A Bub's Life

Raising a Reader

2012-02-13T21:02:00.001-06:00

I've mentioned this before, but I reaaaaaaaaally want the girls to love reading as much as I did, and still do. I think it's really important and feel lucky that little Maddie Brynn already seems to be on her way...

look! it's my favorite book

hey momma, wanna read with me?

I like this page

cookie monster makes me laugh :)

I remember when Avery first learned to turn the pages of the books we read her every night before she went to sleep-- such a thrill! And how she giggled and loved to "lift the flap." I can't wait to do all the same things with Baby Bub. She's already shaping up!

Avery is Four

2012-02-06T22:19:00.000-06:00

Last Monday, my miracle child turned four. I don't know if it's even completely sunk in. She is just SO OLD. And how did four years go by in the blink of an eye? I still don't know. Since you know I can't resist, here's my girl through the years:

Avery Brand New Avery 6 months

Avery's 1st Bday Avery 18 months

Avery's 2nd Bday Avery 2&half

Avery's 3rd Bday Avery 3&half

We kept it very low key this year, spending time with family and doing activities that we knew she enjoyed, as opposed to a big party where we she could easily be overwhelmed. I think she most enjoyed the swinging...

and having cake for every meal of the day! ha! Here is the special heart cake I made for my four year old sweetheart-

I think she liked it!

Bub the hub and I have gone through about every emotion there is in the last couple of weeks. We are so thankful she is here with us, but still can't help but wish that her journey could have been a different one. It's hard not to imagine all the future challenges that still lay ahead. We wish we could take them all away, and give her a break for once! We know that's not in the cards, but it doesn't mean we don't hold out hope that she will have a future filled with all the things that she deserves. And much, much more.

Mommy and Daddy love you so much Avery. You have taught us so much. You are PERFECT in our eyes. You are our everything.

Listen to the mustn'ts

by Shel Silverstein

Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child,

Listen to the DON'TS

Listen to the SHOULDN'TS,

The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON'TS

Listen to the NEVER HAVES

Then listen close to me--

ANYTHING can happen, child,

Anything can be.

Five Months

2012-01-23T23:00:00.002-06:00

This past month in the life of our precious Baby Bub has definitely been the most exciting so far. SO much to tell. Here she is in all her five month glory.

If you are wondering about this silly face, she was blowing raspberries
at her daddy and me the entire time we were taking her picture....
but at least this one is a raspberry/smile, yes?

Five months is not a pediatrician appointment month, so we do not have an exact weight and height. But I did put her on a commercial scale for fun the other day and it said 14.5 lbs, which sounds about right (of course, it also said I weigh about 30lbs less then my normal weight, but whatevs). Her little legs definitely look longer, although this cannot be officially confirmed yet. She is still in size 2 diapers and finally fitting well into her 3-6 month clothes. Her hair is still strawberry blonde and has gotten a little thicker. The big news is that she is sleeping wayyyy better.

Right before she turned 5 months, Bub the hub and I decided it was time for Maddie Brynn to start sleeping in her crib at night. This was tough for me because I really love having her in our bed and getting to cuddle. But I also know that I am being a wee bit selfish and we need to promote good sleeping habits and get her used to her own room. She had been doing well with taking naps in her crib lately, so we decided to go for it...and of course, the first night was a huge FAIL. Maddie Brynn 1, parents 0. However, by the second and third night, letting her cry it out lasted less than 10 minutes, and within the week she was going down earlier and earlier and lasting much longer between bottles. Now we are at the point where she goes down between 7:45-8:30pm and will usually wake up for bottles around 1am and 4-5am, then sleep in until it's time to take Avery to school. I call this success!

Now before this post gets totally out of control long, I am going to have to revert to bullet points:

• Like I mentioned last week, she has started rolling a lot more, especially onto her elbows. Also loves climbing us, and even scoots on her tummy, but usually only when she's really mad ha!

<--• We just got out the Jumparoo, and she was pretty intrigued (and a little too short : ). But as with her swing right now, she wants us to stay and play with her. She doesn't understand that this is not. the. point.

• In December she started making little shrieks and now she's a full out screamer. We'd all be annoyed except it's so darn cute.

• She enjoys holding -->

her bottle. Sometimes I can even put her in her car seat and get a few chores done while she does it all by herself!

• Working on sitting but mostly wants to stand
• When she gets really excited, she stomps. So precious.
• She LOOOVES when we read her books. I am so thrilled. Her favorite right now is "Bubbles, Bubbles" with the Sesame Street characters. We read it about 5 times in a row, everytime.

• Started to notice she is developing some seperation anxiety this past month, boo!

<--• Still not happy about being strapped in the car seat, but playing more with toys in the car and is all smiles when we are actually shopping

• Super duper ticklish! also enjoys tummy raspberries- of course, we are happy to oblige
• She's completely mesmerized whenever we are eating something and always reaches out to try and snag some...cracks us up.

• Equally mesmorized by her big sister. Just stares up at her with those big baby blues. <3

• Still loves the mirror and makes the biggest smiles at herself...ditto with the bath!-->
• Has 30-40 minute naps through out the day, unless of course Nana comes over and holds her all day and then she sleeps for, like, hours and hours at a time.

<--• We started rice cereal and baby food and it didn't take her long to start eating it more than spitting it out :)

• She's completely content for me to hold her on my hip as I am going around the house doing chores and things. My back is not loving this!

•Always wants to be where the action is

• She has the most amazing and bright smile -->
and it makes my heart so happy. She has a big dimple in her right cheek and another smaller one in her left cheek that hid at first--we just it noticed this month! Bub the hub and I each have one dimple in different cheeks, so obviously she got one from each of us :).
• She's drooling like crazy and wants to gum everything, but no teeth yet (I'm constantly checking)
• Loves to be outside, especially at the park where she can watch her big sister swing
•Yes, I am still dressing her up as much as I can!

This post is only one week late, wahoo! I'm totally getting better. I'm also a lot better at taking care of the girls together, and it only took me five months....not bad right?

Brag Update

2012-01-15T22:42:00.000-06:00

Apparently my brag was not complete! Last week after my post, we finally got a new big girl highchair for Avery that we had been waiting on, and I had to share how somehow she aged from 3 to 12 when we put her in it. She gets to eat at the table with us like such a big girl!!

this is MY chair I'm pretty excited...

I get to sit at the table and eat with mommy & daddy! don't I look old suddenly?

boy...this photo shoot sure if makin me thirsty.

did mommy mention how great I'm doing with my utensils?

oh good. just checkin

And not to be outdone, Avery's little sister began to purposely roll from back to stomach and get up on her elbows this week. This mommy is WAY proud. Madeline was pretty happy with herself as well.

This bugaboo is FIVE months today!!!

Can't wait to share what else she's been up to!

(hopefully before she turns six months :)

Avery Brag!!

2012-01-07T22:49:00.000-06:00

Been thinking lately that I don't brag about lil'bub enough. She's not doing what most three year olds are, but she is making good progress and that still counts! First and foremost, she continues to work very hard on her walking. It is basically a giant trust issue, because Avery still doesn't completely trust her right side. Even though it's come leaps and bounds since her surgeries-- she can move both right leg and right arm independently/on command now-- she can't fully depend on them yet. She takes steps like a champ though, and her physical therapist (the awesome Miss Eda!) is working right now on Avery using her arms to weight bear and push her doggie while stepping, with a little balance assistance. Here's a video from right after Christmas--as you can see, we had not cleaned up yet from the festivities--

Until Avery learns to walk, Bub the hub and I have to be her legs. She's definitely a leggy string bean, but it sure is getting harder and harder to cart her around. I'm wishing and praying her body adjusts to walking sometime soon before we have to order some major equipment...if you have time for a quick prayer too, we'd be much appreciative.

I'm not finished bragging though! When I said she can move her right arm on command now, that is a new and amazing feat!! The movement in her right leg came fairly easy, but the arm control has taken it's sweet time. Her right shoulder movement improved a lot in the begining of 2011, but it's only been in the last 6 months that she's started purposely moving the entire right arm when we ask her to. Such a seemingly small task that helps us all enormously.

Avery's sign language has improved as well. She gives us more signs independently instead of being prompted. She has about 15 "words" that she has learned through school (and the best teachers we could ever ask for), and she has recently learned how to start putting two words together...TREMENDOUS!!

When it comes to feeding, she has been pretty independent for a long time, but still needs help with utensils. In the last month, her spoon scooping skills have developed amazingly, and she thinks it's really fun too, which helps :). Her jaw strength has also improved significantly, which has led to new sounds! I could be saying the same thing too about her little sister, actually. They have some very interesting conversations in the back of my car that totally crack me up. I would give anything to know what they are saying!

We also bought Avery an iPAD for Christmas (she already uses one at school) and it's been really cool to see her interact with it. There are some great apps for kids with special needs, and we hope to be using it as more of a communicative device in the future.

I feel like this brag got a little long, but you've probably already noticed I like to talk about my lil'loves. If you see Avery around, you might want to give her a high five or something. She deserves it.

Four Months

2011-12-30T23:03:00.002-06:00

Already half a month ago, Baby Bub turned four months old. Alas, holiday cards demanded my time instead of blogging, but here finally is her update. This precious girl is still growing like a weed! And it's proven: her doctor's office stats jumped from 5th to 23rd percentile in height, 20th to 35th percentile in weight, and a whopping 38th to 78th percentile in head circumfrence. Must be a big, beautiful brain in there!!

and compare :)

What a month it's been-- little Maddie Brynn's personality has blossomed so much and we are loving every minute of it...or maybe I should say every minute of daylight, because night time has not been quite as fun. Although she teased us at 3 months with sleeping more at night, this past month she has consistently woken around every 3-4 hours. BOO! Her already voracious appetite seemed to increase all over again, and this hungry hungry hippo wants her food.

This past month she has also made a lot of new discoveries, mainly her hands!

She likes to watch her hands and fingers, move them around, and most of all

stuff them in her mouth!

She also made the big step of starting to grab her toys with both hands. We call her a little hoarder because she likes to grab as many as possble in one swipe, and it's really cute to watch.

Baby Bub has also officially discovered her tongue...which she likes to stick out at us.

A lot.

Other discoveries? That she has her daddy completely wrapped around her finger...

(not surprising)

And how much fun it is to look in the mirror!

totally captivated :)

She continues to practice sitting in her bumbo, and likes to be where the action is, like hanging out with her sister and grandaddy!

Frequent blog readers already know that she had a great Thanksgiving, where she allowed mommy and daddy to have a calm, peaceful dinner,

and hung out with family, like her fun Aunt Alysia, who makes her laugh :0)

And last but not least, this was the month that she became mommy's little fashion plate!!

I love dressing up my little doll-- Maddie Brynn, you are the (second) light of our lives!!

Christmas Highlights

2011-12-26T23:55:00.000-06:00

Best to post some xmas pics before time gets away from me again. Bub the hub and I absolutely LOOOOVED celebrating Christmas with our TWO beautiful girls. We started the festivities on Christmas Eve celebrating with Grandaddy. We discovered that Grandaddy has a super special baby knee bouncing ability that no one else can replicate. It takes babies from this:

to this:

pretty cool huh?

Then Avery slept in until 8:30am on Christmas morning, which was a bloomin' miracle and just a wonderful overall present to her parents!! Here are the silly sleepy girls--

hey girls, want to see if Santa came??

And boy did Santa pay us a visit! My living room simply exploded with presents...Bub the hub enjoyed all his presents,

and we almost lost little Maddie Brynn in all her gifts...

Avery's favorite part was having a gingerbread cookie for breakfast!

(yum)

Next we traveled to Nana's house for another morning celebration, where some of us stayed in our p.j.'s and lil'bub might have enjoyed playing with her present bows more than her actual presents.

