Busy, busy

Well what a busy week I've had...amazingly I seem to be getting everything done that I planned! And Avery's big birthday bash is fast approaching. Today I'm meeting with Early Steps to decide if Avery is still eligible for the program. I'm not too sure what I think about that. On one hand, if she is eligible I will be grateful for the continued PT and early interventionist. On the other, if they decide she is completely normal, that would be exciting as well! So, we will see...

I made an amazingly wonderful DVD slideshow, complete with music, and it was GREAT (I cried watching it) but I popped it in my DVD player and it wouldn't work. So, I figured I'd try again but my wonderful husband had gotten on the phone with Dell (yes, still problems, after the new hard drive with my NEW laptop...ugh!) and apparently Charlie is blaming it on Dell, but the slideshow that was saved to the computer won't play. So I'm trying to decide if it is worth spending more hours putting it together and getting it to play. I had also decided to make a lot of copies of the DVD and pass them out with a note as party favors (since most of our guests will be adults, I doubt they'll appreciate a cheap princess wand, hehe!) So, if anyone has an idea of why it didn't work I would LOVE to know - it worked on the computer fine, but not on the DVD player. I am using Phillips DVD RW.

Also - thanks to Dewana for teaching my crazy self how to get the header bigger!

Not Me Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

1. I did not make a 'Things to Do' list for every day this week with at least 20+ things on each day. I did not explain to my husband that he will be taking at least 25% of this list every day.

2. Today in a frantic rush around Walmart (a 30 min. lunch break goes realllly fast in Walmart) I certainly did not steal an old lady's buggy. I did not walk around the store chatting away with my hubby on my cell phone and look down and realize I had not purchased any yarn or Vagisil. I did not realize that my purse was in my buggy...which was lost. I did not have to retrace my steps, again in a frantic rush, to the other side of the store, where a sweet old lady stood, bewildered, buttermilk in hand and with my lovely buggy right beside her. This sweet old lady did not tell me she stayed there (for at least 10 minutes) waiting because she didn't want someone to steal my purse. I did not walk towards the cash register, with the correct buggy, laughing out loud at myself. I definitely was not 10 minutes late back from lunch.

3. I did not return to work, run to the bathroom and then deliver the mail. I absolutely did not visit all 7 floors and walk by all 600 employees with my zipper down. I would never do that!

4. And there certainly are not 2 boxes of mail left hidden under my desk at work. That would be a privacy violation. I am the privacy audit police so I would never break my own rules when necessary. Never.

5. I am not about to SHOOT my dog (yeah, yeah call PETA, maybe they'll come get him for God's sake!) who has been barking nonstop for at least an hour. I am not wishing I had ear plugs, knowing that if I did have them I couldn't wear them - #1 I can't stand things in my ears and #2 - Hello! I have to hear sweet Gracie if she were to wake up! Why don't they make a pill to shut dogs up? I should take a bottle of Ambien out there. Ughhhhhhhhhhhh!

6. It did not snow in my backyard. No, it really didn't people...I live in the South! Instead, the same dog ripped a pillow (that Charlie insisted he needed) to shreds. There are not thousands of feather covering a backyard w/ a dog yelping away. Maybe he's barking at all the feathers? I know my neighbors must love me...

7. I am not about to stay up wayyyyyy past my bedtime to create a DVD slideshow of pictures of Avery since she was born to play at her birthday that is not THIS WEEKEND!!! Can you tell I'm not very excited about it?

So come on people, I know you all have plenty of things that you didn't do this week. Time to spill em!

Does anyone know why...

...my header looks like this?

I made it at scrapblog.com and then copied and pasted the HTML code into an HTML gadget box and dragged and dropped it right under the Nav Bar. I want it to be bigger and not have the arrows on the bottom. Can anyone help? Thanks!

Birthday Fun...

