Becoming a Mom...

I grew up knowing I wanted to be a Mom; that's the one thing I knew I would be good at. There was absolutely nothing specific I was motivated to be in the career field, even still to this day, unless I was to become famous, for no reason. Ha! I was always asked, "Haley, what do you want to be when you grow up?" I would always reply, "you know, I have no idea, " because saying I wanted to be a mom (to some people) would sound cliche, so I would just keep it to myself. As the years went by, and after college, I became turned off at the fact of having a baby. I think it may be because alot of my friends started having them and it seemed to be baby-mania everywhere; it was like every woman's new accessory. I was over it!

It wasn't until my Nephew, Colt Thomas, was born on January 22, 2009 that it all changed for me again, on my feelings of having a child. Gosh, I remember walking into the room after my sister had him, seeing his little face for the first time and getting to hold MY Nephew; it was the coolest thing. I started bawling, he was just the most amazing person to me from then on. I was obsessed with him; I would constantly post pictures and videos of him on Facebook and text my friends pics, like he was my own little boy. From then on, baby fever started; I knew I would hopefully be a mom one day in the future.

During the first year I got to watch Colt grow up, it was a very enjoyable adventure for me. I would only prefer to go visit my parents house, go to church, etc., if Abby and COLT were there. During our weekly family nights, I would wonder what we all did without his personality in our lives before, or how we even enjoyed family nights with him not being here. I definitely wouldn't have been as prepared or ready for a child without him being in my life, FIRST! I learned ALOT!!!

With that said, about a year later, Nick and I were shocked pleasantly surprised with finding out I was pregnant, on February 1, 2010. I had asked him to pick up M&M's and a pregnancy test on his way home from work, just to make sure I WASN'T pregnant, since we had just put a deposit down on a Mexico trip for that coming Summer for our friend's wedding that we were both IN. Needless to say, had to cancel and get the deposit back, because I would be too far along at the time of the wedding to fly. Anyway, Nick and I were both in TOTAL shock that I was pregnant; I can't count the times I had said that I thought I couldn't get pregnant (most every woman's fear!) I remember looking at the lines on the test in shock, it was like a dream. Then I walked in the other room, sat down on the couch and said, "Nick, put down your CHERRY fried chicken, I'm not kidding this time... I'M PREGNANT!!!" Oh my poor Nicholas Wayne, I just knew he was freaking out inside, poor thing; I'll never forget the look on his face. First person I called was my best friend, Danessa (she cried), and then, of course, I called my sister (she cried), then Nick called his parents and I told my close friends on the phone that next morning, but I saved the best for last and told my parents the next night at dinner. I was only 5 weeks along and SO confident; I told everyone immediately. I'm an open book, so whatever's going on in my life everyone will know about it. Not one ounce of me thought I would lose this baby; I even knew right away that it was a girl, I just knew, everyone close to me knew, too. I wanted a little girl SO, SO, SO bad!

I made it a point during my pregnancy to not be a "prego-zilla;" I didn't overly complain, I didn't make excuses to not go places because I was pregnant, and I went to every friend gathering I was invited to or hosted, just as if I wasn't pregnant. Pregnancy, to me, was not an excuse to not live your life normally, unless you are bed ridden or constantly sick and in the hospital, of course. I was blessed to have a great pregnancy, so I was able to function normally.

9 ANXIOUS months go by and 47 pounds later, I FINALLY gave birth to Hadley Ann Flores... 9/28/2010 @ 3:12 PM- 8lbs/1oz/20"; I thought she would never get here!!! P.s. the WORST part of being pregnant, to me, was the constant peeing!!! DIE! Anyway, I remember it like it was yesterday... induced -10 hours dilated at a 1- she was stuck - c-section... The whole time I was on the operating table, the two Doctors were talking about the Aggies football game! SERIOUSLY, I HATE sports, why did they have to be chatting about that subject?! Sheesh! Then a minute later they lifted her out of me, I could feel it; it was like a relief to my body, I COULD BREATHE AGAIN!!! :) When the Dr. showed her to me for the first time I said, "Oh my gosh, she looks just like Nick!!!" I guess I was expecting a blonde hair, blue-eyed little girl, with olive skin... Hey, Haley, you married a Mexican, remember?!?! I told Nick in the hospital later that I love her just the same, but that I was a little upset she didn't look like me. Anyway, he felt bad, but he did say that he used to pray that she would look like me! Super sweet! She does have curly hair like I do and she acts like me, so, I'LL TAKE IT!!! She's very impatient, silly, hilarious and stubborn... you're welcome, Hads, because you're momma is AH-MAH-ZING!!! ;)





One day old

To be honest, I did NOT like the infant stage, at all, because you can't communicate with them. As time went on, it got better and better; she did/does different things every day that just amaze us. Don't ever take a baby for granted, because they are smarter than you think, seriously, it's creepy! The first time I saw her smile at me (knowing she was smiling at ME), was the BEST, and that was around when she was 3 months old.