Baby Bub was amused her new giraffe pillow :)

Then it was time to get dressed for the rest of the day! Here is sweet Avery in her annual holiday dress photo with her momma-

and her past three Christmas days, of course :)

what a precious joy she is!

We think Nana and Uncle Drew had a pretty good time as well. Then it was on to the next place-- Christmas lunch with Bub the hub's family, where it was nap time for big sister, but little sister got to hang out with more family.

cuddling with Pops

makin faces at MawMaw

and the quickest and most enjoyable way to calm a fussy Maddie Brynn:

looking at that "other" baby in the mirror...she sure is pretty!!

THEN it was time to head to Chappell Hill and Christmas with my mom's side of the family at the Barndominium, which you can see in these lovely photos from my aunt's Christmas card--

There we ate some amazing food and winded down from a long day. We tried for one good family pic...

but the floor was evidently too fascinating.

Hope everyone had a merry merry Christmas!

Checking Back

2011-12-22T23:18:00.000-06:00

Checking back in to say I am NOT in the loony bin, but still exhausted and insanely busy. Also glad to say that all of the client holiday cards from Sugar Bee Designs made it out and they are all unique and wonderful in their own little way!! Now I have a few more presents to buy and a ton of wrapping to do... and I've almost made it through the first vacation week home with two girls, with a lot of help from Nana and Grandaddy. I have the best parents.

Speaking of Nana, here she is with my lovely, holiday attired daughters, thanks to my sweet Aunt Christine:

Avery looked so grown up!

and happy with her Nana <3

and some awesome out-takes:

My sweet Baby Bub passed the four month mark last week and I can't wait to share how she's doing-- it's been so much fun to watch her grow and change so quickly! I just need to carve out a little more blogging time soon. In between all the holiday craziness. No problem at all...

Currently Feeling...

2011-12-15T22:35:00.000-06:00

like this:

Between my business, the girls, xmas shopping, teacher's gifts and overall holiday craziness, I am trying VERY hard not to go INSANE!!!!!!!!!! I'll check back soon and tell y'all if I've officially lost my mind or not. Do they let you blog from the loony bin? Not sure. Will send message through Bub the hub if not.

Thanksgiving Recap

2011-12-02T14:50:00.000-06:00

Thought I should probably post about Thanksgiving before I turn around and it's the new year! We had a really nice day celebrating with family, and everyone stuffed themselves with lots of delicious food!!

WHAT?!? I don't get any of the food??

Well, everyone except Baby Bub stuffed themselves.

But she did get lots of good milk!!

Avery's favorites were the butternut squash

and skillet apple pie with ice cream!

Not so favorite...

mashed potato casserole (we liked it though!)

we visited with family

there was even an Uncle Drew sighting!

(promise Avery was more excited about it than this)

The next day we got to visit with even more family at the Barndominium, it was so much fun! And we finally got some good photos of Madeline with my cousin Kingslea's new precious baby, Johnny.

She looks like she's about to shove him out of her photo lol :)

Here's a good one! so excited for these two to be good friends

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I can't give thanks enough for the blessings in my life. Even if my girls DO drive me a little nuts sometimes ha! Seriously though, it's hard for me not to remember being in and out of the hospital at this point with baby Avery, with no end in sight. Instead, we are just soaking in this new experience, mindful of how lucky we are...today I heard Madeline laugh for the first time! I think I might have scared her with my shreak of happiness. It's those moments of pure joy that I want to soak up, never forget.

Three Months

2011-11-21T00:11:00.004-06:00

Baby Bub turned three months old last week and I can hardly believe how much she is changing before my eyes!

and for comparison-

precious girl, you are growing too fast! slow down!!

Madeline is now just over ten pounds and right above 21 inches long. She finally graduated to size one diapers, but still fits into most of her newborn clothes, which are not baggy at all anymore. Those little legs are definitely growing, no doubt about it! She continues a pretty consistent night time schedule where she is out by 9 or 10pm, wakes up once in the night, and then up anywhere from 5-7am. Weirdly, the clinical definition of sleeping through the night is 12-5am, and she is definitely not doing that yet, but hopefully once her tummy gets a little bigger we can give up a feeding.

This past month we took our sweet baby girl on her very first road trip, which was to Dallas for our annual State Fair trip. She slept all the way there and all the way back, which mommy did not expect, but appreciated greatly! While we were there, it was discovered that this little tyke has started ROLLING and already needs to be watched all the time!!

This month has also seen the development of Madeline's FULL face--brilliant--awesome--cannot help but return--SMILE. Exhibit A:

And even better, she has started "talking" a lot. Quite the conversationalist! She coos back and forth with everyone that catches her eye, and her little voice is so sweet I can barely stand it :)

This past month Madeline definitely began appreciating the car a lot less, and gets quite fussy at almost all stop lights>1 minute, which is exactly what her sister did at the same age. Something she is doing ions before her sister, however, is sitting like a champ in the bumbo! She likes watching the lights on t.v. while her sister watches Mickey Mouse.

She also still enjoys her swing, which is really nice in the mornings when I am trying to get her sister off to school. If she gets fussy, I tell her that it's all for a good cause: so mommy can return and we can have "Madeline time."

Although her milk protein sensitivity seems a lot better, we started having a great big spit up (and sometimes projectile) problem in the past month and did get some medicine for that, which might be working (I'm not entirely sure yet) but she has been keeping a little more down recently. Meanwhile, we are doing a TON more laundry.

For Halloween, Baby Bub was sweet enough to be a white rabbit for her sister's

Alice in Wonderland....

she wasn't 100% thrilled about it though.

Her sister made a beautiful Alice however!

and only because you all know how much I like comparisons,

look how my little princess has grown up through the Halloweens!

don't you think the biggest change was definitely this year??

all the sudden she's such a little girl, not a baby :)

Back to sweet Madeline, this month she also got to meet one of her soon

to be very closest baby friends, Ms. Skylar McKinney.

They are only about a month apart :)

Their older sisters are a little farther in age, but only by about 7 months.

Their first meeting looked a little different though!

2 month old Leila and 9 month old Avery--

these girls bond over their mutual love for shoes!!

I know I keep getting distracted! But back again to Madeline, she so far continues to be a very sweet sibling, which includes keeping her big sister company during therapy.

Little Madeline Brynn continues to bring us utter joy and we can't wait to see what she does next. And because obviously I haven't posted enough photos yet, here is one more.

Six Years

2011-11-12T07:00:00.001-06:00

Six years ago today, I married the love of my life and my very best friend. I think back to our wedding day all the time, and I can't help but smile. It was everything that I imagined it would be, and much more.

Of course, I knew in my heart that Bub the hub would make a wonderful husband, but he still surprises me everyday with his giving heart,

his amazing patience,

his playfulness,

and his sweet, earnest nature.

He constantly make me feel like the luckiest wife in the whole world

because he puts me and our family first,

no matter the outside pressures to do otherwise.

He is a thoughtful husband,

and he takes good care of me.

He is my rock.

Bub, I love sharing my life with you,

and I know we've been thrown down some wild, unexpected paths

that no one could foresee.

But there is no one else I'd rather have by my side than you.

Thank you for being my everything.

I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.

First Haircut

2011-11-02T21:38:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know it's kind of crazy, but up until a week ago, Avery had never had a professional haircut. There are several reasons for this...the few that come to mind are 1) for a long time she couldn't sit up straight enough to sit in a barber chair 2) her hair is beautiful and I couldn't bear to cut it 3) I actually did try to even it out once by myself (it was pretty lopsided from the surgeries), but that was a disaster and I was kind of embarrassed at my handiwork...so it had been getting extra tangly for awhile, and I was honestly tired of her getting so mad at me when I brushed it. So we decided it was time! Of course, I don't know what I was worried about because she did great and I did not even cry...much. Here are the photos of my big girl :)

brushed and ready to go!

here we go...

snip snip

hey, this isn't so bad...

all done! so light and fluffy :)

wait...I behave myself and all I get is this lousy lollipop?

me and my girl...chowing down with her new do

Two Months

2011-10-26T21:03:00.001-05:00

Good lord I have so much to blog about and no time to do it!! The card orders have really been rolling in lately and I barely have time to work on those, much less update the blog-- but there is just so much I want to make sure that I record so we don't forget any of this precious time with the girls :)

I really need to do Madeline's TWO month blog post though before she gets any older! At her pediatrician appointment she weighed in at 9 pounds, 10 ounces and 21 inches long. She is still wearing newborn size clothes and newborn diapers. Back on the 15th, I took a new photo, which I will set next to the first one to give you an idea of how much she has changed...

well fed, yes? the leg chunk alone is hilarious!!

Madeline's second month of life definitely proved to be a bigger challenge than her first...she has established a mighty fine pair of lungs to remind us when she wants our attention. We've had fussiness issues with a slight milk protein sensitivity, but we seemed to have figured that out for the most part (I hope).

Baby Bub also started snoozing for longer periods of time, and even let us sleep in after a six hour stretch! She has developed a good schedule at night that her parents appreciate greatly. She still has a voracious appetite, and wants her pacy most of the time in between.

We also saw more alert time and lots of smiles around the two month mark! They totally melt our hearts, of course. She started really loving the swing too. She cracks us up when she stares up with her mouth open at the "bugs" that twirl at the top, like they are absolutely mesmerizing lol.

Madeline enjoys riding in her stroller...

and still very much wants to cuddle under our chins :)

STILL enjoys her baths, and loves her Puj tub so much...

we let her sleep in it! (only supervised of course)

every week she goes with me to take her sister to swim therapy

and sleeps the whole time

in the mornings, she has the cutest darn bedhead you've ever seen!

and she has had tons of visitors :)

I have to say that this new two kid situation has been a total rollercoaster, and even more work than I imagined! I'm still completely amazed how I make it every morning to drop Avery off at school. I am basically just running around the house like a crazy woman-- fixing breakfast, fetching a pacifier, making a bottle, getting little girls dressed, searching for lost car keys-- the list goes on!

Hopefully one of these days I'll find a better rhythm. Right now I still feel like a mess all the time. I used to not leave the house without seasonally appropriate clothing, matching shoes and at least some eyeliner. Now it's pajamas, flip flops and a miracle if I'm wearing any makeup! Or brushed hair for that matter. It's ok though, because I know that I'll look back someday and miss all this craziness. So for now, I'm just trying to soak it in.

My Girls

2011-10-15T15:58:00.000-05:00

I thought it would be fun to play a little compare and contrast with the lil'bub and baby bub. After taking a look at all these photos, I've come to the conclusion that they look nothing alike! They might both have my lips, but otherwise I think they are very different...I know it's hard to tell since Madeline is so little, but see what you think.

Here they are both at around 7 weeks. Avery's outfit is a little baggy,

but you can definitely tell she had a little more meat on her!

Averyhad very dark baby hair and Madeline is my little blondie :)

ok, these expressions totally crack me up. But you can really tell

how different their head shapes are here. Avery has a long, oval face,

very muchlike her daddy and Madeline is very round- more like mine!

Here they are snoozin in the same little yellow duck outfit.

Both have excellently plump cheeks! and very similar lips

Avery and Madeline at one and a half months, both waving

to the camera :) I think they look pretty different here

But then look at these two--

practically the same baby right??

Here are two of their portrait photos:

very different here, although Avery is significantly older there on the left

OK, so now that you've seen all those, do you think you could tell easily now?

How about this one...which little pumpkin do you think is in the photo below?

hmmmmm???

did

you

guess

Madeline??

nope..it's sweet baby Avery! fun game right?

ok- maybe just for me...

And can you believe that my little Maddie is actually two months old today!? I still need to take her official photo though, I'll post it next week :) 

Baby Bub is 6 Weeks Old!

2011-09-30T21:42:00.001-05:00

Time is flying as usual! My sweet baby bub is growing like a weed, just like her equally sweet sister. Here is Madeline's first month photo:

I feel like she looks different everyday! Sometimes more like mom, sometimes more like dad, and occasionally I see her and think she looks like Avery did when she was a baby. Overall though, I think she looks most like I did as a baby.

