My Dreams Coming True

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T18:10:00.001-05:00

This year I know what LOVE is, TRUE love from my LOVING Savior, my amazing Husband and to love my sweet Daughter!! Life couldn't be any sweeter for me this year!

I encourage all of you (I wanted to say "single ladies", but really if I were to be honest this really applies to ALL of us) to remember who the TRUE lover of your soul is... Jesus Christ LOVED us sooo much that he DIED for us.

^"38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38

Really let that soak in if you can...

and of course this is also SO important :

““A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”” John 13:34-35 NIV

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY 2012!! HOPE YOUR DAY IS FILLED WITH LOVE AND JOY!! :)

Valentine's Day Swap Reveal!

2012-02-13T23:14:00.000-05:00

Today is the day we are supposed to share what we got from our Valentine's Day swap partners! I was partnered up with Nicole over at Chappel of Love!

Here is the luxurious loot:

love the glitter!

obviously my nails currently need some attention :-P

the popular notepad ;)

Thanks soo much for the fun PINK items!! Love it!

ps-- it was too funny, she and I sent each other the EXACT same notepad from Target haha! I purposely steered clear from the Target dollar bins because I figured everyone would probably go straight to them- but when I saw the notepad I couldn't resist it was just too cute haha!

Thanks for everything, Nicole, and thanks for the link-up, Celia, Meg and Tara ! :)

How We Met, according to HIM!

2012-02-12T16:15:00.001-05:00

With Valentine's Day approaching, I was going to do a post on our love story. I quickly realized that there were lots of details that I wanted to include and that would make for a super long post so I thought I would split it up into the different parts, starting with how we met!

Now, I could bore you to death and tell you that I barely remembered any details from that night that was just a few years ago (even just a week after it happened I didn't remember... I didn't think anything special happened that night ha) or... I could let Karl tell the super fun story according to him! Lets go with K's side of the story-- its way juicer ;)

On December 24, 2008, I was house-sitting for a friend from scouts. Traditionally, Christmas Eve at the P* house (K's family) is a come-and-go as you please event. Mom fixes enough food to feed and army and guests drop-in whenever they can and depart whenever they need. Given this annual routine, I found it odd that my mom was calling for my brother and I to come home. Odd as it seemed, I did as she asked and headed to the house. Little did I know at the time, but that night would change my life. When my younger brother "Fat" (that's what he prefers to be called, don't ask) arrived home, we walked in the backdoor and saw through the window into the kitchen. This is when I first laid eyes the most beautiful girl I've ever seen! I turned to Fat and asked, "Dude, who is THAT???" His response was, "heck if I know, I just got here when you did." I knew Sonja (Allie's stepmom) and Charlie (her brother) from scouts, but had no clue who the mysterious bombshell was they brought with them.
So we walked into the kitchen, Sonja got up and gave us hugs and Charlie did the usual high-five/hug combo, then Sonja said "this is Charlie's sister Allison." I was completely awestruck. For the next fifteen minutes, I just stood in the corner listening to her talk to my parents and play with my niece. This was probably the first time in my life that I have ever found myself at a loss for words. Then, about as quickly as I met her, she left. Sonja said they had to be heading to church, so I think I may have said "it was nice to meet you," but that's about all I could get out.
As soon as they got out of the door, I turned to my dad and asked "OK, level with me, where did that girl come from?" He replied, "well when a man and a woman love each other..." I knew where people "came from", so I cut him off in the middle of his sarcastic answer and said, "seriously, since when did Charlie have a sister?" "All his life I suppose," Dad responded. At that point I knew he wasn't going to stop joking with me, so I said to him, "you may laugh now, but I think I just met my wife!"
Now came the tough part. I knew who my wife was supposed to be, but no idea how to contact her. So I asked Dad to talk to Sonja and get some info for me, meanwhile I looked her up on Facebook. When Dad got word back from Sonja that Allison was "very available", I sent her a message asking how the rest of her stay in North Carolina was and how the trip back to Texas went. When Sonja called Allison on New Year's Eve, she was staying with her family in a hotel in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Sonja said, "Some guy in North Carolina is in love with you!" After going back in forth trying to explain who I was, Allison came up with nothing. When she got home to Texas, she had a message waiting in her inbox. She clicked on my profile and saw we had thirty-six friends in common, but didn't know where she would have met me. They were all childhood friends of hers, she didn't hang out with any of them over her visit, and she didn't go out while she was in North Carolina, either. So reluctantly Allison replied, "Hey it was great, it went by really fast so everything is kind of a blur. I'm sorry but could you remind me how I met you?" Talk about a serious blow. How was I gonna make this girl my wife if she didn't even remember who I was? So I sent a response saying she met me in my kitchen on Christmas eve. That is when it clicked who I was and you can bet her face was a little red when she realized it. This led to back and forth messages that blossomed into online chats.
In February Allison had found really cheap airfare to Charlotte and being the "good friend" that I was, I offered to pick her up from the airport to surprise Sonja and Charlie. After spending a hour in the car with her on the way back to Monroe, I knew for a fact that I had found my soulmate. We spent the entire week together. Dinner and a movie on Thursday, climbing on Friday, she even went camping with us Saturday and Sunday. I was distressed when she had to leave me Tuesday morning. While I was at work that afternoon, she sent me a text from what I thought was her layover in DC. When I arrived at scouts that night, Sonja rolled up and guess who got out of the car...ALLISON! She moved her flight one day so she could see Charlie get inducted as Senior Patrol Leader. After scouts, Charlie proposed that he and I stay and clean up and Sonja and Allie go home, then I could take him home and we could all play games together. (Even her little brother was trying to set this marriage up) I was so completely head over heels for this girl, that by the time her plane landed in Dallas, I had already purchased a ticket to come out and visit her. From that moment on, I was completely hers!

K and I -hiking to the top of a mountain when I was back in town, he let me borrow his hat and glasses... flirting?
(this was one of the only pics we have of the two of us because we were still "just friends" ... or at least that is what I thought ha!)

And that is only the start of Our Love Story!! :)

Project 365: Weeks 6-10

2012-02-10T09:00:00.001-05:00

still playing catch-up with Project 365!

{I have NO idea what I'm going to do with picnik closing. super big, pouty, sad, face!}

Product of the Week-Nail Files

2012-02-09T16:40:00.005-05:00

I love having my nails painted but I rarely paint them because it always seems like they chip just moments after they are done. Well today I was feeling extra bold and decided to paint!!

I have a base coat that I just LOVE... its Sally Hansen Nail Growth Miracle... it is super shiny and also makes your nails stronger. I often wear this alone and it is super shiny.

