Love At First Sight

In a funk.

2011-06-27T14:57:00.003-05:00

I've been in a major blog funk for lets see.....the last 3 months! Just something about it isn't working for me anymore. It started b/c my SIL is here at my office with me every day. At work is the only time I can even get on blogger to post. Which is nearly impossible now with an audience.

I've been getting questions on how she is doing, and while respecting her privacy, I can tell you that she's still at a stand still as far as what's is going on. Upcoming events for her include: braces to fix her bite, therapy (physical & emotional) meeting with disability programs for her education & mostly her upcoming surgery in August to correct her eyes and part of her brain. It's a giant surgery and by far the most risky. She also was informed she will not be playing softball, meaning she withdrew from college officially on Friday. It's still an emotional time for everyone, but we continue to pray for her healing.

I also have been entirely too busy to edit and then post pics on here. It takes way too long to post them to blogger.

I got to meet TWO amazing blog friends of mine yesterday!! My friend Tiffany & I went to our blog friend Ashlee's baby shower where we also got to "meet" Shelly! It actually felt like I knew them already, so it was pretty natural. Their little girls are ADORABLE! I'm so glad we got to attend her shower & I look forward to getting together with them more.

It was a busy weekend, and I wish I had time to post all the pics. My entire family came in to town to celebrate a milestone for someone very close to us. Also,Gavin & his baby cousin Connor got to play at the splash park/playground for the first time together. It won't be the last time for sure! My brother from another mother, Shelby even came down. We all grew up together, so it was great to go down memory lane. We had lots of family time all weekend that we don't ever do enough. Unfortunately, Gavin was under the weather and quite the handful so I was extra busy with him.

Big news we found out over the weekend.....My sister (Connor's mommy, Lacy) announced her pregnancy to everyone! They decided to start trying again, and we are all excited. Hoping for a girl this go around. There's nothing but boy grand babies, and my mom needs her fix now! Lacy is due in the beginning of February.
And no...we aren't trying in case anyone wants to know. I'm good for now! lol.
Lacy & her family haven't moved up to Waco yet, but hopefully in the upcoming few months before she gets too big to help moving. BTW, I have to brag about my nephew. Connor is 21 months and speaking in full sentences! I wouldn't know for sure, but I think he's a genius! i was shocked to hear him talk and repeat everything his mommy said!

I've had my hands super full with work lately. We've got crews all over the place & it's my job to keep up with every.single.person. whew! Derek is working in Oklahoma, but traveling to Arkansas every week as well. Then he'll be supervising a whole part of the company in Amarillo (so far from here). I'm not looking forward to that. It's been pretty darn hard holding up the home front without him home lately. He's been coming home on Sat nights pretty late and leaving Sunday, but it's just not enough. I'm looking forward to our July 4th weekend b/c he'll be off for a few days.

We're having our kitchen done starting Wednesday!!! Finally. It isn't anything fancy, but it's better than what we have in our 70's kitchen. ugh! it's awful! But, I think I will like it and it will help us sell in the long run.

Speaking of selling. I've really put a complete halt on talking about houses for now. All we can do for now is save our money. We have a pretty good down payment, but we have to have $ to run electricity, water, sewage, etc all out to our home site until we can build and that costs a ton out in the country. I think the updated kitchen will hold me over until then though ;)

Oh yea, I can't remember if I posted about my little car accident or not. I'm still in a rental and waiting to get back in my car. I see it at the body shop on the way to work, and it makes me sad to see the whole front of it gone :( But, it will be like driving a new car when I get it back!

And I can't do a post without talking all about my baby boy!! He is becoming quite the little ham!
Favorite obsessions include his crocs(shoes) and socks. If he sees either, he comes to me, sits in my lap and puts up his foot with whatever he wants me to put on it. Just over the last week, he's become attached to a stuffed lamb of all things. I'm sure his daddy will like seeing his son walking around with a sweet, pretty, music playing lamb everywhere. lol. It's really cute though.
I've been working with his words and right now he mostly says Light, MaMa, Uh-Oh, Dada, Dee-Dee, Papa(which he doesn't even have a papa) He's trying to say Pop. lol. And I taught him excuse me just this weekend. It's more like-"coozme." It's adorable! Oh and over the last two weeks, he's grown out of his 12 month clothes and now wearing 18 months. Which could also be a reason for the crankiness along with his new teeth coming in.
He's growing up entirely too fast and doesn't want my cuddles much any more :( I wish he would stay this age forever!

And for all of you who lasted this entire post without seeing any pictures.....you are awesome! If you really want to see some pics of my adorable son, check em out on fb :)

I hope this post will hold you over until the next time I have more than 5 minutes to get on here.
XOXO.

My son is......

2011-06-09T12:05:00.002-05:00

...absolutely, 100% obsessed with his crocs. I bought them at Walmart a size too big b/c I didn't want to pass up the chance in getting him some. They were hard to find last summer. And I tried them on him a couple weeks ago. Every since then, he literally brings them to me, sits down in my lap and grunts until I put them on. And when I take them off, he cries. He even takes his naps with them on at daycare. This is one of the quirkiest things I've seen with a 1 yr old and it cracks me up!!

Here he is playing with just them and a diaper on.

...An EXCELLENT helper in the kitchen.

He loads (and unloads) the dishes for me all the time!

... Such a daddy's boy. They take the best naps together. As soon as Derek gets home, he forgets all about his Momma and clings to Derek. It's bittersweet.

...Is so silly. He doesn't play with hardly any of his toys. Mostly bowls, balls, and coasters.

...a pretty messy eater. I'm just lucky he eats so well. Most of the time.

...he is alll boy! LOVES to get completely dirty by playing in the dog water, dog pool and all the rocks and mud in eyesight!But I don't mind:)

My son is my world! I know some people that all they can think about is their personal plans and who gets to keep their kids while they go out. I on the other hand only think a bout my time spent with him. Gavin is in daycare all day. I only spend time with him before and after daycare, which consists of us getting ready or eating and only playing a short while before bed. So the weekends are all his!

It really is true, that when you have to wait for such a blessing such as a child of your own, that you truly cherish it so much more!

I can't imagine my life without him. I've been getting so many compliments lately about how good and well behaved he is too, which makes me smile from ear to ear.

Lately, all Gavin has been saying is Uh-Oh, LighT (with a strong T) and Momma!!! We're working on Dog again since he doesn't say that as much, as well as Dada which he only says now on occasion.

We play this talking game where he makes a funny wu-wu-wu sound and i do it back. And then he gets more high pitched. It's like he's trying to see who can go highest. He cracks me up!

OK, I could seriously spend all day on here talking about him, so I'll stop for now.

Maybe I'll have some time to blog again soon!

Pool time

2011-06-09T11:54:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, we broke out Gavin's pool since he enjoyed the river so much. I was the one that was supposed to get in the water with him, but he managed to sucker Derek in instead. Ha! We were surprised how much he didn't enjoy it though. We'll try it again maybe this weekend or next. Until then, Gavin is having a BLAST walking through the dog's pool and playing the the dog's water instead!

Uh Oh!

2011-06-06T11:54:00.003-05:00

Guess who found the toilet paper?

I had a hilarious video of him in the bathroom unraveling it, but it is taking entirely too long to upload.

My lil' stinker!

River Rats

2011-06-06T10:25:00.003-05:00

This post is LONG overdue, but I have had a really hard time getting these pics to upload to blogger. Is anyone else having problems with their blogger b/c I am thisclose to not blogging anymore b/c of it.

Anyway.....on Memorial Day weekend, Derek, his family, Gavin and myself all went down to the river on the new property his parents' bought. We had only been down there once before and it was not warm enough to get in the water.

This was last minute for us, so excuse the redneck swimsuits :) This is where we will be building our house next to, and we were so sooo happy that Gavin took to the water so well. We had no idea he would like it so much, but you couldn't keep the kid still. He wanted to go go go. We didn't have a life jacket for him, so we didn't get in anything deep, but he had a blast. I think this will become a regular thing to do this summer.

Splashing around with Daddy

Derek's aunt Brandi, his sister Alissa, and myself hanging out on the rocks.

Family shot, without Derek. He was too busy to pose for a pic.
Notice Gavin sliding down my leg to get back in the water!

My life in 2 weeks

2011-05-31T15:25:00.002-05:00

Talk about a major Blog Funk! Every time I got on the computer at work to blog(b/c getting on at home is impossible w/a kiddo) I had someone come into my office to visit, or just bother me by sitting there watching me work. Ha! So, unfortunately, no blogging for me lately! I'll try to sum up what's been going on with bullets :)

I've been buying and ordering and planning all the things I needed to update our kitchen at our home. It's always been the most needed, yet postponed project in my home. But, now that we know for sure we are selling, we decided to go a little cheaper and go ahead and redo it now. I got all new appliances, counter tops, backsplash & hardware and can't wait for it all to be complete. All I'm waiting on is the counter tops to be put in and then everything else can go in. I really wanted new cabinets, but since we're moving, it's an unnecessary expense.

I've also been doing tons of research on home builders, floor plans, architects & all the other things needed in order to build a home. I have a floor plan I came up with but need a professional to touch it up. It's sooo exciting, but scary all at once. There is a zillion things to think about and when you are building on a complete empty piece of land without sewer, water, electricity, etc...it's also WAY expensive to even get started. So, with that said, we're slowing down a little and focusing on getting as much for a down payment as possible. In the meantime, I can still shop and research to make sure I know exactly what I want in a home when the time comes. We're shooting for a year.

The hubs sold one of his boats and to my surprise wants to sell his other one :( As much as we LOVE going out on his boat, we just never get to any more. There's not enough time. If he wants to go fishing, he goes with his dad in the river on his parent's land. This saddens me a lot to get rid of his boat. And he JUST paid it off! But, our priorities have switched and it will go as part of our down payment we are saving for.

I've been treated for gastroparesis since I was 18. After the last few months of having complications, I went back to my gastroenterologists and he came to the conclusion that I've been misdiagnosed. My luck! After blood tests and 2 different meds, still no for sure diagnoses. Next is a stomach biopsy & endoscopy. I don't care what's wrong with me as long as it's fixed. Imagine being sick to your stomach every single time you eat. It's hell!

Work is insane. The damage from all the tornadoes are unspeakable and our company has cleanup crews working on it, making my job extra busy. I've had closeup pics & videos and stories being shown to me and it never fails to bring me to tears and leave me speechless. The weather is going nuts. I can't imagine what hurricane season will leave us with! Although good for business, it's never a happy occasion to have to go clean up from such disasters.

That's everything that's been going on in my world. I've got a couple posts with pictures to work on, so hopefully I can get them done today. That is, if nobody comes to "hang out" in my office!

M.I.A.

2011-05-24T15:45:00.002-05:00

I've been so MIA lately from blogging and reading blogs. I apologize. I'm just so super busy right now. We are in the beginning stages of house planning, Derek has been home off and on due to weather in OK, Gavin's always a handful,I've been having to go to the Dr. a few times(will explain later) & work is busy. So sorry. Hopefully, tomorrow I'll have some down time and can get on here and actually post some updates & pics and talk about my favorite little person in the world!

Hope everyone's been having a good week!
XOXO

Re-Do Weekend & Zoo Round 2

2011-05-16T09:54:00.003-05:00

This Mommy had the best "Re-Do" Mother's Day weekend ever! Derek surprised me by coming home earlier than planned on Thursday night. So, he kept Gavin all day Friday while I went to work. I went home Friday, & my awesome hubby had cleaned the house, gotten me flowers and was cooking steak on the grill. And my card was so funny. Since it was past mother's day, it was a thank you card with a baby on it. I still loved it.

We got up Saturday, had a nice breakfast & decided to make a trip to the flea market. I really wanted some flowers for my front porch & they are always so cheap there. Afterwards, we stopped by Walmart to get Derek's contacts & Gavin's pool. Then napped for like 2 1/2 hrs! And then lucky me, Daddy took Gavin to see his mom and Granny while I got to go get a pedi & go shopping!! I hit jackpot at Old Navy & then headed over to Best Buy and got a new Blue Ray player. Did you know they don't really make DVD players much anymore? Anyways, ours broke so we needed something. While waiting to pick up our Olive Garden (yum) I went and finally got some more much needed jeans at the mall too!
Afterwards, we just enjoyed our evening and watched movies together.

Sunday, we went and had breakfast & then after nap time, decided last minute to go to the zoo since last time was cut so short. (Thanks for the idea Tiff! I saw it on your fb) There were SOOO many people there, but we really enjoyed taking our time and enjoying the most beautiful weather ever! Then we went home and played until Derek had to leave to go back to Oklahoma.

I know it sounds like a pretty normal weekend for some of you, but for us it's rare to be able to do all those things together in one weekend. I'm so thankful for my amazing husband and handsome little son! I loved my Mother's Day!

My twinkies

Enjoying some down time w/my big boy

Ready to go to the zoo!

Outside the tee-pee

Rhino's sleeping

Great pic of the elephant

Gavin chasing his shadow! LOL!!

I wasn't really in the mood to take many pics of everything until the zoo. Sorry!

Discipline

2011-05-16T09:35:00.002-05:00

It's official. My son has to start being disciplined.

Before I became a parent, it was so easy for me to throw out the "my kids will not do this, and will not do that. And my kids will learn how to behave, etc."

So much easier said than done. So, you know how I've been complaining of sleepless nights and Gavin being sick? Well that WAS the case at first. Then it just got out of control the last week. I was sleeping on a pallet in his room with him every night just to get him to stop crying. And it was pretty obvious he was just crying for me. I'm all about crying it out and have done it in the past. I know it works. But the older he gets, the worse the cries are & they are SO MUCH WORSE!

Anyways, I waited for Derek to get home to start the "crying it out" again. He cried every night this weekend except last night. HALLELUJAH!!

Along with the awful nights of him crying and being super duper clingy to me everywhere I walked, Gavin has been just a hot mess at all times. So fussy. I seriously was at my whits end with my once-happy kid.

So, I've been reading a lot, talking with his doctor and getting advice from friends & finally went to my big sister for her advice. She said "it's time you show him who's boss and start disciplining him."

NOOOOOooooo!!! He's so young! Surely it can't be time. He doesn't know better!

Well, we started having to give him a strong NO & telling him it's not ok to act that way and what do ya know? It works! Luckily, we haven't had to do time-outs yet. But I'm not looking forward to that b/c I know my kid will just get up and play wherever he is.

The funniest thing about disciplining him, is that he stops what he's doing, sticks out his bottom lip, says a little "humf" and walks off & pouts quietly. It is the.cutest.thing.ever!

I can't believe I'm already having to do this with my ONE year old! Who know I'd be such a pushover.

This parenting thing is hard sometimes :)

Second Chance

2011-05-09T10:52:00.003-05:00

My Mother's Day weekend was a little unexpected. This is a downer post, so don't read if you don't want to hear about my woah is me story.....

Derek has been gone for 2 weeks & we were SO looking forward to spending the weekend together. I had a week from hell with Gavin and his lack of sleeping and just crankiness by myself. Mommy needed a break BAD!
Well, long story short, daddy had to stay in OK and work and can't come home till this weekend. Totally ruined my weekend. I even had the yard done to surprise him, so he wouldn't have to do it when he got home.

And to kick me while I was down, my FIL(boss) asked me to come to work yesterday to get all his stuff ready for him to head to Alabama to work on tornado cleanup. I cried.

Then, Gavin & I ended up going to my parent's house, which was not in the plan b/c my mom and I decided this weekend was a free weekend without plans and dinners and guests. She's been busy and we both decided not to make a big deal out of it. Anyways, I spent the majority of the afternoon there & what started small turned in to my mom cooking dinner for 6 people and us getting home at 9 last night.

So I've declared this weekend "Re-Do Day." Seriously, Derek and I are celebrating Mother's Day this weekend. I'm sending my mom flowers this weekend. And I haven't actually talked to anyone who had a great Mother's Day b/c many hubbies suck at gift giving. So this weekend will be a second chance. We're doing it, so I thought I'd get the word out so I'm not the only one celebrating a week late. Good idea huh?

I just hope Gavin snaps out of his mood and lets us enjoy our weekend.

Let me just say though that this is just what happens sometimes in a regular Mother's world. Kids don't always stay happy and Mom's don't have great days every day. BUT, I really wouldn't change it for the world b/c I am SOOO belssed and lucky to be called a Mom. Even with everything Gavin & I have been through the last couple weeks, I'm just honored to be able to spend that time with him and to get big hugs and kisses from my little man even when he's being a stinker! Being a Mommy is the best feeling in the world!

