The May Family

Trials & Tribulations

2011-01-27T12:05:00.000-08:00

In efforts to avoid becoming too "heavy", I'll make every attempt at trying to bring in comic relief which is often times provided by the notorious 2 year old named - Skylar! Let's dive in! Ah, trials and tribulations - we all have them and at times we feel we're at our breaking point, right?! Well this week has been that kind of week for me! Somehow I'm being put through the ringer emotionally, physically, and spiritually! My life at times seems so out of control and I just can't seem to grab hold of it! Every day life introduces new stresses and each week provides more emptiness! Did I just say emptiness? Yes, I did. Even with the hectic life of raising two kids, planning meals, scheduling appointments, cleaning diapers - emptiness can still creep inside! Life suddenly is no longer full of surprises but rather "planned" or "rigid" and every day passes kind of like a blur! Aye! It's getting heavy - I apologize! I guess I'm writing this because today I became aware of something very interesting...that in my everyday planning and cleaning and mothering - God is always with me! And though my trials and tribulations may seem GINORMOUS, God is right there leading me through my "fiery furnace." If only I would call out to him, He is ready and willing to take my burdens for me and calm the raging sea! Today, as I rushed to get out of the house on my way to my bible study - I felt overwhelmed and frustrated! I had convinced myself that this study was not worth all of the hardships of just trying to make it there on time but alas, I found myself in the car - heading to church. I was still flustered as we pulled in the parking lot. Skylar excitedly yelled out that we're at church and I didn't even realize the importance of that! My sweet girl, who also had to go through all the craziness of the morning with mommy running around and Brycen crying the whole time - still had this joyful look on her face about getting to go to church! If we could all have a child's heart! We finally made it in and I found my seat next to my mom! It really wasn't until we split into our small groups that I realized I was right where I needed to be! I was with other women, going through the exact same circumstances as me and here we are asking God for help and direction! I'm having to learn within myself that I can plan and make to-do lists and schedules but how much time am I setting aside for God? After all, he's cleared his schedule for me! And my trials and tribulations are nothing compared to those in the Bible! But finding out that even the most Godly of women have found themselves curled up in the corner of the playroom, crying out "God help me" was eye-opening! My new commitment is to turn over the "ugly stuff" to God while enjoying moments like early this morning when Skylar climbed into bed and whispered softly "I love you mama." Or my husband thanking me for everything I do! I have a great life that God has provided and I need to start learning how to enjoy it and at it's fullest! So, as I'm in my "molding" process (from my study which I'll touch on more in a later post), I pray that God will open up my eyes to the joys around me! One more Skylar moment to leave with: before the craziness ensued, Skylar told me that she "hixed the hash light" (aka - fixed the flashlight)! I said "wow, you did huh?" (knowing full well that her daddy fixed it) and she responded "yes, I'm the best EVER!!!!!" You see, how can I complain when I have the best daughter EVER!!! ;-)

A Little Bit of Brycie Belly!

2011-01-23T09:05:00.000-08:00

So mentioning "the belly" in the last post got me thinking that maybe it'd be fun to put all the pics together to see the belly progression while I was pregnant with Bryce!

So here ya go:

2 months:

3 months:
4 months:

5 months:

6 months:
7 months: 8 months:9 months and ready to pop:

Skylar Turns 2!!

2011-01-22T11:35:00.000-08:00

As promised, this is one of those "catch-up" posts!

Well, because there was so much going on during the Summer - we had a really tough time picking the perfect date for her party! We didn't want to do it too early because in conflicted with other family members birthday parties and we didn't want to do it too late because Brycen was due July 1st! Oh...and let's not forget that Father's Day was right in the middle of planning too!

So after much stress, we settled on June 24th! Sound familiar?! Yep - Bubba made his entrance into the world on that date so the party was cancelled! Thankfully however, we celebrated a "small" party for her on her actual birthday of June 12th just in case mommy couldn't be there for her big party! So here's some pics of the fun...and the enormous belly! ;)

She had so much fun and I'm so glad we managed to get it done!! Matthew and I intend on making her party extra special this year since she didn't really have one last year!

I'll try and make a short list (of what I can remember) of things that she was into it at that time:

Woo - her favorite cuddly toy

Gee - her paci that would soon be taken away

Swimming - she loved spending ALL her time in Papa's pool

School - she had a mothers day out program that she enjoyed going to during the Summer

Babies - anything that was small...baby or teddy bear...she enjoyed "mothering"

Max and Ruby - one of her favorite shows on Nick Jr (she used to call it "Nuts n Ruby")

Chicken Nuggets - this became a HUGE favorite and for a while it was all she'd eat

Hide and Seek - she played this with Daddy ALL the time and would say (daddy...et's go hide!!)

...so I'll update more as I think of them but that's what I've got for now....

My Precious Skylar,

As I write this, I'm already filled with so much emotion about reminiscing over the wonderful 2 1/2 years that have flown by too quickly! Right now is, I think, my favorite time with you because you are discovering and learning so much every day! I love having conversations with you and the silly way you giggle when you tell a story! You are so full of life that sometimes it's hard to keep up! You are my little energizer bunny that just keeps on going but I'm thankful for that because you really keep me going just by being you!

I think I often times forget, now that I have little Bryce here, about the miracle of you and I'm sorry for that! But I want and NEED you to know how much you have, and continue to, bless my life! As I said in my first letter to you and will say it over and over again, you are my miracle! You came at a time in my life when I needed you most and reaffirmed how mighty and majestic our God truly is! I prayed many of nights for a sweet little baby to nurture and take care of and God far exceeded my expectations when he sent me you! You have the biggest heart and every day you teach me something new. Not just about things you're discovering but things I'm discovering about myself! For instance, I never considered myself to be a very patient person and you've taught me that! Granted, you have a way of making mommy crazy at times but it one instant of your sweet grace, all my bad days or crazy moods are wiped away!

I love that you have a heart for learning! You are fascinated with being challenged and like a sponge, you absorb everything! Your Papa often says that you're as quick as a whip and Skylar, you really are! My prayer is that God can use your gifts and talents in a mighty way!!! You also have such a tender and loving heart - even if you sometimes have to get through the strong-willed barrier first!! So far you've been an amazing big sister and you help mommy with so much! You love to do what I do and that even includes changing bubba's diaper! I know there will come a day that you two will bicker like cats and dogs but I pray you remember how much God has blessed the both of you with each other! I know and believe in my heart that Brycen will always protect you and love you unconditionally!!!

I guess all that's really left to say is that I love you! I love everything about you and I praise God for each day I can spend with you! Thank you my sweet girl for everything you do for me and for all the ways you enrich my life! You are my precious joy!!

With all my love,

Mama

Potty-Training: It's A PRIVATE MATTER!

2011-01-20T05:20:00.000-08:00

Aye! Potty-training is the hardest thing about parenting I've experienced so far! It takes loads of patience and understanding which I shamefully admit I suffer with at times! However, we continue to try and try and what I've discovered is that Skylar likes to handle her business on her own! I'll take her into the restroom, set her on the potty and then she tells me "okay mama, you go!" Oh and let's not forget the "hey! Cose da door!!" I'll come back to check on her and sure enough, she's succeeded in going!

We are now on day 5 of potty-training success! But SHHHH! don't tell anyone!!! :)

Dress-up Junk!!!

2011-01-17T08:46:00.000-08:00

I was reading this article the other day about friendly tips to keep the playroom organized and your toddler interested! I came across one suggestion to keep an open trunk full of their dress-up clothes enabling them "hours of fun" (so says the article)! What mom wouldn't want there child to have hours of fun, right? Okay - so a hint of sarcasm there but either way I decided to do it because her current dress up clothes have been (no laughing) hanging neatly on hangers in her closet getting absolutely NO use!!!

So, I decide to grab an old box and told Skylar I had a surprise for her which she of course thought was candy and went hauling off to the kitchen! When she saw me walk the other direction she said "mama, what you doin?" I told her that I was going to get her dress up clothes and place them in a special box for her! She seemed amused and continued following me as I collected all her things! Once in her playroom I explained to her that this is now her very own dress-up trunk especially for her!!! Her little eyebrows went up and with wide eyes said "my own dress-up junk?!! Hurray!!!" She is her fathers daughter for he too would consider anything "girly" to be junk! Here she is modeling her "dress up junk!"

It's a BIG CASTLE!!!!

2011-01-14T22:13:00.000-08:00

On our way to school this morning, I decided to stop off for some breakfast at McDonald's! Skylar is in one of these stages where she is very picky on what she eats and if it even looks like it might contain a vegetable - you can forget it!!! Normally she'll eat one thing and one thing only - muckins (muffins)! However, here recently she's started taking an interest in the biscuits at McDonald's! She doesn't want anything on it - just the biscuit! So, since we were running early I decided I'd stop of and get her one along with her normal OJ! We drove around through a nearby neighborhood while eating and she was admiring all the houses!

We went through one neighborhood that was very fancy and from the backseat I hear "oh my mama...look! It's a BIG CASTLE!" Before I could really get anything out she said "oh no! It's a big, BIG house!!!" She's so darn cute and smart! I loved that she seemed to correct herself...as if to say...oh, I was mistaken. It's not a castle but rather a very large home!!! She's precious!

Minivans & Mom-Jeans!

2011-01-13T07:55:00.000-08:00

I can still remember dreaming about the day I'd be able to drive and what kind of car my parents would purchase for me! Was I going to be a cute civic kind of girl? A "wind blowing through your hair" convertible kind of girl? Or maybe even a "sporty - truck driving" kind of girl? Little did I know that I'd be driving a teal Geo Storm that seemed to be a magnet drawn to curbs, parking garages, or other vehicles! Ha!

I say all of this because throughout my driving life, I always dreamed of my next car and what it would be and how cute or cool I'd look! Never once, not once, did I ever dream of driving a minivan! That is, until I was about 6 months pregnant with Brycen! Even with Skylar, I wanted a Tahoe or Sequoia...or any nice SUV but NOT a minivan! Try as he may, Matthew was never going to convince me to get one! So here I was, enormous belly, trying to get Skylar in and out of my Explorer while the car next to me is parked so close I can only manage to open her door just a smidge! It was at that moment, squeezed into a small space with her, my belly and the door that I realized - I can't do this anymore! This is nuts! So I agreed to go LOOK (emphasis on look-only) at the new Sienna's that just came out! My dad joined us because he too was interested in what they looked like and he was also team Matthew on this one! Thanks dad!

So we went to take a look and Matthew insisted on me driving one! To keep peace, I consented but not without a few growls and eye-rolls! We hop in, listen to the guy in the backseat talk about all the "amazing features" and I slowly begin to merge onto the freeway! Suddenly, I fell head over heels in love! The comfort, the space, the heated seats...it all won me over! Matthew smiled proudly as we cruised around and a few weeks later - I got my own!

I find myself giggling at times at all the "mom things" that I've been suckered into! The things that 20 year old Sarah would NEVER do! I mean, a minivan for crying out loud?!!! And that's just a small sliver of it! I traded in designer shoes for sneakers, name brand makeup for cover girl (not a bad choice, either), 100 different styles of jeans for 100 different styles of sweats or "workout" pants....the list goes on! I even cloth diaper!! That's right, I get down and dirty (literally) to try and save a couple bucks and the toxic waste on the environment! And you know the best part of all of it, I'd do it all again in a second! I wouldn't give up one part of my life as it is today for even 2 seconds of my life before kids! My world is my kids!!! So bring on the boogies, the boo-boo's, the dirty "cloth" diapers, the colored walls, the spaghetti painted tables, and the 100 loads of laundry because when Skylar looks at me and says "I yuv u mama", or when Brycen snuggles deep in my chest and lets out an "I love you" sigh - it's ALL worth it!

More Christmas!

2011-01-08T11:20:00.000-08:00

Since I didn't really explain a whole lot on Christmas, I thought I should add a few more things - such as SANTA! So, mom and I decided to venture out to the Mall to get the kids photos done with Mr. Claus and it was so much harder then I expected! It's almost as if I forgot I have 2 kids now which means S-T-R-E-S-S!!!! To top it off, silly me decided to have family pics the SAME day! Thank God for my mom though, she was such a trooper!

So after getting the kids "dolled" up...one of which, we dressed at the mall on a bench so he wouldn't puke all over his new outfit, we waited to see Santa! Skylar seemed okay with the idea right up until we walked towards him and then she quickly changed her mind! I have to say though, Santa was looking a little creepy this year and I would've been scared too! Our one saving grace was my chipper little boy who sat there on Santa's lap, happy as can be! Once Skylar saw that her "bubba" was safe, she too joined in! They quickly snapped the photo for fear she might change her mind and this is what we got:

I'm pretty proud of it and of them!!! Once they snapped the photo, Skylar was just talking away with him telling him about the school bus and the tiger (she mentions this every time we're at the mall because of the little rides placed near Sears)!! So despite Santa not looking his best this year, my kids did pretty good!!!

