I've been working hard!

Sarah has learned so much in her short little life. This summer, she's done a lot. All that time with Daddy has really paid off ... we may be able to avoid spending the money on a maid now! :)
Here's Sarah at 4 months - dressing up in Daddy's clothes while Mommy did the laundry.

Here she is at 4 months helping to do the laundry by sorting the clean socks.

We've really progressed and now here she is at 7 months helping to dust. How sad that Daddy has already taught her how to use a Swiffer Duster ... definitely her daddy's little girl!

First (and Hopefully Last) Surgery

Sarah got tubes placed in her ears last week. She did great through the whole procedure. For the past month or so, Sarah has had an ear infection. First it was in both ears, then the right ear, then the left ear. Finally, we (us and Dr. Stone) had had enough! He made us an appointment with Hoover ENT and we saw Dr. Boyd. He spoke with us for about 10 minutes and confirmed that tubes would be the answer and scheduled us for the next week. It was important to us that we get this done soon before Michael and Sarah go back to school. Also, being the speech therapist, I wanted it done soon so that she wouldn't suffer from any hearing loss due to the infections. The whole procedure lasted 10 minutes max. Sarah did fine, mommy cried a little ... daddy ate coke and goldfish! :) Seriously though, I have a wonderful husband. After they took Sarah away from us, and I'm crying, he prayed for Sarah, the doctors and me. I love him so much! I love little bug ... glad we are hopefully done with ear infections.

Beach Trip

We went to the beach a few weeks ago with my family. Sarah had a great time, but it is definitely a new experience going to the beach with an infant! She liked/tolerated the beach -- hard to tell which! She ate some sand and thought that was funny. She loved the pool, rode on a carousel for the first time and finally cut her first tooth!

Happy July 4th to everyone!! I hope that you enjoy this picture of Sarah in her little tutu! I had fun making her outfit. She enjoyed the day with family. Of course, she was asleep before the fireworks started! We hope you had a great holiday!



On a side note ... if anyone is interested in a unique gift, I'll be happy to make you a tutu and or flag window. I'm thinking about selling them. What do you think?

Unparalleled Cuteness to Come ...

Stay tuned this weekend for this cutest baby ever in all of her July 4th Finery ... :)

The Arc of Jefferson County's Children's Services Website

Hey ... I designed a blog for where I work ... go check it out!

http://childrensarc.blogspot.com/

Can you name these classic toys? - sporcle

Can you name these classic toys? - sporcle

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Fun Times

Yesterday, our good friend Amy kept Sarah for us while Michael had rehab and class. Amy has a little boy, Tyler, who is 21 months old. I am sure that Sarah and Tyler had fun. Pretty sure that Amy was probably exhausted last night and told Keith that another baby was not coming anytime soon! :)

Here's Sarah hanging out in Tyler's old exersaucer. I'm pretty sure that she's wishing she could borrow it because this one is way cooler than her Baby Einstein one!


Here's Sarah and Tyler ... one day we'll be great friends!


Also, I can't forget about the Blakes (Cindy, Laura and Caroline). Sarah had an awesome time with you and we can't wait for you to come over again soon. We hope that Sarah will grow up to be just like these two girls. Their parents have raised them well and they are the sweetest girls ever!

Michael and I are so blessed to have such wonderful friends to help us out when we need help with Sarah. It has been so nice to not have to worry about a thing and know that my child is in capable hands and is having a great time while Mommy and Daddy are busy and away! We are also super excited that Lauren (regular babysitter) will be back next week! She's been in Honduras this week on a mission trip.

Pictures of Sarah

You've all been asking for it ... so here you go. Here are a few pictures of our little angel. These are pictures from the past few weeks. Sarah will be 7 months old on Friday. It's hard to believe!!

Sarah ready to go swimming ...

Sarah exploring her playpen ...

Sarah went to see her Great-Grandmother recently ...

My little girl is growing up ...

I know that I haven't posted in a long time, and its not because I haven't wanted to ... but it is often hard to find the time. I've had a lot in my head lately that I've meant to post about, so i'll try to remember some of it over the next several days and post it!

First on my mind lately is sleep. No, Sarah is not having problems sleeping. Michael is in grad school at University of Montevallo. He is enrolled in the May term. Basically, this means they cram an entire semester into 2 weeks. His class is from 4-7, he gets home by 8 and then he has homework and reading to do. I've been staying up helping when I can, but that means that we are not going to bed until close to 11. that is super late for us!

also, as part of michael being in class, i am having to leave work a little early each day and drive down to columbiana to pick up sarah from school. basically, it is an hour drive there, get out and pick her up (15 minutes) and then get back in the car for an hour. it is wearing on us all. luckily, we are almost done with the first week.

next week is michael's last week of regular school. wednesday is the 6th grade class party. they are going to trussville play station, thursday is the 6th grade graduation banquet (i'll likely bedoing the food for it) and friday is his final at UM and also CCS graduation. i'm taking off next thursday and friday because i need a break and i deserve it! :)

one thing that we have really been struggling with is summer arrangements for sarah. michael will be in class from 12-5 for most of june and july. we have been worried about where she will go. we really wanted someone to come to our house and keep her, but we just didn't think that would be possible due to money. well, GOD IS FAITHFUL!! last weekend we met a girl who was interested in keeping sarah. she was referred to us by our hairstylist/friend. she was perfect, but we figured she would want more money than we could offer. last night we got an email from her and she feels that god is leading her to accept our offer and stay with sarah this summer. i am so thankful and relieved. she is graduating from samford this weekend and then she will be going to honduras on a mission trip for one week in june. we just know that god has his hand on this situation and that this is the perfect person for us and for sarah.

i really should probably get back to work. its probably a little unprofessional to blog while you're at work. what about twittering? is that unprofessional? i'm not sure anymore since i saw people in the business office on facebook this week. oh well ... have a great thursday!

