Happy New Years...and 4 years

Growing up, I always enjoyed New Years.  A lot of it was still the newness of everything I got for Christmas - there was music to listen to, toys to play with, books to read....and much of it was just enjoying my New Years Eve.  Our family would go out to dinner and then get together with Grandma and Pappy to play cards and watch the festivities on TV.

Nine years ago, my New Years changed...for the better.  As the calendar turned to 2002, Jim and I "officially" started dating at midnight.  That has always just been the icing on the cake, an extra celebration on top of a "new start."

Four years ago, part of me was lost when my grandfather passed away on New Years Eve.  I'll never forget that year.  On December 30, 2006, I was out shopping - my grandfather had gone into the hospital while I was home seeing my baby niece Jenna, and while I knew it wasn't good, I was holding onto the hope that the season could bring us a miracle.  When I got back from shopping, Jim was on the phone with my sister - my grandmother had had to make the decision no one should ever have to make about the person they love - they were going to keep him comfortable.

The next morning, Jim went to work.  I was on pins and needles - I got the call close to lunchtime that he had passed that morning, with my mom and her sisters and their husbands and my grandma at his bedside.  I called Jim, who rushed home.  On January 1, 2007, we flew home for his funeral.  We were only there a couple of days, and it passed in a blur.

The past four years have been a blur - it seems like just yesterday, I was laughing at one of his jokes or silly songs.  In reality, I have gotten married, he has had 4 great-grandkids born, and 2 more on the way. 

I am comforted because I truly believe Brooke sees him and is knowing him, even though the rest of us can't (my nephew Thad too).  They will wave and laugh and say that it's Poppop - even though neither of them ever had the privilege of meeting him while he was alive.  One day, Brooke said that he sings silly songs, and one day when she lost it for no reason at all, I asked if it was Poppop and she said yes - he was blocking her view of Barney.

This year, New Years holds the promise of an even better year, a fresh start, great things for my family.  But there, in the background, is the sense of loss.

We miss you, Pappy, and will see you again someday.  We love you.

Merry Christmas!

It's been a while since I blogged, but getting ready for the holidays can be stressful and so busy!  We had a great visit with my sister last weeked (who went home with pneumonia) and a great first week of vacation.

Brooke had a great Christmas.  Santa came and was very, very, very good to her.  She got a flip out sofa, Winnie the Pooh ride on, my first dollhouse, bath baby, baby Belle, stuffed animals, books, a Barney DVD, Elmopalooza DVD, MegaBlocks, clothes, snacks....and more...just from Santa!  That's not even counting everything aunts/uncles, godmother, and grandparents got her.  I love Christmas, but now I'm anxious to get my tree down and get her toys all organized - she still plays with all her old toys, so we have to keep them out plus her new toys. 

Brooke's favorite new toys are her ride on train, her Disney Princess flip out sofa, her baby Belle, and her Sesame Street singing pop up toy from Mamaw & Pap.

I had a great Christmas, too....I got lots of books that I've been wanting, some movies, and my parents got Jim and I a Wii.

Now, we have one more week of vacation to celebrate New Years.  New Years Eve is a very bittersweet day for me (that's a whole post of its own), but I'm very glad Jim works early and will be with us for midnight.

I hope everyone else had a great holiday, too.  Merry Christmas!

It's beginning to (feel) a lot like Christmas

We have had wonderful weather here the past week or so - nights have been in the 30s/40s and daytimes in the 60s.  I may have lived in South Florida for 5.5 years, but you can't take the PA out of the girl!  The cooler weather just rejeuvenates me.  The other day, it was even rainy and dreary out - it felt like a fall day. And if you recall, fall is my favorite season!  We're going to warm up for a couple days, then back to the chiilier temps - I bet Kelly will love that when she comes to visit, LOL!

But this, right now, is my favorite time of the year.  Christmas.  Santa, hot cocoa, baking, etc.  And now that Brooke is getting a little bit bigger, I am SO EXCITED for Christmas this year!

We have a busy weekend planned.  Tomorrow, we're going to do laundry and run some other errands.  Sunday, it's to Penneys for a Christmas photo shoot of our girl and then Bass Pro Shops for free Santa pictures.  I figure, I don't know how Brooke is going to react, but I want the picture, so I might as well get it free instead of paying $30+ when I just want to see how it goes.  Plus, I'm excited for all the craft and everything too!

I think I can....

Eh.  What a weekend it's been.

Saturday, we took Brooke for the follow-up for her ears.  Not only is the left ear still infected, now the right ear is infected again!  Eh.  That's all I can say.  They gave her a shot of antibiotics, one tonight, and other tomorrow, and she's on another dose of oral antibiotics.  I'm hoping this, combined with being home the last 2 weeks of the month, will finally kick it!  I think I can....deal with more meds.

I ordered my Christmas cards from Shutterfly.com last night, and I am so excited at how they turned out.  Don't forget about the promo, fellow bloggers!

This week, next week, and an extended vacation....I think I can, I think I can, I think I can......

Hot cocoa, mistletoe, Ho Ho Ho!

'Tis the season of traditions.

Traditions like Christmas cards. I find this to be one of the most stressful traditions - you have to find time to pick cards, address them, get them printed, possibly write messages to the recipients....

This year, I’ve found a way to take the stress out of my holiday cards! Shutterfly is giving bloggers 50 free photo Christmas cards! Super easy! (Like my use of exclamation points? Can you tell I’m excited? ;-) )

Last year, we had Brooke’s photo taken at Penneys, spent over $100 for the copyright rights, then went to Walgreens and spent more money printing out the cards! Then, of course, there was the postage.

Not this year. (OK, I’ll still have to pay the postage, but that’s it.) We’re going to take a “Twas the Night Before Christmas” photo of Brooke in front of our beautiful Christmas tree. I might throw in a stuffed Santa or some cookies or something like that. (Oh my god, how cute would it be for her to be eating Santa’s cookies in her jammies in front of the tree?)

Then, I’m going to go to Shutterfly. I love Shutterfly. I’ll have my code and get 50 free Christmas cards. Easy! The hardest part is going to be deciding which card. I mean, just look at some of these:

Peppermint gift wrap


http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/retro-kaleidoscope-holiday-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=93496

And that’s just on the first page I looked at!

I’ve also been inspired in other ways – check out what Brooke is making her grandparents:
http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars


And what a picture from our next vacation will yield:
http://www.shutterfly.com/home-decor/canvas-wall-art


As a working mom, I’m all about making things easier on myself – that is how I free up the most time possible to spend with my family. But anyone who blogs can do this! This is one of the easiest things – and it will be so much fun to do a photo shoot in front of the tree!

You can do this too – just go to http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/ and fill out the form to get started!

This little boy needs our help....

Just click his button to read his story and donate anything you can - this little guy needs us!

Long day

Yesterday was an insanely long day back at work.  I didn't leave until about 6:30 pm!  Poor Brooke was the last child at daycare...my guilt over putting her in daycare while I work is rearing its ugly head now.  It's always such a struggle - what is the best for my daughter?  At home, she would get all our attention and be with us all the time.  But is that best for her or best for me?  As it is right now, I get to contribute, have adult interaction, and Brooke gets socialized, has friends, and learns so much there!  I could teach her colors, numbers, etc, etc, just like the daycare, but she would miss Emma, Lilly, Arianna, Riley, etc., etc.  If me working and her being in daycare at least part of the time is best, why do I feel so guilty about it?

Today's just kind of a "down" day for me, I suppose.  I'm tired and stressed, never a good combination. 

I've blogged (many) times about the world of CHD.  Yesterday, the oldest living survivor with a defect called Tricuspid Atresia (where the right side of the heart is severely underdeveloped) passed away.  He was 44.  It was amazing reading his blogs at Adventures of A Funky Heart, because he was born in a time where hardly anything was known about CHDs or the heart surgeries to try to help these children survive.  He passed away in his home - on the 66th anniversary of the first surgery now known as BT Shunt (the first surgery these babies with 1/2 of a heart undergo). 

By the way, the story of the surgery is amazing - it took place in 1944 at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and involved a white surgeon and his African-American assistant who actually developed the special instruments needed for the surgery, Vivien Thomas - I hope that caught your attention enough to go to here and read the story for yourself!

Wonderful week

Brooke and I had a wonderful vacation.

