Thursday, May 29, 2008

A few recent pictures..

Don't really have much to post about right now. Or maybe it's just that I don't really care to post much of anything. Whatever the case, I thought I would post a few recent pictures. Ava is "talking" more and more everyday. My dad has lent me his video camera and I have some tape of her but am not able to transfer it onto the computer, so I will record a video on my camera and hopefully get one up soon. She is so cute. Just seeing her smile and how much she has already grown (and continues to everyday!) lights up my heart.


We will be going to College Station tomorrow for my cousins graduation. Everyone is pretty excited to see Ava. :)
My Maw-Maw and Paw-Paw (My dads parents) are in town right now helping out with dad and trading off at the hospital. Ava and I visited at the house with them the other night. Below is a picture of Jared, Paw-Paw, Maw-Maw and Ava with her little moccasins from Maw-Maw.

Maw-Maw and Ava

Ava loves her Mee-Maws (my mom) blankie



Playing on the floor

Not much longer and she'll be reaching out to grab her toys!

Monday, May 26, 2008

Memorial Day

Hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day. And don't forget to remember the real reason for this day... to be thankful for all who have fought for our freedom.

On another note.. this is my 100th post for 2008!!! Woo-Hoo!!

Ava and I are going to Katie's grandma's house to hang out with the family and have some burgers and hot dogs. We decided to keep it low key this evening as Daddy is working in San Antonio right now. Ava loves you Daddy!! (and so do I) :D

Have a great day!

Update: Just thought I'd share a couple pictures from Memorial Day at Katies Grandma's. Ava was taking a nap so she is not in any of them.

Katie, Mason and I hanging out by the pool at Katie's granmothers

Katie, Mason, Matt and Brittany

Katie and Mason

Daddy

My dad has been having some problems with his pancreas the last couple of years. He has already had one surgery and due to some pains lately, he went in on Thursday for another surgery. I'm not really sure what the purpose of it was. But they went down his throat and into his stomach and made some cuts and so forth. He was in a lot of pain after the surgery but they decided to go ahead and send him home. The following day he had to be admitted back into the hospital. He was hunched over on his hands and knees yelling in pain. My dad is a pretty tough guy so this was pretty hard for everyone to see him in so much pain. On a scale of 1 to 10 he rated his pain at a 20. Poor daddy. He now has pancreatitis. The first night back at the hospital was pretty rough. He threw up non-stop and they ended up having to put a tube down his nose and into his stomach to pump everything out. He still has that in but they are hoping that by tomorrow they will be able to unhook it. He has been running a fever and just plain looks horrible. I feel so bad for him. They had to hook him up to a heart monitor to keep an eye on his heart rate b/c it got really high. His enzyme levels are supposed to be at about 200 and they were at 2,000. They also had to put a catheter in b/c he was so bloated that he wasn't able to use the bathroom. Katie and I went up to St. Luke's in the Medical Center to see him yesterday. He is on so much pain medicine that he was pretty much out of it. I hate to see him like that and I really just pray that he gets better soon. He got up and walked about 2 dozen steps or so today and his levels seems to be getting back to normal but he is still running a fever. Please keep him in your prayers. Love you Daddy.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Something to think about...

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgement on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgement do the same things. Romans 2:1


Dear Child.

Every time you start criticizing someone else, that criticism boomerangs and comes around to hit you in the head. Every time you act as judge and jury for someone else , you end up putting a noose around your own neck. Every time you point your index finger at someone else, look at your hand. There are three other fingers pointing back at you.


Listen, there's only one person on the judging committee, and that's Me. I'm the only one who can look inside a heart and see its motives. I'm the only one who can pour out grace undiluted by prejudice. When you judge someone else, you just end up judging yourself. So give other people the benefit of the doubt and leave the judging to me.

Your father of Grace ,
GOD

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Proffesional Portraits

Ava's pictures came in the mail today, so I thought I'd share. I think they turned out really well. I cant wait to frame them!

The one above is a collage but it was a little to big to scan so some of it got cut off, but you get the idea.

This is one of my favorites..


Thursday, May 22, 2008

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Bunch of nothing..

I don't really have much of anything to post about... Ava and I spent the day relaxing at home. Katie, Mason and her 2 little cousins Chloe and Casey came over today and hung out with us. We always enjoy spending time with them. I got a pretty bad migrane this afternoon so when Mike got home, him and Ava hung out together so that I could nap for a little bit. That's pretty much all that went on today. I really need to go to the store tomorrow and get a few things for the house as well as some formula for the little munchkin. I need to get my eyebrows waxed... and I also need to go get my rings sized. I actually haven't been wearing them the last few days because I have been pretty close to losing them down the sink due to the fact that they are way to big! I was about 4 months pregnant when I got them sized and I didn't really think the size of my fingers had changed much, but I guess they did. So.. I should probably try to get those sized pretty soon so that I can wear them again. It feels weird without them.
Ohhh... my lovely husband got me one of those digital picture frames for Mothers Day. I haven't used it yet but I'm really excited about it! I gotta figure out what pictures I want on there and get it all set up. I love those things! Thank you stud muffin ;)
That's pretty much all I've got for now. Boooring.. Ill leave you with some pics from today.. :)

Mason and I hanging out

Haha, look at that face! She gets upset when I take her bottle away to burp her. My little piglet!