At her one month appointment, Madeline had gained almost a pound and a half and weighed in at 7 pounds, 5 oz, what a big girl :). She jumped from the 10th percentile in weight to the 15th, whoa!! haha, I think she is going to be jumping up to 50th% in a matter of months, because this girl CAN EAT. Boy, I am SO not used to her total unquenchable thirst...with her big sister, I basically struggled the entire first year of her life trying to get her to eat consistently after all those stinky brain surgeries.

On top of eating like a champ, she enjoys a number of other things as well. Number one I think would be the bath!

Girl can't get enough! She'd stay there all day happy as a clam,

but I really don't want a prune baby :)

This sweet girl also enjoys her "bug" pacy...

And sleeping on her tummy, for sure

Her hair has gotten a little longer (almost bow ready!), and I still can't believe how blonde it is-- kind of strawberry blonde actually. Her eyes are the prettiest dark blue, and I totally melt when she looks up into mine...she really likes when I sing to her, and gets very quiet and calm. She likes to sleep in our arms, rather than on her back (we're working on this :). She already holds her head up like a champ, and I can't believe how strong she is at just one month! She enjoys riding in her car seat, and goes with me everyday to take and pick up her big sister from school.

We are still getting used to life with two precious girls, but taking it one day at a time. We already can't remember what it was like without her! Big sis is also getting used to having a baby around, but so far so good. At a check up the other day, Avery measured in at 41 inches!!! This girl is going to grow past me any day now! Here is the long legged beauty :)

The New Nursery: Part Two

2011-09-16T18:24:00.000-05:00

Finally. I know --you don't need to tell me-- it's definitely been more than the couple days I promised. If I thought that finding the time to blog with one munchkin was hard, finding it with two is infinitely harder. I have to be tricky too...if I even dare to plan, or really just THINK about blogging, then a blowout/meltdown/accident WILL surely ensue. It's all good though. Family comes first :)

Back to the new nursery. It makes me so happy! Everything turned out exactly as I imagined or better! I MUST give some thanks though: mucho appreciation to Bub the hub, Nana Patterson, Aunt Kay, bff Allison, friends and family from two amazing showers, my Cricut machine, TJMaxx, Target, BabiesRUs, IKEA, Graco, Pottery Barn, Etsy and Amazon for coming together to make this happen.

SOOOO HERE IS THE TOUR~

From the door, you walk in and notice that the nursery

is also a guest room! two in one! an amazing feat for

such a small room, I assure you.

as you walk in, straight ahead of you is the daybed

and drawers that we repainted

those beautiful blue polka dotted curtains were lovingly made by my

uber talented Aunt Kay Little and they are perfection!

immediately to your right is the changing table and shelf

closer up...

found some cute canvas bins and decorated them with birdies and butterflies

from my showers... they hold the essentials: diapers, bibs, blankets

and the most essential-SHOES!

Avery is being a very sweet sis and letting Madeline borrow all her baby shoes!

Allison gave me this awesome shelf that just happened

to match the room perfectly :)

I found the name blocks on Etsy and they were made to match

the crib bedding- the birdie next to the "M" is actually a tooth fairy pillow

from my sweet friend Tarryn, she also got me those

adorable socks on the other side!

lots of goodies hanging from the shelf:

from the left are monogrammed baby shoes, a gorgeous dress (it was the

very first thing I bought when I found out I was having another girl :),

her birth certificate from the hospital, a butterfly bow holder,

and a pack of good stuff on the far right, needed for changing baby

look at the precious shoes my wonderful friend Lindsay

sent for Madeline! I love that they have her birth date

back to the blue drawers, they have lots of friendly animals

for Baby Bub and more cute socks, can't have enough of those!

up close, the knobs are also from Etsy,

and also made to match the beddding

the day bed has a beautiful white shabby chic comforter

with patches of different fabric

found these shabby chic ruffle pillows that I love too!!

looking at the opposite corner of the bed, there are shelves

that hold books and furry characters from each story

here's a close up:

from left we have Olivia the pig and Runaway Bunny,

Peter Rabbit (from my nursery when I was a baby),

and The Very Hungry Catepillar...I just love all these

books, they make me happy :)

Here's another view from that corner

On the left is one of my favorite components...

♥the birdhouse side table ♥

(swoon)

On the far wall I framed four newborn photos that I took

of Baby Bub for her announcement...

precious girl :)

I call this corner the reading nook! I am an avid reader, and

will do everything in my powers to mold avid-reading daughters!!

absolutely adore this glider I bought off Target.com,

and the book rack I found on Etsy as well

up close on the glider

actually found this lovely bird cloth bag and decided to make it a pillow

last but not least, the crib wall!!

I did the wall mural with branches found at Marshalls

and flowers/leaves/birds made by my Cricut machine

and the lovebirds bedding I always knew I needed

a close-up of the branches

I thought these fun bird houses from Pottery Barn really

made it all POP :)

and that, my friends, brings us back to the door

hey Madeline, what do YOU think of your nursery?

I think that's a smile!!

But seriously, I hope she loves it as much as I loved creating it for her.

Now I think it's time to work on Avery's new big girl room!!!!!! (poor Bub the hub)

The New Nursery: Part One

2011-09-12T20:11:00.028-05:00

I don't mean to be super dramatic...but I'm going to go ahead and be super dramatic and break this into two parts. It IS a lot of photos to share! And more fun to be dramatic. And I'm trying to be in bed by 8pm tonight in preparation for a very hungry baby. SO, initially Madeline's nursery was our guest room:

nuthin too fancy...

Then it was converted into a little study...

and plans for a craft room were initiated! Dreams of my perfect work room looked like any of the following examples..you might have already seen the first on my sidebar:

LOVE!LOVE!LOVE!

this showroom at IKEA would totally work

as would this storage dream

But alas, these plans would not be realized, and my future craft room would have to be put on hold. Only for the best reason though! Planning a nursery is still pretty fun I'd say, and I already had some ideas, of course. Y'all remember how this bedding set that used to be on my sidebar made me really (irrationally) want another baby a couple years back?

well, I didn't change my mind!

I knew that I wanted Baby Bub's nursery to be really bright and colorful and just plain happy :) So the first decision we made was YELLOW--Martha Stewart's Haystack to be exact, and boy did that do the job for bright! Then I decided that I really wanted to do a cottage-y look, and wouldn't it be perfect if we did the Cape Cod sideboarding around the whole room (cue Bub the hub eye rolling).

I think there is a possibility that I may tend to get a lot of great DIY project ideas in my head and poor Bub the hub suffers a bit...or a lot...or almost breaks his wrist/back/marriage contract trying to make my dreams come true. The man deserves a huge pat on the back because he did all this for me (and the baby, right!?) just using a hammer and a hand saw!!!! The guy deserves some props-- BEHOLD the transformation:

just yellow paint and wall

the first piece of baseboard is attached!

and he slowly but steadily...

takes it around...

the entire room-- what an amazing bub!

All pretty and touched up, it looked so good:

Then it was time to add the furniture, but it is way past my new bedtime, so more photos in the next couple days :)

The New Nursery: Preface

2011-09-11T23:59:00.000-05:00

Well, this nursery reveal is about a month later than I thought it would be, but good design takes awhile, my friends!! I've really been trying to work on this post all week, but snatching those little bits of time has become very tough lately. So here it is late Sunday night, September 11th, and my eyelids are much too heavy to post all the photos that I planned.

My thoughts are really elsewhere, remembering this day ten years ago, when I woke to my alarm radio that was broadcasting news instead of the usual country station that I was used to. I couldn't believe my eyes when I turned the t.v. on and saw what was happening in Manhattan. Selfishly, I cried tears thinking that my own world would now never be the same...thinking this meant war, and that meant potentially losing friends and family among many other terrible things.

Now I look beside me and watch this precious girl, fast asleep, and I can't help but feel enormously grateful. I am grateful for the men and women who fight everyday so that I have the freedom to have the family that I always dreamed of. And I think about the families that lost loved ones on this day ten years ago, and I can't even imagine their pain. So I am sending love and prayers and healing thoughts to them, and hope they find peace in their hearts...peace like this sweet little angel brings to me.

Nursery photos to come tomorrow, I promise. Super duper promise :)

Madeline's Showers

2011-09-02T23:18:00.001-05:00

Kelly's Korner is having a blog hop about baby showers so I thought it would be a perfect time to post the photos from Madeline's showers. They were both really fun, not to mention gorgeous, and I really couldn't ask for more generous and loving family and friends!!

The first shower had a sweet little bird theme, just like Madeline's nursery...which I will post next week :) It was hosted by my Aunt Kay (my mom's twin) and cousins Kingslea and Alysia, who are pretty much professional shower throwers, so don't be afraid to take notes!!

Alysia designed the adorable invites!
And they all know how much I love baby clotheslines as decor...

Madeline has already worn everything on the line you see here :)

Here I am with the beautiful hosts, and a one of me with mom and Aunt Kay

These hostesses know the fastest way to my heart = candy buffet!! Isn't it gorg? There were rock candy sticks, gumballs, taffy and sour watermelons, my favs! and little baggies so everyone could take candy home. The flowers were amazing too, looking especially cute in wrapped boxes with ribbon and birdies.

oh, did I mention they are all great cooks? We had fruit salad with poppyseed dressing, shrimp salad in endive lettuce, gorgonzola and pear crostinis and roquefort cheese puffs. YUM-O. Am I making you hungry yet?
And the hostesses gave me my crib bedding!!

♥ A few of the cute party guests ♥

Here I am opening a couple presents...and that's a frog wastebasket that
"ribbits" when you open it...if you were wondering

My fabulous and lovely friends Allison, Tarryn and Stephanie hosted a shower with a Bee theme, which you probably already knew is one of my favorites. These girls blew me away with the cuteness!!

fun invite :)

Me with hot hostess Allison,

she made this amazing "Mama Bee" paper corsage for me to wear,

here's a close-up:

isn't it the cutest?

she also made these DE-licious and exquisite bee cupcakes:

and close-up

those are fondant bees, y'all

Me with lovely hostesses Tarryn and Stephanie

some of the decor...what I didn't get a photo of were the amazing flower arrangements that Stephanie put together--the vases were filled with lemons on the bottom and looked really elegant!

My very favorite part of the shower: everyone made a bib for Madeline

by cutting out iron-on fabric in different designs :)

here I am very seriously considering how to decorate mine

and here's how a bunch turned out! I adore them

we already use them every day!

Here I am loving my new baby bag (thanks momma!)

and a precious ballerina dress from Allison

SO excited for the name blocks for her nursery (etsy rocks)

and Madeline bloomers!!! those get triple exclamation marks (thanks Amy :)

And since this is turning into the longest blog post ever, might as well provide a link for the shower I threw for Allison...the photo of the invitation is one of my most popular blog images. See it here.

Also, two words: CAKE BALLS...

...make every shower amaze-balls.

this is the dessert table I did recently for my cousin's shower

AND for a little shameless self promotion, I LOVE making invitations for baby showers, so check out my design site: Sugar Bee Designs, where you will see the invite I made for the shower above, an adorable jungle theme!

yep, I think that about wraps it up.

Back to School

2011-08-26T22:06:00.000-05:00

Lil'bub had a great first day of school this week. She was a bit tentative at first, but came around pretty fast. A fantastic first day outfit always helps of course!

One of Avery's very favorite parts of school is "circle time," where all the kids sit together and the teachers lead them in songs and silly games. Recently a photographer came in and took some photos of the class and I just love this one...

There's lil'bub in the middle and you can tell how enthusiastic she is...makes my heart melt a little :)

Meanwhile, we are still working on the sisterly affection...

and Bub the hub and I are still pretty much in heaven with this sweet preciousness:

New Arrival!

