! I've decided that until I see her rolling from front to back confidently, then I will keep swaddling her. Once she proves she's able to roll herself over, we'll start trying to put her down without it. I can tell she wants to be a belly sleeper, so I want to know she is going to know how to turn back over when she wants.

She's a Ham

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 - Day 133

I have been dying to put her into this dress (thanks Cherri) and it is for a 6 month old, but since she is so long, she fits. I think she was having a blast too because she was hamming it up. Oh so cute!

Finally! Tia Seems Okay in her Carseat

Saturday, May 1st, 2010 - Day 132

The past two weeks, I haven't heard any crying in the backseat and honestly, Tia seems like she is doing just fine. I have her favorite chain links hanging down that she plays with and then when she's done, she'll just sit and stare out the window or go to sleep. When I get to daycare or get home, she has a smile on her face. So I think she is dealing with it although I still don't think she really likes feeling constricted. She still doesn't automatically go to sleep like other babies, at least she isn't fussy anymore. Sometimes she talks to me which is super cute. We'll have a long conversation talking back and forth and it really feels like she understands and is responding. She gets really animated and just blah blah blah the entire time. So cute. Let's just pray she stays this way!