Nick and I don't ever think, "what did we ever do without her," because that's not true... We still have the same life we had before, but it's 100 times BETTER with her in it. Nick and I still do the exact same things we used to do when she wasn't here, but we either bring her with us or my parents babysit her. Hadley is blessed with alot of our friends and family whom love and care about her very much, and we are so thankful for that!!! Also, some parents lose themselves in their child, stop hanging out with friends and stop communicating with the outside world, and we make it a point not to do that, even though she is THE number 1 priority in our lives, at all times!

We are not "parent Nazis," we won't deprive our child from the normal things in life, but there will be boundaries with everything, of course. She will be raised in the church, knowing the Lord, like my sister and I were. We attend church almost every Sunday, with my family. I want her to have a great foundation, and the rest will be up to her when she is able to make her own decisions.

Hadley is 14 months now and she is just THE cutest thing, ever. I look forward to getting her out of her crib every morning and picking her up every day from daycare, to see her smiling face; it makes my day! It's funny, because I put her down every night at 7:00 PM, then, it's usually about 2 hours later that I'll go in there and wake her up check on her. I'll tell Nick she was already up when I went in there, but he knows I secretly wake her up, so I can just hold her again for a minute, then I put her back down to sleep. He he he...

Unsolicited advice from other mothers is expected, so beware! But, honestly, every baby is different in every way possible, so let some of it go in one ear and OUT the other. The best advice I give is, "don't let the baby control you," but that's only if I'm ASKED...

I've been asked when will I have another one, but I'm on the fence about that. I won't make that decision till she is about four years old. I want to enjoy every stage of hers and be focused ONLY on her, and then maybe one day she'll have a brother or a sister, you never know...

Nothing is an inconvenience or an annoyance when it comes to your child. Like, she could be fussy, poop everywhere, vomit all over me, sick with a fever, throw a fit on the floor, scratch the crap out of my chest with her "kitty cat claws," sneeze in my mouth, keep me up ALL night 2 nights in a row, but, to me, it's just more time I get to spend with her. "Enjoy the journey," as my mom always says. And you will NEVER know how your parents feel about you, or understand, until you have a child of your own. I love you, mom and dad, now I understand, but you still could've been LESS strict. Just sayin'... ;)

"A Mother's love for her child is like nothing else in this world. It knows no law, no pity. It dares all things and crushes down remorselessly everything in its path."

-Agatha Christie

Baby style...

I, honestly, would love to be a personal stylist, a baby stylist (if that even exists), or, even better, a stylist for Mothers to help them learn how to style their babies. And, yes, I do believe each baby has their own personal style, just like adults do. Hadley's style is trendy and cute, and most every color looks good on her, because she has the perfect, olive skin tone. Here are some pics below of my baby's style...

Fuzzy vest and Twinkle Toes (adore her smile!!!)

Leopard vest and Uggs

Burberry

Puffer vest

My leopard rock star

Jean jacket

My lil' French gal

Louis Vuitton love (she get it from her mama...)

Birthday tutu

Tattoo removal- session #1...

This is my "tramp stamp," as they call it; It's the chinese symbol for "LOVE." I got this tattoo at the end of my freshman year at ACU; I was 19 yrs old. My best friends, at the time, Lindsay and Kendall were with me, because they also thought they were going to get a tattoo, but, they didn't. My boyfriend at the time, whom will remain nameless, bought this for me...

I love tattoos, but just wish I hadn't gotten it on that part of my body. My others are hidden; you can't even see them with a bikini on. One is a cherry tattoo that I have matching with my best friend and the other is the infiniti symbol (sideways 8), matching with my husband, Nick. I want 2 more... one matching with my sister and another one representing my daughter, and those will also be hidden.

I got it done at The National Laser Institute- Medical Spa in Dallas, TX. It's a school, where they train, so it's like you're their "guinea pig," per say. When I walked into the room to get it done, there were 6 other trainees in the room, so it was kind of like I was on a reality show, buuuut with no cameras. Ha! They put an ice pack on my back for a few minutes to numb the area, then I laid on my stomach; I had to put these amazing goggles on and hold a stress ball. It felt like bacon grease being shot at my back, over and over, for about 20 seconds. Thank goodness this tattoo isn't that big, otherwise I wouldn't be able to do it! Only 6 more sessions to go... :/

They did the outline, first...