Mason- Look at that smile!

Chloe

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Ava's first dip in the pool

Saturday morning, Michael, Tyler, Elise, Ava and I headed off to Clear Lake EMS center to get Ava's immunizations. I was expecting that I would get pretty upset but I did really well because my princess was such a big girl! She got 3 shots and 1 oral. They gave 2 of the shots at the same time with the 3rd shot immediately following. She didn't start to cry until the 3rd shot and even then she literally only cried for, like, 3 seconds. I was so proud of her! She fussed a little bit after we left but not much at all. She did feel as though she may have had a small fever so I went ahead and gave her a little Tylenol just in case but she did really well, considering. After her shots we headed to the church for Jared's soccer game. Elise made friends with another little girl, Teresa while we were there and they ate snow-cones and picked flowers the whole time. Lol

After the game we headed to the park in Friendswood so Elise could play. There was a birthday party going on there and one of the mothers told me that a police officer just warned them that there had just been a vehicle break in and to keep an eye on our things. That was a little unsettling so we decided to go ahead and come home. Elise played outside with cookie and Lily for a little while and then we took her home.

This morning Michael and I took Ava for a little stroll around the neighborhood. She usually loves to be outside but was a little fussy this morning. Ava and I went over to Katie's and hung out at the pool for a little bit. We didn't stay long as it was really hot out today and I certainly didn't wanna take a chance on Ava getting a sunburn. Of course I did put sunscreen on her but that doesn't always work sometimes and babies have such sensitive skin. The water was a little chilly but I still took Ava for a little dip. She fussed for a minute but was fine after that. I only kept her in long enough to get a couple pictures of her first dip in the pool. Michael blew up the old floaty that Elise used when she was a baby and I put Ava in that for a minute. After hanging at the pool for a little while we decided to take a dip in the hot tub. It wasn't heated but was a little warmer than the pool was. Here are some pictures from the pool and hot tub..

Ava's first dip in the pool
"Mommy, what are you doing to me? This water is cold!"

Kisses from Mommy

Takin a little nap, all bundled up in my ducky towel


STRETCH!

After Ava and I got home, my dad and the boys stopped by to pick up Lily for my aunt. The kids played and dad played with Ava for a little while. Michael, Tyler and I went to dinner at red Lobster and used the gift card that Amber got for Mike on his birthday. When we got home, Michael, Ava and I cuddled up on the couch and watched NCIS before Daddy had to go to bed. Its almost time for Ava's next feeding and then I think we will call it a night as well. Hope you all had a good weekend. I sure did enjoy mine :)

Our visit with Katie and Mason

I have a couple of pictures from Friday evening that I forgot to post. Elise and I went by Katie's house to drop off some Karo syrup as I said in my last post. We visited with Katie and Mason for a few minutes before heading home. The first is of Katie, Mason and Elise and the other is of Elise giving Mason some kisses. She is such a sweety.





Saturday, May 17, 2008

Friday Fun in the Sun

Ava and I met with Jennifer for lunch at BJ's today to talk about some things. It was nice.

At 4:30 I brought in my resume and interviewed for this new job. I should hear something back by the middle of next week. Cross your fingers for me!

After the interview I stopped into Carters and picked up a swimsuit, robe and flip-flops for Elise to wear to the pool party this evening. When I got home, Michael, Tyler, Elise, Ava and I all headed to the pool in our neighborhood which Raina rented out for the party. The water was a bit chilly but that didn't stop the kids. Elise wanted me to get in with her and hold her, so needless to say, I was a bit chilly myself. The kids had a good time though. Elise was crackin us up! Instead of "bathing suit" she says "band-aide soup!" I tried to break it down for her by saying "Bay-Thing-Suit" and it came out "Band-Day-Soup!" She is something else! After the pool party Elise and I drove over to Katie's to drop off some Karo syrup for Mason. He is having a little trouble using the bathroom. :( When we got home we did the usual nightly routine-dinner, bathing both the girls, blow drying Elise's hair and prayers. Daddy, Elise and Ava have already gone to bed. Tyler is watching TV and after I finish this I am going to take advantage of my free time and try to finish up some more laundry.

Tomorrow morning we will be taking Ava for her shots and then we are going to Jared's soccer game. They are also having a baby convention at the George R Brown Convention Center this weekend and I think Katie and I are planning on attending that on Sunday.