After this we headed to the food court to grab a quick bite to eat and then off to our family pictures! Now to explain why Matthew's absent in these pics is merely because me being the last minute person that I am, literally decided THAT day to have them done while he was at work! I called to tell him I was planning on it, too which he consented! I know a lot of people were kind of curious but that's the reason for it! This was a nightmare! Both of my kids were extremely tired and uncooperative and once again, thank God for my mom because she kind of held it together for me as I felt like throwing a temper tantrum of my own a couple of times! Either way, they got some good ones and here they are:

Skylar learned to sing "Frosty the Snowman", "Jingle Bells", and "Jesus Loves Me" all courtesy of her Papa Hart! I love to hear her sing each of them because she has her own little words and way of doing it that makes it so precious! "Fossy tha Snooooman", "Tinker Bell, Tinker Bell, Jingle all the way - hey." And then of course who wouldn't love to hear their little one sing "Jesus Loves Me"! I have an audio clip of her saying her night time prayer that I'll have to try and attach because it too, is heart warming!!! She also loves to say the prayer at dinner time to which she starts out with "dear Jesus," then rambles her own language and then says "in Jesus name, Amen. LET'S EAT!!!"

Skylar-ism's, Skylar-nese, and more!

2011-01-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

From the time Skylar began forming words and attempting conversations, her Granny Lou (Matthew's mom) called it Skylar-nese! She would get so excited that everything would come out super fast and sounded as if she was speaking her own language! Well, it kind of just stuck and even now at 2 years old, she still gets so excited that she cant get out what she wants to say fast enough so she reverts back to speaking her own language, Skylar-nese!

As for Skylar-ism's, I'm sure everyone as a list some where of the cute mispronunciations your kids say! This list is just a few and I'll update it as I think of more or as she continues to amuse us with her own way of saying things!

- who'd (food)
- hoggy (froggy)
- heet (feet)
- pag (flag)
- doxy (Roxy -the dog)
- a...wish...us (delicious)
- go...geous (gorgeous)
- cheese hi's (french fries)
- hur (hair)
- chicken nuts (chicken nuggets)
- Bunny hoo-hoo (bunny foo-foo)
- Shmellows (marshmallows)
- cannnny (candy)
- banks (blanket)

She brings such joy to my life!!! She also loves to play "mommy" especially when it comes to enforcing discipline! Matthew and I are going to try and catch her own video one of these days because it's just the cutest! For example, she'll come by with a blanket and a pillow and tell you to lay down because it's time for nap! If I consent, she'll tuck me in, say my night time prayer, tell me sweet dreams and goodnight! But as she walks away she makes sure to include "now mama, if you get up I'm gunna spank you wiff pop spoon!" I'll tell her okay and lay down for a moment but as soon as I get up, she furrows her little eyebrows and yells "mama!!! you lay down RIGHT NOOOOW!!!!" Nothing quite like getting chewed out by a 2 year old!

Like Mother, Like Daughter!

2011-01-03T18:12:00.001-08:00

As I was doing laundry the other day, I noticed that it was unusually quiet! In fact, too quiet! Panic immediately sank in as I went in search of my very nosey, getting into everything lately - 2 year old!

I walked around the corner towards the playroom and caught her in the act of trying to change Brycen's diaper! There he lay, with no pajama pants, socks or diaper - just naked!! She was at the point of trying to put a diaper back on him when I caught her! I asked what she was doing...to which she responded "I'm helpin. Bubba's pee-pee'd!" What could I say except thank you?! I mean, she was trying to help!!

I giggled and gave her a hug while trying to explain why it's mommy's job to change Bubba's diaper! I could tell she was only half listening and I'm sure this won't be the first time she attempts to "help" me! Fun!! ;)

Brycen's 6 Months!!!

2010-12-28T13:38:00.001-08:00

So as mentioned in the previous post, Brycen just celebrated his 6 month milestone on Christmas Eve and just had his check up today! He is now 20lbs 4oz (90th percentile) and 38 1/4" long (98th percentile)!! He's a very big boy who LOVES to eat!!!! I feel so fortunate to be able to continue nursing him since I couldn't with Skylar. He as two teeth and working on his third and is pretty much eating anything we give him! He LOVES bananas!!!

He's rolling over like crazy and just today started acting like he's interested in being on his tummy and doing the "bear-crawl!" I'm very excited but also a little scared as to what challenges lie ahead with having a very active 2 year old and now a mobile 6 month old! I'm sure he wont be crawling well until probably around 8 months but it's all happening so quickly, it will be here before I know it!

Skylar is in school and has been since I was about 7 months preggo with Brycie! It's a mothers day out kind of thing and she really enjoys it and it goes without saying that I do too! She has so much energy to burn off that I'm glad we have her in something like this to help since sometimes being around a new baby can be a bit of a bore for her! She'll start going three days a week starting in January and then back down to 2 days in the Spring and maybe 1 day in the Summer. She's learned so much and as my parents have said numerous times, she's as smart as a whip! She really is! She knows all her colors, can count to 10 (although her F's come out as H's which means 5 is pronounced "hive" and you can only guess how she says 4), she knows most of her abc's, and a TON of songs!!! Right now she's really into Ke$ha which is bad, I know but it's it's really cute listening to her sing "DJ TURN IT UP" from the backseat!!! I adore her! Here's a pic from her very first day of school back in April 2010 - isn't she a cutie?!

A Year Later...

2010-12-27T14:38:00.001-08:00

How is it that I always seem to find myself wondering where the time went and why I couldn't keep up with even the simplest of tasks?? I mean, even brushing my teeth needs to be placed on the "to-do list" sometimes!!! I truly marvel those that balance the weight of motherhood, housekeeping, taxi service, chef, nurse, bill keeper, organizer, etc, etc, etc!!! I sometimes feel as if I'm in a whirlwind, caught up in the every day needs and still not having enough seconds in the day!!! Sigh.

So, judging from my last post I have a lot of catching up to do but rather bog myself down with trying to remember every precious moment (believe me, there have been MANY), I'll touch on a few here and there while also trying to blog about the present! Wish me luck!!!

Okay, so my pregnancy went great and even though I promised I'd be good and just wait patiently for my little guy to get here - I caved and said ENOUGH ALREADY! I felt like "Free Willy" and if anyone else commented on how large I was, I was going to lose it!!! We had many "false alarms" and each time I was sent home carrying my son in my belly rather then in my arms! I don't really understand why at some point you're brain has a way of convincing you that you are going to be pregnant the REST OF YOUR LIFE! I mean, it's silly since we all know that's clearly not the case but even so, with each baby I was convinced I was never going to go into labour and that they were going to remain in my tummy forever and ever and ever!!! So, at each appointment - I was THAT girl. The one begging my OB to induce me or perform some magic to make the baby appear and yet I'd find myself back in her office, with the same "progress" report as the week before! But finally that day came and I was going to be able to meet my precious boy!!!

Brycen Allen May arrived at 1:00pm, June 24 2010 screaming his lungs out!!! He was beautiful!!! He weighed 8lbs and 9 oz and was just the cutest little thing ever (next to Skylar, of course)!! Although we had to stay a day longer then expected, everything seem to move so quickly! With Skylar, I felt like time stood still and it was just her and I! But this time around was so different! I guess having a very busy 2 year old will make every thing move faster but looking back it doesn't feel like 6 months ago! That's right, my little Brycie is 6 months!!

We just celebrated his first Christmas and Skylar's 3rd Christmas!! Matthew and I sat talking over coffee about how quickly time goes and how to remind each other in the future that 2 children is plenty! ;) We had just stayed up late putting together all the toys and then rising early to make sure we were ready for the anticipated excitement!!! We talked over what gifts Skylar received her 1st, 2nd and now 3rd Christmas and joked over what could possibly happen if the spoiling keeps up!!! Each year, we vow to only buy one large gift and a couple of small gifts and then before you know it, we've lost all self-control! She's very spoiled but will always be our precious miracle!!

Bryce made out pretty good this year too but as we all know too well - was more interested in the bright colors of bows and how yummy the wrapping paper tastes then anything else!!! Of all the many gifts he received, Skylar is still his favorite gift of all! No matter how tired or hungry he is, no matter how bad his little gums are bothering him - if she gives him even a second of her time, he's the happiest baby EVER! He truly adores her and we love to see them together! I'm quite certain however that this adoration will take a turn for the worse in the very near future but for now - we are enjoying every minute of it!!!

We had a very wonderful Christmas and have been blessed abundantly and couldn't be more thankful!

Oh Boy!!!

2010-02-27T00:06:00.000-08:00

As I explained earlier, Matthew and I had already found out that our little one was a boy but for whatever reason - I started having doubts. I had thoughts like "what if the blood test was wrong," "what if the tech put in the wrong results," "what if Matthew was actually looking at the umbilical cord rather then boy parts"....and the list goes on. Either way, I was excited to be having another baby but of course I was ecstatic to find out that I was having my first boy. So even though I had a blood test done, and even though Matthew saw little boy parts, and even though my OB said it was safe to buy blue - I still wanted to "see" for myself!

So we went in for our ultrasound at 18 weeks and it was so surreal. I can still remember being pregnant with Skylar and all the anticipation that goes into that appointment. With her though, we got great news that we were having a girl but concerning news that there were cysts found on her brain. Of course everything turned out fine in the end (thanks to God) but it really made going this time around kind of bitter-sweet. I was anxiously wanting to see my baby and find out if he was for sure a boy but I was also so scared of having to jump right back on that emotional roller-coaster.

So with a very full bladder, we waited.....and waited.....and waited some more. Alas, they called us back and started the scan. One of the very first images she got was our confirmation - IT'S A BOY! It was so funny because he was laying with his legs kind of close together but she was able to see between and kind of show us what she was looking at. Then, he grabs his little feet and spreads his legs like taaaadaaa! Let's just say that I have no more doubts that he's a boy alright! It was so good to see him! He was such an active baby and just as I expected, he likes to keep his back at my belly and his feet towards my spine. Which explained all the dizzy feelings when he would kick! She measured everything and took lots of pictures - it was great! Of course, we don't get any kind of results then. So we had another 2 week wait before getting the results from my OB. I was so relieved when Dr Richter walked in and said "everything looks great!" Praise you Jesus. In fact, everything looks so great that they're changing my due date from 7/11 to 7/2 because he is a BIG boy! She did say that I have a low-lying placenta but I have all faith in God that He will protect me and my baby! On the plus side, it means another ultrasound at 27 weeks!

So there ya have it. We ARE having a boy, his due date is now July 2, 2010 AND his name shall be....Brycen Allen. We both came up with his name although Matthew intends on calling him "Bryce." His middle name comes from both my dad and grandpa - Duane Allen Hart. My great grandpa's last name was originally Allen and he was adopted by the Hart's. He had a son to which he named Duane Allen Hart (my Papa). When my dad was born, he became Duane Allen Hart Jr and was the only boy born to my Papa and Grandma. Then, as you know - my dad only had one child - me! So even though I didn't get a chance to really know my grandpa, since he passed away when I was very young, I always knew that I wanted my first son to carry my family name. And I think if my grandpa were still alive, he would be very proud to have his first great grandson carry his name! I know my dad is thrilled and can't wait to have two grandchildren running around!!

So much to do, so little time...

2010-02-14T06:28:00.000-08:00

....here I am again, so very far behind.

Okay, there has been a lot that has gone on since last October - go figure and I will attempt to update everyone with my crazy life!

So where to begin...

Right before Halloween, Matthew and I discovered that we are expecting baby number 2!! We are more then excited and can't wait to welcome our new little blessing to the family sometime in July 2010. So, to back up just a bit and answer the question that I'm sure everyone wants to know - yes! we were trying for a baby. In fact, I think most would be shocked to know that we've been trying since February of last year!! Because of my struggles with conceiving Skylar, I thought it best to try early but really thought that it would happen much easier this time around. I was wrong of course, but God is faithful. To spare you of the hairy details, I'll give you just a synopsis. After a couple of months with no success, we found ourselves face to face with infertility treatments which ended in only more heartache! After the pain became too much, I found myself once again on bended knees, asking and praying and with each negative pregnancy test - a deeper kind of pain. However, after Matthew and I experienced a "false positive" and I was just about to give up, God comforted me. One morning I was making our bed and out of no where the hymn "Those that wait upon the Lord" popped in my head. I was singing along until I found myself near tears wondering if this was His way of speaking directly to me. The following Sunday, pastor spoke from that verse in Issiah saying once again "those that wait upon the Lord..." and I knew, yes - it was for me!!! And wouldn't you know the very next month, God gave me my baby! And without fertility drugs!! He is truly an awesome God and I am so thankful to be His child!!! Phew - let me wipe my tears off the keyboard...