Teary Eyed & Clingy

2011-05-03T15:30:00.002-05:00

Those are two of the most frustrating signs of separation anxiety. Gavin has it BAD! This pretty much just started out of nowhere! He has always been so good with strangers and it's not like I just leave him with random people either. We do the same thing every day. But for the last two weeks, Gavin has been waking up crying and not wanting to go to bed when I lay him down.

And then today, the dreaded happened.... He FREAKED OUT when I was leaving him at daycare to go to work :( I did everything right. Gave him a kiss, said goodbye, walked away & got in my car. Then cried my eyes out. lol.

To be honest, I'm exhausted. Daddy hasn't been home in a week & 1/2 and Gavin has been like this every.single.second. I can't even pee without him crying that I'm not with him.

I told D, that this mother's day, I'm sleeping in and taking a loonnnnggg nap! lol. It is a little gratifying that we have formed a bond that is obvious now, and he wants his mommy. But, it's tough when you are the only one at home to do everything.

This is a pointless post, I know. I just keep repeating what my mom always says. "This too shall pass!" It just needs to hurry up!!

Giveaway!

2011-05-02T09:46:00.003-05:00

Hey guys! My sweet friend TIffany is doing a giveaway from her blog The Pifer Family, and it's for a $100 gift card! You don't want to pass it up.

Purina Pro Selects had her sample their product for her adorable pups and hearing her review has convinced me to go ahead and give it a shot too. See, my dogs aren't just chubby, they are FAT and I was JUST thinking about trying a healthier food, so now I will :)
Thanks Tiff!

So head over to her blog and click on her link to enter for the $100 g.c.!!

Latest surgery

2011-04-28T13:36:00.002-05:00

Update on Alissa:

She had another surgery on Wednesday to work on her face. They ended up taking a chunk of her skull to build her nose-which looks amazing!! You won't even be able to tell she had her nose rebuilt. And they fixed the indent/huge hole in her forehead. And they fixed where her tracheotomy was. It was a big flap and scar on her neck. She is in a great deal of pain and had to stay overnight from not feeling well, but she is home now and we just enjoyed some nice yummy brisket together! So glad she is eating again! Oh and they took all the wires out of her gums and mouth making it easier to eat. So now she will rest until Monday, then has an appointment in Austin to see a specialist about fixing her eyes. He's the only person in TX who will consider it. Please send prayers her way that he will take a chance. She won't look normal again until her eyes are fixed and her doctors refuse to do it. Then on next Thursday, she goes back to Dallas for a followup from her surgery and to remove all the stitching. Unfortunately, since they took part of her skull, she has a ton more staples and a bald patch on her head again. This makes her pretty upset, but she has a wig that she can wear if she wants to go anywhere :)
That's all for now...

1 yr Stats

2011-04-28T10:09:00.004-05:00

I'm a bad mom. I forgot to post Gavin's one year stats. Really, I am only doing it for myself, so I can compare and look back on. Let's see if I can remember everything he does....

Weight: 24 lbs!! now at 75%. He's slowed way down gaining weight from being on the go!

In size 4 diapers and 12-18 mo clothes, size 4W shoes

Height: 31 1/4inches. still 95% which is no surprise. His daddy's pretty tall.

Words he can say: Uh-Oh (he says his from the time he wakes up till the time he goes to sleep!)

Ma-Ma, Da-Da, Do (Dog), Ba(Ball), I just taught him light and he points to it. Yea Yea, Hi, Bye Bye...Goodness! I can't remember everything he says. lol. Pretty much anything I tell him too, he tries then goes right back to saying uh-oh. LOL!!

Is learning to RUN! It's more of a speed-walk right now. He is everywhere!!! I only keep a couple doors in my house shut, and the rest is his play ground. Which would be easy to believe if you walked in my house right now. It's so hard to keep it picked up.

Puts himself to sleep most of the time. I have to occassionally hold him. Sleeps great once he's down. But will probably always be an early riser.

Drinks only from a sippy. Started cow's milk at 11 1/2 mo.

I don't give him baby food anymore, which has made feeding him a little harder. Depends on his mood but he eats pretty good for a 1 yr old. Just isn't a fan of veggies.

He loves all fruits and his favorite meat is Chicken nuggets. Will eat bread and macaroni for every meal if I let him.

Of all the toys he has strung all over the place, his favorite is his ball popper. Which is SO annoying! Other favorites include little trucks and cars, tupperware, & pillows. lol.

We walk every day and he's become very popular in my neighborhood. He waves at everyone he sees and says a lot of Hi's.

Gavin now gives me books to read on demand. This just melts my heart that I have a kiddo that loves books!

We still have Baby Einstein time on a regular basis when I shower or need to do something without his help. I try to keep it at a minimum though b/c he watches My Baby Can Read in the car every day. <-- which is pretty boring I must say.

Mickey Mouse and Backyardigans always catch his attention when they sing-and always gets him dancing! It's so cute!

His favorite person besides his momma is his Great Granny. He sure loves her!!

We've started the major separation anxiety stage. I honestly thought we bypassed this, but boy was I wrong! It's bad. I'm not gonna lie. Hopefully it doesn't last too long. At least he does well at daycare.

OK, I think that may be it. I'm sure I'm missing something, but there's so SO MUCH going on in my little toddler's world. I just love him to pieces. There's never a dull day in my life with him. I'm so blessed!!!

1st trip to the zoo

2011-04-28T09:58:00.004-05:00

It was so nice to have Derek home for more than 1 1/2 days this past weekend. We took the opportunity to do as much as we could as a family, including going to the zoo. We procrastinated, but finally made it there just in time to see all the big animals.

Gavin & Daddy in front of the fish pond

Watching the tigers

It was so funny. They were acting like regular house cats playing and pouncing each other!

Hanging out by the waterfall.

The new Orangatan

This little guy was a cutie!

The lion catching the breeze

Derek's favorite animal-the rhino in the background

My favorite animal-giraffe in the background. It was dinner time for them, so it was waiting at it's door to go eat.

It was way hot that day so Gavin wasn't too amused. I'm glad we got to go though. I'm pretty sure I had more fun than both the boys. Derek got to push the stroller around with a flat tire. lol. Next time, we'll see all the animals and visit the splash park!

Can't wait!

Hunker Down!

2011-04-27T11:30:00.003-05:00

(Our storm shelter)

We had some pretty crappy weather come through our community last night and man was I scared!!! Derek had left for work out of state a few hours before. And I had just gotten Gavin to bed, when my phone started ringing with everyone telling me to take cover b/c there were tornadoes. I am TERRIFIED of tornadoes. I was in one when I was about 5 or 6 and my mom has always been scared of them, so it's really aweful when one comes near us. I got Gavin out of his crib and took him in the hallway with the dogs and Hunkered down!!!

I could hear the crazy winds and humming and our chairs hitting the windows, but luckily, nothing severe happened. I saw quite a bit of damage in my small town, but nothing severe.Derek made me stay on the phone with him the whole time too b/c he was so scared for us. He could hear the winds and storm through the phone.

Whew! That was scary!

Of course, Gavin thought that I brought him into the hall to play with the dogs, so he ended up not going back to bed till 11:30!!! AND proceeded to wake up every hour.

It was a lonnnnggg night!

Did I mention I hated tornadoes....

Gavin's 1st Easter

2011-04-27T09:54:00.008-05:00

Sorry it has taken me this long to post, but blogger did not want to upload any of my pictures.

Although Gavin is one, this was his first Easter b/c last year's Easter was before his birthday.

So we really enjoyed seeing everything through his eyes this year. Saturday night we had a wedding to go to, so Gavin stayed with his NieNie & Pops. Which worked out perfectly b/c I had a lot of cooking to do first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, I had no idea they would do an egg hunt, otherwise, I would have packed some cuter clothes for pictures!!! Oh well.

Gavin getting sugars from their dog Junie-B. He sure loves animals!

Helping Aunt JoJo pick up eggs.

You can tell he's saying "Uh-Oh" his favorite word in the world!

Figuring out what eggs are all about.

After his daddy brought him home, Gavin got to see what the Easter Bunny brought him.

p.s. He did have more stuff but he got to it before the picture.

My favorite thing to make, dyed deviled eggs!

Having fun with his Easter basket

After we spent the majority of our day with my family, we headed home for a minute and then headed over to Derek's grandparent's for a fish-fry.

This was the ONLY nap Gavin got on Sunday and it only lasted 20 minutes!

We had to do another egg hunt at his Granny's. He had it all figured out by now.

Even without a good nap, he was so happy!

The only descent picture of us three.

Alissa's Benefit turnout

2011-04-18T10:13:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was the benefit for my SIL Alissa at the Hog Creek Icehouse. For those of you who are local, you know the place is big. And when I got there, I couldn't even walk in the door. It was PACKED!! I'm really at a loss of what all to say about it b/c it was just so overwhelming the amount of love that went into it. There were SOOO many items for auction from candles, to furniture, to autographed memorabilia. And then there were shirts being sold (which they didn't have my size so I didn't get one) and there were drawings for 3 guns. Hey, it's a small town-we give away guns around here. LOL! Derek won a Rifle, but gave it back to be auctioned off, and it brought in $1250! And the big tickets raffle was for a guided Nilgai hunt. Don't ask me what that is though. There were amazing singers who entertained everyone. And so many familiar faces that really melted the entire families' heart to see. Alissa did pretty well and was sooo happy to see everyone. She managed to stay for the majority of the time.Her whole softball team even packed up and made the drive to come support her. Her team and another softball team(Howard Payne University) had shirts made for her and they were all sporting them. Along with the bracelets made for her as well. I think a lot of burgers were sold, but I know they missed out a lot on burger sales b/c they were so backed up. The wait to eat was 1 1/2 hrs!!! And leave it to me to not take a single picture. I was hoping there was one photographer there that would take pictures for the family, but I think that was the last thing anyone was worrying about. I did see the newpaper photographer there, so I can't wait to get the paper on Thursday & see what it has in it! So far, the total raised from the benefit & all the items sold at the benefit equal around $25,000! Un.Be.Lievable! To give you an idea of what it will go to, her medical bill within the first month of being in the hospital was already about $100,000. The money raised yesterday will probably help pay for her therapy, as insurance does not cover that. She will have to go through extensive therapy to get her brain working correctly before she starts school again. We did find out that the guy who's cow she hit, only has insurance for $100,000 and it's obvious that her bills exceed that! Although there's some criticism on her getting a new truck, her insurance did pay for that, so every bit of the benefit money will help for the medical expenses in such a great way!! Here she is posing w/her new truck. That thing is so big, no cow will go through her window again!!

Right now, she has a scheduled surgery planned for next Tuesday the 26th. Her eyes, nose, hole in her forehead, and some scars were all supposed to be fixed in this surgery. Unfortunately, it looks like her eyes will not be. Her right eye still won't open all the way & it sticks out kind of. She can see only a little bit out of it. Her left eye is sunken in b/c all the bones around it are broken. So in order to fix the left eye, there's a high chance of her losing vision leaving her w/the crappy vision in her right eye. They don't want to take the chance. So without the eye surgery, everything else is considered cosmetic. And leave it to health insurance to try and get out of paying for it! Her nose is crushed and she has a hole in her forehead! It needs to be fixed. Please pray that she can have her surgery. It will be one of the last & I know she needs it!

Anyways, I'm just so happy the benefit went well & people are so amazing and generous! Derek's family did not want any money given to them and not once have asked for help or money. People just want to do the right thing and give what they can anyway. Amazing!

Dear Gavin,

2011-04-13T13:46:00.007-05:00

One year ago, today, you were brought into this world. I cannot believe a whole year has passed by already. I can't even picture my life without you now. You are truly the love of my life.

A year ago, your daddy and I were terrified of becoming parents. We had no clue what we were doing or if we would be good parents. You gave us a run for our money in the beginning, but it was totally worth it. These days, you are the brightest, happiest and most fun kid around. You have such a personality of your own and are always up to something funny. You're walking, talking and just an independant little guy who doesn't need any help doing anything. Although, you haven't forgotten who your mommy and daddy are. You go to me for sugars and cuddles and when you have a boo-boo & you go to daddy when you want to wrestle and play chase. We have had the time of our lives getting to know this little person we can call ours. There isn't a day that goes by that you don't surprise us or do something new. It is the neatest thing to see you grow and learn.

I can't wait to celebrate many, many more birthdays with you.

Happy FIRST Birthday to my favorite person in the whole entire world. Gavin Lee!

I love you Boogers!

Click on the collage below to see some pictures from the last year.

Sunday Funday

2011-04-12T10:34:00.004-05:00

To extend our weekend w/my family that was in town for Gavin's Birthday, my sisters and I took our boys to the old park we used to go to when we were kids. Our attempt at taking a good picture of the four of them was unsuccessful, but we still had fun! It was in thr morning and already 85 degrees, so we didn't stay longer than an hour. It is SO hard to take good pics w/your hands full from a toddler wanting to play!

He sure loved the swing. It almost put him to sleep, he was so relaxed. I can't wait to get his put up this weekend in our back yard. My nephews Carson and Camron

Gavin had fun walking the trail w/Carson

The best of a million attempts of all 4 boys smiling

Lacy & I couldn't resist the swings. It's been years since we've done that!

Sara & the boys couldn't resists either :) She actually said she forgot how to swing. lol.

Weee!

Gavin's First Birthday Party!

2011-04-12T09:26:00.006-05:00

Saturday, the 9th, we celebrated Gavin's First Birthday w/a party at our house. I tried everything to keep it simple and still managed to run out of time. lol. I seriously was throwing things together at the last second all thanks to the Birthday Boy who wouldn't take his regular nap. Everyone but about 4 people showed up, so we had a very full house; about 30 people! Gavin had a blast, once he snapped out of his shock to see everyone. He is the most entertaining kid, never knows a stranger. His Daddy and I were very proud of his hosting abilities :) Aftter attempting to get him to eat his cake (that he HATES) he opened gifts and played with each one after they were opened. First time I've seen a kid not want to play w/paper. He got soo many fun toys and money to buy some other goodies. I'm getting him a pool and DVD player for the car this week w/the $$. Anyways, we were WAY happy to see everyone after everything that has been going on. I know it was a great distraction for my inlaws. Alissa made it and did very well to, minus the little nap she had to take, bless her heart! After the party, we were exhausted!!!!!!! Gavin fell asleep eating dinner in his high chair at 7:00. lol. Next year, we're going out to eat. Ha Ha!!

I was so proud of my Baby Einstein Cake I made all by myself! Oh and check out the fun Caterpillar craft I made behind it!

Gavin and Parker playing w/daddy's old Tonka trucks & Amber, Derrick & Carolee!

Cody & Derek Me & the Birthday Boy!

Kelli & Parker Jenn & Sweet Kyndal!

Gavin playing his new drums Checking out his new Elmo! His favorite!

About to get very upset about the icing on his finger. lol.

Daddy & his nose picker My sis Lacy, Connor & Gavin playing w/Elmo

After the party, so tired and HOT! It was 90 degrees!

Look Who's Turning One!

2011-04-07T10:18:00.001-05:00

So much going on.