2011-08-17T21:10:00.000-05:00

Sweet, precious Madeline Brynn arrived on Monday night at 8:08pm. It was a smooth delivery and we are all doing very well! She was a little bit of an earlybird, but we certainly don't mind, and she is as healthy as can be. Madeline is just a tiny bub at 6 pounds and 2 ounces. I am pretty surprised that she doesn't look anything at all like Avery did. She has blond hair, dark blue eyes and she's a lot rounder than her sister looked, despite weighing more than a pound less! We are having so much fun getting to know her and cuddle and kiss...here are a few photos to share!!

proud daddy

after nursery bath and check-up

family time

little kisses

my precious new bundle of joy!!

36 Weeks and allllmost ready

2011-08-08T17:25:00.000-05:00

I can't believe we are so close to meeting this sweet girl! Sometime in the next four weeks (please, please come by your due date little one :) we will finally get to cuddle with Baby Bub, and if all goes well, even be able to bring her home from the hospital right away! What a thrill that will be.

Meanwhile, we continue to work on the nursery, which has taken a little bit more time than I anticipated, but is still lookin super cute already. It's been kinda tricky since I decided to put a daybed in there so we can still have guests over. The room is not exactly huge, or large, or....let's just call it cozy! We finally figured out how to arrange the furniture, and now we are just finishing some final touches and waiting on the new glider to come in. AND I finally packed a bag for the hospital, which is very important in order not to race around the house like a nutball if it's time to go to the hospital!

Here is the bump photo and info:

How far along? a day shy of 36 weeks
Total weight gain/loss? 20 lbs at my appointment two weeks ago...good lord
Maternity clothes? it's so hot, I just wear flowy dresses every day, and flats or flip flops of course
Sleep? oh gosh, where do I begin...I'm up almost every night for hours. And I officially can't eat past about 7:30pm, or I regret it...AND there's a certain 3 year old munchkin who has been having a party in her bed almost every night for reasons currently unknown...
Movement? Lots of squirming and tons of hiccups, but not much room for anything else at this point!
Food cravings? My portion sizes are so small now I feel like I'm on Jenny Craig or something ha!
What I miss: sleeping. and sleeping.
Milestones: She is around 6 pounds now-- we'll find out a more exact weight at my ultrasound this week-- and she's gaining about an ounce a day :)

Home Improvement

2011-07-27T23:39:00.002-05:00

You all might have noticed these posts are getting fewer and farther between. Sorry, but getting ready for a second new baby is no small feat! It's a little crazy around here. I am glad to say that Bub the hub and I have finally completed the carpentry and painting projects in the nursery, and are currently arranging furniture and decorating, so that hopefully I can share photos next week! I am a master at run-on sentences.

Meanwhile, you can call it nesting, or home improvement, or upgrading or whatever! but for the last of couple months, I've been making small changes around the house. Mostly painting, which has made a BIG difference. So I am going to share a few before and after photos with you, because I always love seeing how other people are redoing/redecorating their houses too.

So, to start, we painted the big window wall downstairs "Heavenly Blue." And I love it! Before, every wall was the same gray color, which I do like, but it needed a little something extra. The blue also picks up the colors in the new rug I got a few months back:

much better, don't you think??

We had our bedroom painted as well. This time it was "Waterfall." Yes, it's actually a different blue ha! We changed around the furniture, added dark blue drawers from the former guest room and most importantly, got a new gorgeous comforter that I absolutely A-dore!! The whole room is more soothing...which is exactly what a bedroom should be! See if you agree:

and just to give you an even better idea of the soothing blue...

isn't the new bedspread lovely? it lightens the whole room!

We also painted the half bath...that's right you guessed it, "French Blue." What can I say? I'm in a blue phase. Sorry no before photo for this one!

And last but not least, we had the new nursery painted as well....NOT blue :) a bright, fresh YELLOW-

that's all I can show you for now! but I don't want to leave you hangin' too bad, so here is another nursery hint:

we are doing love birds!!!

NEXT UP...replacing the breakfast room light fixture with this beauty:

And let's not forget the upcoming frog themed bathroom for the girls!

Hey Normal Day!

2011-07-18T11:49:00.000-05:00

The beginning of last week was pretty rough on the bub family. It was a couple of days where it seemed like nothing was going right! To the point of ridiculousness, I would say. I had to try really hard on not focusing on all the negative stuff...which reminded me of this poster I saw on the web awhile ago. The words kept reverberating in my mind when I started to dwell on what had gone wrong those days, and they were a good reminder of what I needed to focus on.

These words always hit me hard because the very first time I read them, I couldn't help but think about before and after lil'bub was born, when life got a whole lot more complicated in even more ways than you would normally expect for new parents. But now that we have (somewhat :) adjusted to our new normal, I read these words and remember that everything could have turned out so much differently, and can yet still change! So they comfort me, and remind me of what's important, and perhaps they will remind you too.

AND, thank goodness, this week has gotten off to a much better start! Here is the poster, recreated by me:

My New Baby

2011-07-08T22:28:00.000-05:00

No, not Baby Bub you sillies...she's still baking! My other new baby:

Isn't she pretty!?! If you can't tell from the photo, she is a very soft light blue with silver trim. It was a bit of a surprise that it was already time to trade in for something newer, but I think we made the most of it. We picked another crossover with a bit more room in the middle for the expanding family :).

We decided on a Lincoln MKX, and I've been driving her for about a month. I am still very happy with our decision, especially because she has some features that I can't figure out how I've lived without for so long! Here, please let me share them with you:
-power lift gate...seriously y'all, is this not the greatest device ever? Being 8 months pregnant in the middle of a Texas summer, I just love being able to press a little button that opens and closes the back gate. I already have to lug out the stroller, so this is just really nice...I'm never touching a trunk again!
-air conditioned seats...I'm gonna be honest, I didn't even know this existed before now...I mean, the leather seats have little ventilated holes that cool my tushie as I drive. No jokin', I'm in heaven! They provide heat for colder weather too, but who can think about that right now?
-keyless start...cool your car down before you even get to it! Love it!
-keyless entry...so excited to have that code on the car door that means I can't accidentally lock my precious munchkin in the car :)
-separate controls for driver &passenger a/c...if you've ever driven with my endlessly overheated husband, you would understand why this is so important. I no longer have to be a passenger popsicle!
-CD changer on the dash...really nice to not have to mess with this in the glove box anymore...
-miles until empty display...I know this isn't anything new or fancy, but I love knowing exactly where I stand gas-wise.
-dual DVD monitors in the seats...it's super luxurious to have a cartoon/movie ready in case of road trips or cranky lil'bubs!
-one touch seat folds...it has a button that automatically folds down the middle seats for more trunk space-- does this car take care of itself or what??
-it's gorrrrrrr-geous...really! can you tell I love it?!

Just Floatin'

2011-06-28T16:10:00.004-05:00

It's lil'bub's new way of floatin! Boy do we still love noodles :)

Can you believe how long this munchkin has grown!?!?

At this rate, she will surpass me at 6!

Father's Day and 29 weeks

2011-06-21T17:45:00.002-05:00

I had some fun making a nice brunch for sweet Bub the hub and my own daddy on Sunday. I really jump on any excuse to make my recipe for Berry Turnovers!! SO delicious, and I get to make a big mess:

The hubs also requested real bacon for the occasion. Poor guy only gets turkey bacon in our house normally. I also had lemon muffins, cantaloupe with grapes, and lil'smokies. The Bub family fully recommends Applegate Farms Organic cocktail franks:

They are delicious with a little spice kick at the end!

Here was the spread...

Happy, hungry daddies!

Then grandaddy got some quality cuddle time with the munchkin

grandaddy, help me rub my feet!

yes, that's nice :)

And the 29 week bump at our weekly Sunday family swim:

How far along? 29 weeks
Total weight gain/loss? 15 at my appointment two weeks ago
Maternity clothes? heck yes
Sleep? left side only now, half-way sitting up to prevent the reflux :(
Movement? pretty constantly, she likes to kick her sister the most- ha!
Food cravings? my appetite has diminished a lot, can't fit much anymore
What I miss: carrying Avery more, cooking more...
Milestones: Baby Bub is almost 3 pounds and about 15 inches long already!

We are working hard on getting her nursery ready, I can't wait to share some photos soon :)

Blog Hop

2011-06-16T23:01:00.000-05:00

Kelly's Korner is doing a blog hop about special needs families, which is really nice to see. I'd like to support by participating...it always means something to me when I see another family that is going through something similar, since our particular path has been so rare.

I'm going to use the post from my Sugar Bee Designs website, where I explained how everything happened. I know most of my readers already know the story, but maybe it will give some hope to someone out there....

My husband and I learned that we were pregnant with a baby girl in 2007. We were thrilled beyond words! I had a ton of fun preparing for our new addition, and then in January of 2008 we were blessed with sweet baby Avery. The surgical delivery went well, but within an hour of her birth I was surrounded by a number of doctors with very serious faces.

They were concerned because it appeared that our precious newborn daughter was having small but frequent seizures while under observation in the nursery. My husband and I were absolutely shocked and terrified. Immediately, the doctors sent her away to a bigger hospital with a higher level N.I.C.U. We tried to think happy, healing thoughts as I recovered from surgery and we waited to hear a diagnosis. We were nervous to say the least, but nothing could ever have prepared us for happened next.

The doctors explained to us that Avery had been born with a rare genetic condition. She was missing the proteins that regulate cell growth, that act as tumor growth suppressors. This allowed benign tumors to grow willy nilly in her brain and heart. You know, only the most vital organs in her little body! She had many of these growths in the left side of her brain, which were causing massive abnormalities and resulting in seizures. She also had a few in her heart, but they were not affecting her breathing, and we were told they would eventually disappear. Small victory. The ones in her brain, unfortunately, would not just go away.

So that's when Avery's brain surgeon appeared. Yep, my daughter has a brain surgeon. Surreal. And that's when we found out that our newborn needed a radical brain surgery that was meant to end her seizures, or she would not survive. Before we could even begin to digest this information, the surgeon went on to explain that he had never performed this surgery on a baby less than nine months old, and most of his colleagues had told him he was crazy. But that it was her only chance.

This is the part where I have to pause. And breathe. Because more than two years after the fact, I can still feel the residual effects of this man's words pulsating through my mind and body. I can still close my eyes and remember the breath stealing sobs I cried as I said goodbye to my week old daughter and heartbrokenly handed her to the nurse that would take her to the operating room.

And you know what? This little girl did beautifully. Her strength amazed us. It still does! She was in and out of surgery three times in her first month of life.

Her daddy and I had to wait anxiously each time, (with an abundance of our family and friends :) praying that this was the right decision.

It was.

Our precious sugarbee came home to us after one month in the hospital. We were told by the doctors that there was really no way to predict her future as far as cognitive and physical ability; but the upside was that the earlier the surgery, the better-- i.e. giving the "normal" side of her brain time to take over tasks that the opposite side can't handle anymore...and we couldn't have done it any earlier! More on her surgery HERE.

Avery would actually need two more brain surgeries, at three months of age and at five months, before we saw our very last seizure to date. We count our blessings every single solitary day for the past two and half years that they have not returned. Those things are like monsters to me, and I can't even imagine how confusing they were for Avery. There was certainly little chance of a meaningful recovery if they had continued.

My heart aches constantly for those mothers currently searching for an end to infantile seizures and spasms. It is a black hole of constant meds, false hope, desperation and fear. No one deserves to be there. No one.

So it is always with a heavy heart that I explain Avery currently has freedom from seizures, but we have to remember it could be gone tomorrow...and in such instances as this, our little family has to focus on TODAY. Today, she is healthy. Today, she is growing like a weed. Today, Avery is working harder than you can ever imagine to accomplish her goals.