{via}

Today, however, I used it as the base paired with one of my FAVORITE Opi colors: Lincoln Park After Dark!

it's not black, its more like a DEEP purple color :)

Now, I'm not the BEST photographer in the world, nor am I the best manicurist so don't judge my photos ha! :)

Do any of you know of a GREAT top coat to help your manicure last longer than an hour? haha :)

Breakin it down!

2012-02-09T11:00:00.000-05:00

this was too funny not to post in my opinion... click on the next picture, followed by the one after it... go back and forth.

someone is breaking it down and bustin a move! ha !! :)

(this reminded me of one of those flip book's where all the still shots make an action movie)

sorry if this wasn't funny to you. remember I have limited adult interaction during the day haha! Oh the little things in life that make me smile!

what's wrong with this picture?

2012-02-08T13:08:00.002-05:00

Linking up with What I'm Loving Wednesday...
Today I love my hubby- who is now Daddy! :)

...a couple weekends ago we spent some extra fun quality time with our God-daughter and her parents aka our good friends. Here are the two Daddy's and our God-daughter... and yes, that is a Disney Princesses coloring book!

oh the life of parents :)

RG by the Week: 16 Weeks!

2012-02-07T11:31:00.004-05:00

Stats:
um yea, I totally forgot to weigh her, again! or measure her... I really need to get on top of such things because she is growing like a weed!

blowing bubbles :)

Milestones:
She is now officially a thumb SUCKER :) Its wildly adorable to see her suck on that tiny thumb of hers. (I know many of you may think differently but I would rather her have the thumb than the passy! don't judge us!) She only takes her passy when shes going down for a nap and she really doesn't want it then but I make her take it because it helps her get to sleep :) -- she will press her lips together really hard and try to not take the passy ha! Its also very cute and mildly obnoxious ;)

when she gets to sucking her thumb she will hold it in with the opposite hand so it doesn't get away, smart girl! :)

First:
Super Bowl: Went to GGDaddy's house (Jimmy, Paul, Mari, Donna, CF and Joey were there)
Diaper Rash (sad face- luckily it hasn't been too bad but it has lingered all week!)

can you tell who was the center of attention at our super bowl party?

Feeding:
Doing a little better at the whole "pulling away" issue we had last week.
As for the length between feedings- that too is getting better. USUALLY, we are making it about 2 1/2 hours... though sometimes its still one and a half. I started feeling bad because I was told that she should be eating more than 10 minutes each feeding and so I began trying to feed her longer and sometimes it worked, but it always ended up in massive amounts of vomit. I hear (from Nurses) that a breastfed baby will eat what they need and spit up when they are "over-eating" ... so for now, 10 minutes it is because cleaning up spit up isn't my most favorite thing to do... especially when it results in changing the sheets on our bed daily :)

occasionally takes a 4 oz bottle

Sleep:
Very hit or miss... much last last week- some nights we get 5ish hours (at most)... but more often she will fall asleep- sleep for 3ish hours and then get up every 2. I miss the good ol days of GOOD sleep (aka 6 or 7+ hours).
She still fights going to sleep like a TRUE fighter :) We have had a couple more major meltdowns/temper tantrums. NOT fun at all... but SOMEone just doesn't want to miss a thing! Sunday night for the Super Bowl she was awake from about 5:30-10:30pm with only a 30 minute nap and did NOT want anything to do with going to sleep. Crazy little girl! When we are at home, she usually gets put down for a nap ever hour to hour and a half... luckily she slept alright that night (around 4 hours)

her 30min nap during the super bowl

Behavior:
Smiley! She will smile at Karl and I for several minutes. She will smile at other family. She will smile at ANYONE... even strangers.
When we are out and about she always attracts lots of attention (couldn't be how cute she is!? could it?!)... and she is at the point where if they are talking to her she almost ALWAYS smiles! We took her to get her 3 month pictures done (a little late, I know) and the lady just bragged on her so much! I can't believe what a GREAT spirit she has and how HAPPY she truly is all the time! Sometimes when we are at home all day she starts to get fussy and I wonder if she is going to be like her mommy?:...Likes to get out an about rather than staying inside all day! She is definitely used to being held by tons of people and going out to eat, to the mall, etc.
She still CONSTANTLY has her hands in her mouth, chewing and sucking. During her photo shoot ALL she wanted to do was grab her dress, pull it to her mouth and EAT it! ha :) We often have to change her clothes because she is drooling so much (and blowing little bubbles) the whole front of her outfit will be soaked ha!

Loves:
Smiling, playing with her playmat (I'm loving the playmat... it allows me to get so much more done!), the bathtub, having her feet in the air (esp when trying to fall asleep), fighting sleep, sucking (actually sucking, not just chewing) on her thumb, going on walks in her stroller, getting in her car seat (she kicks like crazy and does what we call "the happy dance!", riding in the car, chewing on her fists and fingers, blowing bubbles, having one foot out from under the covers (like father like daughter!)

splashing like crazy!

Clothes:
Diapers are mainly size one's and her clothes are anywhere from Newborn to 3 months, generally fitting best in 0-3's now. This is EXTREMELY bittersweet for me! I am so happy that she is healthy and growing but I am missing that tiny baby I held 3 1/2 months ago!

Favorite Moments:
Hearing her sweet giggles and laughs. K putting her "hair" on and posting the picture for all of our family as her as a brunette ha!
When she falls asleep in my arms. All her silly faces. When she stretches her little neck out. When I'm going to kiss her how she opens her mouth like a little baby bird (she has done this since birth almost!).

HAHAHA!

Oh and awesome "photo shoots" ha!

Laugh.

Yawn.

Sneeze.

huh mom?

Pouty face.

Most Challenging:
I really can't think of a whole lot (very thankfully) except for her fighting sleep. It is most definitely a CHALLENGE sometimes. Saturday night K was trying to get her to go to sleep and she had a major meltdown for about 30-45 minutes... its hard for me to stand back and let him do his thing but we are both learning together. I'm actively trying to NOT be the "bossy" wife and mom!
Her cradle cap also started coming back so we used her perscription shampoo again and I'm not sure if it was that or what but her poor face/head/ behind ears started breaking out.
She also has little tiny acne (NOTHING compared to what we dealt with at a couple weeks old) around her cheeks and chin (I'm sure its from all the DROOL and just eating)
Her lingering diaper rash which doesn't seem to be bothering her- just me.

see her poor head (the red is the cradle cap...)...
(I can't figure out why blogger keeps rotating this picture or how to undo it. sorry. )

Looking Forward to:
Valentines Day! I don't have anything planned special but she has the CUTEST outfit coming her way :) I can NOT wait to see it in person!
and honestly... SUMMER! I miss the salt water and the sun!

ready for the super bowl.
just look at how they look at each other. makes my heart skip a beat!