I'm very excited to see how it will look when all the sessions are complete; hopefully by Summer time! :)

Birchbox

At the beginning of the Summer I saw this in a magazine and then saw it on a friend's blog, so I had to see what this was all about. You pay a $10/month for the subscription (free shipping) and they send you sample beauty products EVERY month, such as: nail polish, face wash, shampoo, tinted primer, hair masques, shine spray for your hair, perfume, oils, bronzer, lipstick, etc. I LOVE IT!!! :)

This is one of those moments I thought, "why didn't I think of that?!?!" Check it out...

http://www.birchbox.com/

Leopard LOVE...

I have been an avid fan of leopard print since 1999. For my HS "Senior Tea," the hosts bought me leopard, Ralph Lauren bedding for my dorm room at ACU, and from then on I was HOOKED!!! There is just something about the print that catches my eye. Here, lately, leopard has been more trendy; it's never been "out of style," but lately stores are selling more of it this Fall season. It's also a pretty versatile print; It goes with pretty much every color. Needles to say, I LOVE IT!!! I have many items in my closet that are leopard, but my favorite are my heels below...

Do any of you love leopard like I do?

1. Paris Hilton- peep toe pumps
2. Steve Madden- my "wear to work" pumps
3. Steve Madden- peep toe, buckle- red/black/leopard platform heels
4. Steve Madden- platform pumps
5. Baker's- my "going out" platform pumps
6. http://www.lulus.com/- wedges
7. http://www.gojane.com/- platform ankle booties

Haley-isms

For anyone that knows me, or that doesn't know me, has probably noticed I use very random words. They are normal words, but the meanings are a little different in my vocabulary. See below...

CHERRY- This is a word that was established in the Fall of 2006 at Bakers Brothers in Las Colinas, with my best friend, Danessa Gray (Peterschmidt, at the time) and our friend, Chris "Whitey" Nelson. I won't go into details on this, because it's offending to the cashier that worked there. Anyway, from that day on CHERRY is used to emphasize negativity and/or fabulousness, i.e. "That is the CHERRIEST thing i've ever heard," meaning, that is the stupidest thing i've ever heard, OR, "that outfit on her is CHERRY fab," which means it looks really great on her. Make sense?! Also, the main rule with using CHERRY is that it always has to be capitalized! Danessa has pointed out a time or two (and vice versa) that I/she did not capitalize this word when using it. That is a no, no! ;)

BEAST- I can't take full credit for this word, because Danessa started calling me this in 2010, so then later on I started using it in different ways. i.e. "Hadley is being a beast today; she is in beast mode," which means she's being fussy, or, I will call any of my friends beast if they are in a pissy mood or making me angry. It just depends on the situation... DIE (below) and beast are somewhat one in the same.

DIE- This word I started using some time this year; I use this word mainly to express when I'm frustrated or when something doesn't go my way. i.e. Me to the hostess at a restaurant, "How long will the wait be to get a table? Hostess, "one hour," Me: DIE! It's usually mumbled under my breathe, not to any one's face. Another example: Nick- "Haley I want to watch the Cowboys game on the big TV in the living room," Me: "No, DIE," which means, "no, go away and watch it in on the bedroom TV!"

AMAZING- I use this word when something is awesome, out of control or hilarious! i.e. "I love that top on you, it's amazing," or, "this meal is amazing!" You get the point! Other, more funny examples... These are actual conversations with my co-worker, Summer Banks and I (we play the "what if" game all day...)
Summer- "Haley, what if we both got under our desk and cuddled and took a nap?" Me, "um, that would be the most amazing nap in life!" Another one, Me- "Summer, what if I went in the conference room in the middle of training and slid across the table saying, "weeeeee...." Summer- "That would be the most amazing thing i've ever seen!" Summer- "Haley, what if I showed up at your Parents house on Christmas Day with a plate of cookies, only wearing bikini bottoms and pasties!" Me- "that would be the most amazing Christmas day, ever!" I could go on and on and on...

80 and still going...

Today was my Grandmother's 80th birthday. We celebrated it (just her girls) at The Cheesecake Factory. She does NOT look or act like the "normal" 80 year old woman. She, as well as my mother, look amazing for their age, my Mother's 61, BTW. I hope one day I will look like they do for their age; one can only hope! Also, she and my Grandfather, whom I call, Oma and Opa, are raising my Cousin's son, Ayden; he will be 3 years old in March. I don't know any other 80 year old couple that can raise a child; it's truly admirable. On top of that, she is a Psychology Teacher at my old High School, WOW!