Just like any other parent, my husband and I want everything in the world for our cherished daughter, and we will do everything in our power to get it for her. That included leaving a job that I had no intention of leaving. I needed to be home every day with my daughter to get her better. In order to help Avery reach her highest potential, I've become her very own special needs advocate. The therapy appointments certainly don't schedule themselves! I mean, who else is going to sit on the phone for hours with the insurance company?! It's definitely been a continuing adjustment in our lives, and we have done it with the love and support of our friends and family.

We still struggle everyday to get Avery where she needs to be. That means a whole lot of therapy and a truckload of patience! It's still a roller coaster and probably will be for a very long time, but every day with her is a gift.

We are expecting a little sister for Avery in a couple months, and can't wait for her to have a new friend that will love and cherish her as much as we do.

Vacation Well Received

2011-06-10T12:44:00.000-05:00

Our family vacation was as relaxing and fun as we had hoped for. We went to the pool at least twice a day, did lots of resting and napping, eating really overpriced and yummy food, and this momma even got a spa visit in! Here are some good photos from our trip:

Avery automatically approved the hotel bed!

We went straight for the pool---the resort was GOR-geous.

Avery really embraced her new float.

And of course the noodle was a hit as usual

Good times!

Lil'bub is getting more independent :)

VAY-CAY

2011-05-31T14:09:00.001-05:00

we packed our noodle and went on a much needed vacation! catch y'all later!

Lil'bub Therapy

2011-05-23T19:51:00.001-05:00

I always get a lot of questions about Avery's therapies. Like, what does she do exactly? I understand the curiosity. I had no idea about any of this before we had her. Right now we do four main therapies, multiple times a week. Physical therapy is definitely the most intense, and Avery has it both in the water and "on land," as we call it.

I think I've already mentioned a few times that lil'bub is a water baby. Her sweet little face lights up whenever she sees the pool, she loves it! However, this was not always the case...although she has never hated the water, it took her some time to get used to doing physical therapy in the pool--especially with someone else handling her. She started swim therapy for the first time when she was one and a half. You might remember this post from more than a year ago...you can see that I was getting in the water with her in the beginning to make her more comfortable. Thankfully it didn't take her too long to graduate into big girl and let mommy sit on the sidelines! She shows off for me now :)

Once one of her most despised positions, lil'bub now L-O-V-E-S to float on her back. She'd do it for the entire session if her therapist would let her!

Her current new fave is playing with a noodle. She sits on it like a horse to practice balance, and holds on like handle bars to practice kicking.

She does lots of other things in the water too, like standing, walking and practicing strokes. And going under water-- still not one of her faves, but she knows to close her eyes and hold her breath! Hopefully all of these things will make her more independent in the pool someday, as well as build the strength she needs on that right side. When she meets her physical therapist "on land," it's usually at school, where she works on stretching, weight bearing, and walking, among many other things!

Avery also sees an occupational therapist twice a week. She works primarily on lil'bub's right arm with more weight bearing, stretching and massage. We are all working on strengthening those muscles, as well as the connections in her brain that control that side. She used to really hate anybody messing with her right arm and leg, but her tolerance has increased a lot in the last six months. I think it has something to do with the Botox injections she's been getting, and hopefully some maturity too ha!

weight bearing

stretch and massage

And last but not least, she meets a speech therapist twice a week for breakfast. They work together on drinking, chewing, and jaw strengthening. That last one is apparently the key to Avery starting to talk. She sure does talk now, but not much that we can understand yet! Her speech therapist uses different tools and crunchy foods to work all those muscles in there that will eventually form the sounds, to form the words, that will melt our hearts whenever they come ♥.

Thankfully, some of her therapists are able to see Avery at school. This is such a huge help to me! I love that they are able to coordinate with the teachers, who then use the same techniques to continue her progress. There are a handful of sessions each week that are not at school though, and I've really been wondering how our Baby Bub is going to handle going with us, and how I'm going to handle it all myself... it's certainly going to be interesting! Baby Bub just kicked kind of hard--I'm pretty sure it's to assure me that we will work it out. I'm pretty sure.

I heart lists

2011-05-15T19:40:00.000-05:00

Instead of keeping up with my blogging, I have been..........

1) planning our summer vacation-- still my only requirement:
a lazy river.....check!

2) working my tail off on cards-- graduation announcement with a sock monkey theme? better believe it.

3) trying to keep sane--

totally. it's hard, y'all.

4) planning a new nursey-- inspiration board, of course!

5) doing therapy sessions with lil'bub-- and thinking, how am I going to do this with another little one? more on that next post!

6) Is 5 not enough for you? Really? Because I'm exhausted!

Easter Bubs and 21 Weeks

2011-04-29T20:15:00.000-05:00

Took about 25 million photos this year to get, like, 5 good ones! Most photos I take of lil'bub these days, she's just a blurry flash. But I was really excited about her Easter dress this year (and had to get a good photo) and boy, that dress did not disappoint!

We had a busy Easter weekend, but it was good to see family :) Avery got a TON of stuff, including eggs in this adorable bunny basket:

she tried knockin the eggs around to open them...

but it turns out daddy's help is much more efficient :)

She also got to go swinging, one of her TOP major fun things to do! So she did a little swinging by herself...

A brief swing with her bunny ears...

A little giggly swinging with her sweet daddy...

Some definite laughing at her silly bunny-Nana...

And even a few fun swings with her Nana!

Of course, Easter would not be the same without tons of kisses from her momma

and an attempt at a family shot!

And last but not least....21 Week BUMP!!

How far along? 21 weeks and 3 days
Total weight gain/loss? 8 pounds people!
Maternity clothes? Yes, was so happy with the new maternity shorts from oldnavy.com that I went back and ordered two more....it's gonna be a long, hot summer y'all
Sleep? Still waking up a lot in the middle of the night, and definitely hard to sleep on anything other than my sides now. Other than that, lil'bub and Bub the hub are letting me sleep late in the morning :)
Movement? Lots of flips and kicks
Food cravings? Still gotta have the pickles...and salads and fruit...and sodas- boo!
What I miss: Seeing my feet...and not going to the bathroom every 5 minutes!
Milestones: Baby Bub is growing lips, eyelids and eyebrows this week...wowzer

Celebrate Earth Day :)

2011-04-22T11:31:00.001-05:00

I know what you're thinking...two posts in two days, that's crazy! I know! But it's Earth Day today, and Good Friday as well, and we do like to celebrate around this house. You might remember my post from last year where I shared some ways to be green. Thought I'd do that again, but more like little things everyone can do to be more environmentally friendly :)

Here's my TOP 10:

1) Protect the health of lakes, rivers and streams by avoiding soaps and detergents containing phosphate. Examples of phosphate-free brands include Seventh Generation, Eco Ver, Bi-O-Kleen, Mrs. Meyer's and Trader Joe's. SAFER for your family and our fresh water bodies!

2) Lower your energy usage - and utility bills - with a programmable thermostat. We did this a couple years ago and continue to love it. Why use all that energy (and money) when you are away from the house?? Use a programmable thermostat to set specific times, so you don't waste anything!

3) Wash most of your laundry in cold water. Try to avoid using warm/hot water unless it's really warranted. According to the EPA, approximately 90% of the total energy consumed by a standard top-load washing machine goes to heating the water. Your clothing will survive, I promise!!

4) Eat seasonally and locally: visit your nearest farmer's market! We are so lucky to have one right around the corner once a week. We can get fresh fruits & veggies, organic meats, dairy, fresh baked bread and even pre-made frozen meals. We can't live without it anymore! Here's a good list of other markets around town.

5) Insulate your water pipes. Save money, water and energy by dressing your hot water pipes in foam sleeves and your water heater in a nice insulating jacket. Insulating your water heater alone can reduce your utility bills by 4-9%. Plus, insulation shortens your wait for hot water each morning.

6) Just say no to receipts! I know this isn't always possible, but when you can, rejecting those receipts saves a ton of paper. There are eight billion ATM transactions in the US per year. All of those little slips add up to a pile of waste that could circle the equator 15 times...scary!

7) Watch what you don't eat. Portion sizes in this entire country, not to mention Houston, are out of control! Consider other possible uses before you pitch: leftovers, freezing it, donating it, or even making a soup or stew out of it. Americans throw away one quarter to one half of their food, creating more than 50 million tons of garbage....

8) Reduce plastic waste by purchasing refillable cosmetics. Brands like Aveda, Stila and The Body Shop offer refillable holders for their blushes, powders and eye shadows. Right now, ORIGINS inside Dillard's is offering a free (paraben-free) cleanser TODAY if you bring them any plastic "cosmetic empties." I heart free stuff!

9) Please DON'T water your yard during the heat of the day. Boy this drives me nuts! Up to 90% of it will be lost through evaporation, especially during the warmer months=what a waste!

10) Complete the recycling loop! Buy recycled products instead of those made from virgin content. Look for the percentage of "postconsumer content" - the higher, the better. Great recycled products include paper towels, toilet tissue, plastic trash bags, egg cartons and glass containers. Recycling at home is the first step, buying recycled items at the store is the second, then REPEAT :)

Growing support for recycling helped reduce the number of landfills in the US dramatically. I think that's pretty awesome. It's so easy to do! And kids think it's fun too--sadly, we don't have a pick-up in our neighborhood, so Bub the hub takes lil'bub on a quick trip every Saturday to a local recycling drop-off center. There are several good ones around, even a drive through one! No excuses then! I might even be willing to make you some super awesome bin labels like the ones we have...

The Evidence

2011-04-21T16:18:00.001-05:00

Hot pink icing face

and hands!!

school dress soaking in the sink...

bunnies peeking out of back packs

abundance of eggs!!

fluffy bunny art and finger paintings...

have you guessed it?? That's right, lil'bub obviously had what amounted to an insane preschool Easter party! Seriously, I think this one might have gotten a little out of hand...Avery is laughing hysterically at Elmo as I write this...most probably still riding out her sugar high. I guess we've got to let them party every once and awhile, right?

I think she's going to sleep well tonight.

Hope everyone has a fun Easter weekend!

Rodeo Post

2011-04-18T20:11:00.001-05:00

Better late than never, I always say! We went to the rodeo last month with our friends Allison and Leah. The girls both wore their super cute, pink boots for the occasion, of course. Here they are, ready to go.

They look sooo excited, yes? Well, they just didn't know what they were in for yet!

The girls really liked seeing the animals, but this momma had a hard time with the stink this year. Have I mentioned that my super-sonic sense of smell is even stronger right now? It is. At least the girls didn't seem to mind!

guess the animal got cut off in this one :)

Avery's favorite were the chicks! We watched a couple hatch and then headed over to the newborns...Bub the hub took these photos with my cell phone, lil'bub's faces crack me up!

Didn't take too long to tucker our babies out:

After the mommies (and daddy) grabbed some food and the girls woke re-freshed, we visited "The Butterfly House." The butterflies were really neat, not to mention gorgeous, but I was pretty paranoid that we might step on/crush/maim one the whole time. They sure did like to land on Avery's head!

And one even liked my cute boots!

Miss Leah said, "phooey!" on those butterflies

We ended our visit in the traditional way, with yummy ooey-gooey cinnamon rolls!!! They were so delicious! For some reason I did not take a photo this year, but they look very similar to this:

delicious! I even shared some with lil'bub, who said, "Mmmmmmm."

Thanks to our best good friends for a wonderful time! Until next year, cinnamon rolls!!!

Baby Bub will be...

2011-04-13T14:05:00.001-05:00

This very special, precious princess...

is going to have...

an equally sweet and precious little sister!! What a joy! Bub the hub and I couldn't be more excited for another little girl :)

I've finally been taking new photos of lil'bub recently, so I'll post more soon. Check out the giveaway winner over at Sugar Bee!!