So...Avery's birthday was a lot of fun. Small fun, but still fun! On days like that I wish we could go somewhere really cool or that we had family in town, but Avery was happy with her cupcake and the pizza her daddy insisted on letting her try. YES I SAID PIZZA. I made the HUGE mistake of asking Charlie to accompany us to her 12 month well visit. And Dr. Khanfar made a HUGE mistake when he uttered the words, "She may eat whatever you eat now." Immediately I interrupted, "Suuurrrre...except for dairy, eggs, nuts, strawberries, and things we aren't too sure about, right?" He politely smlied and replied, "No ma'am, she can eat anything except for something she may choke on like popcorn or nuts." So there was no telling Charlie that pizza was not acceptable. The result? No, she did not choke. I did not have to do the Heimlich. BUT (and this is a big but) I might as well return my handy dandy food processor - yes, this past weekend I ventured into the world of baby food making! But after pepperoni pizza on her birthday - she is NOT having it. She gagged on the peas, when Charlie tried the green beans he had to trick her by holding a sippy to her mouth and then sneaking the spoon in until she threw a complete fit. She is doing okay with squash, and still happy with the sweet potatoes. So, I've decided she'll have to live on sweet potatoes and the occasional squash and pizza, lol, which means she'll turn totally orange for that photo session with Jami. Oh joy. Can you PhotoShop an orange baby back to white? Hmmm....

Also, I went a little overboard with pictures on her birthday - but I figured what the heck, it is her 1ST BIRTHDAY. So, I'm going to attempt to upload over 35 to this blog, which I believe will be a record for me , although nothing close to Stormie's mom :) Just wait until her party...I may need to buy a new memory card!

Opening her first present of the day...

Her very own Pink New Balance Tennis Shoes!

Of course, the box was a much better gift than the actual shoes!

I couldn't believe how big she looked in her new kicks... We learned this trick from Campbell...she is actually kind've leaning against the bed....

"Am I cool with this fly jacket and these awesome shoes, or what?"

And off she goes!

Cupcakes! Guess which one is mommy's?

Party hats are delicious!And Birthday Cards are too!

A birthday gift from Ms. Chastity...a cute outfit complete w/ capris!

Lots of goodies...

The best family pic I could get, holding the camera myself and a baby who was tired of taking pictures!

Opening presents with daddy...

A onesie I made for her photo shoot to wear w/ her tutu

And sparkling shoes for her party dress

It was bedtime by the time I remembered these and she was not in a posing mood!

Happy Birthday little Princess

Well today is the day! Last year at this time mom and I were probably on our way to the gestational diabetes counseling. I kept trying to convince everyone I was not at risk for having a big baby...she was only in the 35th percentile! But everyone insisted I had to go. So we sat and waited and then talked and talked about what I could and could not eat and what exercise I needed to start and how to take my blood sugar. Then off to Applebees...and most of you know the rest of the story. Then from Applebees to that life saving sonogram. I keep thinking of the what ifs. The sonogram fell on MLK day and I had scheduled the day off of work to go. If I had remembered on MLK day we get our regular pay plus time and a half I would've rescheduled it. The sonogram itself was $150 and I was trying to talk myself out of spending that much just for another sonogram. But God works in mysterious ways and somehow we made it there that day. Just in the knick of time. There was reverse bloodflow in the placenta and Avery hadn't grown at all since the last sonogram, 1 month earlier. She measured only 27 wks, but I was 31 weeks pregnant. After much tears and chaos and an emergency c-section, Avery Grace arrived at 4:32pm that afternoon weighing 2lbs 2oz. That day was filled with so many fears...what if she didn't make it...what if something was terribly wrong with her...so many what ifs. And we find ourselves a year later, with a perfect little girl (who, by the way, stood alone yesterday for the first time!) Who could've ever imagined how fun and miraculous and exciting and amazing this year was going to be. Happy Birthday Avery. We love you more than you can ever imagine. You are truly the most miraculous gift I have every been given. Looking at you makes me understand exactly what I was meant to do... be a good mommy to you! I love you, love you, love you.

Pics to come later...off to Dr. Khanfar for a 12 month well baby visit...even her daddy is coming this time :) Then I have to go to work (boo!) and after that there will be cupcakes and presents and pictures galore!

Come out, come out whoever you are!

Avery received two gifts in the mail today. One was a pair of pink New Balance Tennis Shoes that I ordered for her and the other was a pearl bracelet. It is beautiful! And, as you will see, Avery LOVES it! There's just one thing...there was no card so I have no idea who it's from. So, if you sent Avery this beautiful keepsake from Little Girls Pearls, please let me know so I can send you a thank you note! It was so sweet and thoughtful and it is just beautiful. She's also gotten a few other adorable things in the mail and I will be posting all about those sometime this week.

