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!

Not Me Monday

Hello people...its definitely a Monday. It definitely feels like a Monday.

So here goes...and why not make your own Not Me Monday? Totally fun to confess all the crazy things you did during the week (if you can actually remember them!) So, go see MckMama and read all about it!

1. I did not have a super busy day at work. No, not me. I had time to address every invite, do all of my work, blog, email and everything else I wanted to do. Dontcha just hate Mondays?

2. I did not spend over half of my day performing a job function - HR Recruiter - which is entirely not mine because I have never been trained on it, much less am I paid for it. I did not set up an interview for a girl who couldn't even tell me what interested her in the position. I certainly didn't do that. A coworker and I did not conclude that everyone deserves an interview in these tough economic times. Besides, we have to recruit like a bazillion people - so we certainly didn't make a pact that everyone would pass our little test. Oh yeah, everyone except sweetf******lady@yahoo.com. She didn't get an interview, or even a phone call for that matter.

3. I did not just type a whole paragraph about work today. I wouldn't be that overwhelmed with my job right now, as to let it be a part of Avery's blog! I am not about to admit that mail lady - thats me - didn't even attempt to deliver the mail today. It is certainly not stuffed in my desk until tomorrow. Nah, I didn't do that!

4. I did not chicken out on a fondant cake for a one year olds birthday party and request buttercream icing instead!

5. I did not put off running on the treadmill again this morning when my alarm went off at 4:45. I do not firmly believe that no one should ever be forced to wake up earlier than 5am, for any reason.

6. I did not get out of cooking tonight by tempting Charlie with fast food, lol, so I can address Avery's invitations. I would never put off my wifely duties to send out silly birthday invitations! No, not me!

7. I did not pull a silver fork out of my purse today so I could eat lunch at my desk so I could *try* to finish all of my work.

8. I did not have a front yard full of raw sewage this weekend. I mean, my house is perfect in every way and nothing would ever go wrong w/ the plumbing at my house!

9. Avery did not have a total meltdown with her therapist the day after I left her with a babysitter. I have not scarred her for life by leaving her for an hour and a half to go eat with Charlie at Outback...did I?

Ok - now its your turn!

Rambling...

Sorry it's been so long but here's an update just so Niki D. doesn't gripe at me Monday morning at work because she doesn't have a blog update to read. :)

I will admit I have been a blog/picture taker slacker this week. I know - what a terrible excuse for a mom, right! I guess this birthday planning is a little bit consuming. I keep thinking I have everything and then my mind wanders. I think "A nice pink tulle bow would be great w/ the tutu in the photo shoot" and before I know it I'm ebaying and googling until I find the 'perfect' one. I should probably visit chase.com next to see how much damage I've done this weekend! Everything is ready to go - except the bow - I am still looking for the perfect one. The decorations and supplies are stacked on the table, the wand and tiara are on the way, the gifts are wrapped, the banner came in and the cake is ordered. The invites are stuffed and hopefully I can get them out Monday morning. I forgot the pink pen at Chase...ooops! (Yes, Niki & I work really hard, as you can see - no, really - WE DO!)

Nonna and Poppa visited today and we had a good time. We did some rearranging and I just LOVE my new living room. We are using the coffee table as a more sturdy TV stand and I feel much better about it (as far as babyproofing goes).

In other boring news, we relisted the house. We took it off the market for 60 days after no offers in 6 mos. So, we will see. We finally got a chance to discuss what we really wanted to do in the next few years. We both still really want to be near our family and friends in Vi-Lou. As most of you know, we work opposite schedules and very rarely have time for such conversations! We had a DATE - yes I mean a leave the baby with a SITTER and go out for an hour and a half DATE! I was a nervous wreck but it turned out great. I will admit that I texted the sitter for longer than I will admit (until my husband insisted the cell phone go in my purse) and she was so sweet to send me a video of Avery playing. The only problem is the day after the date the therapist (Denise) came and Avery had a TOTAL meltdown. She clung to me like never before and wouldn't go near Denise for the entire hour. It was major separation anxiety. She did great w/ nonna and poppa but then cried when the realtor came. I really hope this birthday party doesn't turn into a disaster!

Oh well, for thinking I had nothing to blog about this sure did turn out long. And now I have not a single picture to share with you. Shame on me...and sorry for rambling! :) HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE! Besides, Monday will be here before you know it...back to the grind...ya know, the hard knock life where I have to address invites and Niki catches up on all her blogs? Dontcha just hate Mondays? ;)

PS - If any of you ladies out there need a good cry (like only us women can understand) see Bring the Rain. Watch the video. Grab a box of Kleenex before you even click.

Follow up Visit and Birthday Plans

So today we went back to Dr. Khanfar. He said Avery's lungs sound better but he wants to continue her breathing treatments. We can decrease them to 2 per day and once the cough goes away once a day for 2 days. So we are praying that cough goes away asap! We don't have to follow up but we're going back for her 1 yr check up on her birthday anyway. Poor Dr. K, when he walks in the room Avery looks at me and immediately frowns and cries. It is terrible. The worst part is holding her down (which I have to do!) while he looks in her ears, throat, etc. Whew! She is so relieved, as soon as I pick her up she is done crying but in the middle of it you would think she was dying!

In other much more fun news, Avery's invites have arrived and are PERFECT. The only problem is they have the wrong address (in Vidalia) b/c plans have changed since she came down with RSV. So I'm including a small insert to let everyone know where it is and a reminder about only coming if they are completely well! lol, yes I'm overdoing it! What can I say for myself? So here are the adorbale invites and an equally gorgeous cake. Now I just have to decide what fillings should go in each layer and I have to find a fabulous tiara....any suggestions?

Of course, ours will say Happy Birthday Avery!

And here are the invites...

**Updated** Happy New Year

**Updated entry, added 2 videos at the bottom!**

Ok...yes, that was a little belated. I had this magnificent plan to write the world's longest blog entry about every memory from 2008. Halfway thru March I realized it wasn't going to happen. #1 - I have a gazillion other things that need to get done this weekend (Avery's 1st bday is quickly approaching!) And #2 - All of the things I was writing are either written on this blog or babycrowd so it was so repetitive and I lost patience! Sorry...

Anyway, Avery is recovering ok from RSV. She seemed a lot better yesterday but then started coughing a lot more today and has been very irritable. She has also been running a low grade fever today. I'm almost positive its teething (she's drooling like crazy) but we go back to Dr. K tomorrow for the RSV check up. So, we will see!

In other exciting news, she's pulling up! Charlie had watched her do it a few times, but never took a picture (ugh, men!) but I caught her a few times this weekend and snapped some pics and a video or two. I am so proud of her! Her newest trick is like hide and seek. I can walk to another room and call her name and she comes to find me! That is too much fun! I am trying to teach her sign language for 'more', so we will see if that works or not.

Munching on one of mommy's stocking stuffers in a new outfit...

Look who's pulling up...This is one of her favorite Christmas toys from mom and dad...

Playing in her new outfit from Aunt Lindsey...

When Dr. K said we could start with some table foods,

he probably didn't have Chick fil A waffle fries in mind!

Mamaw came to visit...

Gerber Toast...she didn't know what to think of it!

She was getting upset with the prunes I was feeding her and grabbed a handful OUT of her mouth and threw and spread them everywhere. Talk about a tantrum. By the time I got the camera, she had decided it was pretty funny!