A nice relaxing weekend and a new mobile for Chloe

So this past weekend was pretty nice and relaxing.  Baby girl had just gotten over being very sick with something she caught at nursery school, and Sweetness and I did not have a whole lot planned so we really enjoyed our time with our girl and were desperately trying to get her to crawl- as she is soooo close!!!

This is a picture of Chloe on Saturday morning with our dog Maggie, she was playing on the floor and Maggie came over and layed down beside her-I just had to get this adorable picture!!

Later in the day, Grandma came over to see us and I recruited her to help me with a project I have been wanting to do for a long time in Chloe's room.  So we brought Chloe into her room with us while we attempted to make a masterpiece!!!  LOL  She looks likeYou are gonna make what Momma?"

So basically I ordered many different colors and sizes of paper lanterns from various stores online, mainly amazon was a huge source.  Then you open up the lanterns and clip them to the open position, then using regular ole fishing line you hook them on hooks you have screwed in the ceiling.  You then arrange them until it has the shape and look you are after.

So this is how it looked before we started.....  just a plain corner of her room....

Then after opening up the lanterns, I laid them out on the floor to get a rough idea of how I wanted them spaced out!!!

Then I had my tall Sweetness come in a screw a few cup holder hooks in the ceiling to hold our fishing line, and we began to hang them up there--- in no particular order- just seeing what looked good!

Chloe was so sweet while  were doing this- she only wanted to play with the packaging that the lanterns came in!!!  Kids are so funny- you buy them an expensive toy and they only care about the box!!!

After it started coming together, Chloe was getting excited!!!  Yeah momma- this is so pretty!!!

And after an hour or so of arranging and more arranging- Mom and I finally got what we thought was the best placement for her new mobile!!! We layed her in the crib and she just loves looking at it!  Here is a shot of the final project!!!  I just love how it turned out

The view of the new mobile from her doorway!

An up close view

And a view from the closet in her room!

I just love it- I want one in my room now- but Sweetness is like ummm no!

So I know some of you have asked about her upper GI last Friday- well it had to be canceled becasue she was so sick.  Sweetness stayed home with her and took her to the doctor and they said she had a bad virus.  But her fever was so high- she could not have the test done.  I have not rescheduled it at this point because after she got well this past weekend- she then came down with a horrible cold on Monday evening.  Hubby stayed home with her on Tuesday, and I stayed home with her yesterday.  Thankfully she seems to be improving now and is back at nursery school today.  Man I knew kids were germ factories but this is crazy!!  My little girl has NEVER been this sick in her entire life and she has been around other children.  So hopefully she has some immunity built up now and is on her way to a healthy rest if the year- wishful thinking I know!!!

But this Saturday are her professional 9 month pictures- so I am so glad she is feeling better because we have had these scheduled for a time now!  I will be sure to post them later next week!  Until then God Bless!!!

41 weeks!!!!

 Ohhhh I love this picture!!!  This little face is just so precious to me!!!    So yep you guessed it, a whole week older, and still getting closer and closer to that beautiful first birthday, of which I am just starting to plan!!

So this was her first week at her new nursery school, and she had a rough couple of days there at the very beginning.  The second day she was there, she refused to take a nap of any kind of nap while there, after 7 hours I came to pick her up and she was just deliriously tired!!!  She fell asleep before I was even out of the parking lot!!  We got home about 5pm, and I put her down to sleep and my girl slept from 5p until 7a the next morning!!! My baby was exhausted!!!  But she has started to acclimate to the ladies that take care of her really well.                                                                                                                                        

Other than that, not much else going on...... its been so Africa hot outside nobody can do much of anything around here!!

Grandma did come over Saturday evening and we made Chloe a paper lantern mobile over her crib for her to look at.    We recruited Daddy to help too becasue he is sooooo tall.  I think it has totally changed the feel of her room and I am soooo happy with it and I think Chloe is too!!!!   Thats post will be comin up tomorrow!                 

I included this picture, so you could see her hair is finally starting to grow out!!!  If you look closely on the right side of her hair just above her ear, you can one of her sweet little curls trying to curl up!!!  I just love little toddler boys and girls with little bouncy curls all over!!!

Ohhhhh and one last thing!! This coming Saturday, we are having Chloe's 9 month professional pictures made at the beach, something I have always wanted to do, I just never had the time!!!  And you know I will be sharing them with you as soon as I get my hands on them myself!!

3/4 of a whole year old!!!!

