Thursday, September 5, 2013

We have a 1 year old!


This filter makes everyone look classy
Cake Smash photoshoot by Uncle Taylor
Couldn't love this happy girl more
A natural
I can't believe she's ours
Bloomington Lake, ID
I love to see the temple
Two of the cutest people I know - Great Grandpa Nef
Being rude to Great Grandma Nef
Multi-tasking
She was so happy to accompany this melon

The usual thumb-sucking routine
Just enjoying a perfect Idaho summer
She fell down and had a little eruption... Oops!
Hello?
Birthday surprise from a sweet friend

Just a little bit of picture vomit there. Can you believe this girl is one? I can't! Overnight she's turned into this little toddler. It's like she woke up and decided, "Hey, I'm not going to be a baby anymore!"  She's has such an independent little personality, but is seriously funny. She loves to make us laugh and will do whatever it takes. We pretty much thinks she's the best thing ever. Here's what she's been up to lately. (Too much if you ask me)

Words she has signed:
more, all done, up, mama, fan, please, milk, water, phone, brush, eat, shoes, bath, light, thank you, and she's attempted poop

Words she has said:
mama, dada (she says this for EVERY THING POSSIBLE), puppy, duck, more, hiya (and whips the air like she's telling a horse to go - kills me!), choo choo, ball, baby, Nana, banana, turtle, apple, milk, Pop, boobies (whoops! - don't worry, she's forgotten it already), boo, eyes, and tickle (Jeff says she talks so much because I'm her mom. I don't get it.)

Animal sounds she makes:
Cow, duck, elephant, monkey, chicken, dog, cat, sheep, owl

Everything cute about her right this minute:
1. She takes every opportunity to dance. Eating. Dancing. Playing with toys. Dancing. Pooping. Squat dancing. Walking. Dancing. TV theme song plays. Dancing. Saying, "Dance!" Dancing.
2. Her "HIYA" and air whip. Seriously I don't remember how this started. It was either Uncle Tay Tay or me. Beside the point. It's cute.
3. Her nerdy Nef instincts have kicked in. This girl loves books. I'm not sure why we have toys. Books and Tupperware are what her dreams are made of! She is also the most violent page turner I have yet to encounter. Long live board books!
4. Playing peek-a-boo. The scraggly-toothiest game of peek-a-boo I've ever seen. She does it at the most random times and she always makes you believes she's just rubbing her eyes. Then she freezes, moves her hands, and giggles her toothy giggle. If we're lucky she says boo!
5. She loves to take her diapers to the diaper pail and throw them away... Other times she tries to sneak off with them... Gross, yet helpful.
6. The way she freezes when you tickle her. Not pee-your-pants tickling, but the soft, soothing tickle that puts you in a trance. It's just started working on her and she tries to say tickle, tickle. Note: This is the only time she is not moving. It is very brief.
7. Her run... Those chubby thighs as they jiggle towards me. It's like looking in the mirror.
8. Playing chase - she's become the predator. The stubby-legged predator. She's gotten pretty fast, too. I actually have to jog to get away.
9. The way she sings to her baby doll as she pushes her in her swing. She also lifts her like a weight lifter and carries her around, which is not an easy feat considering the doll is the same size as P.
10. The way she calls me dada and then laughs. She knows. That little minx knows.
11.The way she leans around and stares at your face until you look back and then she gives you the cheesiest grin and a kiss as if to say, "I'm so lucky you're mine." Joke's on you, Sweet P. We're the lucky ones.
12. What we've been waiting all year for: KISSES!! It started with Uncle Taylor (every little girl has a crush on him!) and now she freely gives kisses! I love it! I love it! I love it! It's like all of my dreams coming true. And you should hear the way her lips smack the pages of her books! I just die. (She also gives kisses after a very stern NO. She's so manipulative. She gets that from Jeff...)

This girl has no idea how lucky she makes us feel.

(Sweet P turned 1 on July 24th)

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

12 Months: Vacation

One random picture for good measure - Paisley on her birthday
This month's video is quite possibly my worst and laziest.... Being the 12th, I'm a little bit over it, but I do love everything she does, so sorry it's so long... You'll also probably hate the song, but it's Paisley favorite right now. She can't hold back when this song comes on. Especially the chorus. She also spent a majority of this month on vacation - if you count Idaho as a vacation. ;) So, many apologies. (and look at that crazy crossed eye!) Can't. Get. Enough. Paisley.


Paisley 12 Months from Jeff Nef on Vimeo.

Video countdown: So much changes in the first year!
11 month video
10 month video (my favorite video so far)
9 month video
8 month video
7 month video
6 month video
5 month video
4 month video
3 month video
2 month video
1 month video


Monday, August 12, 2013

Monday

This morning when I woke Paisley up abruptly at 8. She jumped up with the biggest grin and called out, "Dada!" I played along with our little game and said, "I'm not Dada. I'm Mama!" She laughed and reached to climb out. I laid her on her bed for the routine diaper change and book perusal. She called Dada a few more times. I signed "all done" and she jumped up and took off down the hallway. "DA! DA! DA!" She searched our bedroom. She checked the bathroom and Jeff's closet. We went downstairs for breakfast and she sat in her chair chewing and calling, chewing and calling. After breakfast, her little feet slapped across the hardwood and she ran to the stairs that lead to Jeff's closet and yelled a few more DA's before peeking into the bathroom downstairs. Poor girl. She couldn't find her dada anywhere. So we Skyped and she blew kisses and reached for her dada and went on her merry little way.