2011-04-06T13:27:00.002-05:00

This will be one of those long boring post about everything that's been going on with us lately. So read at your own risk. Who knew that Alissa coming home would make things even MORE busy? I'm not complaining, just surprised. Since Alissa has come home, it's been a constant flow of guests and family coming to her house. Since I work on one side of the house in the home office, I get to be around for all of it. Alissa is making great progress. She's still extremely weak, but we take several walks a day to get some fresh air. You can tell it's getting easier every day for her to walk. The first day, she could barely stand on her own. She's lost 25 lbs! Tons of people have brought food and gifts and just stopped by to see her. Most of the time, she'll put on a brave face and play host to keep everyone smiling, but she's still in a great deal of pain. We've had many, many talks about life in general. With her brain injury, she's become extremely more emotional, so it doesn't take much to get her started on reflecting on her life. She wants to go on and do big things in life and make a difference wherever she can since this all happened. I'm glad something good has come out of this. With the wreck and all the traveling for his job, Derek and I have been going through a couple rough patches. Her accident has affected everyone, and we're no exception. Nothing to worry about, but hopefully things will get easier soon now that she's home. I haven't had time to get anything done, so my stress levels are pretty high at the moment. I've done everything possible to keep Gavin's party simple, but still don't have time to get everything done. It's going to be this Saturday and I'm just glad to see my family and friends and for everyone to get a break from all the stress. And Alissa will be able to come, which is so great! I have some news: First, my big sister Lacy has announced that she and her family are moving back to Waco, from Houston. They literally just bought a huge house in Houston and got settled in! But her hubby got a great new job offer locally and they have decided that it's worth taking. It will be a few months b/c he has to get settled and get new clients before she quits her job there. But I am sooooo excited about her coming back! She's one of my best friends and now Gavin & Connor will be able to grow up together!! Yay! Other news: After everything that has gone on with Alissa, and with great discussion, Derek and I have decided to not wait on......building a house. LOL. Had ya excited huh? I know I've talked about how we have plans on building a house out in the country in about 5 yrs, but we are going to go ahead and get started on the process now. We were two days away from closing on refinancing our home, but canceled it Monday b/c it's harder to buy/build after you refinance. So, we're pinching pennies, looking at house plans, and are about to start meeting with contractors and get started in hopefully only a year from now. His parents have to deed us some land on the new property they bought, and we have to obviously sell our house first, but I'm so excited that the process is not waiting. This way, I won't be worried about building and moving when Gavin is starting school and I could possibly have another baby by then. We've just recently gotten so sick of the location of our house now. And the town has grown soo much that we really just want to get out and get some privacy & quiet. Anyways..... Oh, I took Gavin and had his birthday pictures done yesterday. They turned out pretty cute and I had sooo many to choose from. Once I get them, I'll upload to my blog. In the process, I learned that he is NOT a fan of touching his birthday cake. I'm sure his party will be very interesting when we try to get him to smash his cake :) Hope everyone has a great rest of the week. I'll be back to post after his party this weekend!

She's Home!!

2011-04-01T12:07:00.003-05:00

Alissa got to finally come home from the hospital yesterday!! It was rough getting her here b/c she was still sick, but she made the trip and is safe and sound in her new fancy bed. I was surprised at how much Alissa had to talk about, but she was just so glad to see everyone. We welcomed her home by decorating her room and house up and someone put a big welcome home sign on the gate entrance to her house. She just started crying when she drove up. It was so overwhelming for her. And her dog Izzy was happy too :) She will be going back to Parkland in a couple weeks for the doctors to take a look at her wounds to make sure everything looks good. They may discuss her upcoming surgeries on her face then. Her right eye is taped shut b/c although she can see a little(praise God), she sees double for now. It's still healing. When it's open, it makes her even more dizzy then usual. She's in a ton of pain coming off of morphine, but you wouldn't know by looking at her. She still sits up and wants to put on a brave face for everyone around her. Her hair is slowly growing back and she's thinner than ever, but the latter part makes her happy. lol. Derek's coming home this weekend and is going to straighten up her hair with his clippers. You know that the hospital isn't trying to give any haircuts, they just want it off. Poor girl has a little mullet in the back. We sat and talked this morning and she is just so blessed at all the support and prayers coming from all over. It chokes her up every time she talks about it. She said that this has become such a life changer for her and the way she treats people and acts. She wants to be a better person. I love the girl, but she is definitely stubborn and is hard to get thru to. So, I think that part of her will change. I think it's changed the entire family in one way or another. Her dad, also my boss, is already so much nicer!! We couldn't be more relieved for her to be home and will be spending tons of time together! This is a long road to go through, but she is doing great and it can only be uphill from here. Thank you again for all your prayers!

Benefit

2011-03-31T11:10:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone,

For those of you that are local, I thought I'd post the info for Alissa's upcoming benefit.

Sunday, April 17th

1-6 pm

Hog Creek Icehouse, Speegleville

There will be a live band & silent auction going on. And the restraunt has offered for every burger bought, $1 of it will go to the benefit as well. So come hungry! If you would like to make a donation to the auction or just a cash donation, you can email me at my link on the right side of my blog & I can make sure it gets received.

Alissa is going to try to make it out at least for an appearance. I know that she is completely overwhelmed at the outpouring of support and love and prayers she's been receiving and is so thankful! These medical bills are already hitting the mailbox fast. Although they have insurance, and the wreck was not her fault, the bills have to be paid. And what little will be paid by insurance, won't make much of a dent in the total number.

Yesterday, we were so excited. Alissa was supposed to come home. The drain tube came out of her back & she was finally escaping the hospital. But of course, there was a setback. She became extremely sick, throwing up. And had a migraine. I haven't spoken with anyone this morning, but I know last night was very rough & her mom said she just won't even eat anything anymore. So this isn't good. I hope it's just a quick virus she got and not a side effect or reaction to anything that would keep her in the hospital longer. I'm continuing to pray for her b/c although she's getting better, she still has a very long road ahead of her.

Walking!!!

2011-03-28T12:15:00.002-05:00

This weekend, Gavin took off and finally started walking for real! He's been taking steps since he was 9 months old and I wasn't sure when he would be brave enough to just go for it. Then a couple weeks ago, he was taking 4 steps at a time. Now, he is all over the place. I just could not get a good video of his walking far, but this will do. I'm glad I at least got it on video.

He's also added to his new legs, with a whole new vocabulary. Just as we started walking this weekend, he also started making sounds he's never made and also copying every word we tell him to say. The cuutest one is "Hat" b/c he says it so clearly. LOL! I have to get the one on video too.

This first video isn't much and the TV is blasting! Apparently, the more gavin talks, the more my hubby turns the TV up. He crashed into me at the end too. And yes, my living room is the official toy room.

And here's a much better video from this morning. Isn't he the cutest boy ever? I'm such a proud Mommy!

Giveaway!

2011-03-28T11:26:00.002-05:00

Hey guys! My friend Lea Liz over at The Roland's Blog is doing a super great giveaway for Whistle Britches. It's an Etsy store that makes baby boutique clothes. I just lover some of her stuff and I know you will to!

Go over to Lea's blog and enter to win!

Frustrated

2011-03-24T09:24:00.003-05:00

Hey guys. I think I can speak for Alissa (my SIL I've been talking about) and the entire family when I say that frustration has set in.
She has been in that hospital since February 16th and just when things look positive, there's a delay in her release. The last time I wrote about her, the Neuro surgeons decided to enter a drain tube into her spine, to drain the CSF fluid (brain fluid surrounding the brain) out from her spine.There whas been a leak coming out of her nose from day 1. She needed her nose cavity to heal and it wasn't doing this b/c of all the fluid. So, this procedure alone, was extremely painful for her and put her back in ICU b/c of the difficulty with it. I think that was last Friday.

After several different CAT scans, they finally discovered where the leak was coming from and planned her 30 min to an hr long surgery on Monday. The surgery would consists of taking fat from her stomach and putting it into the hole to stop the leak. During surgery, they found another hole that they didn't see before and went ahead and patched it up as well. This made things much more difficult b/c they weren't aware of how long her brain was being exposed from the holes. In order to do the surgery, they had to go back into the cut from ear to ear she already had, and go into her brain from there. The surgery ended up taking 7 hours!

Alissa was making such hopeful progress. Her hair was growing back, her scar was closed. She was walking and able to go to the bathroom again. She was feeling the end. Now, she's back on bed rest, with a cathetar. Her head is shaved. She's got staples in her head again. She's got a tube up her back. And she is just flat out miserable. And to top this all off, the dr's say they missed the deadline to repair her nose and her eye sockets which are both broken. They can still be fixed, but it will be very difficult now. Something about the way they heal after so long. IDK.

So, she's stuck on the neuro floor for this week, and they are monitoring her leak to make sure it stopped. And again, it's all a waiting game. I know she thought she was coming home this week b/c she wrote on my facebook that she couldn't wait. But now she's stuck there. Nobody knows what will happen next.

This just breaks my heart for her. She's so angry at everyone now and extremely frustrated. The bad part is that she's going through all of this stuff all over again, but actually knows what's going on now. For several weeks, when this all started, she had no idea of anything. One person, especially a 19 year old, should not have to endure so much pain. She's realizing her life is different and that she looks different. I cannot even fathom what is going through her mind right now.

I just found out that there will be a benefit for her locally to help raise money for medical expenses. And this really warms my heart. It's in the early stages, but I know it will turn out great and hopefully lift up her spirits.

I'm just asking for everyone to please keep praying for her right now. And my parent in laws as well. This is taking a toll on everyone in he family, especially them.
Last night, some very well known traveling evangelists prayed over Alissa and her parents and I'm hoping that it helped lift her up at least a little.

When I get any more news, I'll be sure to update.

And again, thank you everyone for the prayers!

videos!

2011-03-22T13:09:00.002-05:00

I finally FINALLY had a chance to wait all day for a few videos to upload so I can share on here. I got a flip cam a few months ago and I'm no pro yet, but I occassionally get a good short video of gavin at his best. Or craziest. I seriously have one silly kid on my hands. p.s. Don't mind anything in the background. We're remodeling our laundry room.

Here's Gavin rolling over my foot with his walker. I think the sound I make is what makes him laugh so hard. It's so contagious too!

If I hear him talking to himself in the living room, I usually find him "reading." It's so sweet.

This video was a week ago, so obviously he's gotten better. But it's the only video so far I have of him walking. Please ignore the hubby's work clothes ;)

The first time we heard Gavin doing this sound, we thought he was choking. Now it's an every day, all day occurance. Don't ask me what he's doing but it sure is funny!

Still alive

2011-03-16T15:07:00.002-05:00

Just writing a quick post to let everyone know I'm still alive around here. I've taken pictures and stored in my head all the stuff I want to talk about, but I just don't have time. Work is just insanely busy, and since work & family go hand in hand, my personal life is just as busy.
I'm sad I never did a 10 OR 11 month post for Gavin either. I'm trying to catch up on everyone's blogs, but dont' have time to leave comments yet.
This week, Derek's aunt and I have been working on getting Alissa's room set up at her parents' house. She was supposed to have surgery on Tuesday, but it's been delayed until they can tell where she has fluid in the brain leaking. It's been that way from day 1, but it's a concern now due to the way she is starting to not make sense. Scary stuff. She got the CAT scan today (after 2 failed attempts) and hopefully will know tomorrow when she is coming home and when her big surgery will be to fix everything else. It's just a huge stressful waiting game.
Gavin is amazing. He's still learning to walk and can take several steps, until he realizes he's walking and sits down. lol.
He weighed 23 lbs on Monday when he turned 11 months & his words of the week are "Uh, Uh, Ohhhh" & "Mama."
If it weren't for him being so amazing, I probably would have met my breaking point by now with all the stress I'm under.
He's my angel.
:)

OK, this post took me two hours to complete. Hopefully, I'll post again soon when things calm down.

I'm such a Mom

2011-03-09T09:57:00.004-06:00

What you are looking at is a very obvious sign I'm a Mommy. Every morning, I have to have a Dr. Pepper. Get's me going. Especially lately since it seems like Gavin has another ear infection and isn't sleeping well. (Going to the Dr. today)

So part of my routine in the mornings involves putting my Dr. Pepper in my cup holder in my car & then loading up Gavin for daycare. Once I get to work, I bring in my stuff & set my D.P. down on my desk in t he same spot. Exciting huh?

About 30 minutes into my workday, I go to get a drink and I see this. A sippy cup w/juice in it. And no Dr. Pepper in sight.

Yep, I'm definitely a mom. lol.

Oops.

Pretty smile

2011-03-07T10:35:00.004-06:00

Well, Derek & I got to witness again, just an amazing miracle in action. He, Gavin & myself went to Dallas this weekend to hang out with Alissa. Last time we were there, she was starting to communicate & interact but still seemed confused. She couldn't talk, walk on her own or even go to the bathroom on her own.

But what a week it's been!

She can walk (still dizzy so it's assisted), talk with her tracheotomy & lucky for her, shower and go to the bathroom!! You KNOW that must make a huge difference!

When we went to see her, she was sitting up in her bed, drinking juice, saying a few things & just being herself. You can tell she's emotional, but is very aware of what's going on now. And has come to terms with it. Just a week ago, she was depressed about her face & had to be restrained at all times just so she wouldn't pull her tubes out. Now, she's accepted all of it. She even said at one point, "Isn't it crazy how things happen this way?"

Although sad, it's great to hear her talk like this. In a reflective manner. It's a good sign that she is strong enough to handle all the emotional struggles to follow.

She is in therapy b/c she isn't moving normally yet. Still needs to work on walking and brushing her teeth, etc. But she's back to texting. lol.

Her upcoming surgeries consist of:

Repairing eye sockets

Repairing broken nose

Correcting her eye lids-one won't blink & one won't open

removing her trach & feeding tube

and a big one is to repair a torn artery below her ear

Today she will be having her right eye checked again to see if she is regaining vision. With the progress she has made, they've discussed doing a surgery tomorrow, but I don't know which one.

Again, it's just a waiting game.

The good news is, she's doing great, staying positive & will be home soon.

Here's a pic of her yesterday w/her new Coach sunglasses she seems to be loving! She's got her smile back with her pretty teeth :)

Weekend & updates

2011-02-28T11:38:00.002-06:00

I've been super busy taking care of everything at the office, and for my MIL ,and my FIL. They are both still up in Dallas with Alissa leaving me to take care of everything here.

I'm not complaining though. Whatever I can do to help.

So anyways, sorry for the lack of posts.

This weekend, my bestie Jenn and her adorable girl Kyndal spent the day hanging out with us.

Kyndal is such a ham. Always smiling. I could just eat her up.

Gavin however, decided to become a jealous boy & ever since has been making me almost pull my hair out. He actually pulled my hair out for me this morning.

He must be going through a stage b/c he was a HANDFUL this weekend! I feel bad for his daycare today.

How stinkin' cute are they?

Sunday, Gavin spent the day at my parents' again so I could go visit Alissa & see Derek.

He's in Oklahoma working, so we just met up in Dallas.

Alissa got moved to a room yesterday, which is great news! She looked completely different from a week ago. But she's had her face rebuilt since the last I saw her. She can't open her right eye at all & the optometrist is giving her optic nerve a couple weeks to see if it will heel on it's own. If not, she will be blind in her right eye. Her left eye is good and she was able to get to read a couple cards yesterday!

Once the optometrist says ok, they will perform surgery to correct her eye sockets and place her eyes where they are supposed to sit on her face (they are sunken in) and they will rebuild her nose.

She still has her feeding tubes & tracheotomy in until all the surgeries are complete. I've mentioned she's a handful for the nurses and I wasn't lying! She is on 24/7 watch b/c even with her hands tied down, she turns just the right way and starts ripping things out! OUCH!!

That poor girl just wants everything OUT!

Although she knows what is going on around her and remembers everything about everyone, she doesn't always remember what happened to her, so she is reminded daily of why she is there. It's so sad b/c she feels her face & gets really depressed b/c she thinks she looks funny. This is also causing her to deny visitors :( I know it will take time and this is only the beginning of what she will endure mentally.

But Alissa has got SO many supporters and people praying for her. It doesn't matter what she looks like, she will always have a million friends and people loving her!

I'm leaving you with a picture her mom just sent me that made me cry.

Alissa truly is making such miraculous recovery and walked for the first time today!!

Praise God!

Need some help...

2011-02-23T15:40:00.002-06:00

Hey guys!

So, I've been thinking & planning for Gavin's 1st birthday party lately. And although it won't be big, I'm going w/the Baby Einstein Theme since it is his FAVORITE!

But I've looked and looked and just am not having luck finding someone to make him a shirt.

I've gotten on Etsy, and there is one that does t-shirts for boys w/the caterpillar, but it just looks really cheap (not to sound picky), but in experience, I know that cheap shirts fit him funny.

I REALLY like the one in this picture below, but they only do the whole set together. Is there anyone on here that can help me out making him a t-shirt that looks like the one pictured below w/maybe his name on it?

p.s. I'm hoping to have it in about a month so I can do pictures.

Thanks everyone!

Here's his bib, that I'm not in love with. But, I don't mind buying a better one to go w/the shirt also.

Alissa's Car

2011-02-23T09:36:00.003-06:00

***WARNING***

***GRAPHIC CONTENT!!***

If you have a weak stomach, please do not open!!

I got all the pictures from Alissa's wreck & thought I would post a few of her car.

It will be clear to you just how lucky she is to be alive.