As you know from my last post, sent via text message (I love that!), Brooke peed in the potty!  We bought her potty Wednesday night, and she constantly asked to sit on it Thursday and Friday and read her books, drink her bottles, etc.  Sometimes I would take the diaper off, sometimes I would leave it on.  Saturday morning, I asked if she wanted to sit on it right after she got out of bed, and she said yes.  We read a book, and when stood, I saw she had peed! Sunday night when it was time to get ready for bed, I asked if she had to pee - she said yes, I put her on the potty and she peed again!  Then this morning, I put her on right before breakfast, and she peed again.  I am not pushing it - just trying it a few times a day - but it doesn't seem like it will be that hard, she seems to really prefer the potty since she already asks us to change her as soon as she pees anyway.  I'm so proud ;-)

Today, I'm back at work.....for 3 weeks.  Our office closes 2 weeks over Christmas/New Years, and I am so excited!  There's a lot to look forward to over the next month :-)

Brooke just peed in the potty! She's been asking to sit there since we bought it and we just put her on when she asks.....today she sat and started saying pee..

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jim is working today, so we did our Thanksgiving dinner yesterday.  It was delicious.  And I'm thoroughly enjoying my relaxing day since all the work is already done and we'll just have leftovers for dinner ;-)

What I really need to do is finish taking apart the swing and the pack n play so that I can put up our Christmas tree.  I'm just having a hard time doing it.  It may be silly, now that there's a potty chair in the middle of my living room where Brooke likes to sit and read books, but I'm having such a hard time taking these last two little bits of her infanthood down.  We're donating the swing to daycare, and we'll put the pack n play away for baby #2 when the time comes.  But Brooke is growing SO FAST.

Remember how I was on the fence about potty training?  Brooke has made the decision for me.  Yesterday, she stripped off her diaper 5 times in a row, squatted in the middle of the kitchen floor, and peed.  That's it - time to introduce the potty.  We're taking it slow, just introducing it right now.  Today, she's been telling me right after she pees so she can sit on the potty.  I'm hoping I'll catch her before she pees when she gets up from her nap and then we can get one pee in the potty.  I'm not pushing her yet, but I definitely want to take full advantage of her interest! 

I'm excited to put up our tree.  We use an artifical, pre-lit tree.  I've never had a real tree.  Asthma + real trees = attacks.  Jim and I both have asthma, so no real tree.  I'm fine with that - I can just decorate it and leave it, don't have to worry about water or anything.  And you can get really nice artificial trees - once of which we have ;-)

Santa pillows, ear infections, and holiday cheer!

This week has been so busy - but still so relaxing!  I've been trying to do a really good cleaning in my house and start getting decorated for Christmas.  The decorating is going slow, but I have finished my first Santa pillow (I'm going to make 1 more, and also a white pillow with candy cane trim).  It didn't turn out too bad, for my first sewing project in over 5.5 years! (Pictures are on my facebook, since I uploaded with my phone.)  I love having my sewing machine back!

Yesterday, Brooke had her follow up for her ears and got the second half of her flu shot.  Her left ear is still infected.  Poor thing :(  She's on another antibiotic - Primsol this time.

Jim has to work on Thursday, so we're making our Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow (Wednesday) when he's off.  Thursday, we'll be able to relax, decorate, and eat leftovers while everyone else is stressing about their meal!  We can also make a plan for Friday.....it is our tradition to go Black Friday shopping early in the morning.  This year, we won't be going early - we would never wake Brooke up at 2 am to go shopping! - but I think we'll head out right after breakfast and stop a couple of places to see what we can pick up off our list.

Birthday party

On Saturday, we went to Isabella's 2nd birthday party.  Her mom works with Jim.  The party was Sesame Street themed with a giant bounce house in the yard and lots of delicious food.  Brooke had a great time. 

Isabella.

Brooke enjoying her juice and party favor (Abby Cadabby is her favorite!)/

Eating a cupcake.

Big plans

It's almost Thanksgiving vacation for me (yay!) and I have big plans for the rest of this year:

- Birthday party;
- Santa's Enchanted Forest;
- Jungle Island;
- Christmas light sight-seeing;
- Making "Santa pillows" for my living room (so cute - I'll post pics when I'm done);
- Decorating for Christmas;
- Cooking and baking;
- Shopping;
- Getting together with friends;
- Scrapbooking;
- Introducing the potty to a certain little girl who now constantly removes her own diaper.

Right now, it's seeming like there's not going to be enough time for all of this - but I want my girl to have the holidays jam-packed with fun.

I still haven't been feeling well, so I went to the Minute Clinic at CVS last night (bad wife to a Walgreens employee?  Maybe.  But the CVS clinic is closer). Turns out I now have a double ear infection.  Big surprise there, huh?  I started my antibiotic last night, as well as Mucinex, and I"m hoping it moves out quickly.

Jolly Ranchers

I love Jolly Ranchers.  More than I should.  I can't eat just one - the colors and fruity flavors draw me closer like magnet.  Yes, sometimes they get sticky, but the provide more joy than sorrow.

Life is like jolly ranchers.  It should be filled with color and flavors and FUN that draws us in.  And sometimes, it gets sticky.

The color and flavor in my life?  My family.  We had a great weekend, despite the lingering illness and medicine schedule.  Saturday we walked to the Greek festival for some more than delicious food and fun.  Brooke loved the music and dancing.  Sunday was all about family time at home.

The sticky in my life?  Being far away from family (insert big pout here), not being able to make plans with friends due to the lingering illness and medicine schedule.

I am so looking forward to my vacation next week and diving into another big bag of jolly ranchers ;-)

Infestation

A bug has infested our house yet again.

Last Sunday, Brooke started getting a little runny nose.  It continued until Tuesday, when she was wheezing so badly that I could hear her from across the room.  Yet, she was acting like her normal, happy self, albeit a little more tired than usual.  I did what any Mommy would do - gave her a nebulizer treatment and put her to bed a little early for some rest.

Wednesday, she didn't sound any better, so Jim took her to the pediatrician office.  She has yet another double ear infection.  We're continuing with the nebulizer treatments, and she is also on antibiotics.  When she's done with the meds, the dr gave us a prescription for something called Xylarex, which is an all-natural medicine that prevents bacteria from building up in the e--- tubes of the ears (I can't remember the name for the tubes, ever!).  I think we'll give it a shot and hope it cuts down on the ear infections.  (Side note: does anyone have any experience with this Xylarex?)

The dr said that at this age, kids in daycare will "live at" the dr office.  Last year, Brooke still had my immunities from being in utero.  Now, she's lost them, and her own immune system has to build up - and the only way for that to happen is for her to get sick.  The dr said it will probably take until Brooke is about 3 before her immune system is built up and she doesn't get sick so often - that's the bad news.  The good news is that when she starts school ("real" school), she won't get sick as much as the other kids do.  I wish I would have been able to breastfeed exclusively longer, but it just wasn't happening once I had to stop for 10 days for antibiotics....

Brooke is doing much better today - the congestion is MUCH less, and she slept all night without so much as a single cough. 

But now, I have it.  This is usual - I have the immune system of a 1 year old when it comes to colds.  Seriously.  I go years without catching the stomach flu or anything else - but, colds, I get at least 6 per year. And they ALWAYS turn into ear infections for me.  Joy.  I'm not there yet, but today is the first day I've felt bad - I feel like something is sitting on my chest and have a terrible cough and a runny nose.  I wish I was home in bed, but here I am, working through it as usual.

Hopefully this weekend will still be somewhat fun - we were supposed to get together with a friend of mine, which I cancelled since Brooke and I are both sick.  A church right by our house is having their annual "Greek festival" this weekend, so I think we might check it out tomorrow - the fresh air will do Brooke and I good, and the weather has been gorgeous lately!

Slow cookery

My slow cooker has become my best friend since I have such a commute to and from work.  Especially since Brooke started eating table foods, since we don't get home until 6:10 or 6:15, and she eats dinner at 6:30.  Doesn't leave mommy much cooking time!

I have found a couple of recipes that I would love to share.

The first is brand new (to me), courtesy of my sister - we'll call it roasted chicken:

1 whole chicken
salt
pepper
paprika

Clean chicken & pat dry.  Rub with spices. Put in slow cooker & cook on low 8-10 hours.

That's it - no water.  It gives LOTS of drippings, which would make a great gravy or broth for chicken soup later.  I added carrots and potatoes so that I had a full meal waiting for me.  You can't even get the chicken out whole - it literally falls apart.  It was delicious!

The second I've made a few times, and it's one of our favorites.  I'm making it tomorrow, as a matter of fact:

Slow cooker London Broil

London Broil (or flank steak)
1/3 C Water
1 4 oz can diced green chiles
2 tbsp vinegar
1 1/4 teaspoons chili powder (I use more)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients (I don't measure the spices, just eyeball them) & pour over london broil in slow cooker.  Cook on low 8-10 hours. 