Weekends just ruin this little daddy's girl.


Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Let Your Love Grow Tall: 11 Months




One of my favorite pictures of Sweet P
This month started out on a euphoric high - STAYING HOME ALL DAY WITH MY CHUNKY MONKEY!! Which was quickly overshadowed by having to pack up my house and home to go to Girls' Camp with the youth girls from my church... and sleep in a tent. Now here's the thing. I was not a part of Young Women's so I didn't know any of these girls. I also had a 10 month old that I was JUST getting to spend time with. Otherwise I would've been more than excited... But a week in tents, having to sneak off to pump so I could reach my goal of breastfeeding for a year - No, no thank you.

But I put on my big girl panties and sent Paisley to Camp Nana for the week where I was sent constant photograph/video updates that only made me miss her more. She was having way too much fun without me. An impending flash flood afforded us the luxury of packing up and heading out a day early (only after all of our personal belongings and tents were already flooded). My mom decided to bring Paisley back to us, so Jeff and I went on our favorite burger date (The Vortex) while we awaited the princess's arrival.

I dare say the best burger in Atlanta

Nana got here a little later expected, so Jeff was at his weekly basketball game when she pulled in with a delusional 10 month old who was up much past her bed time. I just knew she was going to die with excitement when she saw me! The van door couldn't open fast enough. I couldn't get her out of her car seat fast enough. Then I realized... she didn't recognize me. I was a stranger. She started reaching for her Nana and the tears started welling... In both of our eyes. I was stunned. All I could think in that moment was, "CURSE YOU GIRLS' CAMP!"

I rushed inside and tried to soothe and console. Nothing. I tried to nurse. Refusal. I tried to cuddle. Arched-back. Screaming. With tears in my eyes I gave up, put her in bed screaming, and brokenheartedly walked away. I tearfully told Jeff what happened and he reassured me she would be fine in the morning.



He was right. She couldn't wait to be in our arms again. She stretched her little hand between the rails and grabbed Jeff's hand. The sweetest moment. No longer delusional. She knew she was home. (Good thing because Nana was about to get it for brainwashing Paisley to forget us... Of course she blamed it on April, though.)

Relaxing with Dad (she never sits still like this!)

Modeling her dress from Aunt Ashley
Snuggling with Daddy

Holding Daddy's hand on a walk

Trying on glasses with Aunt April
We spent the rest of the month getting reacquainted, laughing, and throwing fits. She may seem angelic but Paisley can throw a mean fit. Most of the time it's because she's hangry (severe hunger which causes one to become hangry). Other times it's because I won't let her climb the stairs another hundred times in the same hour. This girl... She's quite the pistol. But man do we love her!

She loves to play "office" - I think she's Pam
Swimming with Drulie
Always having way too much fun at Costco

After nap hair. Seriously what happened?
She seriously loves this kid... It just doesn't seem like it

Everyone in Primary loves Paisley
Oh she's also been working on her swimming! She loves, loves, loves the water. When we walk towards the pool she starts squealing and kicking. She can't wait to get in. She kicks really well, puts her face in, holds the wall by herself, and can swim about 2 feet without assistance! I'm secretly going to train her to become an Olympic swimmer (Jeff would prefer something more feminine). Look out for her gold! (Short video of her swimming below.)

Just kickin' it
She looks like an old lady after some eye surgery
 Somehow Evaleigh and Paisley's playdate video did not make it into her 11 month video! Here's P and EJ bonding over hair.

Here's what's she's been up to this month. This girl was born with rhythm and takes every opportunity to dance! She loves music and crawls over to the iPod dock and waits for me to turn something on. Indie music is her favorite and she always tries to sing with The Staves. A girl after my own heart.



Paisley 11 Months from Jeff Nef on Vimeo.

Because I know you're so intrigued with my video making skills, here are the others in case you missed them:
10 month video (my favorite video so far)
9 month video
8 month video
7 month video
6 month video
5 month video
4 month video
3 month video
2 month video
1 month video

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

10 Months: Dance Montage

The dress I made with a LOT of help from Claudia Zimmerman.
*I am officially a stay-at-home mom!! I'm counting the days to be rid of my students. Ha! (Just for the record I do love, love, love teaching and towards the end I did start to get really sad about leaving... But then I'd look at my babe and be like, "25 stinky 4th graders or this chunky girl?" Chunky girl every time.

I just love this girl!
The month of May flew in and flew past. We were able to go and visit my mom, so lovingly called Nana these days, for her birthday which was also Mother's Day. (I always feel bad for people who share a birthday with a holiday. Maybe we should start celebrating her half-birthday or something.)