Yesterday was her facial reconstructive surgery. It took the Dr's 11 long hours to do the whole thing. It included, rebuilding her jaw & fixing her teeth, putting metal plates in her forehead & cheeks, & working on her eye sockets & also working on her nose. Once all of that swelling goes down, she will go back to get a new bridge for her nose & what was described at a screen behind her eyes to hold them in place instead of sunken in.

She's just in a ton of pain now, but we're all glad the hard part is over. She's made it over the hill with the support of everyone around her including God!

If you look closely, you can see the hair on the right of the car from the bull.

The tree is from when her friend grabbed the wheel to get them out of traffic and ran off the road.

Progress

2011-02-21T11:08:00.002-06:00

Well for those of you wondering, I have a new update on my SIL Alissa. I spent the weekend up in Dallas and did not know what to expect. When I got there, she was so sedated, that I didn't get to see if she had made any progress. I was told she was nodding her head "yes" when asked if she could hear, and was shaking her hands for them to be held.
I was able to see her after she had been cleaned up and her head patched up. I thought they were just fixing up where they had drilled holes, but she actually underwent a brain surgery to fix the exposed brain. The hole in her forehead was from the impact. She looked much better, but still aweful at the same time w/her head shaved and staples from ear to ear. And much other stuff coming out off her head and neck and arms.
She's been on a ventalator until yesterday which is awesome! And you won't believe the progress she has made in just a couple days!
The second day I was there, she was nodding her head, moving her arms to scratch her nose!, moving her legs (so is not paralized!) moving her lips to try and talk, asking for her mom, trying to sit up! and even opened her eyes twice!
Now, she can't talk b/c of her trech & she can't open her eyes b/c of the damage, and she couldn't sit until they got a CT, but now she is able to sit meaning she doesn't have spine damage and they have given her a writing board to write notes on.
Alissa was actually being a little silly w/her softball coach and making funny hand gestures w/attitude that they do when they have a game. And she told her to shut up with her mouth. She hit a nurse and counted to 3 w/her fingers b/c they weren't letting her know when they were going to move her.
Man, that girl is strong and stubborn. I was told last night though that they had to strap her down b/c she's starting to get mad and want up. I guess that's a good thing. She has so much of a fight in her and will not let this change the person she is.
On a great note, she is supposed to have her reconstructive surgery tomorrow to rebuild her face. They are expecting it to be done at once and all the other things will follow over time. Her skin looks great other than her scar she will have on her forehead. So, we're told she will look great in the end and will look the same. Alissa has the best team of surgeons & will be happy to know she has her very own "Dr. Dreamy & Dr. McSteamy!" (she's a huge Grey's Anatomy fan).

Anyways, that's all for now. There's people from all over the place praying for her and the family, and it's obvious what the power of prayer can do. We are all so amazed at how fast she is pulling through.

Update

2011-02-18T08:58:00.003-06:00

An update on my sister in law Alissa. She had a 4 hour surgery last night to insert her tracheotomy, insert a feeding tube and to patch up her exposed brain.

WARNING-GRAPHIC!!

Due to all the swelling & bleeding in her brain, they had to drill several holes in her skull & she had a fractured part of her skull removed from (what I understand) part of her forehead. I am heading up there today to see her in person, so I'll have a better idea of the details.

So the surgery last night meant that the bleeding was done and the swelling is going down, so they patched it up. As far as brain damage, she is still being closely monitored. They hadn't performed a CT scan yet due to swelling, but hopefully today.

Alissa is now responding to dr. commands like lifting her thumb, etc. and to her mother's voice. This is great news for hopefully no brain damage.

And the swelling is getting better, but anyone who knows about facial surgery knows that surgery makes it worse, so hopefully it won't damage her skin anymore than it already has.

The doctors are planning a game plan and discussing her first surgery to build her face hopefully next week. The first step will be her jaw bone and cheeks. She still has no idea what is going on and is heavily sedated. I pray that when she is able to find out, that she is strong enough to get through the pain of knowing she will never look the same.

A more detailed account of exactly what happened: she was driving on a dark hwy, and a BULL was standing in the road. She didn't see it, and it's legs flew up from under it. It landed on the top of the windshield on her side, landing on her face. Nobody can believe that she doesn't have anything else broken and that her friend next to her didn't get hurt at all. Her friend grabbed the wheel and got them off the road by hitting a tree.

It was obvious that God was right there with her.

It really means a lot for all the prayers being sent our way. I know within a couple hours, our whole city had heard and there is an outpouring of support that is beyond appreciated.

Hopefully, I can keep everyone updated soon & until then just pray she makes it out of this okay.

Urgent Prayers Needed

2011-02-17T11:18:00.002-06:00

If you are a FB friend of mine, you've already heard...but My SIL Alissa was in a terrible accident last night. She hit a cow head-on on a rural road and it came through her windshield. She was on the phone with her mom (my MIL) at the time who heard everything. The wreck left her in critical condition, crushing her entire face, torn eye sockets, no teeth & sweeling/bleeding in the brain. She was flown to a hospital nearby, then flown to Dallas soon after. No surgery can be done until the swelling goes down & she is not responding to anyone at the moment.

She plays college softball which is her life, and this will forever change her. Please PLEASE pray for Alissa & my hubby's family at this time. It's extremely difficult.No words can express the pain everyone is going through. Life changes so quickly....

Snowed in..

2011-02-08T11:41:00.005-06:00

Friday, we got snowed in. Last week was pretty long with all the nasty weather we had here in TX, and Friday was the worst. But at least it was pretty.

Gavin was so tired of being cooped up in the house, so Derek took him out to get a quick look at the snow for the first time. I didn't even have the proper clothes for him for this weather! Snow doesn't happen but once a year here. So, please refrain from judging my baby's glove-free hands and legs hanging out. He was only outside for a second!

You couldn't even see the street between our houses (this was my neighbor across the street's house). We don't have snow plows here & if we did, they wouldn't come out to where I live.

Hey Ver, we love Gavin's hat you crocheted for him. It's been PERFECT for this weather!

During our time being snowed in, Gavin & I found ways to stay busy. Including jumping into the blanket basket and playing.

I have such a cuddler. Anything soft gets a hug from him. He's so sweet!

We esp like watching Daddy build fires. G's so fascinated by the flames that we have to pile up pillows in front of the fire place when one is going- to keep him from trying to get too close.

There was definitely lots of resting and watching Baby Einstein & Mickey Mouse.

We're just glad to be out of the house again and back to our routine. We are also glad Daddy made it home for a few days to enjoy some family time with us.

DO(g)!

2011-02-08T11:31:00.003-06:00

My kid sure loves his Do! He leaves out the "g" but we know what he's saying. He also says DeeDee to call her to the window.

Any time it's daylight outside, Gavin will go to the window facing the back yard and hit it yelling Do!! It's the cutest thing ever. I have it on video, but I haven't found a fast way to upload them yet. Sorry.

He's saying "yay" here while clapping b/c he got her to come to the window. lol.

Silly kid

Who's ready for SUMMER?

2011-02-03T10:03:00.002-06:00

Oh MAN! I am about SICK and TIRED of cold weather. Here in Texas, it just doesn't get this cold. It's unheard of! Right now, it is 18 degrees with a wind chill of 1. Lovely. And when I said SICK and tired, I really meant it. I am still sick. Going on about a month and a half now of being down with an illness back to back. As soon as I got over my sinus infection last week, the front blew in and I got a cold. I'm currently on a Vitamin C overload regimen. I'm ready to be healthy again. Poor Gavin can't catch a break either. I had to take him to the Dr. on Monday b/c his ear infection never cleared up and he too has a cold.

So, since Monday, we stayed holed up in the house. Stayed in our jammies & cuddled as much as possible. Not going anywhere except a quick trip to the UPS store up the road. We weren't the only ones who stayed home. They closed schools down in Central TX b/c of the ice on the roads. My poor hubby was stuck in OK until today. But he has to go to AR before he makes his way home. Praying he makes it safely after all the driving in bad weather.

I'm back to the grind today though. I couldn't get out of work any more. My poor baby didn't want me to leave him at daycare for the first time ever. It was so sad to leave. He got attached to his Mama :( I'm sure he'll be fine though. He was going stir crazy and driving me crazy as well j/k I really enjoyed our time together.

Oh and did I mention we are supposed to get snow today and tomorrow? OVER IT! I'm moving to Florida. not really, but I wish.

Anyways, who's ready for the Super Bowl? I was listening to The Morning Mashup and they were asking listeners what they liked most about the super bowl. I'll admit, I LOVE me some NFL. But, if it isn't a favorite team of mine (which this year I'm iffy about the teams)then you'll catch me talking with my friends or discussing my new recipe. lol. I imagine this year alone, I'll be pretty tied up with Gavin to be able to watch half the game. Oh yea, I almost forgot. Our local college's dance team is dancing at half time. They are National Champs and rep'n Waco! lol. Also my Mom works there and my friend's mom is the dance instructor, so I had to brag. My sister & her kids live in Dallas and they said that the town has basically already shut down in preparation for the Super Bowl. Not to mention they are snowed in. Those fans better be glad the Cowboys Stadium is temp controlled!

On a sad note, my cousin's wife Loretta passed away this morning. This past weekend, she went into cardiac arrest and was without oxygen for so long that she went brain dead. After loads of tears and family being called in and prepairing to pull the plug, her husband (my cousin) finally made the call on Tuesday after everyone said their goodbyes. Unfortunately, she began breathing on her own which made things extremely difficult for everyone involved. She had no brain activity & was losing function in her organs. Luckily, her pain finally ended this morning at 3:48 am. Please lift my cousin and their family up during this hard time. They could really use it. I wasn't very close to Loretta, but have known her since they married years ago. Although she was a very ill person, this is still hard on our entire family.

Random Friday post

2011-01-28T09:53:00.003-06:00

The hubs left last night. He has been in town working since December and now he's hours away in another state. Although he's been doing this for the last 6 years, I still get sad when he leaves b/c I know he will be gone for a while. Luckily, he will only be gone for a week-then coming back for a couple days-then leaving again for a while. I still just cannot imagine being a military wife.

As "whoa is me" as I'm making it sound, I actually feel bad for him having to leave now instead of how I feel about being alone while he's off in another state. Gavin cries for him, & says "Da-Da" and that must be pretty hard to deal with for D.

So, this weekend, if Gavin gets rid of his fever that he's had for a couple days, we will venture out into the real world and actually try to be sociable. *gasp* I have got to be the most boring mom EVER! My blog shows it. Ha!

I am having my first girl's weekend in February & driving down to Houston to stay with my sister Lacy. She invited my other sister & me along with a few of her close friends to stay the weekend since she & her hubby bought a new house. I know she can't wait to have us all there & I'm especially excited to see her and my baby nephew Connor (who's actually not really a baby anymore). I'm leaving Gavin with Derek's parents since he'll be gone & this will be the first time I've been this far & without him for this long. I'm not worried though b/c when I had the flu a couple weeks ago, he was at his grandparents for a couple days and did just fine.

I'm in what I call "HGTV Mode." If you follow me, you'll remember me talking about how we intend to build a home in a few years on the property my in laws bought. Well, D took me a couple days ago to look at the site since we changed the location. It's so pretty! When you look out at the land, all you see is trees & fields. There's even a river at the end of it which is neat. I'll have to take a picture next time we drive over there. I'll get lost if I try to go alone. Anyways, I'm the kind of person that once I have my mind made up, I'm ready to do it. For example: we are definitely building now which means that we need to make our house we live in more appealing to buyers. Our little town has boomed & our house needs some updating. So, I'm ready to make those home improvements & it's killing me now to be able to do it right now! I'm a pretty handy person and would start doing things now if I didn't have a little one at my hip everywhere I went. So I wait. I wait for the tax return and I wait till Derek sells one of his boats & then I'll have my HGTV game face on & making our house ready to sell. We plan on building within four years, but why wait for that when we have the land NOW! I'm excited!

Sorry for the rambling...

I've been thinking about when I'd like to have another baby lately. Which is a huge surprise b/c it was SO hard with Gavin for like the first 6 months. Esp with D being gone all the time. It's amazing how much you forget the bad stuff when you see your little one every day learning new things and doing the silliest stuff making you laugh. He really is amazing and I'm constantly gushing to whoever has ears about what he did that day. Yesterday, he clapped for the first time on demand, and said Uh Oh. When I took him to his Granny's yesterday, he was standing up and let go of me and just stood there. He was reaching for her & wanted to take a step but just. couldn't. lift. his leg. It was too cute.

OK, seriously. Sorry for the rambling. I'm pretty sure all of 4 people even read my blog anyways :)

Hope everyone has a super weekend. For the first time, I won't be playing wife and instead will just be playing mommy!

9 months!

2011-01-21T13:07:00.002-06:00

I'm a week behind on Gavin's 9 month post, but that's how long it's been since I've been able to catch up from having the flu all last week.

We went to the Dr. yesterday for his checkup & Gavin weighed 22.2 lbs. No change since last month. His weight is finally slowing down but he's still in the 85th percentile.

His height was 30 1/2 in. which makes him in the 95th percentile in height.

See how he's sitting in this picture below? Well, his dr. said he noticed that his legs aren't completely straight, causing him to be a little (for lack of better terms) knock-kneed. He sits on his knees & turns his feet out. Who knew that would cause that? So we have to keep a close eye on the way he sits to try to prevent it from getting worse.

Things that Gavin is doing include:

Crawling & pulling up. And letting go!

Waving Hi

Saying Dada, Dog, Ki-Ka (kitty cat) MaMa, DeDe(our dog)& he said Hot in a cute little whisper when we were talking about the fireplace being off limits.

Now, his main words he says is DaDa & Dog. He loves those two!

Bath time has gotten more difficult. As much as he loves it, he loves standing up even more & refuses to sit down in the bath. Which means much shorter bath time!

Gavin's still into everything and more! If the baby gate in the hall isn't' shut, in a blink of an eye, he will be down the hall, in my room, in my bathroom! He's super quick! lol.
My chores seem a little easier b/c he can entertain himself quite well in any room I'm in.

He's at the stage of testing EVERY limit and being such a handful!

He also has an ear infection, so sleep has been a little more difficult as far as getting him down. But once he is, he will sleep 9 hours.

We are enjoying discovering all the table food he likes and dislikes.His fav baby food is peas, but the real deal not so much. I think the texture bothers him.

With Daddy being home, our routine has been a little easier. I cook dinner while Derek gives him his bath when he gets home from work. They have SO much fun together in the evenings. As you can tell :)

He would die if he knew I put this on here!

Last night we gave Gavin spaghetti for the first time. He ate a lot for the first try, but those noodles are hard to handle.
Oh, and a quirky little thing Gavin is into: he carries his spoons everywhere with him. I have a couple Gerber ones that are "gelly" and don't work well, so I let him hold them & he will not let go! They are always in his hand! lol.

I think that covers everything going on in my 9 MONTH OLD! It's a little bittersweet that he's almost 1. I've starting slowly planning his b-day.

It just goes so fast when you have a little one hitting milestones every time you blink. I'm so blessed to have such a happy healthy baby boy keeping me on my toes! Soon, he'll be a happy little toddler keeping me on my toes!!

Get your shots people!

2011-01-14T09:21:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone. Sorry I haven't written or commented on any of your blogs lately. I came down with the flu on Monday and am STILL in bed with it. GET YOUR SHOTS PEOPLE!

The reason I didn't get it was b/c I was sick the last time I went to the Dr hoping to get it, and they won't let you have the shot while sick.

This is the first time I've even had the energy to sit up and open my laptop.

Oh and let me just say how completely blessed I am to have amazing people in my life. Derek's grandparents who Gavin used to stay with during the week sometimes, have kept him for me since Wednesday. Derek has been in OK and I just couldn't take care of Gavin at all. They came to my rescue! I miss my little 9 month old :(-9 month post to come later.

Seriously though, get your shots!

Gavin's 1st haircut

2011-01-10T13:38:00.002-06:00

Hey ya'll! This weekend, we went ahead and took Gavin to get his first haircut. To some superstitious people, it is bad luck to do it before the first birthday. I got an earful at Christmas about it. But I don't care, he had hair going over his ears and curling up in the back. When wet, you could make a ponytail.

He did so amazing and was the perfect little ham.

My little baby is officially a little boy. Tear.

I Never....