Sugar Bee Designs Giveaway

2011-04-05T21:05:00.001-05:00

I've taken a rather long break from blogging over at Sugar Bee Designs recently. Not on purpose, but I've had a lot to keep me busy...shower invites, birthday invites, moving cards and baptism cards...and I've loved every minute of it! But the blogging break might also have something to do with the exhaustion of making this new human being, who is indeed kicking me as I write this. Anyhoo, to make up for lacking posts, I am offering my very first card giveaway!!

I've unveiled all my stationary designs and I'm offering a free, custom set, so go check it out....CLICK HERE

17 Weeks & Growing!

2011-03-31T13:46:00.001-05:00

It's hard to believe that we are 17 weeks along already with the new little one. Bub the hub and I decided that from now on, we shall refer to this sweet new arrival on the blog as Baby Bub. And I am super excited because we are going to find out whether baby bub is a boy or a girl in two short weeks! Everyone around me seems to think that this one is going to be another girl, but I'm leaning more toward boy this time. Of course, I would love either one, but we sure do have the wardrobe for another little girl!! And for some reason it's much easier for me to come up with girl names that I like than boy names, although nothing official yet.

I like to put lil'bub's hand on my belly and ask her if she thinks baby bub is going to be a girl or a boy, but she just gives me a mischievious smirk and refuses to say. Here is a photo of my bump from a few weeks ago, it's already so big in my eyes!! I'll take another one soon.

I decided to fill out the pregnancy questionnaire that I always see on other blogs, it's kinda fun:
How far along? 17 weeks and 2 days
Total weight gain/loss? 6 pounds already!
Maternity clothes? Yes, I seriously threw on the maternity jeans at about 8 weeks. Now I'm just wearing all of my regular dresses. I am also eagerly anticipating my first pair of maternity shorts this week from oldnavy.com.
Sleep? Sleeping is already tough- waking up a lot in the middle of the night
Movement? I have been feeling little flutters and kicks for about two weeks, I love that part!
Food cravings? Bub the hub is still taking me to get the fried pickles once a week, and I'm still craving a lot of fruit. Last week I had to have jellybeans and then I totally overdid it. No. more. jellybeans.
What I miss: Walking up the stairs without getting tired!
Milestones: This week the baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone...so important :)

I still need to post some photos from our Houston Rodeo visit. I think Avery had a good time. It was also nice because Bub the hub got to come with us this year. I think he had fun too. I know I did because I got to eat an a-mazingly gooey cinnamon bun, ha! It's all about food now.

Giggling Fits

2011-03-18T20:42:00.002-05:00

Lil'bub has has been on spring break this week, along with everyone else, so not a lot of time to blog! I've been wanting to share this silly video for awhile though. I can't help but laugh again every time I watch it.

Sometimes there are certain words that send lil'bub into giggle fits. Weird, I know, but I think it's similar to when we hear a certain word and think that it's a funny sounding one. Like the word "finagled," for instance. At least, I think that's a funny word. Or "bulbous" perhaps? Anyway, one day she was cuddling in my lap and I asked her whether she wanted a snack. Yep, the word "SNACK." Fits of giggles ensued!

Re-assess and Re-adjust

2011-03-09T17:31:00.001-06:00

For almost nine months, my mind had been super focused on selling our house and moving closer to Bub the hub's work. Although we really enjoy living in our area, and love many things about this house, we knew that eventually we'd like to add another bedroom and a bigger backyard. We weren't necessarily in a hurry, but as time went on, I (especially) got more and more involved in planning for a new, bigger home: I was constantly online looking around at houses, and my garage slowly began to fill with new ~~junk~~ decor and furniture items for our next home.

So I had to make a huge brain adjustment recently when our situation changed, and we had to reassess our priorities. Back in January, we found out that we were not going to able to afford Avery's private school for very much longer. It was more of a shock than I anticipated, but we'd always meant to eventually transition her into a public early learning center...so it wasn't like there was absolutely no plan. But throw in the fact that we had just found out we were pregnant AND that lil'bub was showing the best progress ever at her private school...yes, we needed to reevaluate.

Moving to a bigger house meant that we were going to have to spend more money and definitely not be able to afford the private school. Bub the hub and I talked and talked about what to do, but there was no way to make it all work. So we made a decision. Our next step was taking the house off the market and refinancing in order to afford the tuition payment. The bigger house and backyard will have to wait.

It was really strange to be intensely focused on moving for so long, and then all the sudden revert back. I definitely took a while to adjust. A month or so later, I feel so much more at peace with our decision. It's pretty impossible to put a price on the peace of mind and confidence in your child's care and education, and most especially when lil'bub needs so much more of it at this point than other children! We have a gorgeous home that I feel lucky to have, and definitely room for another munchkin....so it's like, live and learn. Sometimes what you think is the typical next step is not what's the most right for your own family. Plus, I get to continue enjoying my closet that's as big as a normal bedroom. So there's that.

Fried Pickles and FroYo

2011-03-03T14:04:00.002-06:00

As some of you may already know, Bub the hub and I are expecting a new little bub at the end of the summer! We are over the moon about it, of course, and can't wait for Avery to have a little brother or sister. I talk to her about the baby all the time, but I can't imagine she has any idea what's in store...I'm sure neither do we for that matter! Two babies (because Avery is still my baby!) is going to be quite an adjustment, but one we feel ready to take on at this point. We are both thrilled and admittedly a bit terrified to start this new journey.

I am now starting my second trimester, and it's been so absolutely different from my pregnancy with lil'bub. First and foremost, the nausea has been way more under control. While at this stage of my pregnancy with Avery, I was about -10 in the weight department, I am happy to report that I have definitely not missed a meal nor lost any weight AT ALL. Pretty sure it's about +5 actually. The way this little baby bump popped out around week 8 was very shocking to me, to say the least, but I'm happy that my body sure knows what to do :) The cravings have definitely already started for me, which have lately included what you see in the title of this post, along with a whole lot of fruit and salad. My guess is the baby is requesting the latter, while it's probably just me seeking the fried pickles and fro-yo!! (not together) Yum.

I am also happy to report that we know the new baby does not have the condition Avery carries, which is a huge load of our minds, and makes our pregnancy a much less stressful one. I can't really explain how nice it is to focus instead on important things like, for instance, will this baby look as much like Bub the hub as Avery did when she was born?

And then magically morph later into looking more like her momma ?

Or perhaps will it be the other way around? Well we are excited to find out! And so unbelievably thankful to be able to wonder about these things instead :)

Riding Along

2011-02-23T13:35:00.000-06:00

in my au-to-mo-bile!! Enjoying the good weather :)

hey, this is kind of fun!

where's my honk-honk horn??

found it!

Busy Sugar Bee!!

2011-02-19T16:33:00.000-06:00

Busy this week on cards and building up my Sugar Bee Designs blog design section, so I will update soon! Meanwhile, go check out my new Sugar Bee post :)

Avery's Minnie Parties

2011-02-14T22:10:00.002-06:00

Happy Valentines Day everyone! Here are the photos of my big girl celebrating her THIRD birthday--for two weeks in a row! We partied in true polka-dot style with a Minnie Mouse theme. All pinks and reds and hearts and bows, it was so cute! I hand-made the invitations using my Cricut machine, which makes cutting and craft ever so much easier.

front back

Here's the birthday girl after seeing all her guests had arrived!

the food&decor...

The first party was just for family, and it was smaller and more laid back. The birthday girl had a great time!

Happy to see grandaddy

sweet kisses from her Nana

and pretty thrilled to open presents, I can assure you :)

she got a whole new spring wardrobe!!

The following weekend we had another party for our friends, including lots of little munchkin friends. I must say they were all pretty stinkin' adorable! We accommodated these smaller pals with heart-shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and strawberry iced heart-shaped cookies :)

party pics

absolutely refusing to look at the camera for a family pic,

or checking out the cupcakes...you decide.

cousins :)

MANY fun and awesome presents----and then she was out!
party over, everyone exhausted,

Minnie/Avery goes to sleep on mommy

Thanks again to everyone that came, we love you guys!!!

Let Me Count the Ways...

2011-02-10T14:13:00.003-06:00

I got an email earlier today- from one of the parenting sites I subscribe to- with a list of all the ways your child shows that they love you. It kind of made me think...because our lil'bub can't say, "I love you," yet, or do some of the other traditional things that kids her age do to show love. That's hard to swallow sometimes, but it makes me think of the little things she does do to show me her love. And I love them :) And it made me appreciate the fact that even though she doesn't express it as typically, she is most definitely a VERY loving child.

Probably every person that meets us can see that lil'bub has a bit of a (ok, rather intense) mommy attachment...but sometimes that just has to do with the fact that she doesn't have as much independence, yet, as other children her age. But her being clingy on me is not really what I was referring to before.

It's the way she grabs my hand sometimes, just out of the blue, and holds on while she goes back to her activity. It's the way she beams when I praise her. Like she just won the best kid in the world contest! (A shoo-in, I would say). It's the way she lights up into a frenzy when she sees I'm there to pick her up from school. And it's the way she looks deep into my eyes, and smiles at my smile.

And of course, the way she pulls me over for secret telling...

ok, just wanted to share. bday pics coming soon!

The Snow that never was

2011-02-04T14:24:00.002-06:00

You've got to hand it to our Houston weathermen. They are super duper special experts at getting this town riled up over future, yet non-existent, weather forecasts. Although I've heard that a few people in the south saw a tiny bit of sleet, we have yet to see anything close to a flurry, much less the the 1-3 inches of snow they were promising. I'm SOOOO glad we closed down the whole city for this though. It's not like I had any important appointments or errands or things to do before Avery's (friend) birthday party tomorrow! I'd much rather sit in the house with a stir-crazy munchkin and think about everything I was going to do.

But let me spare you my continued sarcasm for photos instead...I'm going to wait to post the ones from last weekend's party and put them all together with the ones we take tomorrow. I can't wait to share all the fun stuff we made for the party! When I said we were party animals last weekend, I didn't even mention that we actually attended two additional parties that had nothing to do with lil'bub's birthday... so I definitely wasn't kidding around...we haven't partied like that since...ever!

Our friends Scott & Alla celebrated Scott's 30th with an awesome Mad Men themed party on Saturday night, which I was thrilled to make the invitation for this past December. I just posted it on my Sugarbee site :).We got Bub the hub a skinny tie and I got a really cute dress off Etsy. I think they turned out pretty well.

Everyone at the party looked very chic, including my friends Allison and Sara.

And the boys definitely looked the part! (candy cigarettes of course :)

Here is our sophisticated host, Alla.
Her pen necklace really completed the ensemble!

On Sunday morning, Allison gave a lovely baby shower brunch for our friends Sara and Dave. It was a gorgeous and delicious spread. I've never seen lil'bub eat so much! She loved her some frittata, and muffins, and fruit parfait, AND coffee cake. Soooo yummy.

Here is the happy, expecting couple

They got a lot of good stuff. We gave them a basket of goodies to help their little girl get to sleep- very important! Dave sure did like this adorable outfit...he's gonna be a good dad :)

It was nice to get all the little munchkins together...

ok, I've got to go get crafty again...were you able to guess what kind of themed birthday parties lil'bub is having??Does this give you a hint??

OMG! She turned 3!!

2011-01-30T20:04:00.001-06:00

Yes, it happened. Today was the day...but we started celebrating on Friday at school, worked it all through the weekend, and will continue until party #3 this coming Saturday. We are party ANIMALS!!

Every one of my precious lil'bub's birthdays makes me pretty emotional, and this was no different. I think it must be surreal for every mom, but after spending the first month of her life wondering how we would ever make it to just one birthday, all the ones after that feel like an absolute dream. She continues to surpass everyone's expectations and surprise us every day! We just can't imagine our lives without her beautiful smile and sweet giggles. Joy, joy, JOY :)

Here's my three year old enjoying her cupcake with a big girl spoon!