Ill leave you with some pictures from today...


Such a cutie pie
Loungin'

Daddy and Ava
Tyler
Elise and Morgan

Elise, Ava and I

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Over-feeding? Ooopsss...

Yep, you read that right.. I am overfeeding my daughter. GAH! Amber, Ava and I headed off to her 2 month Dr.'s Appointment at 11am this morning. My little munchkin is 11lbs 9oz!!! and 21 1/2 inches long. She is in the 75th percentile for her weight and 25th percentile for her height.

Now, back to the "overfeeding" mess.. Let me start off by saying that it all started one Sunday while I was working. Michael was keeping Ava and said that she still acted hungry after eating 6oz so he gave her another 2. Ever since then she has eaten 8oz (which is actually 9 oz once you mix the formula) about every 3-4 hours. No bueno! Her doctor says that probably is the reason for her upset stomach. Ooops! So we have now cut back to 6-7oz and are trying to go about 4 hours in between feedings.

I am taking her on Saturday to the clinic in Clear Lake for her first set of shots. I don't think I am going to get all 4 (or 5?) of them at once though. I think I would rather space them out a little.

I was sitting here tonight just watching Ava sleeping in her swing (she loves that thing!) and all I could do was smile. She makes me so happy. I swear I love her more and more everyday and I didn't even think it was possible to love her anymore than I already do. She is my angel.

After her appointment we headed over to Carmen's house for an interview with her. Carmen was recommended as a babysitter for Ava, by my friend Katie. She babysat Katie, both her sisters and her 2 cousins when they were little and is currently babysitting Katie's 3 year old brother Joe. Carmen watches the kids at her house and only takes kids by recommendation. She has been doing this for @ 20 years and is state registered. She is a very sweet lady and I think I am really going to like her. She sends home a "Baby-Gram" everyday with their curriculum for the day. Lets me know when she ate, how much, bowel movements and special concerns and so forth (like a daycare would do) Right now she is keeping 1 5year old, 2 3year old (Joe being one of them) and a 4 month old. The 5 year old will be leaving after he summer to start Kindergarten and the 3 year olds will be leaving once school lets out. (Their parents are school teachers which means they are off in the summer) So she will only have the 4 month old after that (and Ava). She feeds them hot lunches, they take naps, play outside for a while and she even does "school time" with them everyday. Of course Ava isn't at that age yet, but will be someday. She charges $115 a week which is much cheaper than a daycare and I would prefer that Ava stays out of daycare if I can help it. I was really impressed with her and feel very comfortable with leaving Ava with her.

The reason for finding a babysitter for Ava is a new job! :) Working as a secretary/receptionist in Clear Lake M-F 8-4, $10/hr. I'm really excited to be starting a real job! (not that working at the tanning salon isn't a real job, but its less pay and its only 3 days a week) I will say that I am bummed to be away from Ava that much but at the same time, I think it'll be good for me. I think I'll feel a lot better knowing that I am also contributing to the care of my daughter, Tyler, Elise and our home. I cant wait to start!

I ran a bunch of errands today and got a lot of cleaning/laundry done as well. Michael and I are getting Tyler and Elise tomorrow and will be attending a pool party for our neighbors little girl Madison tomorrow evening from 6-8. I am meeting with Jennifer for lunch tomorrow and then I am going to pick up a new swimsuit for Elise because I'm pretty sure she has grown out of her other one already. She is growin like a weed! I picked up a cute little summer dress for her today and some cute sandals to go with it. Ava has a dress similar to the one I got Elise. Ava's is pink and Elise's is blue. I cant wait to dress them both in them. They are gonna be cutie pies. (as always) :D I also picked up some swim trunks for Tyler as well.

I'm pretty sure it's almost 1am and I should totally hit the sack.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Ava and Mason

I cooked some chicken, rice and gravy, corn on the cob and cressent roles and had Katie, Matt and Mason over for dinner tonight. We watched a little tv and played with the kiddos. I just had to share the *cute* pictures we got of the babies together...

Mason and Ava, just hangin out
Ooops! Looks like he is slapping her... Look at her face! LOL
First kiss! Too Cute!

Takin A Step Back in Time

Yesterday I talked to Amanda whom I was best friends with back in high school. We still talk from time to time but I haven't seen her in about a year. Ava, Harley and I went over to her apartment to visit with her for a while yesterday. It was good to see her and talk about old times. Here are a couple pictures..



I worked at the tanning salon again today and Stephanie kept Ava for me. My husband had flowers delivered to me. He can be a real sweety sometimes (Key word: *sometimes*) ;) Love you babe!

Ill end this post with some recent pictures of my little munchkin. I cant believe how big she has gotten. She is growing way too fast! :(

Such a pretty little girl


Look at those pretty blue eyes