Mommy Moments:
Can I just tell you how very annoying (and somewhat concerning) it is that my hair is constantly falling out by the handful?! I mean everything I wear is covered in my hair (this was already a pet-peeve before my hair started falling out!), I have to sweep the hardwood floor 10x's a day, I'm constantly pulling hairs off of RG and out of her hands. Not to mention now the drain in the shower is draining verrrry slowly! (I wonder WHY!?)... oh and each time I wash my hair I have to clean out my hairbrush... yes, I am loosing THAT much hair. NO FUN!!
Thankfully, I really can't tell as far as the hair on my head goes! My hair just seems maybe a TINY bit thinner but it i still "thick".
I often feel like I'm losing my "mind"... I lost my keys last weekend and I still haven't found them- its driving me loco!
I love being a stay-at-home-mom but I'm not going to lie... it has it's challenges. I can't tell you when the last time I spent an hour alone or even just without RG. Its a good thing I love this girl to the end of the world and back... I mean and look at her cute faces ha!

and for some fun out takes from this week:

(someone was not feeling the weekly pic)

doing a lil dance

deer in headlights.

arching back trying to stand!

Crock-Pot Chicken and Dumplings Pot-Pie

2012-02-06T21:33:00.000-05:00

if you read my dinner post, you will know I promised to post this recipe so here goes:

Crock-Pot Chicken and Dumplings Pot-Pie

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts (I used boneless skinless, frozen)

2 cans of condensed cream of chicken soup (I used low-fat)

1 can of corn

fresh carrots

1/2 sweet onion

2 Tablespoons of butter

2 10oz cans of refrigerated biscuit dough

Directions:

Put in crockpot: chix, cans of soup, sliced carrots, deiced onion, and fill with enough water (or chick/veggie stock) to cover all. (Add seasonings if you wish) Cook on high for about 6 hours. About 30 minutes before done cooking take a fork and break apart the parts of chicken into bite size pieces, add can of corn. Cut biscuit dough into strips and place covering top (its okay if they sink or touch each other). In about 15 minutes push dough under to absorb some liquid/flavor. Serve hot!

-This recipe was sooo easy and really you can add seasonings if you wish (I added some random ones) and you could do with or without veggies, adding the ones you like and omitting ones you dont- or you could forgo them all together. You choose :)

This recipe made about 8 servings so we froze 1/2 of it for a later date and all that we will have to do is warm it up! :)

K LOVED this and so did I! We will def. be doing this again!

ENJOY!

It's what's for dinner!

2012-02-03T01:30:00.001-05:00

I feel like I have been slacking in the title as "SAHM" lately... yes, my baby girl is TOTALLY getting ALL of my love and attention and I think that is what's most important these first few months... time is already flying so quickly and I couldn't be happier that I am able to spend my days and nights with her! (Can you tell?)

I have been talking to K about how I really want to start cooking more (read: cooking.at.all.). I set what I thought would be a realistic goal of cooking THREE meals this week. (We usually have a Tuesday night dinner with our family as well as a Thursday night dinner so 3 was the magic number.) I also truly believe that having 100% of what you need to cook on-hand totally makes cooking more feasible, and in order to ensure I had all I needed, I needed a menu.

Usually, I try to "just come up with something" ... and well that never really works because I'm afraid its going to be something K doesn't want, and then by the time we do decide- we are both too hungry and its just easier to go out to eat.

So what did I do? I thought of a few things that I would like to cook, wrote them down and had K pick three he wanted for the week (that way I know its something he might actually want to eat ha). After he did that we went to the store and purchased the "goods". The remaining dinners will be used at a later date.

This may seem totally dumbed down to some of you but seriously this is what I needed to make it happen... don't make fun of my super easy meals, they were delish and like they say, you have to start somewhere :) !!

I am proud to announce that I totally ROCKED OUT this goal and not only cooked Monday, Tuesday (we skipped dinner with the fam bc K didn't get off work till 8pm) AND Wednesday but I also did about 8 loads of laundry and KEPT the house clean... I mean, I was totally feeling accomplished this week and honestly, felt better about myself, my life, and my family. It's amazing what a clean house can do for your soul!

So her are the meals I cooked:
(stay tuned for recipes coming soon!)

Monday:

Tacos (surely you know how to make tacos...right?)

Tuesday:

Crock-pot Chicken and Dumplings Pot-Pie
(Got this from my amazing friend Amy who made this for K and I while visiting her sweet family in FL- hi Amy!)

I say dumplings pot pie because well it wasn't really dumplings. Its sorta a mix between dumplings and pot-pie. See I kinda make sense sometimes hah!

Wednesday:
Meat Loaf, Au Gratin Potatoes and Biscuits

MMM MMM GOOD!

Baylor Proud!

2012-02-03T01:06:00.000-05:00

Can I just take a moment to brag? I love seeing positive things in the headlines and even more so when it comes from MY University!

I am a proud graduate of Baylor University (SIC EM!) and not only do we now have a Heisman winner on our hands but he is also such a "class act!" He represents Baylor for what it truly is- an amazing University with great character and devotion to God!

Anyways, I came across this article today and just had to share because beyond his football and track stats- this guy really is amazing with a great moral compass! I can't wait to see him do great things in the NFL and represent Baylor well (which he is already doing!)!!

Check out this article: Sic Em RGIII !!!

RG by the Week: 15 Weeks!

2012-02-02T09:10:00.006-05:00

Stats:
12ish pounds according to my home scale! :)
Her eyes are starting to turn a tiny bit lighter but they are still the most BEAUTIFUL shade of royal blue!
She is getting more hair and I could ALMOST promise you its strawberry blonde. K says no-way, its brown. This is still up for debate!

Milestones:
ROLLING OVER AND LAUGHING!!!!!!!
RG turned 100 days old!
The one year anniversary of when K and I found out we were expecting!