2011-01-05T15:24:00.002-06:00

I never thought I'd marry a guy like Derek.
Country boy, sheltered, handy man,
biggest heart in the world, stubborn, twice my size ;)

I never thought we'd make our home on the COMPLETE
other side of the city I grew up in,
away from my family.

I never thought that when I met him,
that I would be working with him for the rest of my life
running the business for his family.

I never thought that what I went to school for, would come in handy,
until my job now has me doing accounting and creating graphic projects.

I never thought I'd know how to do taxes,
until this year when our tax guy screwed everything up!

I never thought I would feed and take care of 8 animals and once a deer every day,
until I grew a HUGE heart for all animals that come up to me and I have to feed.

I never thought that my daily dress attire would include
tennis shoes and probably a t-shirt w/a northface,
until I realized nobody would see me way out here in the country!

I NEVER thought I would have a hard time becoming pregnant,
until I learned the heartache infertiles go through.

I never thought that after TWO years of trying to conceive,
that I would finally get pregnant and have my first child at age 26.

I never thought I'd EVER want to be pregnant again,
until I've been able to experience the joys of being a parent.

I never thought I would be in bed before 10pm every night,
until my son decided my wake up time is before 6am every morning.

I never thought my home decor would include baby toys,
instead of the usual glass vase or picture frame,
until my son learned how to pull up.

I never thought I would have such a close relationship with my mom,
until I became a mom.
I never thought I would need her as much as I do now.

I never thought I'd enjoy a simple glass of wine after a long day.

I never thought that I'd enjoy that glass of wine over a conversation w/one of my few close friends.

I'd never thought I'd remain friends w/people I've known since I was 5.

I never imagined that my life would be where it is now:
Married, with a child, planning on building a house in the country w/no neighbors, running an office alone, w/less close friends (but super close ones), but I would NEVER change it for the world.

You never know what you're going to get in life, but embrace it. It's beautiful and worth every second. Even if you don't expect anything ahead....

Pajama Party

2010-12-27T15:44:00.003-06:00

Future Boyfriend and Girlfriend

I was off work Thursday & took Gavin out of daycare to spend the day with me and decided that we could watch my friend Mindy's baby, Bree for the day since she needed a sitter.

I forgot how easy and little babies are at 3 months!

I also forgot how difficult it was to multitask at that age as well. lol.

It actually went pretty smooth the entire day, until Gavin hit his head on the table cutting it, at the same time Bree was hungry, which made Gavin hungry. It was ok though. Once I got the bottles to the babies, it was smooth sailing!

I did feel like super mom at first. I baked two batches of cookies, did laundry, finished wrapping gifts & kept 2 babies happy for 6 hours without any crying :) Go me!

Baby's 1st Christmas

2010-12-27T15:20:00.004-06:00

Our little family had an amazing Christmas this year! Gavin's first Christmas was so fun and memorable! He got to see everyone on both sides of our family over the last few days and just had a blast.

I decided not to overload you with every picture I took, or to detail all the events in the day. But, I will tell you that my little happy boy loved what Santa brought him and just made this Christmas the best yet for our family! Santa also spoiled this Mommy, and I couldn't be more thankful. Too bad it came and went so fast :(

Gavin hanging out in his cousin Connor's chair.

Christmas Eve morning at my parents' house.

Gavin looks almost as big as me here. lol.

Christmas Eve and dinner at my Aunt Cathy's house.

Connor and Gavin got to play a lot. It's so great to be able to see mine and my sister's boys growing up together.

The Graves'

My little elf making his way to his presents under the tree.

Gavin just learned to smile every time my camera's red dot is on. It's hilarious!

YAY for presents!!

This couch is exactly what he needed for watching his baby einstein. Thanks Santa!

I hope everyone had as great and memorable Christmas with their loved ones as we did!

Relaxing weekend

2010-12-21T11:00:00.004-06:00

Almost every weekend, Gavin and I have started making early morning trips to the grocery store. He gets up early and there is no better time to take him except then. An added bonus is that there is never anyone else there, so it's super easy and quick.

The clerks like to give him a balloon sometimes, but this weekend was the first time he really enjoyed it.

I couldn't get him to let it go. It was soooo cute to watch. He kept bopping himself in the head w/it and laughing.

Since my little busy bee is crawling all over the place these days, nothing is off limits to him. IDK why, but he is really drawn to his bouncer. My brave boy gets in it facing the back standing up and bounces himself, as if he's trying to flip it over. He is quickly learning the word "No!" lol.

In the pic below, he was making his way into the bouncer when he notices the bin of toys next to him. So he thought he could play with both at the same time.

Then he noticed his binkie and moved on to something else to play with.

And my bestie Jenn brought her baby girl Kyndal over since she was close to us and we enjoyed spending the rest of the afternoon with them. This was the first time Gavin got to meet her and didn't know what to think. I'm pretty sure she is terrified in this picture.

I'd say they will be girlfriend/boyfriend, but I think they will be too close. More like brother/sister relationship :)

p.s. Check out her RED hair! Love it!! Oh and Gavin looks like a giant next to her huh?

Rubber Ducky, You're the One!

2010-12-21T10:44:00.002-06:00

I don't know if I've mentioned just how much Gavin LOVES his bathtub. But, lemme tell you...I need to wear a poncho to give this boy a bath these days.

He is pretty big and I don't need to have him in this tub, but he just has so much fun it it. His splashes pretty much soak the bathroom floor and anything within a five foot radius.

Notice my cat below in the picture: Samson loves being in the water and is obsessed w/the tub. Weird huh? Gavin thinks it's hilarious when Sammy gets in the tub with him. LOL.

My silly boys.

Sweet Carolee!

2010-12-15T16:00:00.003-06:00

Because I'm a terrible person, I'm just now blogging about the birth of my dear friend's Amber & Derrick's baby girl, Carolee Renee.

She was born on Dec. 6th and weight 8lbs 3oz & was 20" long.

They are all doing great and she is just precious. I'm so happy they've joined us in parenthood and look forward to the playdates with their little girl and mine & Kelli's boys.

You win some-you lose some....

2010-12-15T15:39:00.003-06:00

On Sunday, the 12th, our friends Kelli & Cody invited us to go to the Cowboys game with them and we were more than happy to go!

I've been to the stadium a few times before, so sorry for the lack of pictures. I was too busy having fun yelling for my boys!!

We drove up early in the afternoon even though it was a late game, so that we could have dinner and drinks at a fun sports bar, then went shopping at Cabella's. Our guys love it there!

I got Gavin the cutest little camo outfits. I can't wait to dress him in them to look like his daddy.

Although our boys lost in the end (27-30), we had a total blast! Kelli & I nearly had no voice by the end of the freezing cold night.

Unfortunately, the whole way back, I was car sick and a complete party pooper & got sick (BAD) as soon as we got back. Turned out, I had a stomach virus and it hit me at the end of the 4th quarter of the game. Nice timing huh? I thought it was just the beer and greasy food I ate.So, up until this morning (Wednesday) I have been competely down, in bed or on the bathroom floor sick as a DOG! Derek did manage to take me to the Dr b/c we thought it was the flu, but NOPE. Stomach Virus. Those things are the devil!

Anyways, I'm finally ok now. And thanks to my awesome hubby, Gavin was very well taken care of! I think he has a new appreciation for what I do as a mom while he's gone. ;) He really did come to the rescue and I'm so thankful he's such an amazing daddy!!

Getting ready to go into the stadium all bundled up!

Kelli & I before the game

Cody & Derek

#1 fans!

8 months!

2010-12-15T15:30:00.002-06:00

This Big Boy of mine turned 8 months old yesterday! Can you believe it?

Gavin is a crawler, and now "puller upper". He is so brave, he just let's go when he gets to a standing position.

He has two teeth and probably more soon (has been teething like crazy). He eats stage 2 food still but is now venturing into real food and doing great. He's still getting used to his sippy cup.

Can say Da-Da & Ki-Kat all the time.

He's getting into EVERYTHING!

Loves the Christmas tree and gifts.

He's started throwing fits to test my limits. Even has the snorting down!

Gavin is a little over 22 lbs as of this morning and wears size 12 months in clothes.

I tried to tell him to slow down, but it's official. We now have a toddler on our hands & are loving every second of it!

Finally!

2010-12-10T11:22:00.002-06:00

I FINALLY got a picture of Gavin's first tooth. You can barely see it.

And after feeding him yesterday, I realized that his sleepless nights and early mornings(4am everyday) this week were due to another tooth coming in!

Also, I FINALLY was able to upload a video of him crawling. Gavin learned how to get up over the step into the kitchen, so I'm officially in trouble now! I thought it would be a while before he figured that out. Luckily, he's only ventured into the entry way instead of the kitchen area.

*Please ignore my silly voice*

Friends

2010-12-09T14:06:00.004-06:00

:::True Friendship isn't about being there when it's convenient,

it's about being there when it's not:::

I realize I'm late on the "what I'm thankful for "post. And I try to keep my mushy posts to a minimum b/c really, who wants to read that stuff anyways? But, today I just can't help but look at my life and the people in it and just realize how blessed I am.

My friends are so amazing to me and I couldn't imagine life without the ones who have stuck by me for so long.

When you start a family, and start having children, things just change. There's always that old friend you had that isn't in the same point in their life as you; who you just grow apart from. It's life and it goes on.

There's those "best friends" who you had sooo much fun with before you decided to grow up that you thought would never be out of your life. And then they vanish when you move on.

I was reflecting today on the life I use to live and all the "friends" I had. I didn't grow up innocent, and didn't lead a picture perfect lifestyle. When I met Derek, I was just a little college girl out to have fun & party. I got in my fair share of trouble.My friends at the time reflected that. I make no regrets and know that if it weren't for that time in my life, I wouldn't be who I am today.

::: A Friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future,

and accepts you just the way you are:::

But something switched in me a few years ago. I realized I was ready to grow up and my friends who were ready would be right there beside me rooting me on. And they did. At least the ones that mattered did. I lost touch with some very important people in my life and was a little saddened, but I can't say I haven't tried my hardest to keep in touch.

It just makes you realize what a true lifelong friend is. And maybe it's something that you realize as you get older, but I'm glad I know who my true friends are. Even if the amount is a lot less than it use to be.

You all know who you are and I'm so blessed to have you in my life. I've known one since Kindergarten, one since 6th grade, one since forever, but we became friends later, and one since marriage. Thank you for all being so awesome and I KNOW we will remain friends forever!

Love ya'll!!

:::Even though we've changed and we're all finding our own place in the world, we all know that when the tears fall or the smile spreads across our face, we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us, nothing will ever change so much to the point where we're not all still friends.:::

Our Weekend

2010-12-06T10:38:00.006-06:00

I had such a nice relaxing weekend with my boys. There was a little bit of teething fussiness going on which resulted in us missing my friend Mindy's daughter, Hannah's b-day party. But, I still got to go see Mindy and her girls afterwards. Other than that, it was a pretty lazy weekend.

On Sunday, we figured it would be the least busy day to go see Santa, so after Gavin's nap we went straight there then to eat some Chinese! If you ask anyone, they will tell you we have such a happy baby, but in Santa's lap...he was NOT happy! He actually freaked out. We got one picture (which is at the bottom of this post) pre freak-out. His pants and hair weren't even fixed yet. Oh well. Making memories.

Gavin lets it all hang out.

My boys w/the dogs

I got to finally wrap gifts and had a little helper the whole time.
He is going to have so much fun on Christmas. I can't wait!

We played lots of Peek-a-Boo this weekend. Since we lowered his crib, he thinks it is so fun to play in there. Now if only he thought it was as much fun to sleep in there all night!

This Santa wasn't so jolly. I don't blame Gavin for being scared.

Kyndal Mae is here!

2010-12-02T15:14:00.004-06:00

My bestie had her baby girl yesterday on the 1st of December! Kyndal Mae weighed 7 lbs 3 oz and was 20in long! She's is healthy and perfect.

I had to sit at work alll day waiting anxiously to go meet her and it was killing me! I was almost as excited as when I was awaiting Gavin's arrival. I feel like my "little girl" became a mommy. LOL. Sounds silly, but I've been giving her every single sort of parenting advice from day one of Gavin being here in order to prepare her for motherhood.

She already makes it looks so natural and I'm so beyond happy for her!

Oh and btw: she has red hair just like me!

Congrats Jenn & Jacob! Love ya'll!

Little Bit of Everything

2010-11-30T10:46:00.007-06:00

I think I am the only blogger who's holdays are more stressful than relaxing. It's Wednesday and for the first time I'm able to sit down and read all the Thanksgiving blogs and all the joy everyone had. Don't get me wrong, it was exciting to have Gavin's First Thanksgiving. But, it was definitely NO break for me! lol.

It was nice though and always fun to see family and reflect on everything we are thankful for. I especially am thankful for the wonderful husband and son I've been blessed with!

OK, the rest of this blog is kind of mixed up...Sorry.

I got a new app for my iphone that Gavin LOVES. It's called Phony Phone and looks like the keypad of a regular phone. He also really enjoys the BabyPiano Lite.If you have an iphone-you should get these.

We've had some more "Firsts" over the last few days. Gavin started crawling last week. I tried everything to upload the video I had on my phone of him doing it for the first time, but nothing worked. So I didn't post about it. It's just he cutest thing EVER!

He also decided he can pull up on things already, which scares me. I immediately went into "Safety mode" and put pillows everywhere. lol.

Gavin got his first tooth the day before Thanksgiving AND said his first words."Ki-Kat" which means Kitty Cat. And Da-Da! Of couuuuurrrsee he says Da-Da even though I've been trying to get him to say MaMa all this time!

On Turkey Day, we went to both families' to eat and gavin was a perfect angel. He was such a little flirt for everyone and didn't fuss one bit.

He really likes to cuddle w/my oldest sis Sara. She's like the "nap-time whisperer" and can always get him down.

I never get a lot of pictures when we're doing family stuff b/c it's just so busy, but I managed to get pictures of two of my nephews, Carson and Connor.

Aunt Lacy LOVES doing story time for the babies.

The boys were Worn Out!

Derek and Gavin got to have guy time on Friday while I went Black Friday Shopping w/my sisters. I didn't get everything, but the deals just weren't great this year. I spent the bulk of my $ at Academy b/c of all the men to shop for this year.

I still have about 4 more people to buy for then I'm DONE, so getting up early was well worth it.

We also managed to put up the tree this weekend! I have to admit though, I wasn't feeling it. I think I'm sick of the same ornaments even though they each mean something. I'm just worn out on the blue/silver/snowmen theme. We've had it since we moved in together like 5 1/2 yrs ago.

Sunday, we went to a couples shower for our friends, Amber & Derrick. She's due on the 2nd and their friends threw a last minute shower.

Here's the beautiful Mommy To Be w/Gavin.

Gavin's BFF Parker was there and look who's walking!!

A rare sighting..all 3 of us together in one picture!

We are so matchy-matchy and I swear it wasn't planned. LOL!

Gavin started his new daycare yesterday and I forgot to put the lady's phone number in my phone and wasn't able to call all day to check on him. But when I picked him up, he was happy as ever! So releived things are working out, so far. She did mess up his schedule w/her own feeding schedule with him. If it throws our own schedule off, I'll be having a little chit-chat with her about it :)

OK-after 2 days of trying to upload the video of him crawling, it was taking too long. I give up. I guess Derek and I are t he only ones who can enjoy the video for now :)

Rosie-The Inventor?

2010-11-16T09:41:00.004-06:00

If I had lots of money and resources, I'd try to get these made and go to some big company and sell my idea. But, since I don't have either, I'll post my great idea on blogger in hopes that SOMEONE sees it!

We have a problem in my car. My son isn't a huge fan of his car seat. But more than anything, he HATES riding in the car in the dark. I can turn the back light on, but that blinds me. I even have toys that light up. I've tried those LED push lights but they don't stick to his seat. Nothing works.

So while enduring one of his many evening meltdowns on the way home from daycare (thank you time change) I came up with a bright idea!

Car seat track lights.

You can push a button and the ones on the seat part, light up. Another button for the ones on the back rest part of the carseat.

Even cooler would be if they can project an image on the ceiling of the car.

I truly believe that EVERY single carseat should come installed with lights built into them that you can turn on and off.

And if any of you moms out there have a child who hates riding in the car as much as mine, you probably understand.

Here's Exhibit A:

Gavin's carseat with images of where the lights will be. They could be the kind that turn in whatever direction you want.