Fall Days!

We have been LOVING the weather this weekend.  We're talking highs of 65-70 and sunny.  Perfect fall days, and perfect for long pants and long sleeves! 

Yesterday, we were getting ready to run errands and I said to Brooke, are you ready to go bye bye?  She went and got my shoes and put them on my feet.  Then she was running around yelling "all day (fall day)!"

We went to the Golden Corral for lunch, then we went to The Falls, where we did some shopping and got Brooke's haircut.  After doing our grocery shopping, we finally headed home. 

Brooke was up early today due to the time change.  Like, ready to get up at 6:45 am (which is really 7:45 am according to her internal clock).  She woke up with a cough, runny nose, and slight fever, so that's what we're battling here.  I'm hoping to get through this (teething? cold?) with no ear infection and in just a couple of days!  She was down for her nap at 11:30, so now I need to get busy cleaning and showering....I had a few more places to run after she wakes up if she feels up to it, or when Jim gets home from work.

Potty training

I've always thought 15 months old was too early for potty training.  I mean, I know these kids are smart, but can they really understand when you explain to them they need to tell you before they pee that they need to go to the potty?  Some may have words (or signs) for needing to go to the potty, but I've doubted that they have the kind of control over their bodies that is required to be potty trained.  I don't doubt they have communication skills for it, but what I doubt is the actual physical control over their little bladders.  I know some kids are potty training at 18 months old but if there's one thing I've learned, it's that these little bodies change so much in a matter of days, weeks, months.....

But, lately, Brooke's been showing signs that she's ready.  She doesn't tell me ahead of time, but she grabs her diaper 90% of the time when she pees...she goes longer dry and then pees more at one time.  Sometimes, she even wakes up from naps/overnight dry! 

Still, I'm not quite sold on the idea.  I've been thinking of getting a potty and starting to introduce it over Christmas when I have 2 weeks off of work - just introducing, not really doing what I call "hard-core training."

The other day (I think Friday?), Brooke, my parents, and I were downstairs.  She came and laid in front of me and played with her pajama pants until I asked if she wanted them off.  Yes, she nodded. Then she started playing with her diaper.  Do you need a ditey change? I asked.  Yes, she nodded.  I grabbed a diaper and changed her - lo and behold, the diaper was completely filled with pee, only 1.5 hours after I changed her last.

Dr. C agrees that by the holidays, Brooke should be "potty-train-able" and have the communication skills she needs to be successful even at such a young age.  I'm considering starting to introduce the potty when I'm off the week over Thanksgiving, even though I don't expect to do the heavy potty-training until a little older.  I think I just need to introduce the idea soon since she's showing signs of readiness - including nodding yes if I ask if she peed/pooped!

So, all that said, any potty training tips?  Especially when they're going to daycare most days?

Happy Halloween!!!

I figured I would throw on a quick post before going to bed, while it is still Halloween!

We had a great week and a great weekend!  Brooke had a blast with "Mamaw" and "Paaa" here.  I'm not sure how daycare will go tomorrow since she's basically been home for a week, but we'll work it out.

On Friday, Brooke had her 15 month appointment.  She is 23 lbs 15 oz and 32 and 1/5 inches tall!!!  She's the height of a 19-month old and is in the 93rd percentile for height (65th percentile for weight).  Dr. C is very happy with how she's growing.  She's also scoring VERY advanced and actually doing 85% of the items on the 2 YEAR old questionnaire (I peaked ahead to see what we should work on).  In the past couple of days she's added "up," "hot," "apple juice (a jus)", and "down" to her vocabulary.  She's starting to put words together (usually with dada)...her favorites are Hooray dada! and Hi dada!

Friday evening, we went to her school for their "Harvest Night."  Jim and I dressed up too, and we went trick or treating from room to room.  Brooke wasn't too sure of it at first, I think she was worried we were going to leave her there when it was bedtime, but once she realized we were staying, she played and didn't want to leave.  She got lots of candy!

Saturday morning, my parents had to leave (boo!), and Jim and I took Boroke to the Seaquarium for the Monster Splash.  She wore her costume, but we didn't realize the Halloween events didn't really start until about 5....so we spent all day.  Brooke LOVED the dolphins (pictures coming soon - her face was priceless!) and got more "loot" when the trick or treating finally started.  We ended the night with dinner at Sir Pizza.

Today, we just relaxed at home.  Brooke had McDonald's chicken nuggets for the first time and loved them (yay!  meat she'll actually eat!). 

Eventful

This week is quite an eventful one!

Monday, I had a trial in a case which I spent almost a week focusing solely on preparations for!  It went well, and I am thankful that it is over and that we were successful for our client!

My parents are here this week, which is always so much fun!  They got here about 2 pm on Sunday.  Brooke warmed up to them quickly and waved bye bye to me as I left for work Monday and she stayed with them. She came to daycare yesterday and is home the rest of the week!  I can tell they are having fun with her, even if Brooke refuses to say Ma-maw!  They cannot get over how smart my girl is....just since they've been here, she's learned to say toes, thank you (dannnnd uuuu), and she's learned where her legs, hands, and fingers are!

Last night Brooke tried on her costume for my parents (pictures coming soon!).  She holds her pumpkin out when we say "trick or treat!" so I think Halloween will be a blast this year!

Friday, we have Brooke's 15 month appointment...I am anxious to see how big she has gotten and am praying that her ear infections are cleared (I am not sure because she's still playing with her ears when tired)....  Then, we're going to head out for dinner and come to Harvest Night at the daycare.  Basically, the kids go trick-or-treating from room to room to get candy and play games.  Jim and I are looking for costumes because they encourage parents to dress up as well!

Then, either Saturday or Sunday, we plan to take Brooke to the Monster Splash at the Seaquarium...which is going to be such a fun day! 

Just trying out the mobile posting!

15 months (tomorrow)!

I cannot believe tomorrow marks 15 months from when Brooke was born. Seriously, 15 months ago, I looked like a house (I was so huge!)

I am so proud of my baby girl and think (hope, anyway) that Jim and I are doing a good job raising her.

She amazes me everyday with how much she learns. She's such a sponge! She LOVES books. Most nights, her toys don't even get disturbed, because she wants to read books (over and over and over again). She tries to sing "If you're happy and you know it" in the car, tries to do the hand movements for the "itsy bitsy spider," and she can point to her: eyes, ears, hair, head, nose, mouth, tongue, toes, and belly button! She walks almost exclusively now (still crawls if she's really tired) and loves climbing the steps! She knows how to flush the toilet (haha). She prefers to feed herself, with or without utensils (I'm learning to let go). She knows the number 1, whether it's "one bite," "how old are you?" or we're counting. She definitely has a mind of her own and is very independent - she refuses to let me brush her hair these days! She loves to brush her teeth (with a little assistance). She nods her head yes and shakes her head no, and she answers when I ask if she's ready for bed or needs a diaper change.

She's talking up a storm too! Newer words (some may overlap because I never remember what I blog): Elmmmm (Elmo), Abby (Abby Cadabby), Pa (Pap).......plus all her old words. She also jabbers a lot where we have no idea what she is saying, but she has the sweetest. voice. ever.

In 3 more months, she will be one and a half years old. That's all....3 months. Time flies by. Everyone always said that, but I feel like I've blinked once since she was born and here we are. And yet, I can tell you every single milestone I've seen her reach for the first time - the first time she crawled (only one I missed!), first time she rolled, first steps, first word, first bath.....I swear they all just happened yesterday.

Weekend

I love weekends. In fact, I live for my weekends.

Not just because it's days off work. Because, really, no matter how stressed out I get, I do like my job....sometimes I wish it were a different area of the law, closer to home, better paying, etc, etc....but who doesn't think that about their job?

No, I live for weekends because of this:

During the week, with work and the commute, I only get to see her a few hours a day - and that's filled with eating and diaper-chahnging, with only maybe an hour of good play-time.

Weekends, though, are ours.

Yesterday, we stayed home and played while Jim worked. And, yes, weekends are better if he's with us the whole time, but it's just a fact of life that he can't be.

After he got home, we went to the mall that's super close to us. Like, we could walk, but we don't because who wants to carry all those goodies home? Yesterday, I wish we had walked....part of K. Drive was shut down because of an accident. When we got there, part of the mall was packed...turns out LeBron James was there.

When we finally got to the store, we bought Brooke 2 pairs of sneakers from Stride Rite at super sale (and we've been assured they'll fit for 3-4 months). We had dinner at Johnny Rockets and picked our girl up a Christmas dress at Penneys for pictures.