Sleep is a beautiful thing.

Of course, I wouldn't know of that beauty because our little princess has not been sleeping well this week! It is mostly my fault -- or at least I blame myself. She has been eating real fruits and veggies for almost 2 weeks. She loves them!! So far she has had sweet potatoes, sweet peas, pears, prunes. The problem is ... she loves them, but they do not love her back! My poor baby has been up multiple times this week screaming, supposedly because her stomach hurts. At least that is our best thought.

Last night, I finally gave her a glycerine suppository. Wow! What an experience! Who knew that much could come out of such a little thing. (We even threw away a towel because it just wasn't worth the effort to clean up!) We were sure that we were going to finally get a good nights sleep, because how could she NOT sleep after the night she'd had?!

Well, she didn't sleep. She does good until midnight or so, and then its all over! We were up with her multiple times. She finally got in a good sleep pattern about the time to get up. So, I sent her to school in her pajamas and a wet diaper so that I wouldn't have to wake her up. Don't worry, I sent real clothes and her daddy will change her when he gets there!!

So, I think now we are going to back off of food for several days. I am sad by this because it has been so much fun for all of us to see how well she is eating her food. But, I cannot feed her if her little system isn't ready to digest it yet. On a positive note, I have some great pictures of her eating ... I'll try to get them up this weekend.

Please pray that her body will regulate and that we will be able to get some sleep this weekend. I'm getting a cold, and I think its because my body feels run down. Oh, and of course going from temps in the 70s to 30s don't really help!

Sarah's first snow!

On March 1, 2009, Sarah saw snow for the first time. Granted, we live in Alabama, so it may be the only time she sees it for several more years! I know that it is cold and that our child is prone to ear infections, but do you really think I'm going to let this event happen without her getting outside in it!?

We bundled her up and took her outside. It was hard to tell what she thought about it. Her little eyes were watery and her nose and cheeks were red from the cold. At least she didn't hate it!

More images from the past month

Here am I with my two favorite children ... Sarah and Gus. This month, Sarah had her first sleepover with her cousin Steven Riley. Also, she enjoyed Grandpa coming for a visit.

February

Wow! The weeks just seem to fly by. The month of February was full of excitement as usual. Sarah came down with her second major bout of ear infections. I turned 33 years old, Sarah turned 100 days old. We also had her dedication at church. The following are some of our favorite images from the month.




To my little Saree-bug ...
I can't believe that you are already 100 days old. The time has gone by so fast. It is hard to believe that you were growing inside of me for all of those months and that now I have you here to hold. I love you so much. You mean the world to me. I am so honored and blessed to have you as my daughter. One day, we will be great friends. I want you to be able to share your life with me. I promise to not judge you to harshly, but allow you to make decisions and mistakes in your life. I believe that it is important for your daddy and I to allow you to fail from time to time, because that is what happens sometimes ... but know that your daddy and I will always be there to pick you up and start you back down the path again. We will always be here for you little bug. You are our everything. I love you from here to forever.
Love,
Mommy

Sarah Update

This week (Wednesday), Sarah will be 12 weeks old. We took her to the doctor today to check her ears to make sure that she is ear-infection free. Michael and I had our suspicions, since she has had a mild (99*) fever for most of the weekend. However, her ears look clear! Dr. Stone said that he only guarantees his diagnosis for ear infections for 24 hours -- after that, all bets are off and she could develop one still! The biggest surprise was her weight. She now weighs 10 pounds 5 ounces. Can you believe it?! She's growing up! :)

Praise Report -- Michael's mom is doing very well following her surgery last week. She is being able to eat some pureed foods and tolerate liquids well. One of our friends from sunday school even assisted in her surgery -- thanks Dr. Scarcliff!

Have a great weekend.

S.W.A.K. (Sealed with a Kiss)

I found this fun little challenge today, read the accompaning post that I copied over for your viewing (and kissing) pleasure!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My hubby and I have been married 14 years.
We have three children.
We've been thru a lot.
I think we have a great marriage. We communicate well. We fight fair.
But I want it to be even better.
And it starts with me.

Busy schedules, demanding children, job pressures and selfishness gives our marriage a beating. And we have to fight to keep it healthy, to keep it passionate.

I entered this New Year wanting to initiate more time for us. I want to capture moments to remind him that before all of this, there was just us. The two of us.

I was flipping through January's Woman's Day Magazine and a title caught my attention "Lock Lips with Your Husband."