This past Monday, Miss Priss turned a whole 9 months old!!!  Its so hard to believe 9 whole months have passed since I held this precious little miracle in my arms for the first time.  She was so small and helpless and now she is so big, and getting so independent!!

 We went to the doctor yesterday for her 9 month checkup and to ask a couple questions I have concerns about.  She weighed in at 18lbs 5.5 ozs, and that was with clothes, so I think she is really 18lbs even.

 Dr. L says she is growing perfectly and progressing nicely neurologically, which you know is a huge praise for us right now!!!  But this mamma's intuition is worried about one thing.  Chloe can not eat anything with consistency to it,   She eats stage 1 and 2 baby food just fine, but anything with little chunkies in it, or cheerios, or even cheerio 1/2s, she gags so bad, even to the point of vomiting!

 I've asked many different people about it and they don't really have an answer for me, so I finally brought it up to her ped on Tuesday.  She said that it is probably nothing, but given the fact that she has NF, we can never be too careful and we need to get it checked.  So she has ordered an Upper GI study as well as a swallow study for our girl to be sure there is  no tumor or other obstruction there.

 So this Friday I will take  her for the Upper GI, and then on Aug 7th she will have the swallow study done.  If you think about my girl, we would appreciate all prayers offered on her behalf.  We just want to keep her healthy!!  I adore this little face so much!

 Speaking of this precious face, she is sooo funny.  She just started making these crazy faces when I look through the camera and ask her to smile.  She cracks me up!!!  So I thought I would include a few of them for your comedy relief today!!!

Silly girl, but oh how I love to see her personality coming out!!  She is going to give me a run for my money I am afraid!! 

Oh one last thing I wanted to mention, I appreciate all the emails and face book messages saying you are praying for my grandmother.  It is much appreciated.  There is no update or change so far but we certainly appreciate your prayers.  God Bless you !!



40 weeks old!!!!

So yesterday was the big 4-0, not for me thankfully, but Chloe turned 40 weeks old!!!  Wow- that 52 week mark (1 yr) is inching ever closer!!!

 She truly is the happiest kid around, and she is changing so much each and every day!!!

 She claps at almost everything- which is so cute!!  And she is now really hamming it up for the camera!!  Anytime I ask her to smile she squeezes her eyes shut and throws her head back in a total cheese ball grin- sooooo cute!!

 Today was a really big day for my princess!!  She started at her new nursery school today.  She had a difficult time which I was expecting.  She cried a lot they said, she would look them in the face they said and just start whaling.  It breaks my heart to think of my boo boo crying out like that- but I know it will get easier. She will become attached to them and hopefully make so many new friends there.

 But when Sweetness picked her up tonight he said she was so ready for him to take her home.  She didn't last 30 mins tonight and is asleep for the night.  She didn't get much sleep at all there- probably because of the noise, but she was plum exhausted. 

 But I think after this first week she is gonna be okay and get into a routine again.  I love it because she is so close to my work and I can pop in whenever I want (or need) to see her!!!

 Yesterday we decided to transition to Size 3 Pampers.  She still fits in Size 2 comfortably, but I didn't want to get stuck with a huge box of Size 2 and then they are really too small, so we are in size 3 diapers now.  She has cut her top two front teeth as you can see from this pic below.  They both came in at the same time so no wonder she was so cranky last week!!

 She is venturing in to 9 month clothes almost exclusively now, and I am happy about that because now she can wear some of the really cute stuff in her closet but only in bigger sizes!!  I had Sweetness stand her up to get this whole outfit.  One because it is soooo cute with the contrasting patterns and two, because I remember my Momma making me these little swing tops that cross over in the back.  Oh to not have to be wearing a bra on these tortuous summer days and could wear these cute little outfits the babies can!!!

 And I just love the ruffle butt!!!  SO cute!!

This past Saturday, I took Chloe over to my grandmother's house to visit her.  This is my dad's mother.  Its a long and difficult story but I have never been especially close to this side of the family mainly because they disowned my dad and therefore I was his child and they never really embraced any of his children.  But I have made the effort to visit them many different times over the years and there would be time periods where I would visit regularly, and then they would do or say something that was so hurtful and I would distance myself again.  Well my grandfather (Dad's dad) passed away a year ago and things have been quite different over there when the patriarch dies.  I actually think is MUCH better.  He was very controlling and demanding and it seems to be more free now.