More photos to come this week, we only took about a million! Check back soon :)

New York, New York

2011-01-22T16:25:00.001-06:00

New York photos, as promised! We had a blast visiting the Gentry clan. It was a little bit weird though to be back (after 5 years!) in my old Upper East Side neighborhood where I lived during graduate school. A lot has changed, but mostly it's stayed the same. The same yummy gourment food places and tiny grocers...same crazy cab drivers and watchful doormen. Still an insane amount of people walking their dogs! Huge dogs, small dogs, dogs in sweaters and dogs in shoes. Still have to watch out for the little surprises they leave everywhere.

The snow was piled up pretty high from the blizzard we missed by about 3 days! Seriously, it was already pretty high I think and then the snow plows come out to play and piles all the snow to the side of the streets, completely covering the parked cars...I mean, seriously, when do you think this car will make it out? Spring thaw maybe?

Let's hope! The snow in Central Park was perfect for the kids though, Avery had so much fun. Lots of kids to watch, sledding and playing. She liked to be on daddy's shoulders too.

The Gentry boys had a lot of fun making snowballs!!

some quite large!

We stayed quite snug in the Gentry apartment too. The boys are really into dragons right now. We watched How to Train Your Dragon with them and they even gave Avery her very own dragon, which she enjoys cuddling :)

The boys were also sweet enough to let us/insist on wearing their dragon slippers! Such thoughtful dudes.

Bub the hub enjoyed wearing them while cuddling with sweet Mya...

here's a close-up of lil'Mya getting a sink bath. I think she looks like Logan here!

One of the best parts of our trip was the last night when we made it over to Craft, the reservations I suprised Bub the hub with on Christmas morning. The meal was absolutely to die for! Probably the best I've ever had. Ever!! They served the meal family style, so we got to sample a bit of everything, which included: an amuse bouche (Top Chef lingo, but the waiter actually said it too!!) of mackerel with an awesome citrus sauce, oysters, arugula salad with lemon, quail legs, red snapper with roasted red pepper sauce, beef short rib with aged balsamic sauce, duck risotto and pureed potatoes.

Although everything was delicious, the salad and the side dishes totally blew me away. The arugula salad with lemon was amazingly simplistic, and yet probably my favorite thing. They brought out this huge pile of crisp arugula that looked very naked. But then I tasted it and it was just exceptional. A few pine nuts, and a lemon dressing that was like heaven...a little gritty with some parmesan/salt I think. So anyway, I've been trying to recreate it ever since I got home!

I found this recipe for lemon dressing:
•1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
•5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
•2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
•1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
and I've come pretty darn close! I crave it now. I can't really say enough about the other two side dishes either. The duck risotto was exquisite- super, super rich and perfectly cooked risotto. I'm now a duck fan! I'm still dreaming about the pureed mashed potatoes. I wanted to order some to-go they were THAT good. Perfect texture and creaminess with a little chive and pepper on top. OK THEN, are you hungry already? I certainly am now.

Forgot to say that lil'bub did fabulous on both plane rides, which sure made mommy and daddy happy :). All in all, a fabulous trip!!

Ridiculously Overdue

2011-01-19T00:24:00.000-06:00

Thought it was high time that I shared a few Xmas/New Years photos, you know, before spring arrives! I think this past December was possibly the busiest month of my entire life...but I do like to exaggerate. sometimes. Even so, I think I completed about 25 cards in approximately 20 days, which was CRAZY, not to mention lots and lots of lil'bub doctor appointments (she got her second round of botox injections!), and crafting 90% of the xmas presents that I gave out this year. The crafting always seems like a good idea at first, and then I always run out of time. Still, I think everyone enjoyed their stationary and/or sewed project whether it was on time or two weeks after Christmas (sorry friends :)!

The downside of the busy-ness is that I barely took any photos, darnit! But here is what I do have:

Us before Bub the hub's office party

Lil'bub after her first school pageant!

Uncle Drew brought Christmas Eve dinner over AND

cooked it for us all by himself! so impressive and less stressful for me :)

must share that this is one of the greatest things that I have

ever tasted....whole chicken stuffed with yummy, YUMMY mashed potatoes.

sounds weird, tastes delicious.

Avery talking/petting/rolling around with one of her very favorite doggies,

Shrek, her bf Leila's pet.

As far as Christmas day, I present you with:

The montage...my new favorite way to post photos! Avery looked quite beautiful in her penguin sweater dress and she got lots of awesome presents. So did her parents! It was really fun to finally see Bub the hub open up the trip to New York that I had kept a secret for so long. I wrapped up the printed reservations to an amazing restaurant in NYC owned by Top Chef's Tom Colicchio. He was surprised to say the least! And he did his own surprising too:

He printed a book from the first year of my blog, isn't that the best!?!? There were definitely some tears on this one. Such a thoughtful present, and I absolutely love reading through it. Great job bub!

Well, I ran out of time for New Years pics so I'll do that later this week. Looking forward to the next montage. I really love that tool. And don't forget to check out the montage I just posted on SugarBee of my 2010 Holiday Collection!

Positivity

2011-01-04T20:23:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year everybody! We are back from our whirlwind trip to NYC, and back in school, back at work, and back to working on cards. So, basically, back to the grind. It was a nice holiday and a wonderful trip while it lasted though! Now it's 2011. Holy moly, that is so weird. I'm been feeling lately like time is flying by a little too fast for my comprehension, and my munchkin is growing up exponentially before my eyes. Slow down everyone!! Seriously.

I read an article the other day that made me feel more optimistic about 2011, and certainly for the future of our country. I'm going to share it here, so maybe you can share some of my optimism as well :)

TWENTY POSITIVE TRENDS IN THE U.S.

1) Crime is down. It's true! Decreasing as we speak, actually...the nightly news might convince you otherwise, however.

2) We use less energy. The avg. per person consumption of energy in the U.S. has fallen about 9% from it's peak during the oil crisis. Hallelujah!

3) We give and give. More than a quarter of U.S. adults volunteered last year with nonprofits, contributing more than 8 trillion total hours of service...and there was a 5% increase in young adult volunteers. Americans gave $300 billion to charities in 2009 as well. This blows me away.

4) We conserve fuel. The use of public mass transit is on the rise, growing 38% in the last 15 years.

5) We live longer and feel better. People today are living about 10 years longer than their parents did. And a survey by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that once people reached 50 years of age, feelings of happiness and enjoyment increase....ok, wish we could bring that age down just a bit!

6)Young people make smarter decisions about their well-being. For the last 10 years, the percent of highschoolers that smoke has fallen steadily. Fewer teenagers are using alcohol and hard drugs as well.

7) We network with wonderful results. Research from the Univ. of Calif. reports that within a social network, happiness is contagious :) Also, for 1 out of every 6 marriages, the newly engaged parties met via online dating. That's amazing!!

8) We can connect easier. Electronically, that is. There are more than 10.5 billion WiFi users in the U.S. each month. We can connect almost anytime, anywhere...and internet access on flights is expected to become free sometime in the next year. Woohoo!

9) Our bonds are stronger. The divorce rate continues to fall, from 4 per every 1000 people back in 2000 to currently 3.5. Hey, at least it's something!!

10) We give away before we throw away. Have any of you tried freecycle.org yet? I discovered this site when I lived in NYC and didn't have a lot of money to spare. You are saving items from landfills and helping a neighbor out! The amount "freecycled" currently equals 800 tons of stuff every-single-day that isn't thrown away. Unbelievable.

11) Our forests are growing. Despite the perception that suburban sprawl is eating up unused land, the total acreage of forested land in U.S. has increased during the last 30 years. Thank goodness!!

12) We breathe cleaner air. OK, so this one I was pretty doubtful, but it's true that the levels of 6 common air pollutants have fallen since 1990! So it's a positive.

13) We drive more carefully. Last year, 8.9% fewer people died in car accidents than 2008, and the lowest number since 1954, when they began record keeping.

14) We grow more of our own food and enjoy the benefits. Wish I had a garden to participate in this one! Seed sales have increased and so have canning equipment sales.

15) Our hearts love anti-smoking laws. According to a study of Medicare patients, the amount of hospital admissions for heart attacks has dropped 23% in 5 years. Perhaps it's the public smoking bans now law in 32 states and many cities....

16) We buckle up. Seat belt use is rising, jumping at least 3% in each age category.

17) Bees making a sweet comeback. Although bees have been disappearing in the U.S., more than 100,000 beekeepers are fighting back by helping farmers pollinate their crops. Save the bees, y'all.

18) Women are healthier. Incidences of breast cancer in the U.S. have decreased 2% per year since '96. Deaths from breast cancer have decreased 1.9% per year. Amazing news!

19) We move more. Average marathon times indicate exercise among the general population is on the rise. They are actually slower than they were in 1980, which means more people are logging miles for health and enjoyment....interesting.

20) We know the poswer of positive. A study by the American Heart Association showed that women who expected good, rather than bad, lived longer. Another study of law students found a bright outlook didn't just affect performance, but the immune system too. It's the true power of positive thinking.

Here's to a POSITIVE 2011!!!

Merry Merry!

2010-12-29T23:15:00.000-06:00

No worries! We are, in fact, alive! We have just been busy, busy bubs during this Christmas holiday! Wish I had longer to blog but we are packing to fly to NYC to visit our good friends, the Gentry family, and celebrate New Years Eve. We are so stinkin' excited!! Who doesn't think four adults and four kids under the age of five in a NYC apartment will be awesome?!?

I am going to blog from there at some point, but here are our holiday photos to sustain you all!! Hope you had as wonderful of a Christmas as we bubs did ;)

my personal fav:

Bubs Love...

2010-12-20T19:26:00.003-06:00

Yep, it's that time again! another list! another favorites list! Just in the nick of time for you to go buy all this stuff for ~~yourself~~ someone you love this Christmas! (unless you are one of those people that actually doesn't wait until the week of xmas to buy your presents, but I don't see how that's any fun)
So here's what I'm obsessing over lately:

♥ Well, first I have to tell you that ddp and I broke up again. I know, I know, but it's always been a volatile relationship....it could just never live up to my first love: the real full-caloried Dr. Pepper that I only try to splurge on once in awhile (a day). Anyhoo, it's been over for a couple months now, but I just recently started to explore other beverages that will not slowly kill me with artificial sweeteners....and now I'm in love again! These Santa Cruz organic drinks I found at Whole Foods are totally yum! My fav flavor is pomegranate limeade, and I don't feel bad about drinking them one bit!!! so....stocking stuffer?

♥ Freedom by Jonathan Franzen- Y'all might have already noticed this book on my sidebar, but I'm going to have to double-post it because DUDE, this is an awesome book. You can get it off amazon right now for cheap! And I'm talkin' about the nice, new-book-smelling hardback! I don't want to offend anyone, but I'm not into those electronic book reading do-hickies. I CHERISH opening a new book, being able to feel it and smell it, and then treasure it on my bookcase...maybe I'm a dork, but the bookworm in me cannot sacrifice all that for a book gadget. Back to Franzen though- this guy is amazingly talented. His novel The Corrections really hooked me. I read it when I was studying abroad in Italy, and it actually made me a bit homesick for the good old dysfunctional American life lol! But seriously, if you don't want to take it from me, BELIEVE OPRAH. She had him on her show just last week, and it's definitely in her book club. You trust OPRAH right!?!

♥ Skin Organics....LOVE IT!! A couple months ago I got the most incredible facial of my life with Ann Webb, who started this line of products. My skin felt so refreshed afterwards that I immediately bought the moisturizer and eye cream that she was using. This was big for me because I have tried like a gazillion different moisturizers over the years, and never found anything that did not irritate my skin to some degree, so I had kind of given up on trying new ones. These products have done their job and never annoyed my skin once! Plus they go on very light and smell delightful :) also at Whole Foods!! and http://www.skinorganicsaw.com/

♥UGGS....gosh do I love my Uggs. I have pink ones that have been SO intensely worn that they are starting to look gray, but I don't care! They are so comfy and easy to pull on that I wear them with everything, everywhere...even when it's the week of Christmas and 70 degrees outside (blech). These glittered Uggs are pretty amazing though. I wish that it'd actually get cold again so I can convince myself I need a second pair ;).