Alright - so here it is, my happy day of finally seeing that positive! I had taken regular tests but Matthew seemed skeptical given our false positive from the month before. So, I pulled out the big guns and then there was no denying it - PREGNANT!

Our plan was to wait until Thanksgiving to tell everyone but we were just too excited. Instead, on Halloween we had Skylar dressed up as a Bumblebee with a t-shirt over the top that said "Big Sisters Rock." We went around to each of our family members, with video camera in hand and waited until they realized what her shirt said. It was so nice to see everyone's reaction! After that, we had an ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy and there we saw our "peanut." This became the name for our baby because again, we weren't going to find out the sex, nor were we going to tell anyone his or her name. Ha! So here's my baby's first pic...
Thanksgiving was pretty uneventful as Skylar and I were both sick. Her with another ear infection and me, well - morning sickness was NO fun!! Matthew and I joked about how I haven't had a "real" thanksgiving in a couple of years... first, we got married and celebrated our Thanksgiving in Cancun (eating club sandwiches), the next year I was pregnant and ended up spending Thanksgiving in the Emergency Room due to a stomach virus leaving me severely dehydrated, the next year Skylar was born but had a milk allergy and since I was nursing her - I couldn't have anything with dairy in it and then this year - morning sickness so bad that to even think of eating food, I wanted to hurl!! It was nice spending time with family though and my mom once again, went all out on food preparation which I'm told from my loving husband, was quite delicious!

Now onto Christmas! I remember as a little girl I would get so excited when this time of year rolled around. And even now, when the Christmas music starts playing, lights are being hung and every store smells of cinnamon and peppermint - I get all warm and tingly inside! And then, it's all just one big nightmare! What with the shopping, and the preparation, and the traffic, and the girl behind the counter who obviously wasn't given the memo that "it's the most wonderful time of the year." AAAAAHHH! Thinking about it now brings back so many stressful memories! This was my first year to shop with a toddler so maybe that has a lot to do with it too! One day, we spent 3 hours in Target with what should have been a 1 hour trip! But when you have a strong- willed toddler who wants to go one way while you're going the other, it turns into two hours of chasing them through the store! As my mom would often say "merry freakin Christmas." How true it is that we become so lost in what the true meaning of Christmas is all about. We did have a very nice Christmas aside from the mayhem of shopping and Skylar and I starting yet another cold. Skylar was very spoiled...as always.

Every year Matthew and I put our decorations up the day after Thanksgiving and this year was no different - despite my morning sickness! Granted, we moved at a much slower pace - but it all got done in the end. It was so fun because this year, my baby girl got to help with the tree. She helped tangle the lights into more knots and she did a wonderful job taking down the ornaments that mommy had just put up! Oh, but it was still so much fun. Matthew did the outside - his normal job but this year added to our collection by decorating the bushes and buying an 8 ft penguin who spent most of his time on his back because we live on a "mountain" as my cousin Eric would say, and the darn thing would blow over every night!!! Needless to say we didn't win the "best decorated" award! So we took the little girl to see Santa and were prepared that it was most likely going to end up in tears. Last year was great! She had no clue what was going on and we got this cute little "gummy grin" out of her. You know, the grin with no teeth! It was just precious! This year, that was not the case. All she knew was that we were standing in line, looking at really cool pictures and talking about getting something to eat when all of the sudden she's face to face with some creepy old guy, in big red suit who insists on yelling "ho ho ho" at her! It took her 1.2 seconds to turn and scream bloody murder!! We did get a cute pic though that Matthew and I laugh at each time we see it...oh, poor Santa!
After the nightmare had ended, Skylar had cookie baking day with her Nana and cousin Jack. Now, THIS was something she could enjoy. She had her own Apron, her own rolling pin and as much icing as her little tummy could handle! Yep, that's about all she wanted out of cookie baking day, icing!! Yummy! Another cool December adventure was SNOW! We couldn't believe it...not just that is snowed but that it was LOTS of snow!!! We of course imagined that we would make a family-fun day of it and go outside, take pictures, catch snowflakes on our tongues, etc. However, Skylar had other plans. We took her out, expecting some great reaction and instead we got tears! But, can you blame her? I mean - it is pretty cold and wet. Obviously with it being Texas and all, the snow wasn't going to stick. Instead it was like soft rain. Cold and wet soft rain! So, she wanted nothing to do with it but we managed a few pics before the meltdown...
Happy New Years! It wasn't the best New Years Eve for us since ALL of us were sick once again. We got hit with some kind of bug which kept us indoors and asleep by 10:00pm. We still enjoyed somewhat of a light show however since our neighbors behind us so graciously partied until 2:oo in the morning. And I really think they must've purchased every firework known to man because the amount of fireworks going off and the array of colors, were just unbelievable. Truth be known, I probably wouldn't be complaining had we felt better and were able to sit out and actually enjoy every bit of it but you know how it is...being sick is NO fun at all!

A little after New Years, Matthew and I went for our NT scan to see how "peanut" was doing and to take the Jack or Jill test. For those that don't know, it's basically a blood test to determine what you're having. If you are carrying a boy, you will have an extra Y chromosome in your blood (not the baby's) and if the presence of the Y is not there, then you're having a girl. So much for surprises, right? We were just too excited to wait so we went for it!! Anyway, during the ultrasound the tech explained that it would be way too early to determine the sex (we were 12 weeks) so she didn't even seem like she was going to look. After she got all of the baby's measurements, she discovered that peanut was measuring 9 days ahead of schedule making me 13 weeks instead of 12. At that point, she decided to go ahead and take a "peek" to see if anything was visible and sure enough she said "well, I think I'm pretty sure what it is you're having." Since I couldn't really see the monitor, I looked at Matthew and he was grinning from ear to ear! She made a guess that it was a boy but said that it's still too early to say with 100% certainty. Either way, the blood test came back two weeks later confirming the techs "guess" and we are thrilled to announce that we're having our first baby boy!!! I couldn't be more thrilled! (The pic below is from his 18week u/s which I'll talk about more in a later post...just thought I'd share)
During all the excitement, Matthew had some time off and we decided to take a fun family trip to the Houston Zoo. We've been a few times already since we have a membership but every time is an adventure. Skylar had so much fun with her daddy looking at all the different animals. She especially liked what we referred to as the "Nemo tank." I think she was fascinated with all of the bright colors. It's funny because she would go right up to the cages to look at so many different animals and didn't seem afraid but pigeons - ya, they would scare the crap out of her. She hated them! We had a great day and can't wait for the weather to get warmer so we can take more trips! Skylar has really been into baby stuff lately. Anything and everything that has to do with cuddling, swaddling, nurturing, feeding - ALL of it. She even goes as far as to rock and shoosh her baby's as if she's rocking them to sleep. The thing is, it doesn't necessarily have to be an actual baby that she does this with. It can be anything from her baby to her stuffed lion to her stuffed puppy - anything at all. So here she is, reading her "babies" a book. And yes, she propped them up in their own chairs before getting a book out! Adorable!

So...although there is plenty more to update, I will leave you with this for now!!

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-11-02T06:38:00.000-08:00

This year was Skylar's second Halloween but the first year that she actually got to Trick-or-Treat. She was a Bumblebee this year and a very cute one at that...if I do say so myself! She still wasn't aware of what was going on and we only made it by a couple of houses before she was DONE! She had a lot of fun handing out candy though to the kids that came by my parents house!! It was a wonderful Halloween and can't wait for next year to actually hear her say "trick or treat...!"

Pumpkin Patch 2009

2009-10-18T16:48:00.000-07:00

Because the weather was sooooo wonderful a few weekends ago, we decided to take Skylar to her very first pumpkin patch held at The Old Time Christmas Tree Farm in Tomball! Although the weather was fabulous and the activities looked like a blast, my little one was not interested AT ALL! It was such a different environment for her and truth be told, I think I had more fun then she did. We did manage to catch a few good shots though...

Christmas in September

2009-10-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

Alrighty, first let me start my saying thank you to each of you for praying for my sweet girl! She is finally back to her happy and mischievous self!!

Okay, so a couple of posts back I mentioned a little surprise that we purchased for Skylar...well, here it is!!! Santa came a little early this year!
We knew that we wanted to get her something like this around Christmas but just didn't want to spend a fortune. Well, this one came up and was such a good deal, that we just couldn't pass it up! It comes complete with a swing set, slide, monkey bars (which will be for later of course), a small fort and picnic table!! It's purrrrrrfect and she LOVES it!! Here's some more pics for your viewing pleasure:

The cute little man you see in the pics is Hunter. I watch him through the week and he's really grown on both Skylar and I. He is her little buddy and certainly her partner in crime! I'll post more about them in a later post...I leave you with two more pics of the precious babes...

Lovebug has "the bug...."

2009-10-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

So today has been a tough day for my little girl.

Yesterday she had a low-grade fever of 99.7 along with few coughs, a few sniffles and a lot of cries!!! I called her doc who informed me to just give her some Tylenol and watch her closely. By yesterday evening she was doing much better and appeared to be back to normal.

Then this morning came....sigh...and a LONG morning it was. Everything started out okay until I noticed that she seemed so very tired and so very pale. I was doing some cleaning and finally decided to scoop her up off the floor and hold her for a bit. That's when I noticed that she felt so warm and her little eyes looked so droopy and sad. I took her temp and it was 102!! I called the doctor immediately and waited and waited and waited some more until they finally called back which by that point her temp was now 102.6!!! They said to go ahead and bring her in and I rushed out of the house to get her there as fast as I could. Once we were there, I went to get Skylar out of her carseat and her eyes rolled back into her head and her whole body started shaking. I literally ripped her out of that carseat and took of running into the office. Once inside, I was trying to sign in, shaking the whole time, and noticed that my nurse was talking with the other receptionist at a different window. I yelled out that I needed to see the Dr now and tried to explain what just happened to her. The response I got was "oh, poor baby." WHAT?!?!?!

Sigh. I wont go into all the details from there...let's just say there was some panicking and some crying and more panicking. We were sent home with a diagnosis of an ear infection, viral infection and bacterial infection!!! She tested negative for the flu which was comforting considering how many cases there are right now! Through the afternoon she got worse with her fever reaching 103.6 but the Dr on call assured us that it's fine and only if her temp gets close to 105 should we consider taking her to the ER. Isn't that crazy?!?! It's very hard as a mom to watch your baby suffer and then see a temp of 103 and say...we'll the Dr thinks your fine so I guess we'll go with that!

Anyway, she's doing fine now which I know is God. My wonderful dad came over and prayed for her. He also came bearing gifts...JUICE...which was such a blessing because at that point Skylar wouldn't take in any fluids but Papa came to the rescue with some very tasty juice!!! I just took her temp a little while ago and it was 98.6 so Praise God for answered prayers...and of course for juice-bearing Papa's!

Please continue to pray for my lil one though that God fight off this virus and continue to heal her!!! Thanks...lots of loves and hugs!! Muah!

15 Months!!

2009-09-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that my little girl is already 15months old! We had her check-up last week and everything went great! She's 22lbs 14oz and 35 1/2 inches tall! She's still tall and skinny!! She had her shots which she of course hated and to add to it, I went ahead and let them give her the flu shot as well! She was not a very happy camper when we left but is doing much better now!

She now has 12 teeth!! Her one year molar are here, thank God! She's eating well and really LOVES to eat healthy! She of course loves little goodies here and there too but really has no problem eating fruits, veggies and white meats all the time!!

She can say -
Woo (her favorite toy)
Wha es et (What is it)
Wha sat (What's that)
Who sit (Who is it)
Hi
Ba (ball)
Yets (yes)
No (She loves to say no, no, no...like mommy)
Mama
Dah-dee (Daddy)
Wee
Yay
yuuuce (juice)

She's such a fun baby and I love all the new stages we're going through. I will add pics up in a bit as she has a new toy to show you...so stay tuned!!

Tour de Playroom!!

2009-09-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

I thought for fun I would give you a sneak-peak of Skylar's playroom. Is she spoiled?!?! Oh, I think sooo...

First let's start with her kitchen...graciously given by our dear neighbors, Jon and Kristen!!

She loves this thing and is starting to really figure out how everything works. For example, the other day I asked her for some scrambled eggs and she grabbed her little pink skillet and started stirring it around and voila! make-believe eggs!!

Next we have, well, a ton of different things really...We have everything from books to Lego's to shape sorters to puzzles to musical instruments to...well you get the idea!!