I'm not talented enough to show an image of what the projector would look like, but basically it would shine out of the middle light on the seat part and project onto the ceiling of the car.

Uh-May-Zing! LOL!

Aren't Moms always supposed to be the best inventors? Do I have any followers out there that have come up w/any great ideas like this? ;)

Let the party planning begin...

2010-11-15T10:09:00.003-06:00

Gavin is more than half way to a year old. Let the party planning begin!

OK- I am totally exaggerating! I am not planning a big ol party for my one year old. Yes, we'll have a party, but he won't know any different yet. And when he does, the Martha Stewart in me will come out in full force!

I don't even know what he's getting from Santa yet this year yet!

Gavin turned 7 months old Sunday. I weighed him at 21.2 lbs. By looking at pictures, he's finally thinning out. And getting LOTS more hair! His daddy doesn't keep his hair long enough to fix, and I have NO idea what to do w/boys' hair. This should be interesting.

His whole 6th month, brought on lots of changes it seems.

When he got sick, he started holding his bottle on his own. Something that he was always too lazy to do before.

We tried the sippy cup & although he can put his mouth on it and suck, he's not a fan yet. So, that will be on hold for now.

Gavin is "seconds" away from crawling. All weekend, Derek and I watched him learn. He's been working on it for a couple months w/the rocking action, but never figured out the hands part. Saturday, he FINALLY did it! He crawled. Just a little though, so he's not officially a crawler yet.

Blurry picture, but you can see the excitement in his face.

He's also learned to sit up from a laying down position which I think is neat.

After him being sick for TWO whole weeks, I'm lacking w/pictures. But, we are so glad to have our happy little boy back to his normal self.

It's be complete HELL in the sleep department, but he is finally back in his crib and sleeping thru the night.

This is his last week at his current daycare. He goes to a girl who watches him and her own kids in her house and although we've been spoiled by her, I think this will be a good change for him.

This last month has been difficult on her and him b/c he's hasn't been sleeping there and has been fussy. I think she probably just didn't have enough hands for two babies the same age. She will be missed, but he is starting a new daycare I found in the town I work in.

I wanted something closer to my house, but it's not a big deal. I can't be picky w/the lack of openings around here. It was very stressful finding somewhere.Plus I can just go check on him any time and if he needs something I can just drive over there and deal with it. This place is out of a lady's home and she only watches 2 other kids during the day and two more after school. The youngest is 18 months and so Gavin will be the only baby.

I'm praying this change will be good b/c he's at the stranger/separation anxiety stage.

He starting saying Mama & Dada this weekend. I've been working hard on the Mama, but it's easier to day dada I guess. HOWEVER, his mama is more like "mamamamama" and his dada is more like "dadadadada" lol, so he's not officially saying it yet. Soon though!

This is SUCH a fun stage right now. We are so blessed to be able to enjoy it so much. Especially me, since I am with him 90% of the time. I'm excited the holidays are coming up. Gavin gets to meet family members he hasn't met yet, and gets to experience my very large/loud family all together for the first time.

Anyways, I'll stop before I start rambling too much. Happy 7 months to my Wittle Man. I love you sooo much!

Happy Veteran's Day!

2010-11-11T14:40:00.003-06:00

Happy Veteran's Day!

I just want to give a shout out to my big brother, Sterling, a retired Marine Staff Sergeant, who went over seas 3 times for our freedom. We're all so proud of what you've done for our country!

And since he's super lame and does not like to post pictures of his Marine days on his fb, this is the only one I could find that he was tagged in. If I were at home, I'd be able to find tons though.

If you click on the pick you can get a little better view.

I wish there was a manual....

2010-11-10T11:54:00.004-06:00

I find myself wishing I had a parenting manual. Something that would tell me how to handle every day situations involving Gavin. I've recently been catching myself wanting to give up at times and throw in the towel and say, " I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING!" I have a few friends who always tell me I'm such a great mother, but when I see the day to day struggles I come upon, I second guess myself at times.
Take the last 12 days:
Gavin threw up all over the car.
Got sick-and is STILL sick.
Had a high fever.
Refused all food.
Decided he didn't like his regular foods when he started eating again.
Began a whole new daily routine an hour 1/2 earlier than before
(meaning wake-up time is before 5am) Thanks, Time-Change!
STOPPED sleeping in his own crib
Started separation anxiety
Had diarrhea for days
Still hates riding in the car w/ a passion even with his new car seat
I think he's afraid of riding in the dark b/c when we go home in the evenings, the sun is down.
Gavin's 3 day-a-week babysitter is moving and it's nearly impossible to find anyone where I live.

Put all those together and they mostly boil down to the time change and him getting sick. But, as a female, I look at everything and get overwhelmed. I know I'm not the only one who does this.
It doesn't help that D is working 2 states away and I'm STILL sick b/c I haven't slept in days....

I am trying so hard to remind myself that with the bad comes the good.
Sure, Gavin may not be feeling great and is still coughing, but he's not in the hospital. He doesn't have asthma.
And he may be having separation anxiety. But, I love his big cuddles.
He's been taking up 2/3rds of my bed every night. But, he sleeps so soundly in my bed. And I love the smell of his hair curled up under my chin.
He doesn't like sweet potatoes and apple sauce right now, but he's at least eating other food. (and drinking from a sippy cup!)
All in all, he's the happiest baby you will ever know, until I walk out of the room. How can I be too upset over something like that? Over such a small person loving me sooo much?
So, I guess the babycenter.com site I frequent will have to do until a better manual comes available. Until then, all advice is welcomed!

Sorry for the random post. I'm not kidding when I say I haven't slept in days. lol.

pictures and puke :)

2010-11-05T11:56:00.006-05:00

Do you like that title? It pretty much sums up this post.

Welll......I've had an interesting couple of weeks and have hardly had time to even get on here and read blogs! As always, the same ol' sorry! I was so excited to take Gavin trick or treating for the first time and to blog about it and yadda yadda. BUT, that did not end up happening.

He was too allergic to his costume. Derek had to leave for work that night at 6pm. And Halloween was the beginning of what would make for a VERY long week of sickness.

Saturday, I decided I wanted to attempt family pictures. What many of you probably don't know is that I really enjoy doing photo editing. I actually started college as an art/graphic arts major. But later switched to computer information systems b/c graphic arts doesn't bring in the $$ unless you live in a large city.

Anyways, I always wanted to do photography and edit them, but I don't have a fancy smancy camera. I have a good one, just not a professional one. SO...that's why you haven't seen these types of things from me.

I enlisted my MIL to be the photographer for the day and Derek's little sister to be the clown in the background (she did wonderful).

We did manage to get some great pics and even better once they were touched up and played with. However, I learned some great lessons:

DO NOT take pictures at 4 pm when it's VERY bright outside. And windy! And, DO NOT WEAR WHITE outside in said weather! I look HUGE! Next year we're going for black.

We took photos at Derek's family's ranch and I'm only sharing a few of my favorites. There really wasn't one single good one of us three together that is good for a Christmas card, but oh well! There's always next year.

Those are just a few. Until I decide on one for our Christmas card, I won't post any more :)

After picture taking, we went to a friend's get-together and Gavin got terribly sick. Then Monday, I got terribly sick. Derek was gone and I had the flu! Oh. My. Gosh! Talk about misery! I won't bore you with details, but lets' just say, It's Friday. I'm still Sick. Gavin is still sick. And our weekend getaway to San Antonio Riverwalk w/out the baby is cancelled.

Ugh!

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-27T14:50:00.005-05:00

This past weekend, the hubs and I decided to take Gavin to the pumkin patch at a local church. It was a bold attempt considering it was nasty outside and our little guy was NOT in a good mood. But, Derek isn't always home to do these sorts of things, so I had to jump at the first opportunity before it was too late.

As you will see from the pictures, it didn't go as planned.

We put our little cow in his costume and turns out, he is allergic to that material. So cranky pants threw a royal fit. The small amount of sun was blinding as well, so no smiles were happening.

Then, we changed him into regular clothes and all he wanted to do was play with his new shoes. lol.

Oh what a day it was! I'm glad we have that memory of going though. We ended up choosing a crazy looking pumpkin with warts all over it. My idea. Kind of like picking the "underdog."

This will be the first year we haven't carved a pumpkin since we started dating 7 1/2 yrs ago, but it's ok! There's always next year.

We also celebrated my 27th birthday with my family on Sunday night w/a delicious steak dinner and my favorite, Red Velvet cake!! Sorry-no pictures. I didn't care to really remember my 27th b-day this year ;)

And Monday-my real bday-my bestie Jenn and I hung out during the day, and Derek stayed in town long enough to take me out to eat at my most favorite restaurant in the world ! Sameria Steakhouse. It's a family owned hibachi japanese restaurant. We go every singele year for either my bday or our anniversary (which just passed while I was in Frediericksburg and forgot to mention. Happy 4 years Honey!)

OK, I'll wrap this post up and leave you will some pictures from the pumpkin patch. Maybe next year we will get some smiles :)

We finally got a couple smiles, but they didn't last long.

1/2 way to a year!

2010-10-21T11:26:00.003-05:00

I never got around to doing Gavin's 6 month post. We went to the Dr. on Tuesday and since then , I've been swamped at work.

Gavin weighed in at a whopping 20 lbs and was 27 1/2 in long! He's still in the 90 %. He's eating level two baby foods. Sitting up, trying to crawl & talk and just growing up before my eyes!

The last couple of weeks were difficult. I thought he had his ear infection again b/c he just was not sleeping, but the dr. assured me that he's fine. Probably teething. These darn teeth just won't come in! He's been teething forever!!

Oh and his babysitter's kids both got stomach viruses this week so I haven't been able to take him to daycare. Thank GOD for grandparents. Derek's grandparents live next door to where I work and it's perfect. Not to mention he loves it there!

We've been missing Daddy though! He's been in KS, OK, AR, and now in Shreveport, LA for what will be 2 weeks tomorrow. Lucky for me though, I've caught up on sleep the last couple nights b/c my sweet boy has finally gone back to sleeping again! I think giving him motrin for his fever from the shots got him back on track!

Lately, I've woken up to Gavin talking in his crib. Yesterday he was on his knees in the dog pose w/his butt in the air and he was reacheing under his bumper. I don't know what he was looking for but he was determined. This morning, I walked in and he was just hanging out looking at his mobile in the dark talking to it. Check out his hands behind his head. This is the first time he's done this. So funny!

After his appointment Tuesday, I finally had a little bit of time to go get him a much needed big boy carseat. He loves it and I installed it all by myself! lol. This is the only pic I got before dropping him at his Granny's this morning. He was waking up from a little nap.

And lastly I HAD to post this cute picture I took. As you can tell, these are those old school army pajamas. I found them at a local resale store and had to have them. They're actually a little baggy so they bunch up but he'll grow into them. I just can't get over how funny they are with the button up butt! lol.

I hope everyone has a good weekend. I really wanted to go to the pumpkin patch this weekend but the forcast calls for rain so we'll see.

Baby shower # 102050641315498

2010-10-18T11:37:00.005-05:00

My bestie, Jenn's baby shower was Saturday for her and baby Kyndal. This should be my last shower to host for a while. Unless another friend of mine gets pregnant. It's so fun to do baby showers but def. time consuming when you have a little one.

The shower was perfect and very relaxing. We had it at her mom's house and she received everything she needed! About one more month and we get to meet little Kyndal Mae!

The hostesses w/Mommy to be:

Me, Mindy, Amanda & Jenn

The diaper cake I made

Beautiful Mommy

Her sister Amanda did a great job on the decor.

Gavin was tired when we got there.

But he woke up to entertain everyone else!

Here he is w/my Aunt Cathy

Mindy and her new baby girl, Bree

Part of my gift. I do gift baskets every time. See that cute hat? It was specially made by Veronica at Hooked on you. She loved it!

I got this cute outfit set on etsy. It's the best pic I have but it's got a little tutu on it :)

Her toy basket from her sister!

Me and my happy boy. He jacked one of her baby gifts to play with. Looks like I'll have to get him one now!

Randoms

2010-10-14T13:53:00.003-05:00

I'm probably putting on 5 lbs this week just from eating Salt Water Taffy from Fredericksburg. I'm obsessed!
My big boy is already 6 months old today! But he looks 9 months old! (6 mon. post to come after appt)
I am so behind on sleep it's unreal! Like really...I can barely function at this point. It's amazing I'm still able to come to work. G has decided once again he doesn't want to sleep at night anymore. I'm just so tired I can't even think of anything else to try.
I really want to take his 6 month pictures in his Halloween Costume.Is that dumb?
My birthday is coming up this month and I honestly don't care. I'm getting old and am just OVER it! lol. Unless I get presents ;)
My best friend Jenn's baby shower is this weekend & I can't wait for her to get all the goodies from Gavin and I!!
I've recently really come to love my husband on a whole new level lately. I am so very blessed to have him in my life! He's so amazing!
His parents bought a lot of land close to their's way out in the middle of NOWHERE....but after taking a nice little tour of it Monday, I'm sold on building a house there now. I'm officially obessessed with floor plans. Who knows when we'll actually build though. I'm not a fan of the school there, but it's sooo pretty and has the river running through it. Hard to pass up!
Can't wait for Grey's tonight and still loving me some GLEE!
That's all....

Fredericksburg

2010-10-12T12:31:00.003-05:00

This weekend was our first little road trip with Gavin and it went pretty well!

He was perfect for us the whole time. And OF COURSE this mommy was the one holding him the whole time, so I hardly got ANY pictures on my camera. I know there's a lot of good ones of us floating around though b/c little Gavin was a huge hit w/all the people at the wedding we went to.

One of Derek's best friends, Cody(not the one I mention a lot) got married in Fredericksburg and Derek was in the wedding. He was the last of the group of Derek's friends to get married, so it was extra special. Cody & Charla are so cute and country, and Fredericksburg was perfect. They actually married in the OLD abandoned country church in the hills where he was baptized as a baby and his grandpa used to preach, and where his grandparents were married. There was even an old wood burning stove in the center of the church.

I wish I had pictures, but I was busy w/Gavin.

Before the wedding, we hung out w/ all the friends that went and it was very relaxing the whole weekend. We even had time to spend the day in Fredericksburg and shop around. I'm not much of an antique shopper and that's what the town is known for, but it was nice to look! And after the wedding we went to our friend's cabin outside of town and enjoyed the night around a fire and watched the elk and deer just walk around freely in the field. It was so neat!

Gavin, wide awake after not really sleeping the 1st night.

I'm not sure what this wheel was all about but Derek and I both took a pic in front of it.

Gavin was not amused.

Here's the guys waiting outside of one of the shops that the ladies went into.

At the church. Notice we are in the back row. I did have to make a quick escape about halfway through the wedding. Not b/c he cried but b/c he was talking.

The bride and groom. And yes, he looks almost exactly like my husband. People think they are brothers.

Derek's mom and little sister w/Gavin

Waiting outside w/my litlle man at the church

The groomsmen, Cody, Kurt, Derek and Jason

The only pic of Derek and I before my camera died & he had his eyes closed :(

Oh well.

P.S. I will be wearing this shirt again this weekend b/c it's too cute and I need something to wear! lol. Don't make fun when you see the pictures!

You're stuck with me...

2010-10-04T10:50:00.004-05:00

Well, this mommy has had tons going on including a sick baby, wedding showers, baby showers, birthday parties and a couple meltdowns thrown in there.(me, not the baby) I read some of my other blogger friend's blogs and there's a lot of talk about shutting down their blog. I'm pretty sure I could do the same, but I hardly write anymore as it is. And I doubt any of you would miss my blog. BUT, I personally like to look back on this from time to time and love showing it to Derek as well.

So you're stuck with me.....on my rare occasional blog of the month.

And who could resist wanting to see my adorable son's pictures?

Please, don't answer that. I realize I've become one of "those" people who won't shut it about their super duper awesome child genious! lol. Sorry.

Lucky for you, we're going on our first family trip this weekend AND Derek and I are planning a weekend in San Antonio for just the two of us, so I'll actually have something other than babies to write about for soon!

Until then....

My poor little guy had a double ear infection last week. Tuesday night he woke up with 102.3 fever that would not budge, so off we went to the dr. He always makes me look like I'm lying when we get there. He loves playing on the paper on the table, and laughing at the dr & flirting. I can't help I have a happy baby, even when he's sick.