First:
-Time to roll over!! Here is the story {link}- and a fun video of her in action!- basically she did it for Karl first- after I had been playing with her during tummy time all day and her showing no signs of being near ready ha!
-Time to LAUGH... like a REAL laugh! :) We got home from hanging out with our family all day Saturday and K was getting her diaper changed and getting her ready for bed and he was tickling her all over her belly and she belted out the CUTEST laugh! I heard it from the bathroom while I was brushing my teeth and said "Was that a LAUGH!?" to which K told me it was so I ran in to watch him try and get her to "perform" some more. He started kissing her on the neck and she did it again in front of me! We spent the next 10 minutes trying everything we could to get her to laugh some more (camera in hand) but she wanted nothing to do with it at that point ha! She started laughing again Sunday night when her daddy was playing with her again... we "sorta" caught it on video but the laugh isn't her awesome belly laugh, but more like a giggle. I'm pretty sure her laugh is the greatest sound I have ever heard, its so sweet and fun! :)
-Walk with Great Grandaddy around his neighborhood- some women who were great friends with my grandmother got to meet RG and they loved her and talked about how MUCH my grandmother would have been crazy about RG!
-Real Mad-as-FIRE temper tantrum... Friday night before going to Sonja's for dinner- and then again Saturday night. Wheph... not sure if she just didn't want to sleep or was overly tired or what- Saturday K and I BOTH gave it all we had for over 45 minutes before she finally fell asleep- see SWEET picture below with Bunny!
-Met baby Liam after he was born on 1/23/12
-Trip to the Oasis!

First Oasis hotdog, with Aunt Donna

First walk with GGdaddy!

Feeding:

She seems to be having some trouble with "bubbles" in her belly-- I'm assuming thats the issue because usually after a burp she's much better. She is getting really good at throwing herself backward (arching her back) when nursing and flinging her head away from my body. She pretty much only does this in the middle of the day and not during her night time feeding (praise God!). It is really hard on my body in more ways than one-- my arms get really tired trying to support her when she is doing this, AND she's usually still latched on when she flings her head to the side (are yah tracking with me here?). yikes. So after she does this a couple of times, I take her and try to burp her- which royally irritates her and she starts crying and screaming (making it very hard for me to get a burp out of her.) After she burps (sometimes she doesn't because she is too upset about me taking her food from her) she is usually okay, until she's either tired of eating or "full"... I'm not sure which. She is back to spitting up after most feedings as I'm sure you can tell from my "Favorite Moments" this week- which you can find below :) Her feedings during the day are anywhere from every hour and a half to 3 hours and she is still taking 4 oz when we give her a bottle.

Sleep:
A bit of a challenge this week. During the night she is only sleeping around 3 1/2 or 4 hours and sometimes 5 (I know, I know, it could be a lot worse... I just got spoiled a few weeks back when she was sleeping 7-9 hours on the regular, like a champ!) I think she's only waking to eat because she usually goes right back to sleep.
She now HATES her bouncer (where she generally LOVES sleeping)... when we get near it she screams bloody murder! When we put her in it she screams even more, holds her arms/ hands out to her side and shakes them and arches her back- thus scooting her butt almost to the bottom of the seat. She is quite a MESS! I got to laughing so hard the first night she was doing this (the scooting not screaming) I hope I didn't encourage bad behavior! oops! {see the video below} It is taking her much longer to fall asleep and she needs a lot more assistance than in previous weeks where she would just put herself to sleep. She is back to FIGHTING sleep like crazy!

Naps are totally hit or miss (she hates them)... one nap is 2 hours the next 20 minutes.

her scooting out of her seat and kicking her legs up- also a new favorite thing to do!

She did fall asleep in my arms TWICE this week, she hasn't done that in a LONG time! Once, after a feeding at K's parents house (it was around her bedtime- which is usually between 11 and 1 am depending on her mood) and once after a late feeding at home she was NOT going to let me put her down for the night, so I just held her... she fell asleep with her eyes and mouth wide open, after watching me talk to her for several minutes and her eyes slowly drifting off. It was so precious, its the moments like that I just LOVE to live for!

Behavior:
Seems much different this week... I feel like sometimes we are walking on egg-shells with her. She isn't sleeping very sound and even when she wakes up she sometimes cry's when we pick her up. Her behavior has been quite unpredictable. On the other hand though, she is LAUGHING (this started Saturday night). She still has great moments where she will just laugh and coo and talk and of course her favorite activity: blowing her bubbles! She wants to be held when she is sleepy but sometimes she acts like enough is enough and when we set her down she seems much more content. I still love seeing her little goofy smiles and she is REALLY watching what is going on around her! We took her to Wal-mart, Sunday, to get some shopping done and though she was really fussy on the car ride there (we had accidentally forgotten her passy at home) once we got in the store she didn't make a peep! She was taking in all of her surroundings!

look at how long she is getting!

Loves:
Her Daddy- I know I have said this before but seriously! He got her to roll over for the first time and he got the first laugh! :) She loves walks and looking at herself in the mirror (she just SMILES so big sometimes it cracks me up!). Anytime she spends with GGdaddy, she loves! Shes getting to where she "tolerates" being in the "moby" facing away from my body. Going on walks. Blowing bubbles with her lips, chewing on her hands or your hands ha! Her "Sleep Sheep" and being able to see what/s going on, and kicking her legs up in the air or just leaving them straight up when laying down.

ready to go on a walk with mommy!

Clothes:
Newborn, 0-3 and 3months. Using a mix of our last newborn diapers (SAD!) and some ones- I hate that the ones swallow her but the newborn ones are tight around her legs.. sigh. (the little "crabby bottom" onesie is a newborn... I'm going to miss that outfit!)

the FAMOUS GGdaddy!

Favorite Moments:
A couple of stories:
(If you get queasy easily you might want to skip the next 2...)
So Thursday night we usually always go to my favorite Fish-camp restaurant and this Thursday while we were starting to order, my aunt Donna was holding RG, and swinging her to the side and when she would do that, I would kiss all over RG (Sorry if I'm not making any sense)...we did this a couple of times and the last time we did, I got a MOUTH-FULL of vomit. I immeditately spit it out (reflex) on the floor haha. My aunt, and K both saw it and the three of us were laughing SO hard everyone started staring at us and the people working asked what had happend. It was HILARIOUS to say the least!
Second story:
K was holding her up over his head playing with her when he heard her tummy gurgle... he immediately moved her away from his body but when he did she leaned forward and totally spit up ALL over his face- in his eyes, in his nose AND in his mouth!
Seeing her roll over for the first time, Hearing and seeing her laugh for the first time, taking a 2 mile family walk on the greenway Sunday and Monday afternoon!