Now, here's Rody. He is such a cutie patootie, right?! The idea is that she can sit on him and just bounce her little heart out. However she would much rather sit on mommy's tummy and do that while cuddling Rody! I would much prefer the other way around but you take what you can get! And now for her latest attraction...behind door number three...a new playhouse!!! Her daddy just recently bought this for her as "practice" because he really has his heart set on buying her a huge playground for the backyard. She really does love this little house. It even has a porch light and I'm thinking of setting out a little doormat for her! Cheesy???? Of course! But I'll do it anyway...ha! So there's a million other things in there such as a music table and a dance station and a car but this was only suppose to be a "sneak peak" remember?!!! So I'll leave you with this one last thing which is one of the 5 pictures of her hanging in her playroom...
This was taken with her one year portraits...isn't she a doll?!?!

Happy Heiney = Happy Mama!!

2009-08-27T18:14:00.001-07:00

Remember when our grandparents would describe the tedious task of cloth-diapering??? From the days of the countless numbers of hand-washings or the fumbling with setting the pins just right while trying to avoid pricking the baby...what a chore!!!

Oh how the old ways of cloth diapering have changed!! I never thought in a million ca-zillion years that I would be the one to advocate cloth diapering. Yet here I am, shouting from the rooftops, "what are you waiting for?"

I was first told by my neighbor of these new cloth diapers that were a "must-have." I admit, I was skeptical. But after purchasing my new "Happy Heiney's" (and yes, that's truly the name) I can't believe how easy and wonderful they are!!! I've now been a cloth-diaperin-fool for about 6 months and I just luuuuurrrrve it!!! Plus, look how caaauuuute they are!!!

Just do some research and you will find that not only is cloth diapering better for our environment (MUCH BETTER) but it's also easier on your budget as well. And let's face it, who couldn't use some extra money during these tough times???

So, there you have it...Thanks to Happy Heniey Diapers, I am ONE HAPPY MAMA!!!

Baby Picasso

2009-08-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

Busy, busy, busy - that's the only word that comes to mind when describing my very ACTIVE one year old!!! Itsy-Bitsy Spider, Peek-a-boo and "where is your belly button" are a thing of the past. Her newest and most recent accomplishment is...drum roll please...COLORING!! That's right folks, we have a baby Picasso on our hands, so watch out!!!

Allow me to introduce you to...

2009-08-20T18:34:00.000-07:00

Woo!

A long time ago, I posted a blog with Skylar and a little dinosaur stating that he was her cuddle toy. Well, truth be told, she never really took to that cute dinosaur. One day while Matthew and I were shopping at Market Street, I came across this adorable little guy and just had to get him. Well she's been hooked on him ever since.

Story behind his name...

Matthew and I (the goofy parents we are) thought he was a kangaroo! I don't know why because he's clearly a bunny but oh well! So, when we were trying to come up with names, the best I could come up with was "Roo" and Matthew commented that she may not be able to say that and it may come out as "Woo" instead. And there you have it, Woo was adopted into our little family!

So we now have...
Matthew - the daddy
Sarah - the mommy
Skylar - the baby, the princess, etc
Roxy - the puppy
And now, Woo - the bunny!!

New Babies, New Projects, New Moi!

2009-08-19T18:14:00.000-07:00

So last Friday marked week three since Princess Isabella was born. She is my friend Kari's first baby and she's such a blessing! Kari is such a riot and I can't wait to see what kind of personality little "Izzy-Bee" will have! Here's a pic...isn't she just the sweetest?!?! Now we're just waiting on little baby mystery (The Burns second baby) to come in early November!!

Alright, so I'm sure that I mentioned a few times already that my parents put a pool in earlier this Summer, right?? Well, along with the pool they have built this gi-normous patio which extends from one side of the house to the other. Because my dad was trying to save a dollar he thought, why not install one myself? Sounds easy enough, right? Well, it has been no easy task let me tell you! I was able to escape all of the "hard labor" by taking care of Skylar. But my hubby helped out a little! Here's what we have so far!!!

Okay, now onto the new moi!!! Anyone that knows me...and I mean REALLY knows me, can tell you that I am not a blonde! Shocking, I know! I totally should be with some of the random stuff that comes out of my mouth or even the lack of understanding during certain conversations! This in no way is to be hard on the blonde's but let's face it, we're kind of ditsy sometimes! Sooooo, I am actually brunette which seems like it would be okay except its not even a really pretty brunette. But it is what it is and my husband who has now placed us on a very tight budget has insisted that I stop spending hard earned money on hair-coloring...so I'm back to brown again...but don't worry, you'll probably be seeing the blonde in the near future! ;-)

Shout-Out!!!!!!!!

2009-08-18T18:19:00.000-07:00

So, I know that there are many of you who are not bloggers that will read my posts every once and a while to check up on Skylar and I just wanted to send a quick shout out to my friend Lindsay. She's launched her own business recently which has so many fun and cute things! Whether your looking for yourself, baby, or the home, she's got it all! You can check her out at:

http://www.lindentreeboutique.com/

Go on...you know you want to!! You're gonna love what you see!

Scuba Skylar!! And the madness of trip-taking!

2009-08-15T19:04:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, we decided to head down to Galveston for a little 'fun in the sun.' It was such a last minute decision made by my neighbor and I. I think we sometimes forget how challenging things become when you have kids. For example, if it were just Matthew and I, we would most likely wake up around 9 or so, hang out in our p.j's while drinking some coffee. He would most likely play some xbox while I catch up on some gossip via myspace and then we would finally decide to get dressed and head out. And the crazy part is, we would still manage to get there around 10:30 or so!!

Now, here's the reality of having kids...

Sarah and dear neighbor, Kristen decide at midnight that a fun-filled trip to Galveston would take place THE NEXT DAY! No problems, right?! So, the night goes on with our sweet husbands staying up until 3, make that 4 in the morning doing God knows what?!! And now the morning begins:

-wake up

-growl at dear husband for ignoring cries from sweet baby

-change diaper (toxic diaper...morning ritual)

-make breakfast

-clean wall and kitchen floor from breakfast chaos

-make coffee

-go wake dear husband

-call neighbor: "we still on for G-town?"

-hunt down cooler

-turn on Nemo (for the umpteenth time)

-dress sweet baby

-re-dress sweet baby into "the perfect outfit"

-start slicing celery and fruits

-make sandwiches

-wake up dear husband..AGAIN!

-finish packing cooler with drinks

-pack Skylars things for the beach
-wait, where's Skylar's bathing suit?

-finish packing her other items

-remove sweet baby from end table

-place sweet baby in timeout for biting Mommy because of removal from said end table

-finally! get mommy dressed!

-let dog out

-load car

-go to McDonald's for breakfast (remember ours ended up on the kitchen floor)

-go to Target for bathing suit (hers was missing and she had to have a UV-protected one, duh!)

-hunt down beach toys while at Target

-dear husbands sent to get ice and fill cars up with gas

-and TADA!!! finally head to Galveston!!

-Arrive at noon

-Depart at 2 due to screaming fits from sweet baby

Such a wonderful day!!! Enjoy the pics!!Mommy and Skylar! Her first time on the beach!!
Skylar and her bff, Aliana!
The Burns!! (all 4 of them *wink)
Thank you God for such a beautiful baby!! :o)

New Fall Resolution!!

2009-08-15T18:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know that normally people make their resolutions at New Years but I thought now was just as good a time as any to make mine! You see, I've been really falling behind in the 'bloggin' department and it's starting to make me feel ugh! The whole purpose of this thing was to one day have it all printed out, made into a book and given to my little girl! And here I am, once again, slackin! So, my fall resolution is simple (or at least it should be)! I intend to update as frequently as possible!! So, if one day she learns to pick her nose, then you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be bloggin it!

:0) So here goes...wish me luck! :0)

Catch up time!

2009-07-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

Oh wow! So, I really need to get better about updating this thing don't I?

Here's a brief update...

My sis-n-law and I just recently purchased a zoo membership so now all three of the girls can go whenever they want to see all the cutsie animals! Skylar is still a bit too young but she loves playing with her cousins. Here's the two of us with Mr. Giraffe in the background:
Every time we go, we always have see the giraffe as he is our fav-o-rite!! They have a little baby giraffe in there too now and seriously, I just want to squeeze him and take him home with me! The cutest!Here's Aunt Kelli, Bree and Aidree next to Mr. Raff!
After a long hot day, we usually take the girls over to the splash-park and they have a blast!!

Last but not least...the train is finally done!!! Skylar got to sit in back with her cousins and she felt like such a big girl! Aren't they darling?!!

Now, here's all of the girls! It was such a fun day!

Now onto the Fourth!

This was Skylar's second fourth of July but this time she actually got to have some fun! We went to my parents house for a little pool-time and then Daddy broke out the sparklers. She had a really cute outfit on but she was so tired after swimming, so please excuse the pajamas!

Daddy also had a lot of fun...can't you tell by that smile! After we put Skylar down, we enjoyed some yummy wings and brisket and of course Gramma's famous potato salad! mmm mmm!

I think that's it for now...I'll try to post more later but for now...ciao!

She's ONE!!!!!!!!!

2009-06-14T19:16:00.001-07:00

Sorry I have been MIA lately. We have been so busy with all the party planning and such that I just haven't had time to do any updates...so here we are!

Skylar celebrated her first birthday last Friday!! Matthew and I woke her up early with a birthday song and a nice big breakfast! We then went to the mall to have her one year portraits done and boy was that a blast!! Ugh! She was not happy at ALL! She's suffering from an ear infection and teething pain which was just a bad combo for the day! The poor photographer only had a few shots to show us and suprisingly, he did capture some cute ones! I have to figure out how to put them on here....patience please! ;-) Her and Matthew and a "daddy/daughter" lunch date while my mom and I looked at the photos and made some choices! He said that it was soooo much fun with all her screaming and crying bouts!! lol! WELCOME TO MY WORLD DADA!! :o)
On Saturday, we had her big birthday bash and had so much fun! We didn't have quite as many people as we expected but still a good turnout! We started with socializing and then let the kids have some chicken nuggets while the adults had sandwiches and then....it was time for the cake!! I made the decision to do the cake before presents because I could tell that Skylar was just NOT going to make it!! So...we did her first cupcake-cake and it was HUGE! I didn't know that it was going to be that big but it was all good...she loved it!! At one point she just dug her face completely in rather then using her hands! That's my girl!!! After her cake and of course clean-up, we attempted to do presents but she was in no mood for that! We got through only a couple and then had to say "night-night" to all of her guests! All and all it was a great party but I'm so glad it's over!!! lol!

Since I didn't update on her 11 months...I'll just try to add it all in now...

For the tada's.....

-SHE'S WALKING!!!! (her first step was 10 1/2 months, then a few more by 11 and at 11 1/2 she took off!!!)

-She points (when she wants something or you ask her a question like "where's dada?" she'll point!!)

-She dances (she loves music...all kinds!! and when there's any kind of tune she either shakes her head or her little bootie...so cute)

-She says wooooo (this is the name of her favorite cuddly toy)

-She says uh-oh (if something falls or she trips)

-When you ask her if she's all done (like with her food or her bath) she throws her arms up over her head as if to say "alllll done."

-She shakes her head yes! (she's been very good and shaking her head "no" but now has learned "yes" too!)

-She's drinking from a sippy-cup! (buh-bye bottles)

-She's a cuddler...(if you're holding her and say "awwwww" she'll quickly put her head into your shoulder and just cuddle and snuggle!)

NOW FOR THE BIGGEST>>>>>>>

-She's drinking WHOLE MILK! And so far so gooooood! We started her last Wednesday and she seems to be taking to it quite well so praise GOD no more allergies!!

She has her one year appointment tomorrow so I will give you all the stats! She also will be scheduled for an ultrasound to check on those kidneys and we're praying that she's completely healed!!

Thanks for all the cards, love and support over this past year! We love you all!!

Now for my sweet baby girl....

My baby,

You will never know how much you have totally and completely blessed my life. Its amazing looking back over the past few years and all the struggles that daddy and I went through to conceive a baby but God had a plan. I truly believe that he sent you at the right time for a reason! You far exceeded my expectations and every day I'm thankful to God for the miralce that is you!

On the day that you were born I was so elated and scared and shocked that after nine months here you were, this tiny bundle of joy. I will never forget how you looked at me once I held you. You just stared at me with such love and understanding. It was my most favorite moment. All the world was busy but at that moment, it was just you and me, staring into each others eyes with wonder and amazement. Me amazed because of how perfect you looked and felt in my arms and you looking at me as if to say "hey, I know you and love you already!" Daddy and I often talk of that day and often agree that it was the best day of our lives!!! Getting married was great but you Skylar, you've changed us forever.

This past year has gone by so fast and it brings your mommy to tears to think of how quickly you've grown and how independent you're becoming! It's all so bitter-sweet! I miss my tiny little baby that I rocked to sleep each night but love this new and adventurous little toddler that keeps me on my feet! You're the cutest little girl and I can already tell that you're going to be such a sassy little thing!