Brooke has been doing well with her medicine this time. Not spitting it everywhere, although it takes a lot of coaxing before she takes it. She does, however, have a very painful diaper rash since she got the shot of antibiotics...we're taking care of that with warm washcloths instead of wipes and Triple Paste..hoping it clears up soon!

This morning, Brooke slept until 10 am! She woke up with a low fever (100.9). She's been drooling, so I'm guessing this is teething. Motrin brought it down, and now she's napping. When Jim gets home, it's time for grocery shopping.

Dr. Castro suggested hiding Brooke's veggies until she starts eating them better again....like, pureeing them and mixing them with foods. So I'm thinking of getting the Deceptively Delicious cookbook...has anyone used this? Success/failures/suggestions? Brooke will eat veggies whole if they're in tomato sauce, but we can't eat that everyday!

So sweet.

This morning, when I dropped Brooke off at daycare, a little friend of hers, Arianna, came running over. This is a daily routine - she comes running over yelling "Brookie! Hi, Brookie! Brookie, hi!" Arianna's closer to 2, and she's only in that classroom early in the morning until the teacher for the "Twaddler" room gets there. Today, I leaned down so she and Brooke could say hi - Arianna gave Brooke a hug, and then they held hands and walked to the toys. I wanted to snap a picture, but my camera was in my car (boo!). I'll have to try to catch them on another day.

Happy Birthday, Mamaw!

I thought this deserved a much happier post than my last.

Today is my mom's birthday! I cannot wait for her and my dad to get here in just 11 days! We'll surely celebrate that week. I am so close to my mom and miss her so much now that I'm living away! They have done so much for Jim and I, and we appreciate everything more than I can express.

Happy Birthday, Mom! We love you!

Sickened.

Remember baby Joshie I posted about last week? He passed away from a CHD at about 7 weeks old. His mom's blog is http://www.fierceandfiesty.blogspot.com/.

Well, a day or two before he passed away, his parents chose to have him circumcised. He was stable at the time, and doctors assured them it was safe.

Since his passing, his parents have been under attack by anti-circumcision activists (also called "intactivists"). Activists who have gone so far as to call the coronor regarding Joshua's death (against the parents wishes) and have contacted newspapers, making baby Joshua into the face of their fight, etc.

Jim and I had decided when I was pregnant that if it were a boy, he would be circumcised. I can't say I have strong feelings about it one way or the other, but it was our choice. But this post isn't about whether circumcision is right or wrong.....

It's about how unfair , pushy, and downright rude these activists are being. Everyone knows that I'm not shy about my opinions, and when I really believe in a cause, I fight for it with everything I have. But to put a family who just lost their son (and NOT because of the circumcision, but because he had a heart defect, by the way) is JUST TOO MUCH. It is taking it too far. It makes me sick to think of people bullying this baby's parents, who did the best they could and gave their baby the best care they could.

What right do these people have to push their beliefs on this family? And what do they think gives them the right to question how this couple took care of their critically ill child and try to blame his death on their actions? Really, what right do we have to do any of that?

Believing in a cause is commendable, standing up and fighting for that cause is only right. But at what point does it become too much, go too far? I'm not sure where that line is, but it has been way overstepped, in my opinion.

I'll leave it at this: show Joshua's parents some support. His life, and their suffering now, is not about their choice to circumcise. His too-short life was about doing God's work, even if no one understands it right now. His battle was about his heart, not his foreskin.

10-10-10

I always thinks it's lucky when you have the same month, day, and year. I even considered having my wedding on 7-7-07, but we ultimately decided it was too popular and went with a Saturday in May instead (over Memorial Day weekend).

Today, we've just been spending a lazy, hazy day at home. Jim is working 4 pm - midnight, so he's at work, and Brooke has been napping for almost 2.5 hours. When she gets up, I think we'll have her snack and head to Target.

Yesterday was pretty much the same.

Sometimes I just need these quiet weekends at home to refresh myself...

Angels and Heroes

I've blogged a few times about the heart community that I've been following online - the babies born with congenital heart defects. I am so amazed by what medicine can do and by what these little fighters - some only days old - are able to overcome. I feel for the parents - I cannot begin to imagine the devastation when you are told something like your baby has half a heart (or any other CHD), the worry when they are born, the feeling of handing your baby over for open heart surgery, or the hope that they must feel as their little ones recover.

This past week, nine - NINE - members of this heart community suffering from Congenital Heart Defects have passed away. (9 - did you get that? Can you believe it?) They fought as long, and as hard, as their bodies would let them. They were different ages, in different stages of life, and suffered from different CHDs. I've been following the stories of two of them:

Ewan (www.team-ewan.blogspot.com) was diagnosed in utero with a severe form of Tetralogy of Fallots and other heart conditions (I don't know anything about the heart, so I apologize if I get this wrong); he had surgery and had to be placed on the ECMO machine (full life support) - They tried to bring him off of it a few times, but it was too much for his little body to bear - he was 2 weeks old when he passed away Monday.

Joshua (www.fierceandfiesty.blogspot.com) was diagnosed in utero with HLHS (only has 1/2 of a functioning heart) - He fought so hard and crashed multiple times, undergoing two open heart surgeries - he lost his fight this morning, at about 7 weeks old.

I know it's so hard to hear about these babies, and my heart breaks (daily) for these families. So why am I writing about it now?

I feel like everyone gives all of their attention to issues like Breast cancer awareness and other cancers. Don't get me wrong, I don't think any attention should be diverted from these issues - but just like people are aware of cancers, people NEED to be aware of CHDs and the effects of them. CHDs need the funding for research just like breast cancer or other diseases.

When I was pregnant, I had my anatomy scan, and I knew there was a possibility something could be wrong, but I never gave a second thought to the baby's heart - after all, we had seen/heard it beating numerous times during our prior visits.

But I'm struggling. It's a different struggle than these "heart moms" face on a daily basis. I'm struggling with how I, as a blessed mother of a heart-healthy daughter, can help bring awareness to the issue. It feels almost like they are in a different "world" because of all they go through when, in reality, we are all mothers fighting to do the best we can for our children - maybe they just have a little more of an "uphill battle" than others.

How can a baby who goes through open heart surgery at such a young age (many at least 3 surgeries by the time they're 2!) be called anything but a hero? And those heroes that lose their battle and return to the Heavenly Father anything but angels?

So, while it's so scary and gut-wrenching to read this stories, I beg you to read a few (Ewan's, Joshie's, or many others I can point you to) - if for no other reason than gaining awareness of the issue. Lives depend on it.

* If you're not ready for stories like Ewan's or Joshua's, I can point you to many, many, many heroes who have undergone the surgeries and are thriving - as well as some who have received a new heart from someone else's angel.

Beautiful Life.

We had a beautiful weekend full of a lot of nothing but family goodness.

Saturday, we went out to dinner. Brooke cut her lip, but it only bled for a second. Then we went shopping and got her Halloween costume (it's nothing too "creative" but oh so cute..and she loves it). Sunday, we went to the "playground" at Tropical Park - I was disappointed there were no swings, but my girl had a blast.

I miss my friends from Bellwood and Indiana, and my family. I have friends here, sure, but it's not the same as those girls that you've known for 10 years + (some for over 20 years!!!!!). The ones who know what I'm thinking before I say it, the ones who know I need to have a really deep, heartfelt chat from taking one glance at me. The ones I can tell anything to. I miss them so much I am getting tired. I need a dose of these people, and I need it fast.

But, when I start to dwell too long on the things I miss, I just have to stop and take a deep breath. My life may not be all flowers and rainbows, and I may not have everyone together in one place - but I am lucky enough to have great friends, a family, that loves me, and the sweetest girl in the world to call my own.

And how much do you want to bet that when Jim and I move away from here, I will post a similar blog about missing my law school friends (who I don't see nearly enough, by the way), my local mommy friends, and the winter warmth?

Field Day and other stuff

Last week, Brooke's daycare had "Field Day." I had expected that it was only for the older kids, but kids as young as the toddler room participated (so all kids 1 year +). Brooke's teacher made them all "jerseys," which said "Todds" on the front and had their name on the back. They said the class did really great, racing toy lawnmowers and playing a "hot potato" type game with a balloon. I'll get to see pictures soon.

The weather this weekend is supposed to be great, so I think we're taking Brooke to the playground at Tropical Park tomorrow. I'm excited! We haven't taken her yet, but I think she'll like the swings and the slides. I wish I knew more about photography because I know that would be a scene for some *magical* photos!