Oma is literally the most positive, wise, Christian, spiritual, inspiring human being I have ever come in contact with. She is a child of God and lives her life to please Him and only Him; I admire her whole heartedly!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

FOUR generations...

Make a wish...

All the ladies...

TV obsession continued...

To elaborate more on my love of Televison... my mother, when I was a child, bought this out of control "contraption" that she attached to the TV, to where my sister and I could only watch a certain amount of shows if we had done chores, homework, etc. We each got a yellow, credit card looking object that my mom would put a certain amount of time on that we would slide through this machine and it would turn the TV on, and when the time ran out the TV would just shut off in the middle of a show! DIE! Side note: we didn't have cable, so our shows consisted of: Punky Brewster (I heart you Soleil Moon Frye), Blossom, Perfect Strangers, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Saved by The Bell, Boy Meets World, Out of This World, Alf, Small Wonder, I Dream of Jeannie, Gomer Pyle I Love Lucy, Perry Mason, etc., and, you can never forget the infamous Friday nights... TGIF: Step By Step, Full House, Hangin' With Mr. Cooper. I didn't drink or do anything rebellious in HS (except for smoking the occasional cigarette in my minivan, aka: crash test dummy), so I was uber excited for my Friday nights at home watching these shows with my sister. Anyway, I figured out how to manipulate the contraption to where it gave us unlimited minutes!!! Sorry, mom, i'm smarter than you and your awful ability to hide passwords.

Later on in life, while I was wasting my parents $ attending ACU, I got a call that my mother had cysts on her ovaries... Long story short, they ended up being benign tumors. Well, my father's gift to her for NOT having cancer (true story, gift for not having cancer) was to put in cable, FINALLY, and it was THE best news in life. Needless to say, I was uber excited to come home to visit to watch MTV!!! Well, low and behold, of course, my mother put a dang PASSWORD lock on the MTV channel, knowing that was my favorite channel, but to her (which some of it is) was "trash TV!"  I was 19 for goodness sakes, give me a break!!! Well, thank goodness (again, with my mom's awful ability to hide passwords) I found that password and watched it anyway, for years to come... WINNING!

I firmly believe (Nick agrees) if my parents would have had cable growing up, let me watch TV whenever I wanted, instead of trying to deprive me from it, then I wouldn't be so obsessed with it to this day!

10 Things About Me...

Hi, this is my first blog, not sure what to write about; I have been thinking about it for hours. All I could come up with is a list of 10 things about me that make me ME:

1. I believe 100% that there's God; I am a Christian! I am a sinner! PRAY!
2. Nick is my Husband, we've been together since Halloween '04. Great guy and wonderful Father! We have our ups and downs, but that's marriage for you! Divorce is not an option for us, even though that does sound tempting, sometimes, in a heated moment! ;)
3. Hadley, my Daughter, is the most amazing gift I have ever been given. She consumes my thoughts and fills my heart with pure joy. She was definitely worth the wait of 29 yrs. God gives you this precious gift when he thinks you'll be ready; His timing is always right on! :)
4. I have a TV obsession; TV has always comforted me, ever since I was a kid. Nothing traumatic happened to me as a child for me to be so dependent on an inanimate object, but, I heart it. I have an average of 20-25 shows I watch each week, depending on the season. And reality TV just fascinates me!
5.  I love to SHOP, mostly online shop!!! I have way too many clothes and ones with tags still on them, as well. There is a time and a place to wear certain outfits/pieces and sometimes you will have to wait a day, week, month, year, or even years to wear that certain piece. Trust!
6.  Ranch dressing makes me happy; I eat ranch with most everything:
-Potatoes
-Spaghetti/Italian food
-Chinese food
-Steak
-Vegetables
-Lobster
-Yams
-Casseroles
-Fish
-Rice
There hasn't been a meal since I was a kid that didn't have a bottle of ranch at the dinner table. And, yes, i'm the only one at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner that has a bottle ranch dressing next to them.
7. I get a little crazy if I drink too much alcohol; i'm sure if I saw a video of myself inebriated, I would never want to drink again. BUT, with that said, I have a blast and I love to dance!!!!
8. I believe whole heartedly that you should be honest with people; who wants to be lied to?! How can you grow from not being told the truth?! Be REAL 100% of the time, at least that's how I strive to be...
9. I do NOT like to be late; I think it's so inconsiderate and disrespectful; it drives me insane! I get the worst anxiety, if I think we'll be late, but, usually we never are.
10. I secretly not secretly want to be famous! I have been asked what I would be famous for and the only answer I have is, "um, just for being ME?!" When I was younger I wanted to either be on SNL, Days of Our Lives or be a voice-over. I would love to be on a reality show slash scares me at the same time!

Stay tuned for better blogs...