You love your woo. He is your bestest friend and as mommy often says "your main squeeze" next to daddy of course! You still are very addicted to your "gee" and we can't leave home without it! You love to dance and anytime we drive anywhere and a Taylor Swift song comes on, you do your best to sing along! When your sick you still only want your mommy which I wouldn't trade for the world. When your ready to play you instantly bond with daddy cause he lets you "rough house" like the big girl you so desperately want to be. You love to talk...also just like your mama. You'll pick up a phone, hold it to your ear and just chat away in your sweet little baby-talk. You are very possessive of your food and if anyone dares to take it away from you, you are not a happy camper! The same applies to if someone is eating and doesn't offer you any, you throw a fit!! Your favorite fruit is watermelon and you would probably eat the whole thing if mama would let you! You love to play "cat and mouse" with anyone who will play! Basically you will give a certain little look and I will say "I'm gonna get you" and you will take off, giggling the whole way until I grab you and then you let out a huge scream!! It's very cute! I love to hear you laugh and it breaks my heart to see you cry unless its a temper-tantrum and then I can't help but laugh!

You are my world and my miracle. I love spending each day with you and look forward to the many more years ahead! HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY MY SWEET ANGEL!!! I love you more then the stars in the sky! Muah!!!

With all of my love,

-Mama

There's a party on the way!!!

2009-05-13T05:36:00.000-07:00

Horray! Skylar's invites are done and should be here today!! I'm so excited! There is still so much planning to do but at least we got this part done early! What do you think?!?! She's pretty cute, right?!!

***Thanks Kristen for suggesting that I hide the address info! I don't know what I was thinking!! Yikes***

My First Mothers Day!!

2009-05-11T05:58:00.000-07:00

Mothers Day was fabulous! It's a strange feeling being able to finally celebrate this holiday but I of course love it! This year Skylar and Daddy gave me a bracelet with a "best mom" charm, a beautiful painting (done by Skylar), a gift card to get my hair done (really needed that one!!) and daddy gave me some cash to spend on whatever I wanted...which I used to buy Skylar some clothes!! lol.
We went to church on Saturday night and then Sunday morning had a nice brunch with my family followed by a nice visit with Granny (Matt's mom) at our house! She got me a beautiful card and a digital picture key chain thingy! So now I can show Skylar off on the go! Whoohooo!

It was a terrific first Mama's Day!!!

Beautiful Baby...

2009-05-08T05:14:00.000-07:00

So, I've been trying to snap little photos of Skylar here and there as she's approaching her first year mark! It's very hard at this age to get them to sit still long enough but I did manage to capture this photo which I heart!!!

Isn't she a cutie patootie?!!!

Sweet Girl!

2009-05-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this video is taken from my crappy camera phone so sorry the image is kind-of distorted. I DO have an actual video camera but sometimes the phone is a lot closer! ;-)
Enjoy! (sorry for the momma-talk)

My 10 Month Old!!

2009-04-21T06:19:00.000-07:00

This last month has really gone by so fast. My goal is to try and drag out each day as much as I can for the next two months because then she'll be ONE! Sigh. The above pic is her in her new swing...which she loves...if you couldn't tell.

As you already know, Matthew and I have been making little home improvements here and there and finally our house is feeling more like a home. Well, being that we are kind of getting a little stir crazy and the weather has been so nice...well except for the past couple of rainy days, we started working on our backyard now! First, my dad came over and planted Skylar an oak tree...which is so cute, then that just got me all excited and we ended up planting and pear tree, a palm tree, a hibiscus, some jasmine and some iris' and I still want to plant more! So now are backyard is really looking cute. We have a few more things that we'd like to add but that will come later. We're currently working on a name for Skylar's tree! Any suggestions??

So Easter went great!! We went to Waco on Good Friday and Saturday to spend with Matthew's family and then we came back to go to church on Easter Sunday and have breakfast with my family. It was a very busy weekend. Skylar really enjoyed Waco though and loved seeing all the kiddos. It was such a blast. Oh and Easter Sunday was the first time I checked her into the nursery and church...I cried of course, but she did so good!

So anywho Skylar's doing great and growing fast. She's now 18lbs and 14oz! 11 pounds heavier than the day she was born! She's still a skinny-mini but healthy! We found out also that she can have cake on her first birthday despite her milk-allergy. I'm so excited! The doc says we're transitioning over after her first bday anyway, so might as well start then! Woohoo!

For the taaaaadaaaa's -

-She's standing all by herself

-She took her first step (matthew saw this not me *sniff)

-She can walk if you hold her hand

-She says mama and dada discriminately now not just babbling

-She's eating so hearty (like chunks of chicken and fruit)

-She's blowing kisses (still working on it but has the general motions)

-She will carry on long conversations with herself

She's such a cutie pie and we are so proud to be her parents. She's growing so very fast and soon she'll be a one year old! Oh...invites will be coming soon...so far, the bday is planned for June 13th!

Easter Bunny!!

2009-04-03T06:02:00.000-07:00

Skylar got to meet the Easter Bunny last Monday and she LOVED him! When we first arrived, she was looking around at all the pretty colors and was just in her own little world.

I walked her up to Mr. Bunny and she went right to him! Then, after her picture, she didn't want to go. She kept leaning into him and rubbing on his fur. So...perhaps we'll buy her a bunny of her own....TOTALLY KIDDING!

My big 9 month old!!

2009-03-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

Howdy everyone!

So here it is. The post that I know all of you expect and wait with anticipation for!! Just kidding!

Here recently we've had a lot going on. Matthew and I have been busy with making changes to the house and are always busy chasing after Skylar these days. We finally got our furniture and we LOVE it!! We discovered really quickly why leather is so much better when you have a baby that spills, spits up, etc...and a dog that sheds. We've managed to baby proof the crap out of our house. SO much so that even we are struggling to open a cabinet, get to an outlet, or use the toilet. There is nothing worse then really needing to use the restroom and you're having to fiddle with the adult...uh, I mean, child safety locks! lol.

Skylar and I both have been battling with "seasonal allergies" and it's yuck, yuck, yuck! Matthew is so good to us both and has been doing his best to try and help out! I will be glad when all the mold and pollen pack their bags and move on!!!!

Skylar's 9 month check up was yesterday and it went great. She even got her ears pierced and they are so cute! With her two bracelets and now the earrings, she is a TOTAL diva! Love it! Her stats from the appointment are:
weighing in at... 18lbs 2oz
and measuring at... 28 1/2 inches
Basically....she's tall and right on track with her weight!! Horray!

Now for the taaaaaadaaaaaa's!
-crawling MACHINE (she is everywhere, in everything at every moment of the day)

-claps her hands (either after a song or during pat-a-cake)
-pulling up and cruising around things (like the coffee table, sofa, tub...Roxy)

-gives kisses (you can say...give me a kiss and she'll place her mouth right on your lips)

-has temper tantrums (if I try and put her down and she's not ready for it, she stomps her feet and makes a very mad face)
-understands no-no (she's been able to shake her head no-no for a while but now, she understands it. If she's getting into something and we say "no, no Skylar." she'll stop and look at us with the most Innocent face!
-can almost wave bye-bye (just this morning as we walked Matthew out to his car, I started waving and Skylar picked up her arm and waved with me)
-has 4 teeth! and will bite you!!
-eating meats, chunks of fresh fruit, noodles, cheerios and scrambled egg yolks!!

She amazes us everyday at how smart she is!! With each passing day, I thank God for my little baby girl and always try to cherish each day because it's going by so fast! It brings me to tears to think that she will only be this small for today, let me rock her to sleep only a few times more and carry that sweet baby smell for a short while longer! Sigh...my little angel is growing so big!!

That's all for now! Love you guys and hope you have a wonderful Easter!!
Matthew, Sarah and my Baby Skylar

Tooth numero three-o!

2009-03-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Just wanted to send out a quick one to let everyone know that Skylar is now on tooth three! Just yesterday she got her top left toothy! But watch out! She bites! :)

I am trying to still make time to post her crawling video! The way things have been going lately I will probably end up posting her crawling video and walking video back to back! :)

Daddy's "cuddle bug"

2009-02-23T07:22:00.000-08:00

Here recently Skylar has really started taking an interest in her daddy more. Of course she's always loved him and will give him precious little smiles but for the most part, she's been a mommy's girl! She wants ME to hold her, ME to feed her, ME to put her to bed...the list goes on and on.

Well ever since she started crawling, she has been at daddy's side. He'll sit in her playroom with her and she'll look over her shoulder, notice he's there, and crawl over to him. Once she's there, she starts to crawl all over him and snuggle her face into his chest or as you can see in the above pic, she'll cuddle against his face too! He, of course, LOVES this and my heart just melts at the sight of it! She's his little princess and it's so very precious!!!!

My 8 month old!!!

2009-02-18T11:17:00.000-08:00

I hope that everyone is well and that you all had a very good Valentines Day. Skylar received a HUGE gorilla from her daddy which he named "nanners." We have been pretty busy lately and time seems to be just flying by...I know that I say that in every post but truly, it does just zip by.
Anyway, over the past couple of weeks we have managed to sell our living room and dining room furniture, convert our dining room into a playroom for Skylar, paint our living room and entry way, make some changes to Skylar's room and Matthew had his wisdom teeth removed last week! I have pics that will be used for blackmail purposes! Ha! Ha! He did really well and finally he has some relief from those painful boogers!!

Okay so on to the princess...We will do the "blah" first and then the "hoorah's"....

So, Skylar is back on her amoxil because once again, she has another UTI! Boo! She has her ultrasound today just to make sure that her kidney isn't severely dilated. The plan is to keep her on her medicine until after her first birthday at which time we will look into surgery...if it is necessary....which it WON'T BE! Because of her infection she wasn't really eating all that well which caused her to fall below her weight requirements. But never fear...the infection is gone....and she's "fluffy-ing" out once again!

Now, are u ready for it???!!! Her TAAAAADAAAAA'S!!!
-She's crawling!!! (she started bear-crawling a couple of weeks ago and then moved to hands and knees last Saturday)
-She's pulling up!! (she's been able to kind of pull herself onto her knees but just this morning, Matthew and I found her standing up in her crib, waiting for us to get her)

-She's doing a "cheeeez" type of grin!!! (her Nana...my mom...started this grinning game with her and now she'll wrinkle her nose and smile real big)

-She's singing!! (when we're driving to go somewhere, if the radio's on, u can hear her in the back singing along)
-She's a pro and eating her puffs!!!

-She can hold a sippy cup and her bottle (although sometimes she still wants momma to hold it if she's fussy!)

-She will look around for her gee (pacifier) while she's in her crib and put it in her mouth all by herself!

Phew! I told you it has been a busy month! She weighs 17lbs and 2oz which is right where she's supposed to be. Still not sure on height but we find out next month.

Stay tuned for her crawling video!!

xoxo

Another prayer request

2009-02-10T05:55:00.001-08:00

Okay, so once again please pray for Skylar as she needs to have another ultrasound to check on that darn kidney! She has developed another UTI which has the doctors a bit concerned. We will let everyone know how the ultrasound turns out once we get the news. Please be prayin!!

(singing: "ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough")

Another pearly...

2009-02-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

Just a little FYI...

On January 24th, Skylar got her second tooth. Now she has her two bottom teeth and it looks like one of the top teeth are trying to come soon!!!

I'll post pics as soon as she'll let me....hahahahaha!

To Kill A KNOCKING Bird!!!!

2009-02-04T07:54:00.000-08:00

Okay so the title is a little lame but seriously, I'm going out of my mind!!!

Back when I was preggers, in the springtime, I would take lots of naps! Oh, how I miss those days. Anyways...so one day, I kept hearing this knocking sound. I went to the front door, nothing. I went to the backdoor, nothing. Finally, I looked up at one of our windows in the living room and tada, this little bird is sitting perched on the ledge and keeps tapping his beak against the glass. I thought for sure that he would get bored after a while and I wouldn't see him again. WRONG!!!

That bird came back everyday and would proceed to do this for hours on end. I would run outside and try and scare him...mean I know, I put pillows up in the window to hopefully steer him away and the best thing tried was Matt actually taped a piece of paper up with eyes on it. Something about birds not liking people watching them or something. BUT NOTHING WORKED!!! Once Skylar was born in June, I never really heard the bird anymore and thought, thank God - he's moved on to another house! WRONG AGAIN!

Now that the weather is getting a little warmer and spring is nearing...that stupid bird is back!! And this time, the feathery pest is knocking at the living room window, my bedroom window and Skylar's window!!! AAAAAAHHHHH! I'm sure I have scared the neighbors with my rantings and waving of the arms at what appears to be nothing but I swear, I'm not losing my mind! Please God, help me!!! :)

My 7 month old!! (a little late)

2009-01-28T04:47:00.000-08:00

My, oh my! How time zips by!