Jim's overnights for next week got changed, so we're hoping he'll still be finishing up overnights the day before Thanksgiving so our weekend trip isn't ruined! Since I'm off the whole week of Thanksgiving and 2 weeks at Christmas, I really can't take any extra time off....so we would have to leave on a Friday evening and come home Sunday, and what kind of "vacation" is that?

Last night, Brooke and I got together with my friend Adriana and her daughters, Olivia and Gaby. We had a great time, as usual! I tend to completely lose track of time talking with Adriana and watching the girls play (when Brooke will finally get off my lap, which is usually after she eats, lol). And Brooke is very thankful for the mac n cheese Adriana offered that saved us from stopping somewhere to buy dinner!

We're still debating on Brooke's Halloween costume, but I know that we're definitely hitting up the Miami Seaquarium for Halloween. I'm so excited! I love the sea lion and dolphin shows, and this will be the first time they've been difference since we started going to the Seaquarium. We haven't been there since Easter, so I'm super excited to go back!

Stuffi have a lot to say

I have a lot to say. But not a lot of time to say it in. So I'm just going to type, whatever comes out next it is.

Our whole family seems to be feeling better. Brooke still has some congestion but its getting better.

Let's talk about Saturday, shall we? Brooke was cranky getting up from her nap, and Jim left for work. She ate a bigger snack than normal. A little while later she vomited. I dealt with that, and then she fell outside my kitchen and cut her knee just a little. Cleaned that and put a bandaid on it. Then we went upstairs where she promptly dumped the water from her humidifier all. over. the. carpet. I cleaned that up, and it was bedtime....and I've never been more thankful for bedtime!

Dinnertimes just keep getting harder and harder. A while ago, she was almost on ALL table food. Now, at dinnertime, she's starting to refuse more and more and only want babyfood. She doesn't do that at daycare, and I think it's because she doesn't know I give them babyfood, so she eats whatever they give her. She has a big lunch and a decent snack (usually some fruit and some puffs and a bottle), so maybe she's not as hungry at dinner. But it's getting so stressful. I think we'll move her baby food (right now, we keep it on a shelf that she can reach) so she doesn't see it and see if that helps. The only thing I know left to do is stand tough - not give her something else no matter how much she cries. Maybe if I just let her play a little when she starts fussing, she'll get hungry enoucgh to eat whatever it is that I'm trying to feed her....

I think I've settled on Naples for our weekend away. It's a little closer in case Brooke is miserable, and I think the Sesame Street thing is permanent, so maybe we can do it later next year or something (once we see how this road trip goes). I'm hoping to be done with the baby food by then so I don't have to drag all of that along, so we'll see. Note to self: get a hotel room with a fridge so we can buy milk and keep it in there!

Jim told me last week that he's planning a surprise for me but, of course, he won't tell me what it is. The suspense is killing me!

Sorry for any typos, I'm posting this one from my phone!

Illness and stuff.

Jim took Brooke to the pediatrician yesterday. When they weighed her, she weighed 24 lbs! Of course, that was with her shoes, clothes, and diaper on, so we'll see what she is at the end of October when she goes for her 15-month appointment.

The dr wasn't too concerned about Brooke's congestion, although they said to call if she gets worse and we can use saline in her nebulizer to help her clear it out. Otherwise, just keep doing what we were doing - elevating the head of the mattress, using the humidifier, etc.

Turns out, Brooke has ANOTHER double ear infection. She's back on an antibiotic. The left ear is worse this time, because that's the ear that still had some fluid after her last ear infection (she was checked on Thursday 9/9 and the infection was gone but fluid still there, she started with the stuffy nose on Mon 9/13). The dr said we'll have to watch her - if she starts getting a lot of infections back-to-back, we'll have to start thinking about tubes. I do NOT want to go there - I had them as a child, and I have problems with my hearing to this day.

As for my diet, it's going OK. Day 1 was great - stayed within my calories and exercised (didn't have to stop too often!). Day 2 was OK - I stayed within my calories, but couldn't do the Shred. I started getting whatever Jim had, and I keep getting worse. Even sitting still, I'm having to use my inhaler more often than normal because of the tightness/congestion in my chest - the last thing I wanted to do was do the video and give myself an asthma attack (I have exercise induced asthma and haven't ever had a full-blown asthma attack - I didn't want to have to take my sick daughter to the ER with me for the first one!). I'm feeling even worse today, so we'll see what I end up doing - I don't know whether to count these as days of the Shred or maybe say well, I only did one day, I'll start after the congestion has worked its way out and I can do the whole 30 days. That feels like the cheaters way out....

Last night was the Pitt/UM game. It was fun to watch since Jim is a Pitt fan! UM won, 31-3. I get to pick our first real "road trip" as a family, which we will take next time he does the overnights at work (probably around Thanksgiving). I'm thinking either Naples or Tampa - but definitely open to suggestions.

Weight loss

I started trying to lose weight a while ago. On Saturday evening, I started the 30 day shred. My legs were killing me (seriously, I couldn't even carry Brooke up and down the stairs!), so I took Monday and last night off.

I'm "re-starting" tonight and I am going to do it every night for 30 nights. Seriously. Despite the fact I'm getting sick again. I'm going to use this blog to help me focus and blog about my progress every couple of days.

So, Day 1: So far, I've already had 6 servings of water (yay! This is always a big obstacle for me - I hate water. I did great when pregnant and breastfeeding but seriously fell off the wagon since January!). Eating has been going OK - Not many snacks, and I think I'll be within my allotted calories (1350) for the day. I'm actually excited to work out!

Brooke has had a cold since last Monday, so she's getting checked tomorrow. Yesterday, Jim went to the dr., and he has pink eye, bronchitis, and a sinus infection. My chest is getting tight and I have a stuffy nose - oh the joys of having a baby in daycare and a husband that works at a pharmacy! I've been told the first 2 years of school are the worst for kids - we're 1/2 way there, and really, I don't think Brooke has been sick that much.

Walking and 14 months!

So, Brooke has been working on walking for the past month. She would go a few steps and then fall. Until this weekend, she was having trouble standing up without holding onto something...she would lean either to far forward or too far back.

That has all changed! She now prefers walking over crawling. She still has the "drunken sailor" swagger and falls a lot, but she can walk from in front of my couch to the door!

Today, my baby is 14 months old. In just 10 months, she will be 2...I cannot believe it!

She's starting to talk up a storm. I can't remember what I have blogged about her saying, so here are some of my favorites: Ma-Maw (Grandma), Lello (Yellow), Nish (Nice), Bah-baye (bye bye), hoooorah (hooray), Mama ;-), dat (that), dant oo (thank you). She's also now nodding "yes" and "no" and will answer a question..usually honestly ;-) She climbs up the stairs at lightening fast speed, and she knows when I tell her it's time for a bath that she needs to climb the stairs, turn the corner, and go down the hall.

It's amazing how much they learn is such a short amount of time! I look back on when Brooke was even 8 or 9 months old, right before she started crawling, and I was so excited when she would sit up on her own. Now she's starting to walk and talk! Where did my little baby go?

On Sunday, I started the 30 day shred...I'm really serious about the diet this time! My arms, abs, and legs are so sore. If I lose at least 15 lbs in the 30 days, I am going to buy myself an organizer for all of my scrapbooking stuff. I used to be so "crafty," always scrapbooking, sewing, etc., and I miss doing that. I'm excited, and it helps to have a goal (I hope).

Autumn

It's almost that time of year. Autumn. Fall. My favorite time of year.

In Florida, the change of season doesn't really mean anything, except maybe football season is underway - just that like Groundhog Day (another personal favorite these days) means nothing to people who live where it's (almost) always summer.

In Pennsylvania, and all over the north, fall means something different. Chilly, crisp, cool, fresh air; the changing of the leaves; high school football games; bundling up for college games; sweaters, jeans, and the start of jackets; county fairs (an all-time favorite of mine!); hot chocolate and funnel cakes.

Now that I've been living away for so long (almost 5.5 years!), I miss it even more than I thought - no, KNEW - I would. I love walking out of my house on a fall day leading up to Halloween, taking a deep breath of the cool air and feeling refreshed. Rejuvenated.

The smell of pies and apple cider warming my hands after the Halloween parade. Halloween just isn't the same. Brooke can't wear any of the bunny rabbit or other furry critter costumes I want so badly to put her in because it is just too hot down here. I can't get excited about gingerbread and apple cider because it is just not the same.