Paisley eating lunch with cousins, Logan and London.
Paisley eating lunch with twin cousins, Alex and Dylan.
Anyways, we had a great trip to Valdosta filled with ear piercings for Paisley**, tons of food, and silly photoshoots where we actually just recorded ourselves posing in the hopes there would be one brief second where we could pull a solid still shot from the madness. Paisley loved being surrounded by big kids (even when they shoved her around! - watch her shake one instance off in the video with her cousin, Kendall). She had so much fun watching her cousins and trying to keep up with them. At this point, she's taking steps but very reluctantly and only a few at a time. Her longest stride has been about 6 steps.

My first real Mother's Day and my mom's 36th!
This little stinker is growing more adventurous by the day. She has taught herself how to climb the stairs and takes every opportunity to. She huffs and puffs and stumbles often but she is a fiercely determined girl.

We are working on learning some baby signs. I cannot say enough about baby sign language and I recommend it to everyone. Right now she's not really doing the signs herself. It's more of introducing them, making her little hands do it, and her whining because I'm controlling her hands for a brief second before I give her that Gerber cheese puff she so desperately desires.

Exhausted after no naps at daycare.
She's also starting to talk more and more. When asked what a cow says she replies, "Mmmmm." She can also make sheep sounds... That's about all we've got so far. She is a sassy little thing though and loves to talk back when I tell her no. She turns, stares at me for a second as if to say, "Who do you think you are talking to?" and says something along the lines of, "Bshhhpoobushuuuu." It gets me every time. I read Bringing Up Bebe and it talks about saying no with conviction without a raised voice and how these French mothers say no one time and that's it. Baby moves on. I'm going to need a video tutorial on a "no with conviction" because those teenage years may be hopeless without one...

Playing a game of "how many books can I pull down in 5 seconds"
One of my favorite teacher friends, Rasheda
Here are the silly Nefs in Paisley's 10 month video. Also starring Kendall the babe, Moose the dog, and the back of Kendra's head. Special thanks to Aunt April for about 30 minutes of footage to sort through, as well. All of her best dance moves were in it.

Paisley 10 Months from Jeff Nef on Vimeo.

*If the world were perfect this would've been posted May 24th.
**Controversial topic, I know. I love them. They don't bother her, and if she ever wants them out she has the choice to do so. Dusts my hands off


Because I know you're so intrigued with my video making skills, here are the others in case you missed them:
9 month video
8 month video
7 month video
6 month video
5 month video
4 month video
3 month video
2 month video
1 month video

Saturday, July 20, 2013

My Sugar Lump: 9 Months

getting her snack on
*This post is to cover the time from March 24th to April 24th. To be honest the months are starting to blur. I wish I had done this in real time, but I'm pretty sure I spent every day of the month of April freaking out. Standardized tests = pure evil.
crazy-eyed selfie with my babe
Paisley really started crawling like crazy and pulling up on everything this month. Since she's been born, we have basically purchased two toys for her - every thing else has been a hand-me-down (thank you to everyone who has supported P's playtime with your donations). One of them is a little walker that was probably about $10 (go big or go home!). You better believe we've forced her to get her money's worth out of it! We don't waste a penny in this house. After many failed attempts of maneuvering it she's finally gotten the hang of it and can even pull up on it now - huge feat followed by many rounds of applause. I'm still working on her medal.
summer toes
finally spring
During my luxurious Spring Break, Paisley and I ventured to Savannah to visit Aunt April. Aunt Sally, her sassy two-year old, Laney, and brand-spanking new 3 week-old, Walker, also came to visit and the six of us shared April's 1 room apartment. No, not one-bedroom. It is literally ONE ROOM! Our sweet, sweet Aunt Martha invited us to relax in her newly built home but we passed on the offer for girl time with the Aunties. Huge mistake. Let's just say Laney was very close to sleeping outside. Even with lack of sleep, we were able to pack up all of the babes and make it to the beach, though. First thing Paisley did was grab a shrimp skin and shove in into her mouth with those stealthy sausage fingers of hers. For some reason she was upset upon said shrimp skin removal, but was quickly distracted by Laney's non-stop-one-toddler-show. She basically spent the rest of our time in Savannah trying to team up with Laney, but her spotlight was not to be shared. Every time Paisley got within arm's length of Laney, Laney would say Paisley was attacking her. (I see some frivolous lawsuits in that girl's future.)
walker
laney and paisley working hard
found something special
she was a little perturbed about the shrimp skin
beach babe or what?
soaking it all in
love my girl
a truly dedicated aunt will do anything for their babies
tiny nap - all thanks to aunt april
who doesn't love aunt april
nobody, that's who
Sweet P's hair only seems to grow in one place. Right. on. top. Which gives her a great bob with no trim needed. Her vocabulary has also expanded from just mama and dada to also include bye-bye. Which she says with a huge grin as I tow her out of daycare...

I tried to keep the video short and sweet because I get it. Enough with the videos already, right? Well here's proof that Paisley doesn't cry when she falls... most of the time... She just pretends it never happens... and sometimes dances it off.


Paisley 9 Months from Jeff Nef on Vimeo.

Because I know you're so intrigued with my video making skills, here are the others in case you missed them:
8 month video
7 month video
6 month video
5 month video
4 month video
3 month video
2 month video
1 month video