♥ For the movie lover in your life, I fully recommend the RunPee app!! It's changed my movie going life! Bub the hub and I have been using it for a while now, and it's worked perfectly everytime. Not only does it give you the movie line cues when it's the best time to run to the bathroom and not miss anything good, it also gives you a summary of whatever you missed. Genius! And now I can drink all the cherry Coke I want! ha! http://runpee.com/

♥CAN NOT live without my HP PhotoSmart printer. Seriously. It's my best friend in all my scrapbooking adventures, also very handy for quick photos for the family (choose from 4 different sizes, including wallets!) and great for a last minute print to put in a frame and give as a gift! What more can I say, everyone needs one of these.

♥ TOP CHEF ALL-STARS...ok, you can't really give this as a gift, but I still love it, so it made the list. Really, it's the best idea ever. Already great a show, and I don't have to get to know anyone new, and the contestants are already the popular/ most talented (except maybe a few ...MICHAEL I'M TALKING TO YOU), but just didn't win on their original season...I'm already engrossed and drooling at every episode. Also, the judges make me giggle.

♥ Last but not least, I've got to talk about my new go-to meal when I'm in no mood to cook, which is a lot lately! I already loved the Amy's line, and then I found this magnificent frozen pizza. If you've ever been to Pronto Cucino in Houston (which I'm sure about 75% of those reading this have been with me at least once :), this tastes exactly like their fresh margherita pizza squares....which taste exactly like the pizza in Italy, WHICH is why I love it! It might not look like much in the photo, but it's a perfect portion size and I promise you will not be disappointed on tastiness. mmmmm good.

Hope you liked the list! Be sure and tell me if you try anything :). And go check out my SugarBee site because I've been blogging a bit over there too!!

Baby Boom!

2010-12-07T13:58:00.001-06:00

This morning I was thinking how a whole week has whizzed by since I last blogged, and why the heck does December go by so much faster than any other month? I guess that's kind of a silly question, but still, I swear yesterday was Thanksgiving and I still had some time to figure/plan/prepare for all this crazy holiday stuff. Not so!

I don't want to alarm anyone, but there are SEVENTEEN SHORT DAYS and TWO PUNY WEEKENDS before Christmas arrives!! And I still have fall decorations and festive turkeys staring at me from around my house. I am happy to report, however, that Bub the hub has already hung the lights outside. So that's a start.

We've also had lots of visitors lately, especially new baby visitors, and I would be remiss if I did not post their adorable faces here for you to coo at! I got a chance to snuggle with Mr. Jackson Rheman awhile back when his mommy came to pick up his baby announcements

look at those overalls!! such a cutie

And then we had a fun visit with Avery's bf, Ms. Leila,

who enjoyed all of Avery's toys :)

AND the girls figured out how to tickle each other!!!

(or maybe I showed them)

My sweet friend Tarryn had little Mr. Connor just last month,
and boy is he a doll-baby :)

I'm working very hard on his announcement right now

(as soon as I finish blogging)

Then adorable Mr. Cooper made an appearance.
He is the new little brother of Avery's best school friend

he's very stylish, as you can see

And then of course my precious little Leah bug is getting so big!!

she came over and showed off her scootin' skills,

almost too fast for my camera, but I caught her :)

I warned y'all they would be super cute didn't I? Well, you should have known.

Word Fun!

2010-11-30T23:39:00.000-06:00

I love words. I do. I love reading them and I love writing them. I especially love using obscure words in the correct context, and most especially when I can get an adequate you-are-making-that-word-up expression from Bub the hub! Whom I can then force to look up said word in the dictionary, proving him totally wrong and proving me totally genius.

So you can imagine my excitement when I heard that the people over at Oxford Dictionary announced an adopt-a-word program, right!?! Apparently there is some widespread concern about "hundreds of words dropped each year from the English language." Shocking, I know! "Words that once led meaningful lives now lay unused, unloved, and unwanted." It's quite devastating.

In order to do my part, I have adopted the word "quaeritate." This new word of mine simply means, "to ask." I have pledged to use this word as much as possible in order to make sure it does NOT lay unused, unloved or unwanted! Now I must quaeritate that you go right this minute and visit the site in order to adopt your own word!! Think of all these poor, unappreciated words, quite literally begging to be used again. If you feel led, please go ahead and quaeritate your friends and family to adopt a word as well!

And on the subject of words, I have recently invented a new word, or more of an expression I guess. Lately I've been designing so many cards, that my poor right pointer finger is aching from all the work it's been doing on my laptop touchpad. I have officially dubbed this condition Photoshop finger. Anyone else out there experiencing the same thing? I'm thinking about writing Oxford to quaeritate whether this could be added to the dictionary. Long shot I guess....but it would look super sweet on my resume...

I also must quaeritate that you comment here if in fact you do make the decision to adopt. I'd love to hear what other words are being saved from obsoletion (yes Bub the hub, THAT IS a word :).

Today I am thankful for

2010-11-25T21:08:00.000-06:00

lil'bub giggles on a very overwhelming turkey day................

family, friends, a warm home, baking pumpkin cheesecake................

online black friday shopping, all my new SugarBee clients!!, Photoshop, awesome old movies.....

a soft snuggly bed, a sweet thoughtful husband, MODERN MEDICINE..............

and awesome blog readers like YOU! Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.

Normal

2010-11-20T12:33:00.004-06:00

Normal is such a funny word. Ridiculous, actually. I mean, I know the word serves a purpose and everything, but no one has the same "normal." Which kind of defeats the meaning if you think about it. For a long time, this word did not ever really bother me. I'm sure there were times in junior high, when everything was totally awkward, that I was probably super concerned with being "normal." But it seems like the minute a little confidence arrived, there also arrived a point where I wanted to be unique...stand out from the crowd. So then being considered "normal" kind of turned into a negative thing.

Finishing high school and college and then going on to grad school, I guess I felt like I was following a path considered somewhat "typical" of my peers, which is a word I much prefer to use for some reason. And when I got married, I remember feeling so excited to start a life with my best friend. I couldn't wait to settle into what I considered the seemingly "normal" existence that I had hoped for. This included my husband, a job I enjoyed, and a home where I felt secure. And expanding our family.

Then when lil'bub tumbled into my universe, everything about this word changed for me. Everything. Suddenly, nothing seemed "normal" anymore...and when it's lost is exactly when you began yearning for it: when you are thinking about it all the time, wondering why you do not get to have the normality that seemingly surrounds you. You regret taking it for granted. You regret not thanking your lucky stars every single minute that YOU had this normality before. So you mourn for it, and you get pretty damn angry about it, and you throw up your hands in complete frustration. And then you embark on a new normal.

This adjustment absolutely sucks, but it has to be done. Literally, in order to rescue a shred of your sanity and be able to walk around without constantly wondering why her and why us and WHY THIS, my little family had to come to terms with the fact that the "normal" existence of all the families around us would not be ours to have. And part of the way to do that is give up on the entire word. Useless!! to us at least.

I apologize that this has been a much longer prologue than I had planned to explain a quick story. That on Monday of this week past, I had a nightmare of a day that included two intense specialty doctor appointments for lil'bub. One in the morning that involved rush hour traffic, waiting around for an hour and forty five minutes for the doctor to show up, and then listening to things that I don't really want to hear. And another that I asked Bub the hub to take off work and accompany me, because I wasn't really up to the challenge either physically or emotionally. Thankfully, he did, and ALL was fate because after examining Avery's eyes, then dilating her eyes, then waiting thirty long minutes, then returning for prying said screaming child's eyes open to deeply examine everything...whew...this doctor turned to me and said, "Avery's vision is NORMAL for her age range." I almost fell out of my chair. Bub the hub and I looked at each other and I asked meekly, "are you sure????" When I heard affirmation, I then seriously turned into a blubbering mess. I explained to the doctor that this word is not one we ever get to hear in regards to sweet lil'bub...that one particularly ignorant resident at the hospital told me that lil'bub was completely blind after her last surgery...that even though her vision has steadily improved, we never ever in a million jillion years thought those words would come out of her mouth. Like, ever.

We walked out of that office with so much joy in our hearts and re-belief in miracles and in our little miracle. And we thank our lucky stars every single minute for our new normal.

Drum Roll Please....

2010-11-15T06:00:00.021-06:00

I am so pleased to announce FINALLY that my new design site is open for business!!! It was a huge undertaking for me, and has taken a lot of my blogging time lately...SO, here it is:

http://www.sugarbeedesigns.com/

(you can also click on the Sugar Bee Designs button at the top of my sidebar :)

On behalf of my site opening, I'd like to offer 10% off my custom cards this week only if you respond here with a comment about what you think of the new site! That includes those of you who are already on my project list too :)

Thanks for all the wonderful encouragement and early card orders! Now go look! GO!!

Guest Blog

2010-11-10T16:11:00.003-06:00

When Bub the hub saw my recent post about movies, he was like...I don't think so.

Lol---actually, he agreed with my first pick, but has no desire whatsover to see the others. That's totally fine though. He will just miss out on some super cool movies while I go have fun with my friends! But I am all about freedom of opinion, so I agreed to let him post his own picks here. He thinks maybe some of my readers will agree with him more. Whatever! Take a look:

Bub and I try to see a movie whenever we get the chance. As you can see from her Top 5, we enjoy all kinds of genres, from silly comedies to serious dramas, and even a foreign film every now and again. It's just the perfect thing for both of us to "get away" for a little while. People probably hate us because we're always talking during the movie, guessing what's going to happen next, making fun of terrible actors. We can't help it. Usually we share the same opinions on movies...usually.

Without further ado, here are Bub the hub's top 5...

DUE DATE- Zach G is hilarious. That's all you need to know. He could just be sitting there staring at the screen back at me and I would laugh. Throw in Robert Downey Jr. and a crazy looking dog and I'm in.

SKYLINE- The movie looks so great mainly because it looks so ridiculous. I honestly don't even know what it's about. I just know there are aliens with outrageous tentacles grabbing everything in sight...awesome. Can the humans survive?

THE NEXT THREE DAYS- Looks intriguing and intense. Russell Crowe always seems to make entertaining movies and Liam Neesen is smarter than everyone in life.

THE TOURIST- Johnny Depp and Angelina...Quite possibly the two biggest male and female stars...in the same movie.

TRUE GRIT- Coen Bro. movies are either really good or really dumb in my opinion. This one looks pretty sweet. Jeff Bridges seems to have perfected his western accent and Matt Damon as a kooky sidekick will be fun.

Honorable Mention- SAW 3D (It's kind of an inside joke but I've seen all the others. Might as well keep the tradition right?)

Quite Possibly the Worst Movie Ever Made: BURLESQUE- that trailer is brutal, just brutal. I think they would be better off not showing the preview if they want to actually make money on this movie.

Your welcome.
-Bub the hub

Sick Bubs

2010-11-05T17:57:00.001-05:00

Hey y'all, we have one sick lil'bub in this house...Bub the hub and I were up all night with a very snotty, coughy munchkin. Poor thing can't stay asleep for more than an hour or so. Today hasn't been much better, and now I can feel a tickle in my throat. Blah!

I think that having sick kids has to be the hardest part of parenting. That's not to say that I don't count my blessings that we are cozy at home instead of in a hospital somewhere! THOSE experiences waere definitely more miserable. But still. I hate seeing her feeling so badly :(

Current diagnosis: a bad cold...pretty please don't let it be anything more serious!!
Prescription: chocolate ice cream and fluids
Getting to sleep in mommy & daddy's bed: priceless