Tomorrow is Avery's birthday. WOW! A year ago today we were putting the crib together with my dad who had just made it to town on Sunday night (before Monday, the 21st when we had Avery). How time flies! We are going to go get her a cupcake to taste and let her open a gift or two and then to Dr. Khanfar - yikes I know! Just a well baby visit though so it shouldn't be too bad.

Not Me Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

So, here we go...

1. I did not ask the doctor to test my thyroid to help explain the 20 lb weight gain over the last year. I was not disappointed when I called today and they said it was completely normal.

2. I most certainly did not gripe all day at work about the weight gain and then drive straight to Vieux Carre Gourmet to get some very tasty Lobster Bisque. And I certainly did not buy some irresistible mini cheesecakes while I was there. Absolutely NOT!

3. I did not reschedule Avery's birthday party to the weekend after next because I have 3 sick relatives (Poppa, Gran gran & Paps) who would not be able to attend. Germs really don't bother me.

4. I did not turn on Baby Einstein in hopes of putting Avery down to write this blog. She is not whining a little off and on as I type this. I mean I would never use Baby Einstein to distract Avery while I get things done!

5. I did not spend at least an hour yesterday organizing pictures on the computer and saving them to a flash drive. I did not have to use a 2GB flash drive and 2 CD's just to save the pictures from the last 3 months! Bye bye hard drive :(

6. Avery is not having another very fussy day and she is certainly not screaming every time I even start to put her down. She does not have a total panic attack if I lay her in her crib. I am not currently holding her in my lap to finish this post while she attempts to chew on Post-its! I am not really wondering when I'll have time to cook supper, straighten the house, etc with Mrs. Fussy showing out. She is certainly not getting spoiled by daddy and I who hold her all day because there really doesn't seem to be another option!

7. And last, but not least, I did not call a contractor to give me a quote on taking out my leaning toilet and replacing it with a new toilet and all new flooring. We've been through this before people...I never have plumbing issues, remember? I didn't have to laugh at myself and say God totally has a sense of humor when the contractor, along w/ his wife & child (don't worry I put Avery in her bubble) showed up in the middle of me making chicken n' dumplings, biscuits, feeding and bathing Avery and everything else. You see, I love to keep an extremely tidy house so God did not feel the need to send over visitors in the midst of total and complete chaos with baby food splattered everywhere and Bisquick galore. No, of course not, they came any other hour of the day when the house was perfectly clean!

On a lighter note...

Whew...that last post was kind've heavy so I thought I'd lighten it up a bit. I'm supposed to be paying bills, which I was also supposed to do yesterday and the day before. Unfortunately, my computer hasn't been cooperating. You see, my 3 month old brand new Dell Laptop needs a new hard drive. Yes a completely new hard drive. So, Charlie has finally won his argument - Apple must be better than this. And Vista is just a MESS. We will definitely be getting a Macbook the next time we purchase a computer! Ughhh...so frustrating. So my new hard drive will be here Tuesday and until then its touch & go w/ this crazy computer. Today it was finally cooperating but chase.com says my checking account is unavailable. Now I am convinced that this is obviously a sign that I should just spend our paychecks on a bubble for Avery. Yes, a bubble. Bubble girl (that I work with) asked me if I was buying Avery a bubble for her birthday. The more I thought about that the more I thought about googling baby bubble to see if any such thing existed. I mean, just imagine, it could be temperature and germ controlled. I could zip Avery up in her bubble and head into Target! We could have a normal birthday party at some fun, exciting place with lots of people and snotty nosed kids and coughing grandparents. Everyone would be welcome...imagine the possibilites. So, I am completely in favor of purchasing a bubble. Take that, Bubble Girl.

***CPS Disclaimer: In no way would I ever actually intend to put my child in a bubble.***

In other news, Avery has finally outgrown her small bathtub that I put in the sink, so she has been upgraded to a big, yellow inflatable duck that quacks. And it was a HUGE hit. She splashed and played and talked - she had the best time. I might need to invest in some kneepads, lol, but other than that it was so much fun! And here are some pics to prove it...

Prayers needed...

I have been a little down today. Life just seems so unfair sometimes. So, if you think you're having a bad day - jump over to Adrienne's blog and realize that your day isn't so bad after all. Please pray for her, she has suffered more loss than I can fathom. I read her blog today and cried for her. I don't know her personally but it really doesn't matter. I cried and cried and then cried some more. And the more I thought about her losses the more I thought about mine. The baby boy that went to heaven in March 2006 before we ever met when I was 20 weeks pregnant.