I remember in college, seeing snow flurries before Halloween - and I knew Halloween would be a great night of children dressed as ghosts, goblins, and other "scary" costumes sneaking through the dreary, foggy night - and I was right. That Halloween, I went to Jim's apartment in Cresson to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters and it was the best, spookiest Halloween night a kid could ask for.

On Sunday, Jim and I were watching football. I looked outside and it was gray, cloudy, rainy - a perfect dreary-looking day (I enjoy them on occasion, although usually not). It looked like a rainy PA fall day (insert green landscaping and palm trees for the oranges and reds of fall - each beautiful in their own right). I felt like I should be wearing jeans and a (light) sweater. Instead, I put on a tank and shorts, yet again, and walked out into the 90 degree weather to go to Kohl's - where I couldn't find Brooke any appropriate clothing because everything was better suited for the fall and winter of the North.

Dinner rut

I'm in a rut with my dinners. I make the same things every week - and I am willing to bet that it happens to all of us working women (mom or not!). Chicken, chicken, burgers, chicken, tacos, spaghetti....I just want to start making different things.

My mom makes a family favorite we call Braised Beef - it's simply stew beef, marinara sauce (I use DelGrosso's - or Publix - spaghetti sauce), and a bag of frozen mixed veggies (corn, carrots, peas...whatever). I just throw mine in the slow cooker and let it cook all day! We serve it over rice. It's one of my favorite things, and Jim loves it too, but I rarely make it. If I have the stew beef, I normally make beef stew these days - I definitely need to start making Braised Beef more.

Today, I didn't have any stew beef in the house, so I used boneless skinless chicken breasts instead. And since I'm out of rice, I'll make either Couscous or noodles. I cannot wait to try it!

Brooke is only eating "real" veggies if they are mixed into the meals these days - chicken soup, beef stew, etc. etc. Braised beef (and if it tastes as good with chicken) will be a winner (I hope!)

With that said, leave me some of your favorite recipes - slow cooker or not, veggies in the dish or not - I need to get out of a dinner rut.

Monday

Today's Monday and, as always, I'm sad my weekend home with my family has ended...just a few more days, and we do it all over again!

On Saturday, we went to Golden Corral for Jim's birthday dinner (he loves it there!) Brooke at SO MUCH. She loves it there, too.

Other than that, we didn't do much except enjoy the first football weekend. Well, first NFL weekend, anyway.

Brooke is learning new things like crazy. She's added theses words recently: yellow (lello), baby (ba-bay), buh-bye (ba-baye!), Grandma (Ma-maw)...... Now, when she's hungry, she goes to the kitchen and brings me a jar of her baby food. She's also walking, consistently, across the living room.

A while ago, I posted about this whole community of "heart moms" that I found in the blogs - most of the ones I follow are moms with babies that suffer from a severe heart defect called HLHS. This was something I never knew existed. I knew congenital heart defects existed, obviously, but never that there were people living with 1/2 a heart, basically. I never knew about the three stage surgery, never realized there are babies (newborns) who go through heart transplants. I feel like I should have known, because, logically, it makes sense that the defects would be in varying degrees - but I never did. And I can't stop reading their stories. I feel for their parents, because I can only imagine how hard it would be to watch your child go through that, but I also admire their parents - because they are so strong. I know that the babies make it all worth it, but how tough it must be.....and these babies have so many obstacles to overcome.

Today, there are several babies undergoing their surgeries. Bodie is having his second surgery, and a baby just born on Thursday is undergoing his first in the series of three. Please keep these babies, their doctors, and their families in your thoughts & prayers. I know they would all appreciate it.

TGIF

I am so glad it's Friday. Despite having Monday off and leaving early yesterday, this week just seemed to drag!

Brooke had her follow-up yesterday, and it was a good report! Her ear infections are both cleared up, although she still has some fluid in her left ear. As long as she doesn't get a cold or anything, the fluid should be absorbed back into the body. *Knock on wood!*

The pedi was kind enough to check my ears out, too. I also have some fluid in my left ear, but the ear drums are healing nicely. She was even able to get me hearing again, at least out of my right ear.

Brooke is becoming so independent, it's crazy. She wants to feed herself. All. The. Time. This is great, EXCEPT I try so hard to keep her clothes clean. She insists on using the spoon to feed herself baby food, too. This was fine the first time, since she was just in her diaper - last night, though, she was dressed in a nice blue and green top and eating purple food (Bananas, Plums, and Grapes for you mommas). Luckily, she didn't get as messy last night.....I know I need to stop being such a control freak and let her get a little messy while she's learning to feed herself, but I have issues with that. I like to control Everything. All. The. Time.

Jim and I started dieting about 3.5 weeks ago. He's doing weight watchers, and I started tracking my food on myfitnesspal.com. It looks like my thyroid is finally evened out, and I have lost almost 8 lbs already!

Happy Birthday, Jim!

Today is Jim's birthday. We don't have much exciting planned - we're both working, then taking Brooke to her follow up appointment at the pediatrician, grabbing Subway for dinner, and heading home to watch football. Sunday, I'm making him homemade pizza at his request, and in October we're going to have dinner at his favorite restaurant, Grampa's in Dania Beach.

Brooke is starting to really walk. I think she prefers to walk over crawl, but she still knows she gets there faster crawling. Funny thing is, she only walks when barefoot at home, and she's still stumbling a lot...but definitely improving. It's so exciting to watch!

This n That

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend!

I'm back at work now, and it is still so terrible to try to hear. I thought I was hearing better today, because I could hear my radio in my car, but I cannot hear anything but the click clickety click of my keyboard as I type - I might as well turn the radio in my office off since I can't hear it anyway.

Brooke had a rough morning when I dropped her off today - it is very unusual for her to cry, I guess it's just because she was home for 4 days in a row.

Brooke is really starting to walk now! Yesterday, she kept doing the thing she does constantly where she takes 4-6 steps and then leans too far forward and falls down. But, when Sesame Street came on in the morning, she walked across my living room. The. Whole. Way. Because she wanted to get a close up view of Elmo on our gigantic tv. Thank God she didn't fall forward into the tv stand, because Jim and I were frozen, watching in amazement as she toddled closer saying "Bel-bo! Bel-bo!"

She's starting to talk a little more - now, instead of "baabaa" for bottle, she will say "baa-dl" and separate the two syllables just like that.

Jim and I are thinking of downsizing to a 2 bedroom apartment (instead of our townhouse) to try to save some money - we're both really wanting to move out of Miami (and probably out of Florida) in the next couple of years. We just have to figure out if it's feasible to move right now (why is moving so expensive), even if we stay in the same apartment complex. I am leaning towards yes - but while Jim was all for it at first, as soon as he had me convinced, he changed his mind to a no. (And I thought I was bad at making decisions!)

Prayers

Please continue to pray for my friend Becky and her husband Scott. Scott's little girl passed away early this morning.

Becky, we are thinking of you, Scott, and the rest of Amber's extended family. We love you!

Never-ending....

I am so anxious for Brooke and I both to be feeling better and for everything to get back to normal.

Yesterday, I went to the dr after what happened with my ears - turns out, the infection perforated BOTH of my eardrums. I feel now like I'm constantly underwater and everything is muffled - this should get better as the fluid continues to drain and the membrane on my eardrum heals itself. I'm on an antibiotic. The biggest problem for me is that my eardrums are so scarred from having tubes and ruptured eardrums when I was a child that the last thing they needed was MORE scarring. I'm worried what this will do to my hearing, since I already have such difficulty hearing deep sounds (like a bass drum, bass guitar, a low man's voice, etc.).

Then, Brooke went back to the pediatrician. The pediatrician (who shares space with our normal pedi, who was off yesterday) agreed that it sounded like the Omnicef was making Brooke miserable and depending on how her ears were doing, she would give her something else. Turns out, Brooke's ears were "blood red" in color and the infection was still terrible - on top of everything, the Omnicef wasn't even clearing up the infection! Now, what may have seemed like side effects may have been the continuing pain from the infection, but I think that the antibiotic played at least a small role as well. Brooke's now on Augmenten (we had grape flavoring added), and she has some ear drops to numb her ears if she needs them. Last night, she wasn't acting like her head or anything hurt her, and she was able to sleep through the night.

Unfortunately, Jim's plans for a fun weekend (he's off from today until Monday!) will be changed to staying at home, playing and relaxing so Momma and baby can recuperate!

Please keep my best friend Becky's family in your prayers. Her step-daughter suffers from severe epilepsy, and they are going through a lot right now.

Back to the pediatrician....

I have always hated the old saying "When it rains, it pours." Just because it's raining doesn't mean it's going to pour - there are varying amounts of rain, ie sprinkling, etc. Why do we have to quantify it anyway? Why can't it just be raining?