Anyway, my grandmother had lung cancer about 2 years ago or so and they thought she had beat it, but 2 weeks ago she felt unwell and they found tumors in her brain, where the lung cancer has now spread to the brain.  So i took Chloe up to the hospital to see her last week, ad that was the first time they have ever met Chloe or my husband.  It was a nice visit and they of course fell in love with Chloe.  Then day before yesterday we went over to their house and took Chloe again and she was a hit again.  It was nice to see some of that side of my family again, and my grandma looks very frail and weak.

So I mention all this to ask for prayers for her as she battles this evil cancer that most likely will claim her life and probably soon.  I don't know what her time frame is but I know it doesn't look good.  I also pray that many relationships can be restored and healed between many people in that family- because there is just so much dysfunction that is why I have stayed away for so long.  But you don't get to pick who your family is and I'm commanded by the Lord to treat them as I would WANT to be treated and show them Christ's love, and that is what I am trying to do.

I'll keep you updated.

Operation Hope Baby Play Date!!!!

My infertility journey was made more bearable by an amazing group of women that make up our Operation Hope group.  All of these women are dealing with some form of infertility and difficulty conceiving, some have been waiting many many years to adopt or save enough money to IVF, others are new and just seeing what info is out there, but we pride ourselves that we have such a wonderfully active a big group of women to share our joys and our lows with on this very uncertain roller coaster to motherhood.

In the 2 years since I have been part of this incredible group, we have had numerous success stories of babies conceived, born and adopted. Once you conceive, you must move to the "Mom" group once youare 12 weeks, so we don't get to see each other once you "cross-over" to the other group a whole lot.

So for this month's meeting, this past Tuesday evening, we decided to bring back together all of us, pregnant or not, and mommies with those hoping to be mommies soon!!!  And we had one great time!!! And of course I had my ever trusty camera out!!!

Every one was having such a great time catching up, and holding each other's miracles!!!

This cutie pie is Baylor, he is the beautiful baby born our past leader Michelle and her hubby.  He is almost 7 months now and so fun!!!  He loves to go camping with his Mommy and Daddy!

This little princess is Madeline, born to Ginna and her hubby Torey.  She was a successful IVF baby and true miracle.  She has casts on her little legs as she was born with bilateral clubbed feet, but the advancements in treating this have come such a long ways that she should have no lasting effects from this as a child, and will walk normally!!!  Praise the Lord!  She is 3 months old and sooooo sweet!!!  :)

And then the little but older crowd is on the floor, scooching away, as no one can crawl just yet!!!  In the front is my princess Chloe playing with her new friends Alexander and Anderson.

I just love this shot of Anderson, most beautiful blue eyes you have ever seen, and a smile that even captured Chloe's heart!!!

Here they are sitting and chatting about how hard of a day they have had!!!  :)

Here is the beautiful Ginna wither miracle Madeline!!!

This cutie is Trey, and he is almost 3 months old as well, born to our sweet Paula!!!

This is beautiful Rhonda, with her two little men, Anderson and Alexander...... these guys are fraternal twins from a very successful IVF, and she is one killer momma!!!  She keeps up with these two precious boys all day and she works the weekends as a neonatal nurse practitioner at our local children;s hospital. We consult her for medical advice often and she is just so wonderful to help all of us newbies out!!!

One of my favorite pictures of her little guys...... they are almost 7 months old and trying hard to crawl!!!

Here is Chloe playing with our new leader Jen's hair.  Jen is still waiting on her miracle, but she has the biggest heart!!!  She loves all of us, and keeps up with who is having what procedure when and who's due date is soon and who is in their 2 ww, and just serves with such a beautiful heart.  We can't wait to see the miracle the Lord will perform in the life of Jen and her hubby!!!

We decided to do a group shot of all the mommies that were there with their miracles.  I should note two very special people were not able to make it that night!!!  Tina and her precious Lily, almost 2 months old and Molly and her miracle Gracie almost 2 months as well were not able to be with us and we sure did miss them!!!

And this is a picture of all the expecting ladies of our group!!!!  We rejoice with them as they patiently await the birth of their miracle babies!!!  Two of these ladies are pregnant with twins!!!  and they range from 7 weeks to 23 weeks in this picture!!!

And then one last group shot of almost everyone that was there- I think 2 people had already left but we caught almost everyone in the pic.  I can not emphasize enough how wonderful it is to be a part of such an amazing group of women who love on and pray with each other.  I would have gone insane I think with out the support of these precious women, and you can see how many successes we have had and continue to have through the power of lifting one another up and sharing in their burdens!!  If you are local and are struggling to conceive and would like information on how to join up with our group, please contact me and let me know!!!  So So SOOOOOO thankful for all of you!!!!