When I come home every day, the older Avery gets, the more excited she gets that I'm home. I can really tell lately that she missed me and she loves me. When I see her as I walk through the door, there is this overwhelming feeling in my heart. It is indescribable. The kind of feeling that could knock you over. Almost a high, I guess. And a lot of times, I think about him. I think about all those days, all those feelings I'll never have with him. And I always wonder what his favorite color would've been. Isn't that silly? Of all the things I could wonder.

I am blessed beyond what I can imagine. I have the same mutated gene that Adrienne has that causes blood clotting. Life isn't fair....why do I get to have a baby but she doesn't? Why does she have to suffer over and over and over. Why did I have to lose a baby too? Oh, so many unanswered questions.

I also have a cousin, Johnny, with 2 young daughters. His wife walked out on him (Another thing in life I will never understand) and the 2 girls. After a long time he realized she wasn't coming back he moved to another state to be closer to his dad and grandma. A few weeks after he got settled in his own place, it burnt to the ground. He and his daughters are safe, which is obviously such a blessing, but they have only their pajamas. No clothes, no toys, no pacifiers and bottles and oh so many things we take for granted. And no mommy. And my heart hurts for him and those little girls. If anyone has any 2T or 3T clothes or toys or supplies for little girls (ages 1 and 2) I would be happy to buy them from you so I can mail them to him. Please say a prayer for Johnny and his little girls, too.

I am reading a great book called 'The Shack' that is the closest thing that I've ever read (well, besides the Bible, of course!) that answers some of those questions. God does love us. He does love us tremendously. In our small minds there are things that don't make since, that aren't very fair to us. But He is much more than we can ever imagine or understand. I am so thankful that there is a hope, that my parents raised me to believe in that hope. That I don't have to just decide that life just stinks. Thank you God...thank you for loving us even when we pout all day about life not being very fair.

I've Been Tagged

I've been tagged for a little game. You're supposed to pick your 4th folder, 4th picture. Of course, its Avery! She looks to be having the time of her life with a biter biscuit - always remember - biter biscuit=bathtime!

I'm tagging Nicki, Dewana, Denise & MckMama (yeah right, she is way to famous for this silly game - hehe!)



Completely changing subjects, without any sort of interesting segue...today at work a man asked me if I had been at church Sunday to hear the guest speaker. I said, "Oh we don't go to church right now, because Avery can't be around large crowds." He says, "Really??? Why???" I said, "Because she was such a small preemie (which he already knew) and she's..." I stopped myself because #1 - I was in a huge rush and didn't have time to talk and #2 - He was looking at me with crazy eyes. So I stopped mid-sentence and simply admitted "Because I'm a germ crazed psycho, thats why" and rushed off to finish what I was doing. lol. I guess the first step to solving your problem is to admit you have one, right!

Lil' Miss Fussy

I have officially changed Avery's name to lil' Miss Fussy! And she has learned a new 'trick'; She can holler now. And boy is it loud! It is funny at first but can very quickly become (dare I say...) annoying! Charlie said he couldn't put her down today and I figured he was exagerrating, but when he met me at the door with her when I got off at 5, I understood what he meant. She was a fussy little thing - I think the culprit is a new tooth...darn those teeth! So, needless to say she started the day off on the wrong side of the bed...

This is 5am this morning while I'm trying to get ready. Usually she will easily play in her crib, or the living room, or the jumperoo, or watch Baby Einstein. She was not having any of it this morning. She wanted mommys attention 100%. Have you ever tried to hold a baby while putting on mascara? Let me tell you it is near impossible, but when the baby wants to hold the mascara wand that you're trying to use - it IS impossible. The result..."Yes, Miss Fussy, you can sit in the sink and play with mommy's makeup....if you must."

Don't let these smiles fool you, this was yesterday, when she was a happy lil princess!

Charlie was trying to show me this thing she does w/ him where she'll touch her head to his and look at him...of course, when we want her to do something for the camera...she never does!

And these are from this weekend, her first taste of kiwi, she wasn't too sure about it!

We still love you lil Miss Fussy! :)

Birthday countdown...1 week left...Oh yes, definitely expect a nice, long birthday preparations post!