Reading the blurb, I learned that there is an actual chemical released when you kiss called The Cuddle Chemical. It produces a euphoric feeling. And an unplanned passionate kiss increases the chemical.

Now, let's be honest. I kiss my hubby everyday. A peck here. A smooch there. But a knock-his-socks off K-I-S-S? Well, there's dinner and a toddler pulling on my leg, a ringing phone, and endless homework. And not to mention the utter exhaustion I feel at the end of the day.

Well. You know. It's hard.

I'm issuing my own personal Kiss Challenge for myself. For 30 days, starting Feb. 1st, I'm planning to passionately lock lips with my hubby. To block out all distractions for a few minutes and lay one on him.

I think just this one simple act will speak volumes to my man.

{You can secretly join in too if you up to some serious smooches}

The days leading up to Valentine's Day (Feb. 11-13), I will be having a little S.W.A.K. carnival. I want you to link up a post honoring your hubby anytime during those three days. It can be how you met, your first kiss, what you're doing to celebrate Valentine's Day, or about your own personal Kiss Challenge.

For several days, I will be sharing some of my marriage secrets, my fau paxs and what I've learned.

You might also want to stock up on some chap stick. I'm just sayin'.

Tell me what you think....can we join together {on Valentine's Day} to honor our hubbies in some way?

You DO NOT have to join the Kiss Challenge to link up to the Valentine's Day carnival!

Food for the Soul:
Song of Solomon 1:16 "[ Beloved ] How handsome you are, my lover! Oh, how charming! And our bed is verdant."




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So, I can relate ... Michael and I will have been married 3 years in March. It has been a wonderful three years. But, now that Sarah is here ... our time together (just us) is limited! Also, we are involved in a marriage mentoring class at church. We want to be intentional with our marriage and put each other first. Without each other, there would be no family unit! So, think about it ... are you up to the challenge? Want to participate in the SWAK carnival?

Happy Monday!

my little angel

Such a pretty girl ...

My poor little angel ... not happy during this picture.

Our little Anne Geddes baby ...

Sarah is already praying ... now I lay me down to sleep ...

Here are some pictures that we took last week at a place in town. I thought they turned out very well. I can't believe that she is already 11 weeks old. She is sleeping through the night (knock on wood, cross fingers, etc.) most nights.

Also, please pray for a few people this week --

My friend Amanda's mom passed away last week. A family at church lost their three month old little boy to SIDS. Michael's mom had hernia repair surgery.

Sarah's sick

Well, it finally happened. Sarah got sick. Just last night we were talking about how we were so lucky that Sarah had not really been sick yet. Oh sure, she's had the sniffles, but nothing really to speak of. Well, Michael has been sick for a week so it was bound to happen.

Michael called me today from school and told me that Sarah hada fever. I went to pick her up from school and took her to the doctor. It's a good thing! She has an ear infection in one ear, the other ear almost is infected and she has bronchiolitis. So, now we have our first antibiotic.

On a positive note, Sarah weighs 9 pounds and 10 ounces! :)

I forgot

I'm sorry that I haven't posted more regularly. In essence, I forgot! After all, we have an 8 week old!! Actually, she's 8 weeks today, so happy birthday sweetiepie! :)

Life is great! Michael and I both are back at work full time. The transition from stay at home mom with a newborn, back to work ... not very fun. I was sad to go to work and not be at home with Sarah, but I know that it is for the best. She is at school each day with her daddy. They are quickly forming a very strong bond during the two-hour long commute (round trip) to work each day.

Sarah is eating much better than in previous weeks. She is fairly consistent about eating 4 ounces at a time. She is also sleeping more. Most of the time, she will go to bed between 7:30 and 8:00, wake up and eat at 12ish and 2:30ish. Then we have to wake up her up around 5:30 or 6:00 to eat and get ready for school!

On a more serious note, Michael's mom may be having surgery on her esophagus later this month. It is a pretty dangerous surgery, but we are optimistic that it will fix a lot of her problems. Also, our friend Amanda's mom is in the hospital in Little Rock. She has been undergoing treatment for myeloma, but now she has pneumonia. Please pray for both of these situations.

Hope things are going well for all of you. We will try to post some pictures over the weekend so that you can see how much Sarah has grown! She is now 23 inches long (90th %) and weighs 8 pounds 12 ounces (30th %).

Week 3 Update

Well, today Sarah is three weeks old! It is so hard to believe that she is already that old. In so many ways, I feel like she has been in our lives forever. She has certainly made life much better! She is such a joy to be around. She has the cutest little expressions on her face when she is sleeping or looking around at the world.

Gus is adjusting to life as a big brother. He is very protective of her. He doesn't really like for new people to be around her. He also has found a new toy -- her pacifier! He likes to sneak up and grab it when she spits it out. If we could only get a good picture of him with it!

We went to the doctor yesterday for her 2 week checkup. She weighs 7 lbs and 2 ounces (yes, that's right ... same as when she was born) and is still 21 inches long. The doctor was pleased with her weight gain, because she had lost some weight before we left the hospital.

Well, it's her nap time ... which means it is time for me to take a shower! Bye!