Most Challenging:
Sleeping and Eating. ugh! This week (the end of it) has been challenging to say the least. Not that there aren't great times- because there totally are- it has just had some rough spots! RG HATES going down for naps (again. She FOUGHT sleep like it wasn't anyones business when she was just a few weeks old and she is at it again).'

after her temper-tantrum Saturday night, she finally fell asleep, arm around Bunny and she pulled the covers up over her eyes. precious.

Looking Forward to:
More great laughs!

Mommy Moments:

I'm sorry but I have to "document" (aka brag on myself a little)... I am down to my lowest weight since my first couple of years of college! I still have a ways to go from where I would "like" to be but I was so excited when I weighed myself Saturday (after breakfast too!) to see 150.2!!! That's 10 lbs less than I weighed when I GOT PREGNANT! Honestly, I can't tell at all- I really need to tone up!

Project 365: Weeks 1-5

2012-01-31T09:03:00.000-05:00

Finally trying to get caught up on Miss Raleigh Grace's Project 365... a picture a day for a year! :)

Here are weeks 1-5 :)

Must Have Items: Birth - 3 months

2012-01-30T11:55:00.001-05:00

I just thought I would do a really quick post for you soon to be new MOM's who are trying to figure out what you might need/want these first few months of your babies life!

I'm linking up {here}!

Here goes... some of these are rather obvious but I just tried to list anything/everything that I could think of that we used :)

General:

Car seat (We love ours- snugride 35 by graco, rittenhouse pattern. Make sure you get a pattern you love bc we definitely take 999 pictures a day of her in it :-P
Diapers (we prefer pampers swaddlers sensitive)
Wipes (we prefer pampers sensitive, thick)
Butt paste (literally)
Bouncy seat (get the one at target that actually BOUNCES itself... we didn't do that this go round but wish we did! Believe me, your legs or arms will get tired of bouncing ha)
Swing (ours goes side to side and front to back, plays 4 different tunes, 4 or 5 different speeds, has a birdie mobile and mirror, and can be used on battery or plugged in-- might sound a little too fancy for a swing but its so worth it!)
Wubbanub (this has made finding RG's passy so much easier and it doesn't fall out of her mouth onto the floor)
Stroller (we used snap n go... Love it!)
Prince lionheart wipe warmer
Burp cloths aka cloth diapers
Baby/infant tub
J&J bedtime bath soap/lotion- it smells delish! (although we don't use the lotion anymore bc little miss has sensitive skin so our pedi suggested eucerine cream not lotion)
Glow worm (Its fisher price-Soothe and Glow Seahorse... its comes in pink and blue)
Recieving blankets (the hospital ones are still my fave!)
Wash cloths
Towels
Bottles (We have Dr. Brown and Playtex... RG could care less which ones we use)
Variety of passies (the "soothies" from the hospital were RG's fav)
Play mat
Sound machine (plays white noise, ocean, stream, etc)
Sleep sheep
Books
Batteries. lots of them ha!

Diaper bag:

Bottles (clean ones ha!)

Bottled water (one for mixing with formula and one for me)

Snacks for mommy

Formula container

Passy wipes (the First Steps brand smell soo good!)

Extra passies (you wouldn't believe how often we forgot or lost her passy in transit somewhere... that is until the wubbanub-- then it was just if we forgot it)

Nursing cover (LOOVE mine Bebe au Lait... worth every penny!)

Diapers

Wipes

Changing pad

Change of clothes

Mom:

Breast pads (omg... you think you don't need them until you leak in public... AWKARD! ha)

Pads

Peri bottle

Nursing cover

Breastmilk Storage containers

Breast pump (again, you might think not a necessity but wait till you are so full you are in paaain ha! I waited until after I had RG to purchase. We purchased the single Medela pump - originally I wanted the double pump but 300 dollars. um no. and I haven't looked back)

Nursing tanks!! (got a couple from wally world- paired with a cardigan and wha-lah! perfect outfit :) )

Large(r) underwear (didn't want to reuin my "good" ones and I wanted something just a little looser- I loved just cheap black ones from wally world or target) (& I loved the mesh ones the hospital gave you!)

comfie pants!! (gauchos, sweats, and my fav- the crushed velvet type running suits from old navy or somewhere like that... they were a little more dressy than just sweats)

all of the italic items were things that were LIFE SAVERS :)

hope this helped some?? :) if you have questions on items I listed or have any other questions feel free to ask and I'll be happy to answer as best I can.

and because no post is a good post without a picture :)

I really don't know what we could do without RG's bouncy seat... she sleeps there every night and for every nap!

*these are my own personal opinions and I was in no way compensated for any of the items listed above*

RG by the Week: 14 Weeks!

2012-01-27T13:36:00.000-05:00

Stats:
no clue, and I just realized today that her next dr. apt isn't until SIX months! Holy Cow, kinda makes me sad-- I love getting her stats (but I'm not missing giving her the dreaded shots)! I am going to have to make a point of weighing her on my own at home.

Milestones:
More giggling-- specifically when I'm pulling clothes over her head :-P
She is arching her back a TON-- sometimes when holding her she almost flips out of your hands if you aren't holding on good. She is really on the move and her name "squirmy wormy" really does apply. She's getting better at sucking her thumb/ hands. She LOVES sucking/chewing on her hands! At the mall on Wednesday, she kept loosing her passy and every time I noticed it she would already be going to town either sucking or chewing on her thumb.

Feeding:
I pumped ONCE this week ha!
She is eating every 2 hours (and sometimes every hour and a half!!!) when awake- I hope this is just a growth spurt. During the nights, every 4ish hours... I'm missing the good sleep I used to get!

Sleep:
Obviously, from previous statement, I am sleeping less and so is Miss RG. I think this has something to do with her growing (fingers crossed!)... I really think she is just waking up to eat because after I feed her she goes right back to sleep... I just miss those 6 or 7 hours of sleep we had been getting before Christmas. sigh.
She knows when we put her in her bouncer that it means bedtime. She gets really upset and cries at first but within seconds she is usually okay with her passy in her mouth. Sunday was the first night she got to "feeling better" from her cold- she slept 7 hours, then the rest of the nights this week went downhill as far as sleep but she is done with her antibiotics and feeling great I think.