The past week, it's been pouring in my house. First, Brooke's double ear infection. Then, her strange reaction to the antibiotic.

The pedi said what's going on with Brooke is not a reaction to the antibiotic (I'm not convinced). She slept a little better last night, but was still up about 5 times between 9:30 pm and 5 am (something she didn't even do as a newborn!)

Last night, I barely slept at all because my ears were hurting SO BAD. I finally fell asleep a little after 3 am, and when I woke up this morning at 6 am, there is liquidy stuff coming out of my right ear.

Nonetheless, I got ready and was on my way to work when I hear Brooke sneezing and coughing - she's forward facing now so I turn around in time to see her vomiting all over herself and the carseat :(

She's at daycare now, but she's going to the pedi this afternoon, and I'm going to my dr as well. Fun day, huh?

Walking!

In my last post, I was so focused on what's going on with Brooke's antibiotic, I forgot to mention....

....she's starting to walk on her own!

So far, we're only talking 4-6 steps on her own, but she just started on Wednesday. Last night, she did this 4 times in a row....one of these days she's going to just keep going, and I cannot wait!

Omnicef.

I hate the word. I hate to think if it. Omnicef is the antibiotic given to Brooke for her ear infection, and it has been tough on my little girl.

Before we went to the pediatrician on Wednesday, Brooke was sleeping great and seemed to be feeling great. I got the prescription filled immediately after leaving the office and gave her the first dose that night.

Wednesday night, she seemed to be in more pain, and it seemed like she was teething on top of everything, so I gave her some generic Tylenol. She did not sleep well - she was up several times overnight.

Each night has continued to be the same thing. She falls asleep about 8:15 pm (earlier than her normal bedtime) and sleeps until about 10 - then she starts waking up every 10 minutes or so until midnight (last night, until 2 am!). Then, she'll sleep for an hour or two stretch at a time.

Last night was night #5 of this....so dreadful.

When she's awake during the day, she's cranky and clingy (OK, so maybe she likes to cling to Mommy just a little, but I can normally get her play...and she is ALWAYS smiling and laughing). Her appetite is pretty much non-existent (she used to eat 3 stage 2 jars of food for lunch, now she's only eating 1). Her eyes are puffy and pink from being so tired and crying so much. She's been hitting the side of her head, which she's never done before.

What caused this? I'm pretty sure it's the antibiotic. On Sunday, after 4 nights of no sleeping, I put a call in to the pedi's office. The after hours nurse said that Omnicef can cause diarrhea (we've had some of this too), upset stomach, headaches (I don't know if Brooke has a headache - I'm guessing this is why she's been patting her head, as the patting goes away with Tylenol), restlessness, lack of appetite, and irratibility. She advised that I should call the pedi this morning (which I did, and I'm waiting for a call back - if I don't hear anything by the time they get back from lunch at 2:30, I'm calling again).

I know all antibiotics have side effects, but I really do not like that my girl is not sleeping - how's that going to help her feel better? I'm insistent that they need to change the antibiotic so she can rest and get feeling better.

On another note, Jacqui, Brooke's godmother, was released from the hospital on Thursday, exactly 3 weeks after her bone marrow transplant on 8/5/10!! Please say a quick prayer that she continues to do well and recover from her transplant as well as she has so far - we cannot wait until she's well enough to travel and see us!

My poor baby

Apparently, all my posts about my baby girl not eating have a reason!

She's been playing with her ears lately - but no fever, no crying, no real crankiness/fussiness (except when eating veggies!), no nothing. She plays with her ears when she's tired (sticking her fingers inside) and sometimes just to play (she also sticks her fingers in my ears, in my husband's ears, etc....she's fascinated by them), so Jim and I had decided to just watch her and see how it went.

On Saturday, I decided to take her to the dr, but the office was closed. I waited until yesterday (Wednesday) because it's the first day I could leave work early to take her, and I had a couple of other questions for the dr (mostly about eating!) I didn't think it was a big deal to wait, since she didn't seem to be sick and plays with her ears anyway (last time this happened, she was just getting teeth, and she was drooling so I thought I'd be losing $25 anyway!)

Well, turns out, she has a double ear infection. They put her on an antibiotic for 10 days. (She is also getting more teeth, which might have caused the congestion that led to fluid build-up that led to an ear infection....). I feel like an absolutely awful Mommy for not taking her sooner, but it is SO HARD to guess when this child has an ear infection. She doesn't complain about them - I can't wait until she can start to tell me, "Mommy, my ear hurts!"

On a more positive note, Brooke hasn't been sick (and no antibiotics) since APRIL! (You might remember one fever in June, but that was solely due to teething!) The ped was so happy, and so am I!

Update

I haven't blogged for almost a week, because, really, every day is the same old, same old....

Last week, Brooke had a really runny nose that I attributed to teething since she's been literally grabbing her mouth. Saturday, I started getting a cold that has now moved into my chest and is making me really miserable. It's hard to breathe, but I'm not really coughing much so no relief there.

Things on the eating front have not gotten any better. Brooke won't eat meat, which doesn't worry me because it didn't worry Dr. Castro - she said many kids don't eat meat at this age (now that I think of it, I know my niece didn't and she's healthy as can be at 4 years old!). While she used to eat regular veggies and spit out baby food veggies, she now refuses anything but the baby food veggies. She'll eat some regular veggies if they're mixed in soup, but not very many - I don't think she even eats a tablespoon that way, either! I offer her table food at every meal and then give her baby food at the end if she's still hungry - she's definitely getting over 5 servings of fruits & veggies a day, so it will work out. I'm trying to be patient, but I am so excited to not have to buy baby food anymore!

One thing I've found that Brooke loves is roast beef from Subway! Go figure.

Eating.....

Brooke's eating really has me frustrated!

For a while, it was really hard to feed her at breakfast - almost like she didn't want to eat as soon as she got up, so she would hardly eat anything. That went away during/after vacation, and I've found that she LOVES breakfast foods - pancakes, eggs, fruit, yogurt, toast/bagels, donuts/pastries....

Now, the difficulty is veggies, which she's always loved! It used to be the only thing she wouldn't eat was meat - now she's spitting out her veggies no matter what form they're in. She will eat all fruits (except fresh blueberries), cheese, pasta, rice, etc., etc., but I cannot, for the life of me, get her to swallow those veggies! She'll chew them for a second and then spit them out, use her fantastic pincer grasp to pick them up, and hand them to me.

So, Mamas out there, do you have any advice for me? I know to keep trying them (and I'm hoping eventually she'll start to love them again!) In the meantime, I'll also stick with the baby food purees and mix them into my meals (for example, beef stew) whenever I can. This is so, so, so important to me - my #1 goal is to teach Brooke to eat healthy (all things in moderation, which I tend to have trouble with when it comes to yummy, sweet, chocolate-y things). (OK - maybe not #1 - but it's one of my top goals to be a good Mama!) I do NOT want her to be in her mid-20s and have high cholesterol (like me) - (I know part of it is hereditary, and we have an incredibly strong family history of this, high blood pressure, and heart disease in mine and Jim's families).

Just a quick update....

Nothing too exciting to report here.

Everytime it seems like we have a little extra money to save for our eventual move, something happens. This time, it was a flat tire on my car (that we were lucky didn't blow out while I was driving), which required us to replace both front tires and get my car aligned. Oh, and that weird thing that my car does where my a/c doesn't come on all the time? It's the blower motor - which I will need to replace soon so that my sweet little girl doesn't melt in this heat when it finally decides to stop working for good. Plus, it was Florida Bar dues time and daycare. I wish I could just stay home and save that money, and travel money I spend to and from work, but we're just not in a position for that to happen right now.

Life is still good, though. Brooke is growing so fast! She loves to walk around the living room pushing her toys, and she loves to feed her new baby doll a bottle! She's starting to talk a little more now - but still not trying to repeat everything. That will come with time, I suppose. For now, she says baabaa (bottle), hi, boo (book), wha (what happened? She puts her hands up in the air with this one), Mama, Dada.....ba (ball)....so cute! She started smelling her food now, too - she purses her lips like a kiss and sticks her nose in her food. Too funny! She gives kisses - she does the lips and that's how she blows kisses.

Jim and I moved to the sports room so Brooke now has her own room - and she sleeps better than ever! I miss our big, comfy bed, but I'll adjust.

When we were in PA, on 8/6/10, we went to my Gram's house after the rehearsal dinner. Brooke stood up in the middle of the floor by herself! She tried to take a couple of steps on her own and fell forward - now she's only done it once or twice since then.