She is 7 months now and growing like a weed. I'm not quite sure of weight or height because her next appointment is not until 9 months but I will say, she has now graduated from a size 3 diaper to a size 4!!! ahhhhh! And for height, we have now put her excersauser on the last level. She's still a skinny little baby, just very tall.

We have had no problems with UTI's still which is awesome. And for the most part, solids are going well except for the expected "phew-wee" diapers. I think her and I have come to agreement that she save those oh-so precious diapers for her dada!! She's made it through her veggies (with the exception of peas) and is now almost done with bananas. She's on to apples next week...hooray! We've also recently given her sweet-potato puffs (which are like dissovable chips for babies) and she has already figured out how to pick them up and put it right in her mouth!! Don't get me wrong, a ton still end up on the floor and Roxy is right there to clean up the mess!!

Now for the taaaaadaaaaaaa's....
-she is a rolling queen. (she will roll from one side of the room to the next in a snap)
-she LOVES to mimic her momma ( she already has the no-no thing down but now her and I have a show down where we stare at each other only inches away from each others face)
-she is starting to push off of things with her feet which allows her to reach something
-she loves to dance in her excersauser

I can't really think of anything else at the moment but she is doing great! I don't know when she will start crawling but I'm convinced she's so smart that she's already realized, why crawl when momma will carry me?

SUCH a drama queen!!!

2009-01-16T09:20:00.000-08:00

As you can see, we are in for some trouble with this one. She has this new thing she likes to do which is not really cry but whimper with the saddest little face you have EVER seen. She'll do it over anything...if she drops a toy, wants to be held, if she's tired, etc. In this pic, I'm pretty sure that she does NOT want to wear the hat I just bought her...so the pouting begins. She's my little drama queen for sure!

Girls just wanna have fu-un....

2009-01-15T15:48:00.000-08:00

So today was one of Skylar's very first play dates and we had a blast. We went and visited Lindsay, Hayden and the twirls Preslyn and Ella. I think Skylar was a little overwhelmed since she's never been around so many girls before but she did pretty good. All three of the girls we're so sweet and SOOOO playful! Preslyn cracks me up and how much she loves to lounge on you! She was very sweet with my baby girl too which of course, I love, love, love! Here's some pics of our little adventure...Lindsay please correct me if I have them mixed up.... (okay, so I did mix them up. I figured I would...but now all is correct)

(Preslyn and Skylar sharing "sofie la giraffe")

(Ella teaching Skylar how much fun it is to chew on hair bows)

(Hayden playing big sister to one more....)

Trying out the new ride!

2009-01-15T05:29:00.000-08:00

So, just to see how well she fit, Matthew and I put Skylar in her new carseat a couple of days ago and she LOVES it!! I think she likes that she can sit up more and feel more like a "big girl." I can't wait to go ahead and put it in the car. I've been kind of stalling because it's a weird feeling having your baby go from an infant carseat to this big thing!! Sigh.
I know I have to accept the fact that she's growing but don't you just wish you can keep them as babies forever???!!!!

Best Friends!

2009-01-15T05:26:00.000-08:00

I know I have posted before about the relationship between Skylar and Roxy but I just have to brag again because they truly are the bestest of friends. Roxy is always wanting to be near to her and Skylar is always tugging at her ears and giggles when Roxy gets into her playful moods. They're quite a pair!!

Elijah Herrington is here!!

2009-01-11T15:10:00.000-08:00

Congrats to both Dennis and Kristen for delivering a healthy baby boy, Elijah Herrington.

Elijah was born today, at 2:21pm. He weighs 8lbs and 6oz and is 21 1/2 inches long. Kristen sent a text that both her and baby are doing well. Elijah is having a little trouble breathing so everyone be praying for this sweet baby boy!

Congrats Herrington family and can't wait to see the little man!!!

Daddy's and their girls

2009-01-09T06:44:00.000-08:00

We've recently converted our dining room into Skylar's own playroom to accommodate all the toys she received from Santa. We tossed the idea around several times about making the guestroom her new play room but eventually decided against it since we will be using that room for the new baby's room. And NO, I'm not preggers....not yet! ;)

So now that her room sits right in the front of the house, her and I can look out the window and see all that goes on. Well this morning, our neighbor across the street walked his little girl out to the end of the driveway and stayed there until the bus came. I can't see down the street from where my house is but occasionally I would look up and see him standing there saying "I love you" with hand signals. He must have done it like 10 times before I saw him walk back into his house. I just thought it was so cute! Here he is...practically in his pajamas...signing "I love you" with his little girl before she left for school! So incredibly sweet!!!

Just the two of us...

2009-01-08T05:32:00.001-08:00

These pics were taken right before Christmas but I thought I would share anyway. She's such a doll and truly a "momma's girl!"

See the tooth>>>

2009-01-07T10:51:00.000-08:00

I have tried many of times to capture a photo of her tooth while she's smiling but can never seem to get it. When all else fails, show the tooth off for yourself! ha! ha! She's giggling in this pick if you can't tell.

Since she now has her first tooth, I've purchased her very own toothbrush which is great for babies that are teething. She loves to suck on the soft bristles and I hope that we're instilling good habits early!!

Rub-a-dub-dub part II

2009-01-07T10:43:00.000-08:00

You may remember that some months ago, I posted a blog of my little girl getting a bath in the sink. We'll, since she is so tall and so VERY active, we now have a "big girl" bath for her. For any of you looking for the perfect tub for babies to tots....this is it!!! WE LOVE IT! And I think she does too! It's almost like a floaty looking thing. It has a little fish on one side that squeaks and then some blow-up rings on the other side that she can take off and play with! She really doesn't care about any of that...just splashing!!!

Ear tag update!!!

2009-01-07T07:32:00.000-08:00

So we had our appt downtown (again!!) to discuss whether or not her ear tag is coming back again. The doctor thinks that it's just stitches that are trying to make their way out. So...no needed surgery at the moment. He wants to see her after her 1st birthday to see how things look and hopefully by then we'll be good!!!

A Blessed Christmas...

2008-12-29T18:35:00.000-08:00

So we had such a blast over the Christmas break and it was so nice to see most of our family and friends. Although she's only 6 months old, Skylar sure was spoiled! Never too young to spoil 'em right?!

Okay, so Christmas Eve we had Matthew's family over to do lunch, dessert and of course PRESENTS!! I decided to make his family's recipe of chicken pot pie. It tasted great but looked a little rough. I accidentally used the wrong type of crust. But thankfully, my sister n law also made one which was tasty and pretty!! I also made an apple pie which was gorgeous and scrumptious! Everyone gobbled it down which was such a compliment. All the girls got to open their gifts and since Skylar received so many, I'll just highlight a couple.

Her Mimi Melissa and Paw Paw Jack bought her this vtech dancing tower. It's so cool!! I think I'm having more fun with it then she is at the moment. lol. She also got a stuffed puppy and some zoo animals.

Christmas morning we woke up early and found that Santa came!! I put Skylar in front of her gifts and she seemed a bit overwhelmed. Well, that and she kept eating the bows. She would get so excited at times and then fussy right after. She didn't know what to think of everything!! Once again, she got a lot of goodies from mommy and daddy.

I was quite spoiled as well! Matthew bought me a new calphalon cookware set. I am really starting to cook now and enjoying it so much. Before, I think I approached it as a chore but now, it's really a break from the cleaning, paying bills and changing dirty diapers all day. It's "mommy time." I also got a brand new camera! wooohooo! I've been wanting one for so long now and finally, Matt bought me a Nikon D60. I'm still trying to figure out how the whole thing works but I'll get it...

After we did Christmas at our house, then we went to my parents house...Mimi and Papa Hart. There Skylar got more toys of course and a really awesome car seat...whoo hooo! It's a Britax and the style is Mariposa! I can't wait to get her in it....so exciting.Skylar was napping most of the day, so Matthew and I opened her presents from my parents. My mom slid over this big box which has been wrapped for a while now and we tried our hardest to make our guesses. I guessed a toy box and Matt guessed a doll house. You know who won?!! Neither!!! It was a new Dell computer! My sneaky parents!! If you haven't noticed, I haven't been staying on top of my blogs as usual and that's because my old computer (which is a laptop), Matt had to start taking to work with him. But NOW....I have my own desktop!! Spoiled huh?!

Oh...and a couple more things...

Skylar got her first tooth Christmas day. After all the tears, slobber and upset tummy...we finally have a pearly. Temporary relief until the next bout!

AND THE BIGGEST AND GREATEST NEWS OF ALL!!!!!!

My dad and I went to Texas Childrens last Tuesday for her ultrasound and the doctor informed us that it appears she has NO MORE HYDRONEPHROSIS!! Can you believe it?!!! God is so awesome! The doctor asked that we bring her back in 6 months just to make sure everything still looks the same! Praise God for answered prayers!!

Phew - a ton of updating to do!!

2008-12-20T17:29:00.001-08:00

Okay, so formula is going great! She took to it quite well and everything went smooth on mommy's side too! She's now up to 6 oz and knows EXACTLY when it's time to eat. She's growing a bit impatient these days and I just have to sit back and smile.

Thanksgiving was a blast. First, we visited my husband's family in Kosse, TX which is just outside of Waco. It was Skylar's first time to meet a lot of her family and she was such a little flirt. During our visit, Granny Lou (Matthew's mom) slipped Skylar some "pink stuff" (cottage cheese and fruit) so needless to say, Skylar REALLY loves her Granny Lou. Ha! Ha! After that, we drove back to Houston to have Thanksgiving with my family. We all had a great time and Skylar got to wear Adley's tutu!

She is now wearing two bracelets (one on each arm) and everyone seems to adore them. The one on her left arm daddy bought for her that has her named engraved on it. And the one on her right arm is called a "cocoa pod" bracelet and it's from Trinidad. Our neighbors are from there and were kind enough to bring one home for her. They are both absolutely perfect and at 6 months old, she already knows how to accessorize (so her Auntie Saysa says).

She started sitting up at the end of November and was a bit wobbly but NOW she's doing great. In fact, if she's about to fall she'll catch herself....sometimes. She's trying really hard to crawl now and she gets so frustrated. It makes me laugh. She almost looks like a see-saw. First she'll put her arms down and raise up her head and chest. Then as she lowers herself she puts her knees underneath her and lifts her bottom. It won't be long now till she figures how to do both at the same time and then I'm really in trouble. She says mamamamma and dadadadadada on a regular basis. I know she has no clue what she's saying but it's cute all the same. She loves playing with her Mimi (my mom). She's completely fascinated with my moms crocs and each time my mom will roll her ankles, Skylar will mimic her and her feet go round and round. She has also discovered how to shake her head from side to side. The other morning she was in her highchair and acting up and I said "Skylar May, no no" shaking my head at the same time. She looked up at me and started shaking her head right along with me. SO CUTE!! AND SO SMART!! She is quite the pro at rolling over but still can't go from her tummy to her back and she gets so mad when she is stuck. While she's on her tummy, she almost looks like a superhero just waiting to take off. She'll lift her arms and legs at the same time as if she's flying...all she needs is a cape.

My parents have both come up with a few nicknames for her. My mom calls her "kissy face" and my dad calls her "pissy pants." She is still teething after all and so I would have to agree that my dads nickname for her is appropriate....at times! :)

Her first Christmas is almost here and Santa has SPOILED her rotten. We have a ton of gifts underneath the tree and wouldn't you know, most seem to have Skylar's name on them. She just had her 6 month check up and everything is looking great. She is 16lbs 3oz and 26 1/2 inches. She is in the 50-75 percentile for her weight and in the 70th percentile for her height. The doctor was pretty impressed at how well she sits up and just as she was asking if she's reaching yet, Skylar grabbed the stethoscope right out of her hands. We both laughed. She's approved to start on her solids now and we are so excited. My doctor wants us to do greens first (green beans and peas), then yellows and oranges (squash and carrots) and then fruit. Each we have to do one at a time for a week. Right now she's almost done with the green beans and it's so funny to watch her with her first bite. Her eyes get real big and she gets so excited for the next bite.

On to the kidneys...
So she had her Lasik Scan which wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. She did very well and her urologist called back to say that everything appeared normal by report. We take her in on Tuesday so that he can see the films for himself and then do an ultrasound to see how everything looks. So please continue to pray.

Prayer request...
Please pray for a dear friend of mine little girl. She is meeting with a specialist to discuss issues with an irregular heartbeat.

It brings me to tears to think of how fast my little girl is growing. Don't get me wrong, it is very exciting...its just so emotional to watch them grow. I promise to add pics in a bit...just wanted to start with the updating part first! ;-)

Going Formula...

2008-11-14T07:06:00.000-08:00

The day has finally come when my baby can no longer tolerate mama's milk. We discovered a while back that she had a cows milk allergy which meant that I had to avoid all dairy to keep her safe. So by doing so I switched to soy.