See, the truth is...we've worked out this system. He plays sick. We go to the doctor. They prescribe tylenol and we take off work for the next couple days to get better and play alllll day! Love it!

But I'm glad he's doing better now b/c my lack of sleep was making me go all emotional-crazy on my poor hubby who is 2 states away.

Guess who sits up all the time now?? I can't wait to be able to walk a few steps away for more than a couple minutes though. When he sees me walk back away from him, all balance is lost and to the floor his head goes! lol.

I like to sit behind him anyways, just in case for now.

So the quirky stages have started. If I'm in front of Gavin's face while he is watching The Backyardigans or Wonder pets, he does everything he can to look around me to see the t.v. This may be a major problem in a few years but right now it's hilarious!

Here's his little head tilt below...

Since I have a heavy kid, I dread grocery trips or quick errands to the store. His car seat is way too heavy to lug all the way inside to the store to the awaiting baskets. And I can't just push his umbrella stroller around when I have to get groceries. So, I finally went ahead and tried out his grocery cart cover. Look at my big boy! It was pretty funny though b/c he was so into chewing on his straps that he would slowly lean over and end up basically laying down. Hey, it's better than a funssy baby screaming in a car seat! He hates that thing!!

And if you have really good glasses on or a really big screen, check out my child's hilarious laugh! The video from iphone transfers pretty small, so sorry about that. And please ignore the scary-manly "Boo" in the background. lol. I promise I don't have a man-voice.

Recall

2010-09-30T09:37:00.002-05:00

For all you mommies out there, or those of you who buy toys for others, there was a recall on several Fisher Price Toys today. Please check out this website and see if anything you've bought has been recalled. Don't want any of the kddies getting hurt :)

Connor's B-day party

2010-09-27T11:11:00.006-05:00

This weekend was my nephew Connor's b-day party at my parents house. It wasn't anything big since he had his birthday party in Houston, but it was fun to get the whole family together since none of us could make it down there last weekend. I'm pretty proud of myself for actually being able to take pictures. I'm usually the one holding the baby!

One of Connor's gifts:my mom loves doing cute things w/her Cricut machine

Grandpa & Gavin

He was having a BLAST playing with Aunt Sara!

My oldest nephew Carson & Gavin

My second oldest nephew Camron being silly!

Mommy & the b-day boy!

Focused on the game...Cowboys WON!!

The babies always have their hands in the mouth!

My boys and me

Carson and Connor

Aunt Lacy & G

Peek-a-Boo!

Connor was really into the bows and reading the cards-lol

Seriously, he got mad when she tried to make him play w/his new toys instead.

OOhhh-a flashlight!

Singing Happy Birthday-he wouldn't wear his b-day hat.

Connor Hated his cake!

Apparently My chiild loves cake though!

Connor was Worn Out & loving on Aunt Sara

Another Baby Shower:)

2010-09-27T10:34:00.005-05:00

Everyone's havin' babies! I can't keep up!

This weekend was my friend Amber's baby shower that I helped host along with our bestie Kelli & Kelli's mom Sherri. They did such a fantastic job. I wish I could have done more to help though, but glad everything went perfectly.

She's naming her little girl Carolee(after her late mother Carol) and she is going to be a little heartbreaker! And my little godson's girlfriend. hehe!

Kelli ordered all the super duper decor off of Etsy. Carolee's room is red & black w/some yellow). Very different, but very pretty as well.

This is Amber's hubby Derrick as a baby.

And here's Amber as a baby.

The yummy candy & cupcake table.

Cute decor & the diaper cake I made her.

Kelli , Amber, me, Sherri

Beautiful mommy to be :)

Bun in the oven party favors.

Gift table

Momma's gotta have her twizzlers.

Connor's ONE today!

2010-09-22T09:48:00.004-05:00

It's my handsome nephew, Connor's 1st Birthday today!
This weekend they are coming to town so we can celebrate & I can see my little chunky monkey & my sis!

I can't believe it's been a year since we were awaiting his arrival in the hospital!

Baby Bree

2010-09-16T10:52:00.005-05:00

One of my bet friends, Mindy & Dustin had their baby girl yesterday the 15th! Her name is Bree Alivia and she is perfect! Weighed 7 lbs 9 oz & was 20 1/2 in long. Mindy was every bit "baby" b/c nobody would have guessed she had a baby that big in her tummy!

Everyone is healthy & they are already going home today! I can't wait for her to be a little bigger so our kids can play. They live 2 minutes from us and it will be so much fun to see Gavin & his little girlfriend!

Faces of Baby Food

2010-09-15T12:41:00.004-05:00

Starting Gavin on baby food hasn't really been much of an "adventure" since apparently my child will eat ANYTHING! He LOVES food. And I don't know the slightest thing about how much or when or anything about feeding babies. BUT, we make it work and he's having fun in the process.

At first I would let him hold his spoon every time, but have learned that it makes for a larger cleanup.

Fruit is his favorite. No surprise there since I love fruits and veggies. His most favorites are applesauce & green sweet peas.

Yummy!

I've had to stop keeping his clothes on him due to stubborn stains they are leaving on his clothes!

First time to try meat. My crazy kid only thinks he's going to love it as much as everything else!

Going for the grab!

"Wait! This isn't peaches!"

GAG!!!

Oh man does he hate meat! I couldn't help but crack up every time he did this. I also cannot believe that we found something he doesn't like! lol.

And the Worst Blogger Award goes to....

2010-09-15T12:02:00.004-05:00

I know I know...I never blog anymore. I'd just rather spend my small amount of free time playing w/my adorable baby rather than writing. Heck, I can't even crack open my lovely new laptop at home anymore. When I do, I get distracted. And work...well....it's work. Blah! Still looking for a new job. Nothing has changed.

Enough on that though :)

Gavin turned 5 months old yesterday (the 14th) and I didn't get around to give an update.

I literally have one of the happiest babies in the world! He lights up even my darkest days. Which here lately have been more common that I would like.

As you can tell, Gavin's in his walker which is super convenient in the kitchen. He also is in his exersaucer that he LOVES! I only have videos of that though-no pics.

We are definitely not short on sitting devices in our house for him. Along with his swings, bouncers, bumbo, and these things, he hardly lays down.

He's such a big boy & looking more like his daddy lately. I'm guessing Gavin is about 18 lbs now and maybe 25 in. IDK exactly but that's close.
He was really sick a couple weeks ago and then following his recovery, started teething. It's aweful. I can't tell you the last time I slept through the night with him.

But he sure is a ball of energy in the daytime. Especially when Daddy is home to see him. Why is it that babies only have problems when you are alone with them? Is it b/c they want you to sound crazy talking about it?

He's learned to sit up. This is the only pic I have but he's gotten better since then.

Oh and he's rolling over both ways! He's not a fan of laying down though, so I never gets pics of it.

Still loves his daycare he goes to. The sitter's son Ely is only a couple weeks older and they have so much fun together!

Gavin's also going through clothes so fast. This outfit above he's only worn once and is obviously a little short for him. I guess we'll be moving on to 6 month clothes.

This picture is after a long night. He'll kill me for it one day!

I can't remember life without him anymore. At only 5 months, he's the most exciting thing in my world!

One Tough Motha!

2010-08-26T09:28:00.002-05:00

OK, this is kind of silly but I thought it was worth sharing.

Yesterday I got an email from my mom. It went like this:

"Hey Rosemary, I was just checking on you today. Just wanted to make sure [they] weren't being ugly to you at work.
I was thinking, I can come beat someone up or punch them out if I need to.
I'm pretty scary.
I watch NCIS you know!
I'm one tough motha!"

This came from my mom who is pushing 5'1!!
I couldn't make fun...it's something I would say. lol.

{side note} Still on the hunt and not seeing anything so far that I want to do. My skills are mostly bookkeeping, Human resources and office managing and there is NOTHING in this town.

Thanks for the words of encouragement from everyone. It truly means a lot and makes me more confident that I'm on the path to making a good decision.

And the search begins....

2010-08-24T09:22:00.003-05:00

After my post yesterday about everything that is going to change in the future with Derek's job, I was able to reflect on my current job. Let me take you back to what exactly I do.

I left my well paying insurance underwriting job (which I had to work my way up to) in order to take this job working for his family as an office manager. It came w/benefits, great pay & flexibility for me to take off or leave early any time needed. Great right?

I've gone back and forth as most people do who work w/their in laws about if it's worth it. We've butted heads a few times and there's a very fine line between work and family. I'll leave it at that:)

But, yesterday I decided it would be best for my sanity to find a new job. Especially since I will eventually need to anyway. If I wait till Derek leaves the company, then we BOTH will lose health insurance and then what would we do? Not to mention we'd both be looking for a new job.

This actually wasn't a tough decision for me. My MIL made it very easy if you know what I mean ;)

I wish I wasn't worried about what the future holds with he and I both starting over with our work, but I am a little worried. We've lived very comfortably in the last few years. Now we have another person to support. Isn't it crazy how things can change so quickly?

Derek is 100% supportive about me finding a new job. He knows I put up with entirely too much and would be happier elsewhere.

So, wish me luck everyone! And for you locals....if you know anyone hiring let me know :) I'm a very qualified person! The search begins!

Changes

2010-08-23T10:50:00.004-05:00

Gavin turning 4 months has brought on a few changes in the Graves' Household.

I'm SICK of not being able to lose my post baby weight. I gained about 40 lbs and have only lost half of it. So My short self is 20 lbs overweight! Looks more like 100 on me though. I no longer have an excuse to not do something about it. Gavin is getting easier and now wakes up bright and early for me. So we are officially "walkers" & have started walking every morning. I cannot wait for this insane Texas weather to cool down. I think we have been over 100 degrees here for more than 25 days in a row. Once it cools down I'd like to walk in the morning and evening. Gotta get this weight off (just in time for the holidays to put it back on. lol)

As you can see here, him and "Jeffrey" really enjoy the outdoors.

We also have started feeding him baby food on a daily basis. He loves applesauce so much & Derek really enjoys feeding him. He makes the airplane sound every time he gives Gavin the spoon. lol. It is super cute.
Another topic of conversation is that the hubby is going back and forth on our future.
WAIT! Before you get any ideas....we are doing great. But it is getting more difficult for him to say goodbye to us every time he has to go to work out of state and not see us for at least 2 weeks. He works for a family business that he is set to take over soon and I am the office manager. So, we've pretty much had our occupational future all mapped out. Until I had a baby.

This is a very sensitive subject right now and he isn't taking it lightly. If he leaves the company to work at home, we will both get new jobs, and be a lot less well off. Working out of town brings in better $. BUT, we both believe that we would be happier, so there has been quite a bit of conversation on the subject. Usually, I wouldn't take this too seriously b/c he always says he wants to work a 9-5 job in town but wouldn't ever leave the family business. But just in the last 2 days, Derek has talked to everyone he knows about it. Including his dad, who is none too happy to say the least. So I know to take him seriously this time. I just think he is sick of it all and misses us more than he could explain. His dad missed out on a lot b/c he worked out of town and Derek does not want to have regrets.

It is just so hard for everyone with him working out of town. I wish we had the answer and that it was an easy one. If this decision is made, then it could be a couple years or it could be tomorrow for all I know. I'll keep you updated.

On another note...Gavin started daycare today. I didn't cry, but had I stayed any longer I would have. I know he's in great hands and I'm leaving work early to get him since it's his first day.

Just so many changes!

I've uploaded my first video! I hope it works and you can see it. I found a new form of entertainment for him.....trashbags. Go figure!

Giveaway

2010-08-19T10:41:00.002-05:00

Hey guys...Head over to my blog friend Lea Liz , become a follower & enter for her Izola shower curtain giveaway. They are REALLY cute and you don't want to miss out!

4 months!

2010-08-18T10:51:00.004-05:00

I know I'm late on this post, but I've been so busy! My little man is 4 months old already & I can't believe it. Just a couple of posts ago, I was doing his 3 month post! He's changed a lot with his personality in the last month though!
He started sucking his thumb on occasion. Not my fave, but he loves his hands and anything he can fit in his mouth!

This chunker has gained a lot of weight! lol. We went to the Dr. yesterday & he was 16.1 lbs & 26 1/2 in long. 95th percentile! I can no longer carry him in his car seat like I used to. I think I'll be getting an umbrella stroller soon b/c his stroller is just so bulky to run in to the store for a quick errand!

Gavin is hilarious and he knows it! He cracks himself up all the time!

He loves his bumbo! We're ready to try out solid food now with the dr's go ahead! He's on cereal but we will be trying fruits this week! Can't wait! I haven't got his high chair in the mail yet, so his bumbo will have to work temporarily.

Gavin & his great grandpa are bff's & even like to wear matching overalls ;)

His new favorite thing is the mirror. This little flirt will just sit there and talk and talk.

He also is trying so hard to crawl and sometimes gets stuck in the process. lol.

I have my hands full for sure with this guy. At work, I can't keep him in one place & he isn't even crawling all the way yet!

He's gotten really into Baby Einstein! I can't even talk to him if he's watching it b/c he ignores me.

These last few weeks have been up and down for me and def. difficult b/c I've been acting as a single parent. We started sleep training again. He hit a growth spurt & he's in his own room, so he stopped sleeping thru the night. We wake up about 3 times a night. But his dr. told me to stop rocking him and to put him down before he's already alseep b/c he needs to learn to sooth himself. It's tough but it worked twice now. I'm hoping this is a new beginning of sleep filled nights for mommy! But to wake up to his smile every morning reminds me that it is all so very worth it!

He's really coming into his own at his young age & I know that he will be full of personality. I can't wait to see how he'll be acting at 6 months!

Thanks to everyone who commented and emailed me lately. It's so reassuring to know I'm not alone in the journey of mommyhood and that what I'm going through is all normal! I have such great blogger friends :)
XOXO

Mindy's Baby Shower

2010-08-16T12:58:00.003-05:00

This Saturday, I hosted a baby shower for one of my best friend's, Mindy & her baby Bree. I admit now that I'm a terrible blogger though b/c my lack of pictures is just getting embarassing. I know that she got a bunch of great pics with her camera, but here's some of the ones I managed to get off of mine.

We had it at a cute boutique and it was very sweet & I loved the room!

The Mommy to Be

Tiffany (the prize winnder) and Mindy

The Hostesses w/Mindy & her daughter Hannah

My mom gave her this cute outfit she made

My gift basket full of goodies

I made her wall letters that you can barely see here.

Such a cute Mommy

The diaper cake I made

Mindy, Hannah & her (soon to be) step-daughter

Opening my awesome hostess gift

Needing advice

2010-08-12T13:16:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone....Yes, I've been M.I.A. lately. It's due to a major blog "funk" that I've been in. Sorry.

My life has been I guess what you would call hectic. I've been playing single mom a lot due to the hubby having jobs in three different states. :( I'll try to do Gavin's 4 month post next week after his Dr. visit, so everyone can see how much he's grown!

I'm giving one of my besties a baby shower Saturday, and working on 2 others as much as I can. Plus there are 5 family birthdays this month-in which all are celebrated. Work is obviously super busy. My a/c has been getting worked on every day this week meaning I have had to leave work a lot. And I was occupied trying to find a nanny/mothers day out for Gavin.

I finally found one and she is pretty great. He will be starting soon on Monday, Wed., & Fri. and will be going to her house where there will only be 2 other kids. Christ is a big part of her life and she is very experienced, so I feel pretty good about this. Finding her was definitely tough though.

Anyways, I'm in need of some advice!! Even if you aren't a follower, please comment if you think you can help.

Gavin started sleeping thru the night at 3 months. BUT, he suddenly stopped. He wakes up at 3-3:30 and doesn't go back to sleep till he gets a bottle. Well, a couple weeks ago, I finally decided to put him in his own room in his own crib. That night was great b/c he slept for 9 1/2 hrs straight! Great right?....wrong! Every since then, he is waking up throughout the night. Granted, he's been sick all week, but not last night and he still woke up 3 times! I feel like I am failing as a parent that I can't get my child to sleep through the night. I've tried double feeding him at bedtime. I've tried letting him cry it out-but he starts choking and I can't take it. In the morning at about 5 when he wakes up, there is no getting him back to sleep unless I bring him to bed with me and let him fall asleep on my chest. I know it's bad, but I'm exhausted!!

If ANYONE knows what else I can do....please share! I'm desperate here!

I'm still here-need prayers....