Behavior:
I love watching her! Whether it be smiles, stares, or sad faces she just amazes me! I love watching her grow and learn. She really is the most entertaining girl ever! She is the sweetest thing and I just love her! She is awesome at keeping herself happy and self-soothing. Whether we are putting her down to sleep or just hanging in her swing, she keeps herself happy. (even though I never put her down when I'm home, haha, if she's awake I feel like I should be playing/entertaining her, haha)
She loves fussing and grunting. At first we thought it was only when she was mad/needing something but now, I really believe she just enjoys vocalizing. She still coo's and I could watch her all day. She loves to do her big wide gummy smiles that just melt my heart! She's playing more (with her playmat and rattles on her car seat) kicking them and grabbing for them. Like I said earlier, she giggles sometimes when I am pulling her clothes over her head :) still no LAUGH though in my opinion.
When she starts fussing she is now saying MAAAMAH! (aka Mama!) I totally know and understand that shes not doing it on purpose but ~~sometimes~~ I pretend she is and a lot of times it actually makes sense... ha!

kicking the toys

chewing and sucking on her hands while playing

Loves:
DADDY, when daddy comes home and greets her, bath time (man can she splash like crazy... I can't put as much water in the tub anymore because she makes a huge mess!), laying on her playmat and grabbing/kicking the toys, smiling, CHEWING on anything and everything she can get her hands on (hair, clothes, bibs, fingers, hands, etc), reading books, standing, sitting up, tv (sigh)- specifically football, looking at phones, computers or any sort of technology, being talked to, being kissed, playing dress up with mommy!, looking at herself in the mirror, sucking her thumb (and sometimes sticking a finger up her nose ha!), blowing bubbles with her mouth, being held.

playing with Daddy

such a big girl! she loves standing

being held by her GREAT grandma

Being held by her GREAT grandpa

Clothes:
Still a mix between newborn and 0-3... its so funny to me that so many of her 0-3 swallow her yet others are a great fit. Most of her newborn clothes are getting too small but mommy is trying to get in "one last wear".... I just can't believe its time to be packing them up! Diaper- I think we've purchased our last box of newborns :(

Favorite Moments:
EVERYTHING. (seriously) Her pouty lip I never see anymore and her cute "butt stretch" she does when she wakes up is becoming rare.

Most Challenging:
Me getting re-adjusted to a little less sleep and feeding her what seems like ALL the time. Those hour and a half times between feedings sure takes a toll on me!
Wednesday night she had a rough night (could it have been all the shopping we put her through and the Chinese food I had for lunch?) Poor girl was having tummy issues, she probably spit up 7+ times after one feeding and had bad gas, too! :( She was a little fussy all evening from that and perhaps from being sleepy as well. We gave her a bath and for the first time she cried :( It was PITIFUL!

even during the challenging times, this face always makes it all better!

Looking Forward to:
a REAL, GOOD, Laugh!

everyone says this looks just like her daddy :)

Mommy Moments:
Getting over my cold finally!! Although, Wednesday, I wasn't feeling great a little nauseous- not sure if it was from the pizza we had for dinner (it was major garlic-y, or the chinese food we had for lunch). Wednesday K took me shopping and I FINALLY got a nursing bra that ACTUALLY FITS!! The first place turned me away bc they didn't have "my size if you know what I mean lol. They sent me to a speciality shop where I found one that FIT!! Even though it was over 70 dollars I was sooo excited! K even said, "you act like you're really excited about a new bra!" ha! Boy did he nail that on the head haha!
Ladies- if you don't have a bra that REALLY fits you, go get one! Not only is it way worth every penny, it will change-your-life!! :)
Welp, good news and bad news! AF decided to come this week... I wasn't ready for her but I guess it means that things are back to "normal" as far as my body goes... Also, my hair is stillllll falling out in clumps. yuck!
On a positive note, I went to the mountains for a day trip with RG to see my mom's parents and their side of the family! We had a great visit with a beautiful sunset!

my mom swinging RG

the beautiful sunset

view from inside :)

Firsts:
Saying MAMA!!! :) (see above if your confused on how a 14 week old can talk!)
She noticeably "giggled" when I was pulling her shirt over her head twice in one day... She loves playing dress up with mommy ;)
First time playing soccer &
swinging in a porch swing :) (See above photo's)

playing soccer at our friends house

our God-daughter helping RG learn to play soccer :)

and she shoots....

and she scores :)

One Year Ago...

2012-01-26T12:01:00.001-05:00

See I told you {yesterday} there were lots of fun anniversaries coming up! :) hehe

One year ago, today, K and I found out that I was pregnant!! We could not have ever been more excited! You can read how I revealed this information to the blog world {here}!!

I can not believe how much our lives have changed for the better in the past year and I am looking forward to ALL the years to come! :)

I often look at this sweet little girl looking back up at me and have a "moment" where my eyes tear up and I just Thank God for her and for blessing us with such a sweet, healthy baby girl!

And because I don't think I have actually shared HOW we found out... I think now would be a great time. If I have previously posted this please forgive me :)

This is from my private blog, the day we found out!

I'M PREGNANT!!!!!!!
So here's the story-
several months ago I switched from my insurance to KJ's insurance. Well... come to find out my new insurance did not cover the BC that I had been on . My wonderful doctors office worked with me to get several months of samples to hold me through until we got it worked out with the insurance. It never got worked out so basically I was left with no BC right before Christmas time. Thats when K and I talked and decided that I would just stay off of it and let God do his work :).
A little background on how far along I am and how we found out..
I have been keeping an eye on my symptoms this month mainly because I am just trying to get in touch with my body and I knew that we have not been preventing pregnancy so it was a possibility. This whole week I have had a super hard time sleeping through the night- I have been waking up from once to 4 or more times during the night and I have been having crazy dreams. I also have been super stopped up (nose congestion) so I don't know if that has something to do with that either. Starting about 2 days ago I have started having a super sore back/ back pain- right under my rib cage on my back-- this has never happened to me before so I was curious. Yesterday morning I took my first HPT and it did.not.work. at.all. I'm talking the control line didn't even show. Afterwards I was so frustrated because it was then time to go to work. So this morning I decided I would test again. Well it was from the same pack as the test that didnt work yesterday so I was skeptical from the get-go. The control line- check! The pregnant line... well it was barely there and I'm talking BARELY! ha! I didn't know what to think... I hear a line is a line but I kept second guessing myself about the test being a dud like the one yesterday. So this afternoon, I pick up 2 more tests. One- regular, one-digital. BUT I decided to hold onto the test until I presented the first one to hub's.
He got home from work and after a tiny bit of small talk our conversation went a little something like this...
Me: Hey, wanna see something?
K: yea, sure. what is it?
Me: well come here....
Me: {as I present him with the test from this morning}... I think I'm pregnant.
K: oh really?
Me: yea......... but i'm not sure......... so i bought some more tests....... want me to take one?
K: if you want
Me: okay....
You get the idea... So the test showed up similar to the one from this morning. Barely there. Hubby isnt convinced- he says, "Maybe its always like that". I disagree but tell him that I have a digital that came with that one if he wants me to try it. He does. So I try it. and guess what... well it didnt work either!!!! There was supposted to be a little timer thing that shows up after 30 seconds to say the test is working correctly-- but that never happened! ugh! Very Frustrated with a capital F! So by this time its time for K to go hang out with his friend Jake (they had already planned a "guys night"). K still isnt convinced so I tell him that after he leaves I am going to go buy ANOTHER digital. I get home and immediately take it. Well good news, the control "hourglass" works right away as stated it would. The results are to appear "within 3 minutes." Well right at one minute- I read, "PREGNANT!" :)
YIPPEEE!!!! My friend Heather texts me asking if I found out ( I had called/ texted her this morning curious about what exactly a "faint" line meant) so I told her what it said. She was thrilled!!!!
So I email K the picture (remember he's out with friends) and text him saying to check his email. His response, "Snapple" haha
And that was that!!
I headed over to my friend Mel's house to surprise her (Mel is Jakes wife) who has been married just about as long as I we have been and is also Trying to Conceive :) We are trying to wait as much as we can to tell everyone until after a Doc's apt!