Now we've just found out that she is also allergic to soy. So...she's going to formula now. I can still breastfeed but would have to make sure that I avoid so many things. So to be on the safe side, we're just going with Nutramigen. The formula is very expensive but no cost is too great when it comes to your baby, right?

Buh-bye Ear Tags!!

2008-11-11T09:40:00.000-08:00

So yesterday Skylar had her surgery to remove her ear tags on her right ear. She's had them since birth and we were advised to go ahead and remove them now before they got any bigger.
She's doing great and we're praying for a fast and easy recovery. Still no word on the results from the kidney scan but I will post as soon as we know something.

Ready, Set, ACTION

2008-11-05T17:42:00.000-08:00

Wooohoo! So today was a very great day because my hunny bought me a new camera! I've been wanting one for so long now and finally we have one!

So pretty soon we will be putting up little video clips of her so stay tuned...

Oooooh the weather outside is frightful...

2008-11-05T17:34:00.000-08:00

Okay, really the weather is perfect but I couldn't think of a better title for this post. The other morning Skylar and I were getting ready to walk daddy out to the car (our morning ritual) when we noticed that it was quite chilly.

I remembered that I had quite a few hats and such given to me before she was born so I ran in the other room, grabbed a bonnet and ran back to the door so we could send daddy on his way. I didn't really even notice what it looked like on her until Matt said "oh, would you look at that."

Our little pooh bear...

And around and around we go...

2008-11-05T15:36:00.000-08:00

Alrighty...so there was a bit of miscommunication on the part of Skylar's pediatrician and the urologist. My nurse thought that after having the VCUG come back normal that must mean that the hydronephrosis is gone. Sigh. Sigh. Sigh. We met with the urologist last Thursday who informed us that the only purpose for the VCUG was to rule out reflux (urine shooting back up into the bladder and then kidney). She does not have reflux but instead had to go today for a kidney scan to see if maybe there's an obstruction.

The test went well and she did so great. We are just waiting for the specialist to give us a call back. Lord, please take care of our princess...

Thank you guys for continuing to pray! We love u all!

Granny Time

2008-11-05T15:23:00.000-08:00

So my Granny who I haven't seen in FOREVER was just in town recently and we got to stop by for a visit. This is Skylar's great grandmother on my mom's side and we don't get to see them but maybe once every few years.

Skylar just loved hanging out with her and sitting on her lap. I think she really enjoyed listening to her talk since she has a deep southern accent being from Georgia and all. I'm pretty sure that my Granny fell in love with her because she kept mentioning "rollin' her a little ball and takin' her back home."

We really enjoyed the visit and hope to see her again real soon! We love you Granny Shirley!

Butterfly Kisses!

2008-11-05T15:04:00.000-08:00

Happy First Halloween my sweet baby girl.

So for my little girls first Halloween we decided to make her a butterfly. I looked and looked all over for the perfect costume and when I came across the butterfly I couldn't think of anything more fitting since I was once a "butterfly" in high school.

We first went to our neighbors house who Skylar refers to as Auntie Kris and Uncle Jon. Then we went over to Mimi and Papa Hart's house where she got tons of lovin! Jack and little Adley toot were also their to celebrate. They are Skylar's second cousins. Jack was dressed as the 'cat in the hat' and Adley was a little pumpkin and I must admit that she was probably the cutest pumpkin I've ever seen!

So for the most part, our first Halloween was great!

Rice Cereal - Take 2

2008-11-05T12:25:00.000-08:00

yay for rice cereal!!!

We were told by many of family and friends to try again with the rice cereal and give her at least 10 days to get used to it. So we did as we were told and tada...she LOVES her cereal!

I'll give her a spoonful and before I can get another spoon ready, she starts banging on her tray and grunting very loudly. She's just a bit impatient...just like me! hahahaha

10 Facts About Me (tagged by Kristen)

2008-10-28T05:46:00.000-07:00

Alright so 10 facts about me....hmm...
1. I am a huge procrastinator. I love to make projects for myself but then take FOREVER to complete them.
2. I love to be outdoors doing stuff. Walking around, shopping, fishing...all of it.
3. I love all furry little animals...animals NOT insects. Whenever I see a little puppy, I want to bring it home with me and completely forget what a handful they can be.
4. I used to love scary movies but now I hate, hate, hate them! I do not like that feeling of suspense or just waiting for something bad to happen...ugh!
5. I am very much a practical joker. I love to play little tricks on family and friends or to hide behind a door and scare my husband! So much fun!
6. I love ebay and amazon..both sites have so much fun stuff and at discounted prices, who can beat that?!
7. I hate stupid people. lol. By stupid people I mean like those that drive while talking on their cell phone and are completely oblivious to those around them...ahhhh! It drives me nuts! I don't mind people talking on their phones while driving but I do mind if it directly affects me...like your all over the road...driving below the speed limit....I feel myself getting angry...on to the next..
8. Its no secret that I wear my heart on my sleeve. I am very sensitive and I will let people walk all over me...I'm working on that little by little.
9. I hate confrontation and I cant stay mad at somebody for long. Even if I know that I'm the one who was right, I will be the first to apologize to make things better. I do not like the feeling of carrying anger around.
AND last but not least...
10. I am a very passionate person and feel that I am in constant wars with myself on how to be a better wife, mother, daughter, etc. I love to make my family happy and each day I try to do better than yesterday. I lean on Gods understanding to guide me through each day and am loving every minute of being a mother!
I guess that's it....there's so much more than 10 but these were the first to come to mind...

Baby Dedication

2008-10-28T05:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is a little late but I have been so busy lately that I'm running behind on updating my blog.

So on October 19th, Skylar was dedicated to the Lord at Woodsedge Community Church. It was a lovely service and I had to try really hard to hold back tears. I think I had a few sniffles but I wanted to just boo-hoo.

Her Papa Hart chose her verse for her which is Zephaniah 3:17...

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

When he chose this verse for her he said that it was one of his favorites and that its not really well known and when she was dedicated the pastor said the same thing...too funny! And just a little brag note...when they showed her picture on the large screens, everyone went....awwwww! Of course they would, right?!

Hydronephrosis??? Not my baby!!!

2008-10-24T12:37:00.001-07:00

WOOOOOOHOOOOO! Skylar had her VCUG on Tuesday and I received a call from her doctor on Wednesday with some wonderful news....

The radiologist sent notes that said her bladder, kidney's and ureters all look normal and everything is functioning the way it should be!!! The nurse who called was very confused and said she couldn't understand how this is possible since she just recently had a bladder infection. I thought to myself (and should have said it over the phone) NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD! He truly is amazing and I thank Him everyday for the miracles he performs!

Just to be on the safe side, we are still meeting with the specialist to discuss the results. We're hoping that he will take her off the antibiotics (since she's supposed to be on it for a year) and that we hear good news that she's outgrown the problem!

From the bottom of my heart, I thank everyone who prayed for my little girl and thank you God for always having your hand of blessing on our family!!

Rice Cereal!!

2008-10-20T06:00:00.001-07:00

So she had her four month appointment last week which went very well. She now weighs 14lbs and is 25 1/4" long! Growing like a weed!!

She had her shots which were better this time. Last time she screamed and cried for quite a while before I could finally calm her down. This time she had a few tears but calmed down right away.

Her doctor said that she can finally start on her rice cereal and explained what to do. Matt and I both were so excited and thought that this was going to be some magical experience and that angels would come down from heaven and sing....but nope, not at all! She was so fussy and we got more rice cereal on her nighty then we did in her mouth. She was so tired and so confused as to why I was doing this to her. You could tell she was like...mommy, just feed me the real thing please. Poor little baby...we shall try again in a few more days...

My 4 month old!!

2008-10-20T05:37:00.000-07:00

Life has presented itself with many obstacles along the way but to see my little girl smile, giggle and coo makes every journey worth it! She is growing right before my eyes and it's an amazing feeling to watch your little baby discover new things everyday.

She's recently discovered...

*fake coughing - she loves this little game and although cute, mommy does NOT like it. She will cough and then look around like "mommy where are you?"

*her hand - she's known for quite a while about her hand but now she will look at it with such amazement and then of course it goes straight to the mouth...

*how to pull her pacifier in and out of her mouth - this one is a little tricky but she's getting quite good at pulling her "gee" out of her mouth and putting it back in.

*gagging herself - ya this one is soooo much fun. She has this fascination with shoving her fist in her mouth until she gags. My sister n law assures me that its quite normal but it's still SO scary!

*her feet - she loves to pull her feet up to her head and sometimes will chew on her toes! The cutest part is she looks at me with a big grin as if to say...look what I can do!!

and my FAVORITE...

*her daddy - of course she has always loved her daddy but now I can see the transition taking place; from mommy's girl to daddy's girl. She loves to stare at him or watch him walk through the room. And she laughs with him better then she laughs with anybody. She loves his whisker-kisses and he loves her big "gummy" grin. They're two peas in a pod - FOR SURE!

She's such a joy and her personality shines through more and more each day. Thank you God for my four month old!!

"Adam and Eve had many advantages, but the principal one was, that they escaped teething." -Mark Twain

2008-10-10T05:55:00.000-07:00

So alas we have entered the wonderful world of teething. Oh how I love the irritability, mood swings, refusing to eat...and oh yes, the drool! Did I mention the mood swings?! She IS a girl alright...m-o-o-d-y!

I've heard of babies that will teethe for months before actually sprouting a tooth and I prayed and prayed that we are NOT in that boat! While my parents were over a couple of nights ago, my mom and I took a quick peek into her mouth and tada! There's a little bulge on her gums and it's almost as if you can see the tooth through the skin! Kind of strange though because I've always been told that babies either get there top or bottom front teeth first and this one is on the bottom but like one tooth over. Is that okay?

Anyway...so my doctor does not recommend baby orajel or teething tablets. My husband and I finally had enough with seeing her in so much pain so I bought the teething tablets, brought them home and wouldn't you just now that the stupid things have LACTOSE! You have to be kidding me!! So as of now, we are freezing teething rings and giving her infant tylenol when it's really bad! She seems to be doing okay with that.

I just pray that she cuts like 6 at a time so we can just get this over with! My poor little girl...

Sleeping through the night - For real this time...!!

2008-09-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

Finally...our little angel is sleeping 10-12 hours each night!!! Hooray!!

A couple of weeks ago I started this new book called "Preparation for Parenting" which was recommended to me by my sister n law! I was a bit apprehensive about reading it since it's main points were scheduling. I kind of went back and forth between the idea of putting her on a set schedule since so many of the books I read advised against it.

Well I'm here to say that it works wonderfully for both her and I!! Right before we left to go to Dallas (fleeing from Hurricane Ike) I was working with her schedule. I figured that going to a new place out of her home would completely mess with her and we would have to start all over when we got back...but I was wrong! The first night we were there she slept 10 hours. In fact, when I woke up I darted over to her bassinet fearful that she may not be breathing since I hadn't heard from her and there she was just smiling and cooing! Its so great!

Once we got back we moved her to her own bedroom which I know is a little late. I'm just a very scared momma and wasn't ready for the transition. But she's doing so well and now all of us are finally getting some goooooood rest! With her in her pics is "Dina" her dinosaur. Whenever I first found out I was expecting Matt bought me this gift cause he thought we were going to have a boy. He wanted to take it back but I wouldn't let him and now you can see that Dina is her best friend!

My three month old!!

2008-09-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

I remember a time when my dad sat me down and told me to enjoy life as much as possible because time flies by way too fast. I, a teenager at the time, just rolled my eyes and thought 'whatever'!

Here I am... a wife and a mother and oh, how my dad was right! It seemed like just yesterday we found out we were having a baby and now here she is, three and half months old already!

Her recent accomplishments are giggling out loud, rolling over and teething!!! Got to love the teething part! She also is loving this little indian game we play. Right when she starts to get fussy, I tap my hand over her mouth to make a kind of indian sound and sure enough she stops fussing and then just keeps making sounds to mimic the noise! It's sooo cute! She's also starting to tuck her knees underneath her when I put her down for tummy time and she'll kick her legs back and forth as if she's trying very hard to figure out how to crawl!

She weighs 13lbs 8oz now and is truly a chunk!! Despite whatever medical mess we're going through, my girl can eat!!!!! Speaking of which, no new news on the kidney thing. We're waiting for her to finish her antibiotics and then we can schedule her next testing thingy. I promise to keep everyone updated.

Hydronephrosis :(

2008-09-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

Alright folks, it appears that my little princess does have hydronephrosis afterall.

**Hydronephrosis is distention (dilation) of the kidney with urine, caused by backward pressure on the kidney when the flow of urine is obstructed. **

So yada, yada, yada... the doctor told us that basically her left kidney appears to be dilated and that could be caused from either an obstruction in her ureter or the ureter is entering the bladder in the wrong area causing reflux. So when her kidney tries to pass urine through to the bladder it's coming back up and returning to her kidney.