2010-07-30T12:10:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone... I've been beyond busy lately. I have not had any time to blog or upload pics or anything and I'm so sorry. We've had lots of changes going on at work and home and I'll have to update you all on that at a later date.Some of you may have comments I've left, some may not. Gavin does not like it when I'm reading blogger for some reason, so don't take it personal. We're working on fixing that problem though. I'm meeting w/a mother's day out today actually.

My reason for this post is not about me though but about two GIANT prayer requests.

First, please prayer for my dear friend Tiffany's mom Adelle. As if she hasn't had enough to deal with, she may be facing surgery soon and could really use your prayers to get through this medical journey she is on.

Another prayer is for an old classmate of mine and fellow (previous)IF-er, Amanda. Her one year old Kynadi was tragically killed yesterday and my heart aches tremendously for her family at this time. As a new mom myself, I honestly cannot fathom the pain and it brings me to tears to even imagine what they are going through. Amanda and her family could use every prayer possible right now.

Thank you...

Hopefully I'll be able to come back soon and catch everyone up on what's been going on in my life. Have a great weekend.

Cousins!

2010-07-21T15:38:00.004-05:00

Guess who Gavin got to see this weekend? His cousin Connor! YAY!

We haven't seen them since Mother's day and it's been way too long! My sister and her husband came in over the weekend for a wedding but unfortunately we didn't get to spend much time together & I even failed to get pictures with her :( But, the boys had so much fun together. Well, as much fun as a 3 month old and a 10 month old can.

Connor has gotten so BIG and he is such a ham. Gavin and him share that trait. He just started crawling finally and his favorite word is light as he points to the ceiling fan. So cute.

I can only imagine what these two boys will be getting in to at Christmas time!

Grandpa and the Boys

Daddy & Gavin relaxing

If you have a camera, Connor will stop everything and pose for you.

My Aunt Cathy & G

Connor is showing Gavin how his toy works.

Rare sighting: My brother Sterling! This guy is ALWAYS on the go, so I never get shots of him.

3 Months!

2010-07-12T10:38:00.012-05:00

My big boy turns three months today! As each month passes, it goes faster and faster and he grows more and more into quite the little character.

Gavin has formed a little temper and I have NO IDEA where it came from ; )

If he's tired and gets woken up, if you aren't paying enough attention to him or if you take his bottle away for one second he squeels and screams and huffs and puffs!

Ok, I've obviously been reading Dr. Seuss. lol.

He recently started to like to watch Baby Einstein. That gives me about 30 minutes max of mommy time to get something done.

Gavin likes his swings MUCH more these days. He even can put himself to sleep in it occasionally.

Working with him is very difficult b/c Mr. Wiggle Worm WILL NOT sit still anymore.He wants to look around since he holds his head up & he loves to stand(with my help of course) He only likes to be held when he's going down for a nap which is also a struggle.

And his naps can be great & up to 2 1/2 hrs OR can be way too short at only 30 minutes.

He takes naps in his crib but refuses to sleep there at night, so he's in a playpin in our room. He's grown out of his bassinet.

He is ready for bed around 8:30. Thats when I cant even keep him awake. As if this week, he officially sleeps through the night! Hooray!!!

Really enjoys bath time with his duck in the water and polka dot towel hanging next to him. lol.

G loves to be outside. Esp. to go look at daddy's boats out back with the dogs.

It takes NOTHING to get this little ham to smile & he even starting laughing last week. I even recorded it on my phone and love listening to it. He also always has his tongue out!

He's a momma's boy like you have never seen!

His new best friend is Jeffrey, his Giraffe lovey. Good thing we have two!

He is done with his newborn passies and is using much cuter Avent ones for 3+ months.

Still a tummy sleeper and will def. be a very early crawler. He scoots all over the place. Kind of at a stand still with the rolling over though but we're working on it.

Favorite game is airplane on my legs. That's when mommy can get some crunches in!

Favorite songs: Wheels on the bus, Old McGavin had a farm, Patty cake, Row your boat, He's got the whole world in his hands. I must say, I sound pretty great in the shower singing those songs. HA!

We're finally able to take him out and about w/out worrying too much how he's going to be, so we've had lots of little outings. I wish it were cooler here for him to enjoy it longer.

Gavin's in size one diapers and 0-3 mo clothes, but both are starting to get smaller on him.

He currently weighs 13.7 lbs & somewhere around 24 1/2 in long(not sure)

Poor boy has ecxema, cradle cap, and a blocked tear duct. All of which we went to the dr. for Monday & he's being treated for.

And he must be going through a growth spurt. This boy is taking 5 1/2 to 6 oz of milk! If any less, he's hungry earlier and screams when he's done b/c he's still hungry. I think cereal will be in the near future for him!

Looks like I'm going to have my hands very very full with this little guy.

We are so beyond blessed with him and just love watching him change every day. It's hard to believe that just a month ago, we were still dealing with tummy problems and colic. So glad that part is over! He's the best baby in the world!!

Small Town USA

2010-07-07T10:51:00.007-05:00

This weekend was the 4th and Derek and I didn't make any plans, so we just went with the flow. I can't remember what we did Friday night, but Saturday was the annual Parade in the small town he grew up and (and I currently work in). It's a tradition that we go every single year! This year it rained a little so it prevented a few of our favorites in the parade, but it was ok. We also got to enjoy it for the first time with the Richardsons!

My little sailor and I-This picture cracks me up. And no, that's not a dress. ha ha!

Cody & Parker

Derek & Gavin-his mini-me

The Boys

Cody & Parker

Me & my sleepy boy

Oh how I love the rednecks here. LOL

That evening, we decided to have our friends over for burgers and fireworks. I wasnt able to take but a couple of pictures b/c my hands were full. The girls all played w/the babies & the guys bbq'd and played with fireworks the whole time. typical.

I did managed to make a red white and blue jello pie.

Parker & Gavin playing

Sunday @ the lake we went out to Bob & Diane's houseboat and enjoyed the entire day with the Richardsons & friends.

Tiffany & Zach even stopped by for some fun-aka-the guys drinking beer & trying to balance on the pipe over the water. lol.

Bob & Zach

Tiffany & Kelli

Me & Tiff

Cody & Kelli watching fireworks over the water

Derek & I, He was being silly b/c he couldnt touch me b/c i was SO burnt!!

Giveaway!

2010-06-30T13:18:00.003-05:00

Hey guys! My sweet blogger friend, Lea Liz is doing a CSN store giveaway! It's for a gift card and you can use it towards anything in the store!! (which has everything btw).

Head over to her blog and become a follower if you want to enter. Plus you'll get to see posts on her adorable baby boy Brody which is a bonus :)

2010-06-29T14:43:00.006-05:00

I have been one Busy Lady lately! I'm super busy today at work, but am waiting on a phone call so I'm taking this opportunity to write a blog!

Let's see what's been going on...

Last week I was exceptionally exhausted, but Derek came in and took some slack off of my workload for me. Thursday night Gavin peed our bed, himself & daddy then puked in his own bed,so it made for a long night. On Friday I gathered enough energy to go have a much needed dinner w/our friends the Richardson's & Oltmann's. It is always so good to see them. Unfortunately for Derek, I was tired and cranky so I crashed as soon as we got home & didn't even say a word to him!

He's so good to me though. Saturday, Derek got Gavin up while I slept, and got him all ready and they had a guy's day! He took him out to our office so he could unload some work materials. And Gavin visited w/his Granny. Then they spent most of the day w/Derek's friend Herm & his family. He said Gavin was an angel alll day long for them. When I got home, this is what I saw...

They must have had a very long day b/c all my boys were pooped! Yes Sammy included ;)

While the boys were enjoying their day together, this Mommy went SHOPPING!! It was a very bittersweat day for me.

I was on a mission to buy some pants or capris. I tried on every single pair in Dillards-swear! Did not walk out with one pair. I did manage to get some shorts though(which I'll probably never have the courage to wear in public). It took so much in me not to get depressed over my new size.

Since I didn't find any there in my new size(2 sizes bigger than pre-Gavin) I went to my trusted store of choice that I always find something at...The Buckle! I didn't want to spend $100+ on a pair of jeans I'm hoping don't fit for long, but I need clothes!! So I bought a couple, and am very excited to be getting them this week. They had to be hemmed but should be in the mail today!

I don't know about ya'll, but a good pair of jeans always make me feel better! I've always been so picky and it's always been difficult to find a pair that fit me right since I'm so petite, but I know I can always trust The Buckle :) I don't usually even try to find jeans anywhere else anymore, but I had a Dillard's gift card to use.

Afterwards, I went to Victoria's Secret, b/c every new mom deserves pretty panties and bras considering all the changes they go through! Luckily, it was the semi-annual sale & I stocked up!

I can't believe it's taken this long to actually go shopping for longer than 30 minutes, but Gavin likes to keep me busy ;)

Oh did I mention that I was suffering from a stomach virus all weekend? Yea, it didn't stop me. I had the whole day to myself, and I was taking full advantage!!! I almost didn't make it through the grocery store afterwards b/c the smell of food was nauseating, but I managed!

Afterwards, My dad was getting recognized at a work event and we surprised him. He was so happy to see us. Again, there were not ANY pictures of my weekend. I just wasn't in the mood to take pictures. Derek, Gavin & I had planned on having family night and go eat, but since I wasn't feeling good, I knew it would be boring, so we agreed to go eat with my parents. At least Derek could enjoy someone's company and eat a good meal instead of dealing with my sickly self!

It was a pretty nice weekend though and Sunday we enjoyed the day together before he went back to Arkansas for work.

My girls came over last night to discuss my friend Mindy's upcoming baby shower next month that I'm planning. I'm so excited b/c it's in a really cute location and she has a very pretty theme. That will have to be another post though!

Looks like I have to get back to work. Hope I can catch up again soon!

Just Between Friends

2010-06-24T11:51:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to send out a message that it's that time of year again for the Just Between Friends Consignment show. I was referred to it before I had Gavin & went not knowing what to expect. But, I left very happy with what I got. I'm not above finding good deals on kids' items that are used as long as they are in good shape. All the products at this show are inspected before being put for sale too. Go to the JBF website and see if it's in your area. And no, I do not work for them. lol. Just want to get the word out!

Baby nightmares?

2010-06-21T19:04:00.004-05:00

Sneaky Daddy took some pics of us passed out after a long weekend!

Hey everyone. I've been super busy off and on lately, so when I'm not you'll most likely catch me crashed on the couch or anywhere I've relaxed for the moment. Don't take my lack of commenting on your posts personally.

Mostly, due to the hubby's schedule all last week. His company was getting ready to go out of state causing him to come home at midnight or later every night. I couldn't sleep till he got home and everything that Gavin was used to, got mixed up.

After Gavin's doctor visit last week, his constipation got much better, so instead of switching him to soy for his const. i went ahead and took him off Similac RS and put him on Similac sensitive.

Bad. Idea.

It's like we were back to square one again. Projectile vomiting-check. Colic-check. No sleeping AT ALL-check!

I had to try the new formula for a few days hoping he needed to get used to it, but unfortunately he didn't. So, today the Dr. says put him back on RS. I'm not a fan of this b/c where I work and live, it's hard to find in a store so I have to drive out of my way to get it.

I have a question though to the mommy's out there...

Have ya'll ever heard of babies having nightmares? For the past couple of days, when Gavin is sorta sleeping, in his sleep he starts crying this awful whiny scared cry! Then he shuffles around and goes back to sleep. I don't know what is wrong with the poor little guy! I'm wondering if this is normal, or should I give him some gas medicine? I'd ask my dr, but I already call them enough. lol.

I hope everyone had a good Father's Day!

Unfortunately, Derek worked extremely late the night before, so my plans of waking up and going to breakfast before going to see my dad fell thru. I let him sleep in. even though i could have really used some sleep/help myself. He did get to go fishing Sat. morning, so sleep and fishing was enough for him. That's all he wanted:) I then went to see my dad and my sis and nephews were all in. Sorry, no pics. I'm still not used to taking pictures of every little thing for my blog. By the time I came home, we all three spent some quality time together and Derek had to leave for work at 6 to drive out of state. Boo :(

I know this post is random, but I wanted to share my Mommy Moment of last week!

It's nothing big, but it was funny. I had Gavin in his playpen/bassinet at work and I went to check on him napping and saw a huge spider crawling towards him. Naturally, I freaked out! I tried to quietly bat it away but it only ran faster towards him & ran under his belly!!! So I had to quickly pick him up in dead sleep. I didn't know what else to do. OMG-he freaked out! Then I had to smash the spider w/a plush toy b/c it was the only thing I could find. It made for a very long afternoon with a fussy/scared baby!

2 months

2010-06-16T10:55:00.005-05:00

hanging out in the office

moving those legs and arms like crazy!

We love our new Moby wrap!!!

I took Gavin to his 2 month checkup yesterday. I had reservations b/c I knew he had a temper and was going to be getting shots. But he was exhausted so he slept the entire time until it was time to get them. He screamed like I have never heard a baby scream before! I think it was mostly due to him being held down b/c when I picked him up, he was fine. It's the greatest feeling when your child needs you! He put his head down and relaxed after I picked him up & it was so sweet!

He weighed 12.1 lbs. The dr said he is gaining at an average weight so he's in the 50th percentile. But he ws 24 in long, which made him in the 90th percentile in height. So everyone was right about how long he was!

Afterwards, he let me run a couple errands while we were in town & slept the entire time. It is nearly impossible to find infant tylenol(generic brand) in this town b/c of the tylenol recall! I'm glad I did find it though b/c he has been running fever ever since his sh ots, which is normal.

Oh yea, I'm not sure if it's obvious in his pictures, but his left eye is always crusty or watery. I've thought that it was allergies all this time, but really it's his clogged tear ducts that he has had since birth. His dr basically said to keep doing the eyebrown massage & it will go away.

We also switched formula AGAIN! I think this is like the 3rd time? He's now going to Sensitive Soy since he's still having problems w/constipation. And we are starting a new feeding schedule to help him sleep longer. Poor child of mine. At least he's a happy baby now!

Water tubing!

2010-06-15T10:32:00.005-05:00

This weekend my parents took my nephews to Lake Whitney for their annual grandkid camping trip. My nephews live in the suburbs of Dallas, so their activities usually consists of being indoors, even for sports since they have complexes to play in. I can't wait till Gavin & my my sister's baby Connor can join!

Derek & I promised we'd bring his boat and let them go tubing and skiing & fishing. They had such a blast!! My mom and aunt went antique shopping since my mom hurt her back & couldn't get on the boat, so it was just me and the boys.

My dad -who's in his late 50's actually went tubing!!

Carson & Camron ready to go!

Carson on the tube

We talked them into jumping the cliffs & we found a little one. They thought it was the neatest thing ever & I bet they talk about it all next year at school. lol.

Camron jumped the cliff about 20 times! He loved it!

Can't believe I'm posting this aweful picture... at least I didn't burn my face & didn't get a bad tan ine!

Mommy Moment of the week

2010-06-11T15:04:00.004-05:00

I'm sure many of you can think of a million things you did as a new mom and look back on and say "Duh!" Well, I'm getting my fair share of these silly moments. Some are funny, some are sad & some are just aweful. Let me share with you my mommy moment of the week that I had last night and the night before...

I've been getting a pretty small amount of sleep lately. Mostly due to my busy schedule and over doing myself. But, also due to Gavin adjusting to going to work and then back home every day & not sleeping well at night. I'm running on my backup batteries right now and they must be the generic brand b/c they keep going out!

So, I feed Gavin before bedtime and I make sure & check the clock to see that if he wakes up in 3 hrs from that time, I can feed him. But, if he decides to wake up much sooner, then I know to hold off so he doesn't get over fed. He is currently sleeping in his bassinet next to my bed so I can hear him the second he squirmes. Twice now, he has woken up and I've looked across my room at the alarm clock-in a zombie like daze- and seen a certain time. The time I see is always like maybe an hour since he has fallen asleep. Which means I just lay there and try to get him to go back to sleep until he wakes up a couple hrs later to eat. This never works you know; Trying to get him to sleep. For some reason, he wiggled and squirms till I pick him up. And after a good 30-45 minutes of him working up his fussiness, I realize I saw the clock wrong! It IS time for him to eat!! OMG, I've been making my poor baby starve all this time! Bad Mommy!

That my friends is what lack of sleep will do to ya!

Hopefully I can find time to share many more of these embarassing moments! Unless I forget how to type from lack of sleep :)