in other fun news... if you haven't checked out my post from yesterday, RG is now ROLLING OVER! Go {here} to watch the video :)

On the Move!

2012-01-26T00:24:00.001-05:00

Not only did our sweet girl turn 100 days old today....
she also...
ROLLED OVER for the first time tonight!

I was taking a shower and her Daddy was watching her play. When I got out of the shower he, very nonchalantly, said, "she keeps on rolling over." I'm immediately like "WHAT!?! are you SERIOUS!?! " then he proceeds to say, "Oh, is this something new? I thought maybe you had been working with her."

Oh the fun! I had been playing with her today, during her tummy time, but she showed no signs of rolling over yet! He said that every time he put her on her belly and try to get a close up picture of her from the floor angle she would get really fussy, then flip onto her back and be content- playing/ chewing on the toys on her mat. K said that she did this about 9 times before I got out of the shower and acted like she had been doing it for weeks.

I told him I didn't believe him so I grab my camera and demand he make RG show me her skills... and guess what... she did!! :)

Here is my BABY girl who is now rolling over. I still can not believe she is actually doing this!! I am so proud of her but also sad at how fast these days are going by!!

I love this little girl so much!

I love the little look she gives me at the end where she is like,

"seriously mom, you doubted I could roll over... so not a big deal, I've been doing this for days!" haha

100 Days!!

2012-01-25T13:31:00.000-05:00

Lots of milestones and anniversary's to celebrate!

What a crazy fun milestone!

100 days ago , today, we welcomed a sweet little bundle of joy!

my sister and I the night before Raleigh Grace's arrival :)
(is it bad that this picture sorta-kinda makes me miss pregnancy :-P)

getting ready to meet Little Miss!

Welcome to the world, Raleigh Grace! What a BEAUTIFUL, sweet girl :)

100 days old!

all smiles

her new favorite thing- arching her back!

I can NOT believe how quickly the time is flying! I love you to the moon and back Miss Raleigh Grace!!

Want to see a picture of her everyday since birth?

WELL, you, my friend, are in luck!! I am in the process of getting caught up on her "Project 365"- a picture a day for the first year of her life! Stay tuned as I will be posting those as I get them completed :)

The Power of a Praying Mother: Prayer Calender

2012-01-23T23:58:00.001-05:00

Praying for your kids....

Even before it was time for K and I to start our family, I have always prayed for our future kids. Now that we are the proud parents of Miss. Raleigh Grace I find myself praying but not nearly as much as I would like to nor as deep as I would like. When I stop and pray I feel like my prayers are often the same... prayers for protection, for salvation and for her future spouse. Though there is NOTHING wrong with these simple prayers I want to go deeper. Sometimes I even think, "I don't know how to pray for her or what to pray for her." If you are a mom and have ever had any of these thoughts I have something that I found that I want to pass along to you.

A mom of one of the YL (Young Life) kiddos I used to lead posted {this}... she is a true woman of the Lord and a wonderful example, and leader! She has shared the links and possible ways to incorporate this prayer calender into your crazy busy life on here {blog}.

Inspired by Action has created a Prayer Calender (see below) and you can download it {here} for free!

I hope that this blesses you!! :) and feel free to pass it on! :)

Homemade Applesauce!!

2012-01-20T15:19:00.001-05:00

This morning I got up and fed Miss RG... after putting her down for her nap and feeling EXTRA motivated by none other than Mallorie @ Happy Home... I made my way to the kitchen. Mallorie had posted a recipe awhile back on how to make Homemade Applesauce and I always thought it looked so easy and DELICIOUS so today when I saw her post a picture on facebook that she was making it, I thought YES! I had several apples already and I thought what a better way to use them. I did not peel my apples (oops) so we will see how it turns out otherwise... you can find her recipe {here}. Hope y'all have a good weekend! Mine is starting great with a beautiful girl playing and a yummy smell filling my house!

Ingredients:

8-10 Apples

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I actually used less)

1 cup water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

{I didn't go by this recipe verbatim, however, I did use it as a guide}

UPDATE: not peeling the apples worked fine but I did have to put it in the food processor for a few seconds... also, I added a drop of honey... mmm! :)

"7 Christmases" 2011: Part 3

2012-01-20T14:30:00.000-05:00

Part 3:

Our family of 3! We opened presents Christmas Eve, Eve, after my family had left. We did this because we knew we weren't going to have any other time to spend time together until after Christmas. K's big gift was a pair of Oakleys that he had been wanting for a couple of years, and my big gift was my D3100! So happy I had this just in time for Christmas :). RG got a "sheep-on-the-go" , a sound spa with a projection lamp that she loves to stare at, the book, "I'll Love You Forever" {from mommy of course} and a few other items.

goof ball

Oh how Pinteresting!

2012-01-18T19:48:00.000-05:00

here are a few things I have pinned recently and want to try...

Source: pinnaclevodka.com via Allie on Pinterest

Source: mamaandbabylove.blogspot.com via Allie on Pinterest

Source: quick-dish.tablespoon.com via Allie on Pinterest

Source: littleherocapes.com via Allie on Pinterest

and some other things just for fun :)

Source: the36thavenue.com via Allie on Pinterest

Source: i-do-that-too.polyvore.com via Allie on Pinterest

Source: heismyking.tumblr.com via Allie on Pinterest

Source: vanillavisions.tumblr.com via Allie on Pinterest

Source: aubrey-jo.blogspot.com via Allie on Pinterest

Source: tusch.tumblr.com via Allie on Pinterest

Do you follow me on Pinterest? What are you pinning lately?