The radiologist who read the report said that her case is mild to moderate which is good. She may be in slight pain but nothing like those who are moderate to severe. As far as treatment is concerned, we have to wait to see how exactly she's being affected. I will keep everyone updated as we continue on this journey. As you can see from the image below, she is still a healthy and happy baby! We are blessed!! Thank you again for your many prayers and words of encouragement. We love you all!

Kidney Update

2008-09-02T18:02:00.000-07:00

Today was our visit with the specialist at Texas Childrens to determine if there was any need for concern with her kidneys. The specialist basically said that she is a healthy little girl and he doesn't see anything on the report that makes him concerned.
All he asks is that we bring her back when she's about 5 or 6 months old to do one more ultrasound just to make sure that everything looks the same!! I truly believe in the power of prayer and ask that everyone continue to pray for my little girl! I praise God everyday for her and am so thankful to have a beautiful and healthy little girl!! :)

This just in...
My baby now has a UTI which is something the specialist told us to look out for. So we're not quite out of the kidney scare just yet. So that everyone knows exactly what it is we're talking about...the condition is called hydronephrosis. There's a possibility that one of her kidney's is dilated because the fluid can't pass through properly. The doctors say that it could be reflux or it could be a blockage in one of her ureters. Either way, we're praying very hard that God will take care of her and heal this problem! She has an ultrasound on Monday morning to see if the kidney is enlarged at all...so once again I ask all of my brothers and sisters in Christ to be praying. There is no task to big for God as long as we all gather in prayer. I promise to keep everyone updated with her progress! Thank you and much love to all of you!! :-)

Just Beachy

2008-09-02T17:52:00.001-07:00

So for our Labor Day weekend we decided to join my parents on a trip to Galveston. It was a very much needed trip as Matt and I haven't really had a chance to do anything since the baby's been born. She still went with us of course but my mom, Mimi, took care of her most of the time. Skylar didn't actually go out to the beach or to the pool but it was still her first trip all the same!!! I am still the ever-paranoid momma and was not quite ready for beach or pool time.

For the most part our trip was just spent lounging around and getting some rest! My parents are such a blessing and we're all looking forward to next years South Padre vacation which will include a lot of my dad's family!! I'm pretty sure by then I'll be okay with her getting her feet wet....but we shall see.... lol.

First Cold

2008-08-27T12:27:00.001-07:00

My poor baby has come down with her first little cold.

Last Friday, Matt and I noticed that she didn't look like she was feeling very well. By late evening, she had a low-grade fever and was very fussy. She didn't want to eat or sleep. She just wanted her momma to hold her.

By Saturday, she had a little cough and was sneezing all over the place. But by Sunday, everything seemed like it was back to normal. I was relieved to think that maybe it was just a quick little bug but then yesterday, it started in again. I took her to the doctor this morning and found out that she has a cold. Sniff.

Looking at the picture, she looks like a happy and pretty baby right? Well, as momma was getting her dressed this morning I told her...just cause you're a sick baby doesn't mean you still can't be a cute baby. So...tada...

My Buddy, My buddy and Me

2008-08-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

Before Skylar, there was Roxy...

Roxy was the baby of the family and so very spoiled! She has her own little bed and her own little basket of toys and while I was prego, we went on walks everyday!!

Then came baby Skylar and poor Roxy's life changed. She was no longer our little baby but now our little dog. She moved from a bed to a kennel and walks were no more. She could no longer crawl in mommy's lap when she wanted to and everything became "no, Roxy!"

So because of all this negative attention, Matt and I were afraid that Roxy may not get along with the baby. But we forgot what a good dog she really is. Skylar just loves to look at her and had her first giggle when Roxy licked her fingers. Of course mommy was right there wiping her hands off and then Roxy ate the wipey! Sigh.

I'm just so glad that they like each other and that Roxy feels like part of the family again...

Rub-a-dub-dub...

2008-08-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

So for the longest time now I've still been giving Skylar a bath on our bed. The hospital provides you with a little blue bowl and a little blue brush. I was quite comfortable with just her little sponge baths and didn't want to change.

But alas the time has come for a big girl bath. She's become quite stinky and sweats all the time so her little sponge bath was just not cutting it anymore. My parents have already given her a bath in the sink and told me that if you line the bottom with a towel, it's not so slippery.

She really enjoyed it and Matt and I just giggled at how calm she was. And thank God she didn't poop in the water!!

Little Diva's

2008-08-25T07:52:00.000-07:00

Okay so I'm the eldest grandchild on my dad's side of the family and it goes without saying that yes, I picked on my cousins. My grandmother has 8 grandchildren and there are only two girls; myself and my cousin Jaymee.

When we were young, Jaymee used to follow me around all the time and mimic most things that I did. She always wanted us to be close and I always gave her such a hard time. There's one story that has been marked in the family history books and every now and again comes up in conversation. When we were very young, Jaymee was getting ready to leave our house and as everyone was loading up in the car, she looked up at me and said "give me a hug." I of course was a snot and told her no. She asked again and this time I asked why? She, in a overly dramatic tone, cried out "because Sarah, we're cousins!" To this day I can never live that story down nor can she.

But oh, how the tables have turned. Jaymee and I surprised our family and both ended up pregnant within a couple months of each other. Her daughter Adley, was born April 14th 2008 and as you know, Skylar was born on June 12th 2008. So they are almost exactly two months apart and already Adley is filling the role of "older cousin" quite nicely.

Jaymee and I thought it would be cute to have them in matching outfits for their lunch with GG and as you can see, Adley was not too happy about that. Her looks says it all....uh, why is that baby wearing my dress?! My poor baby what have I done....

Shots, Shots, Go Away...

2008-08-19T07:24:00.000-07:00

Wednesday morning started off productive. Skylar and I had breakfast and watched a little TV. I gave her a bath and put her in this little outfit which I swear makes her look like a baby clown. When I bought the outfit, I thought it was just a cute little polka dotted outfit but once I put it on her, I just laughed! It has ruffles around the neck and poofy shoulders! LOL! She's a baby clown!

We called my mom (Mimi) and asked that she meet us at the doctors office at 9:30. When we got there, Skylar was in such a happy mood. She was looking around and taking everything in. We undressed her and weighed her. She weighs 11# 4oz and is 23 1/2 inches long!! She's still in the 90th percentile for her weight and I LOVE IT! She's my chunk! Anyway, the doctor came in and asked how everything was going and then explained that the nurse would be in to give her four shots and one medication by mouth. 4 shots!!! And not only that but they put three into one little leg!

So the nurse came in and asked that I put her on the table. I leaned over the top of her and started telling her that I love her and it will be over soon. She's still just as happy as can be, sucking on her gee. Then all of the sudden the nurse jabs one of the needles into her little thigh and Skylar's face expression was so sad. The only way I can describe it was just shock followed by shear pain. She was just laying there minding her own and then her face froze, gee fell out and she looked at me with such desperation. It was so sad and yes, I cried just a bit. I did a lot better then I thought I was going to but my eyes still filled with tears. She screamed and cried for only a couple of minutes and then it was lights out!

She wasn't too fussy, just really sleepy! I love her so much and glad that we got all of that over with. Well...at least until the next appointment at four months! *sniff *sniff

2 Months and growing...

2008-08-12T15:50:00.000-07:00

Happy 2 months baby girl!

That's right, our little newborn is already 2 months old. Once again I find myself in awe of how fast time goes after they're born. She's growing up too fast and has already accomplished so much...

A couple of weeks ago she started reaching out for her toys in her jungle gym. She would hit the toys before but we could tell it was just little reflexes. Now you can see her try really hard to reach for a toy and when she finally grabs hold of it...she has a big smile! She's also becoming quite the little talker and her favorite word is "ah-goo." She seems amused when mommy says it with her. I can almost see her rolling her eyes like...you're not saying it right mom! Let's see...Oh, she's getting really good at holding her head up. It's still a little wobbly here and there but she's doing so well. She recognizes smiley faces! She has a couple of toys that have a big smile and every time she makes eye contact, her face just lights up!

My favorite times are in the morning. She will wake me up with a little grunting here and there and I always feel soooooo tired! But as soon as I pick her up and lay her on the bed, she gives me a HUGE grin like "good morning momma" or maybe its more like "you have no idea what I've got in store for you with this diaper change!" Either way, my heart melts.

Tomorrow is her 2 month check up and I'm so scared. She gets her first set of shots and from what I've heard, it's awful! My mom is going with me, thank God! So please be praying for the both of us. For her that its not to painful to endure and for me that its not too painful to watch.

6 Week Check-up

2008-07-25T07:30:00.000-07:00

SO yesterday was our six week mark! I can't believe that its already been six weeks! Ahhh - time is going by too fast!
I was so surprised at how much weight I had lost! Praise God! I still have a little bit to go but it was nice to see that I had made a dent! Note to all who are preggers with their first...really try to only gain the weight they allow you to. My doctor said between 30 and 35 and I thought...oh, I'll be fine with whatever I gain, I lose weight quickly.
Ya...I never anticipated gaining 62 pounds!!! That's right folks...62! And believe me, it is really hard to get rid of the last 20-25 pounds! Either way, I look at my precious baby and think...she was TOTALLY worth every pound! :-)

Sleeping through the night??!!!!

2008-07-22T08:02:00.000-07:00

I think that just maybe my little baby is finally starting to sleep through the night. Last night I fed her at 7:30 and she didn't get up to eat again until 2:30! 7 whole hours!!!!

I have to admit that although it was nice to sleep, I was almost sad to think that she wasn't getting any food for that long! I guess she's moving out of newborn stage...sniff sniff.

Baby Announcements Are Finally Here!!

2008-07-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

Yay! So we finally got our announcements in and I'm so excited. Just so everyone knows, my husband took these photos and he's very proud of them. We did take her to have her infant portraits done and they all turned out sooooo good. I'll post when I can but for now, here's the announcement!

Ultrasound Update

2008-07-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

So we went to the doctor yesterday for her follow up ultrasound and boy, was that a mess! We waited and waited and finally got called back where she pooped on the table, then wanted to eat and proceeded to scream her lungs off for the remaining part of the appointment.

Her pediatrician called us back the same day (which is unheard of) and said that the radiologist is saying that the scan is "inconclusive." The nurse basically said that there doesn't appear to be any problems but he didn't want to say that. They'd rather have a specialist look to make sure that there isn't any problems with her kidneys. So we have yet another appointment...this time downtown at Texas Childrens.

Please continue to pray for my little one. I know that God will protect and watch over her but prayer is always nice!

Moo Moo Allergy

2008-07-11T16:12:00.000-07:00

That's right folks! As of today we found that our little baby girl is allergic to cows milk! It was so sad! I knew something was wrong and everyone assured me that I was just being a paranoid first time mom! But nope, sometimes moms know best!

Soooooo being that she's a breastfed baby, mommy is going soy! Yummo! Aren't you jealous?!! As long as I avoid all dairy, mylittle pumpkin head should be just fine! We could do formula of course but I really want to breastfeed so please be praying. Stay tuned and we will keep everyone posted on how the soy is going!

Lunch with Papa Hart and GG (Great Gramma)

2008-07-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

Today was a nice day. Skylar and I had lunch with her Papa and GG. Now that I'm feeling more comfortable about getting her out and about, we went to GG's apartment and had Long John Silvers.

Skylar slept for most of the visit then woke up for a quick meal and diaper change. She was a bit fussy and seemed to only want momma to hold her. She talked with GG for a little while and I know she's going to be spoiled.

Papa loves to see her smile and is convinced that she's doing it cause she's happy when really she's gassy! But there is no changing his mind about it...he cracks up every time she gets a big grin on her face! My dad has a bad back but yet seems to bend over every which way to hold his granddaughter. He's in love. But really, can you blame him?

My first blog...

2008-07-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

So now that my little baby has arrived, I feel compelled to join in on the blogging world. So here goes...

As many already know, we recently had our first baby and she's precious! My husband Matthew and I tried for quite a long time and endured many hard trials before finally being blessed with our little miracle. We named her Skylar Elizabeth. Matt chose Skylar which means "shelter" and I chose Elizabeth which means "consecrated to God." She was born June 12th at 1:55pm, weighing 7 lbs 14oz and was 20 1/2" long.

Its funny how in the last month of pregnancy, time just seems to drag on and on but now it's flying by. Already my little girl is almost a month old and weighing in over 9 lbs and is about 2 inches longer. She's started crossing her eyes which cracks me up. She loves to eat and eat and eat! I know it sounds horrible but I almost love to tease her to see her make that birdie face like "gimme gimme."

She has a follow up ultrasound on the 14th so please be praying. No biggy...just checking on those kidneys.

I think that's it for now but I'm sure there will be plenty more to come! Stay tuned!