Three Months!!

2012-01-17T18:45:00.000-05:00

Today marks a HUGE milestone in our home... Miss. Raleigh Grace is now THREE months old!! How in the world is she already 1/4 a year old!? Each day keeps getting better and better and we fall more in love with our baby girl everyday!! We love you sooo very much, Raleigh Grace, and are enjoying every. single. second. with you!

If you want to see what RG has been up to this month you can check out the 13 week update I posted yesterday. :) She has grow and changed so much this month! I love watching her take in the details of her surroundings and her giggles and smiles that she shares with us almost every moment she is awake! She is getting physically strong and mentally strong! She can mimic facial expressions and actions and she can (with a little help) pull herself up (from the laying position) to a sitting position or a standing position! :)

HAPPY 3 MONTH BIRTHDAY SWEET BABY GIRL!!! :)

RG by the Week: 13 Weeks!

2012-01-17T02:07:00.002-05:00

HAPPY 13 WEEKS BABY GIRL!! :)

Stats:
When I weighed her on my home scale it was right at 11 lbs!

Milestones:
Lots this week!
Monday she watched me eat chocolate chip cookies for a good minute or two- her mouth was barely moving but it was. She did not move her eyes off of me for one second! Wednesday she was definitely intentionally kicking things on her play mat and I got it on video. She also started rolling to her side (she does this in the same video!) On Friday she started grabbing things and hitting things with her hands on her play mat. She at one point had a hold on one of the toys and managed to get it in her mouth. If she can keep her teether in her hand she enjoys chewing on it.
She is chewing (not sucking, CHEWING) on everything like crazy! We think she is preparing to start teething because she is also drooling like crazy.
This is a HUGE one to me... we (my mom and I) were blowing bubbles with our mouths talking to RG and she COPIED us... doing it herself!! :) So cute!!
She is going straight for her thumb when the passy comes out now.

Feeding:
Every 2 hours during the day for about 10 minutes (sometimes she's starting to eat a little closer to 15 minutes). During the night she has been eating about every 4 hours. She will still take formula from a bottle when we need her too but we aren't (and haven't ever) given it to her to "supplement" her normal feedings. It just replaces a feeding.

Planking!

"Flying" with Daddy!

Sleep:
Rar. This week has not been a good one for sleep. She has been fighting a cold that started a week or so ago and it has really challenged her old sleeping habits. This week she was only sleeping for 4 or 5 hours straight and then would wake up every hour and a half to two hours. I'm ready to be past this week ha! Her naps are hit or miss (she goes down after she has been up for about an hour) - she will sleep from 30 minutes to an hour or two but generally closer to 30 minutes. She is still great at putting herself to sleep when she's snuggled up in her bouncy seat with her lamb playing the ocean sound and she has her passy in her mouth.

Napping with Gma Lala

Behavior:
She was a little more fussy when she was sick and not feeling well but shes getting back to her happy ol' self now. She will just smile when you talk to her or she will talk back. She "giggles" some now- more like a long coo-- but still no true "laugh" in my opinion.

Her little snow baby suit :)

Loves:
Showers, "Flying" with her daddy--aka--being held up over our head- out in front of us (she likes "planking" ha), sleeping in her bouncer, sitting up (oh my word- she hates laying down or being cradled now!), holding her own neck up, pull herself up (her head and shoulders), chewing on anything and everything esp her fists, blowing bubbles with her mouth, hanging out with Gma Lala and having her read books! , standing up, sucking her thumb, grabbing onto your hands (really us grabbing hers) and she PULLS up and can even stand up now with not much effort :)... and when going to sleep she loves her wabanub passy :)

Her first book read to her from Gma Lala- Goodnight Moon

The "crinkle" book- she was hitting it with her hand and making faces in reaction to the noise

chewing on the teether

Looks like we have a little PERSON on our hands! I can't believe how big she is getting! Standing on her own now!

Clothes:
She has officially outgrown some of her newborn clothes with the feet in them (sigh)...

yet most 0-3 month clothes still swallow her.

just love this lil girl... she's getting too big though! :(

Most Challenging:
This poor cold of hers... stuffy/runny nose, slight coughing and worst of all her poor left goopie eye oozing :( Not fun at all... this also led to less sleep for mommy and baby... She does take her meds like a PRO and she also doesn't even fuss or cry when I shoot her nose drops in her nose and use the bulb on her nose. She is such a tough cookie :)

yummy "candy" as mom calls it... her amoxicillin... I know, I'm a horrible mom for calling her meds "candy"ha

Looking Forward to:
Getting back to our 7-9 hours of sleep and hearing that first REAL laugh :)

"trying" to go to sleep

Mommy Moments:
Friday I noticed that my hair started falling out in clumps. I knew this was coming just didn't know when... hopefully it doesn't last to long :-/
My mom was here a few days this week, wish it could have been longer; RG and I sure enjoyed having her here!

Firsts:
First real cold-- Monday Dr. M called in amoxicillin and another medicine (first took meds on Tuesday, antibiotic on Wednesday) for her cold and another med to help her get better and avoid an upper respiratory infection hopefully. They told me to continue the cold mist humidifier, saline solution spray for her nose and the bulb syringe.
Mimicking our actions (besides a smile)- blowing bubbles!
Kicking and grabbing her toys (on the play mat) intentionally!
Hitting her crinkle noise book with her hand and realizing she was the one doing it- then repeating action!
Rolling from her back to her side!
Grandma Lala reading her a book (Goodnight Moon, then Thumper and then a crinkle book!)

rolling on her side

Reading the Thumper book

chewing on the passy

shower time :)

playing video games with Daddy....

or helping Daddy play video games :)

"7 Christmases" 2011: Part 2

2012-01-16T01:27:00.000-05:00

Part 2:

Christmas Eve-Eve. My mom, step-dad and sister, Audrey. My other sister was in Texas and to be quite honest, I still have her gift and its not even wrapped-- I promise you will get it soon ha! We rushed this one a little as my parents were on their way back to the mountains to spend time with my mom's family (which we didn't get to celebrate with this year). We opened our presents at our house and Audrey opened hers in the car ha!

she loved her new tennis shoes :)

audrey thought her gift was funny? She got the new Harry Potter DVD and some coasters (bc she told K she was collecting them and he remembered, she didn't. sigh)

RG got some beautiful new clothes!

and some silly string... I never got the story behind that one? ha! my family is a hoot!