One thing that is frustrating me lately is that while she used to love veggies, it gets harder and harder to feed them to her each day! It doesn't really matter if they're whole or pureed, she doesn't like them. Guess I'll have to get her some asparagus and then try to convince her to eat others. She LOVES spaghetti, mac and cheese, and all thing carbohydrates, LOL.

Today, Jim and I are starting weight watchers again - wish us luck!

I just wanted to add...

a prayer request.

I've posted on here before about one of my best friends, my sorority sister, and Brooke's godmother, Jacqui, and her battle with leukemia. Most recently, we had the chance to visit her at the hospital on July 30 as she was beginning preparation for her bone marrow transplant. Her transplant on August 5 went well, and she was infused with 8 million cells from a donor in just 31 minutes! There are additional cells frozen in case Jacqui should need them.

Now, Jacqui is dealing with exhaustion that comes with her blood count plummeting to zero (no immune system), vomiting, mouth sores from medicine, a fever, and I'm sure other side effects that I'm unaware of.

Jacqui is a very sweet, amazing person, and we all know she'll come through this with flying colors. But, please, PLEASE say some extra prayers for her, her husband, her amazingly supportive parents, and the woman who was kind enough to donate her bone marrow to save our Jacqui!

If you want to read Jacqui's story from the beginning and see the current happenings, just go to www.caringbridge.org/visit/jacquibuckley.

Vacation....part 4

I'm going to see if I can speed through the rest of our vacation so I can get back to boring, everyday posts, haha.

On Wednesday, we took Brooke to have her pictures taken at Penney's with her cousins, Jenna (3 and a half) and Thaddeus (almost 2). It started out terribly. Thad started crying and wouldn't sit down. Jenna was sitting on the floor smiling, so I put Brooke next to her - and Brooke joined in the crying! Then the photographer started getting grabby and looking at Jenna's necklace, etc., so she didn't want to do pictures. I finally got Brooke calmed down, and she had a few individual pics taken in a rocking chair and started playing ball. My brother put Jenna in the picture next to her, and we got a cute one of the girls. Thad still wouldn't get in, so my mom promised him money to buy a whole bag of "lello" (yellow) lollipops. He got in, and we got a few cute ones (although none really of all the kids looking at the camera and smiling). Then they wanted me to put Brooke on the floor...that was pretty much the end, because she kept crawling away! After pictures, we had dinner with Jim's parents since they were leaving the next morning.

Thursday, Jim, B, and I dropped my mom off at work and went out for breakfast. Then we met my best friend Becky (the bride-to-be!) at the mall, where Becky and I got pedicures and had a chance to spend some time alone and catch up (way overdue!). Jim, B, and I did some shopping and spent the afternoon with my dad - then we all picked up my mom and headed to Johnstown for the best Chinese food ever! It was delicious!

Friday, we did some more shopping and had lunch at King's with my parents. Then I got ready and headed to the rehearsal & rehearsal dinner. At the rehearsal, I met Becky's other bridesmaids - friends from college & teaching who all seem so sweet! I especially liked her bridesmaid Leann, who rode to the rehearsal dinner with me - we pretty much hit it off right away! I recognized some of the groomsmen from Bellwood - some who were several years ahead of us and I'm relatively sure didn't recognize me, and a couple that were closer to Kevin and Kelly's ages and probably still think I'm, like, 5! haha. The rehearsal went quicker than mine, and we had a cookout at one of the groomsmen's houses!

Saturday was jam-packed fun! I had my hair done by An, who has cut my hair since I was a junior in high school, if not earlier. I met Becky where she was getting her hair done and went to breakfast at Panera Bread with her little cousin Tori, then we all headed to Boscov's to get our makeup done. Afterwards, I went home to spend some time with Brooke, but the only thing I got to do was get her to sleep for her nap. A little before 1, I headed to the church to get dressed.

Becky's gown was GORGEOUS, with a full pick-up skirt and beaded bodice. Our gowns were strapless with pick-up skirts and were a beautiful dark purple color. We all carried a single pink rose (except for Becky, of course). The ceremony was beautiful, and Becky did a great job picking out the music (even the Michael Jackson we exited to). We went to Legion Park in Hollidaysburg for pictures, and then to the reception at the Casino. We had stuffed chicken breast dinner, and Jim and I enjoyed our night out listening to music, doing some dancing, and having a couple beers. It was a beautiful wedding, and many congrats to the new Mr. & Mrs.!

Sunday, we left to come home. :( We were delayed in Pittsburgh, and when we were close to Ft. Lauderdale, the weather was so bad here that we were in a holding pattern and not allowed to land. We were almost 1.5 hours late landing, and then we had to find the shuttle to the parking lot, drive home in the rain - until we did that, it was after 8! We had a late dinner and got to bed to late. Now, Brooke and Jim are still on vacation until Sunday, and I've been slaving away at work again.....

Vacation...part 3

I'm going to try to speed up recounting our vacation because I'm sure the details are boring!

On Monday, we went to Delgrosso's Amusement Park with my parents, my sister, and my brother's family. This is a family-friendly park very close to where I grew up - it's free to park and walk around, and they have delicious food and fun rides! First, I put Brooke on the boats with my brother's son Thaddeus (who will be 2 at the end of this month). She didn't like it when I walked away. She did better and clapped as we rode the railroad. But then, we tried the Carousel. She didn't like being on the horse even though I was holding her - so that was it for the rides for her.

We left Brooke with my parents, and Jim and I rode a couple of rides. Then, my niece Jenna started riding the "grown up" rides. She's 3 and a half, and she loves them! The only kiddie land rides she liked were Dizzy Dragons (like the teacups at Disney) and the roller coaster and freefall. She rode Space Odyssey (an indoor ride that goes fast with strobe lights, loud music, and blacklights). She LOVED the Paratroopers (umbrellas that go around/up & down). Her absolute favorite was....drumroll please....Tilt A Whirl! In fact, my brother and his wife were both feeling sick from being on it so much (and she likes to spin A LOT), that it was up to my sister and I to ride with her - aunts to the rescue! It was a lot of fun.

On Tuesday, Jim, Brooke, and I had lunch at Eat n Park with my friend Tammy and her kids, Clara and Daniel. Then, we went with my dad and brother's family to see the Altoona Curve (minor league baseball team) play. Brooke stayed at my grandma's with her and my mom, and they had a blast! She fell asleep in the car on the way home and slept all night. Yay!

Wednesday has some funny stories, so I'll save it for tomorrow. Preview: professional pictures with three kinds under the age of 3.5 years old! :-)

Vacation is over...Part 2

On Sunday, August 1, it was time for Brooke's party. We got up and got ready, then we headed out to pick up the cakes. (Wait until I get pictures on here, they turned out SO CUTE). After that, we picked up balloons and headed to my brother's house.

My brother and sister-in-law were nice enough to let us use their house for the party. Leslie helped me decorate the kitchen and the screened in patio. It was a beautiful day...sunny and not too hot.

Brooke had a great party! We had meatball sandwiches, buffalo chicken dip, chips, pasta salad, fresh fruit, cake, and ice cream. She got a TON of presents, and she had an absolute blast playing my niece Jenna and my nephew Thad after the party.

She really smashed her little cake, too! She had it in her eyes, in her hair - her entire face was blue because Grover (her favorite character) was on her little cake. It was great to see everyone, and we had a great time.

Out of her gifts, two are very special. The first is a toybox that my Aunt Lisa painted. My mom has bought these wooden toy boxes for all of her grandkids, and she has Lisa paint them. Again, wait until you see pictures! It has seashells on the front, and her name on the top - and the name looks like the beach. It is beautiful, and she will be able to use it even when she's older as a storage chest. And it will always remind her that she started her life in Miami, no matter where we may end up!

The other very, very special gift is a scrapbook that my sister made of Brooke's first year. It has the professional pictures we've had done, as well as pictures of Brooke's party in it. It also has very special (and tear-jerking) messages from important people in Brooke's life - her "Aunt Jacqui," Aunt Kelly, Grandma and Pappy, Nonna and Poppa, and Nana. It is a beautiful book and a fantastic idea.

My parents are shipping some of Brooke's gifts down and will be bringing the rest in October. We appreciate everyone that came to celebrate with us and are very thankful for all of Brooke's presents!

Vacation is over...part 1

We had such a blast on our trip! It flew by, and I wish we were still there!

I'll update over the course of a few days, because we packed SO much into our week. And later this week, I'll post some pictures, too.

On Friday, July 30, we landed in Pittsburgh right on time about 2:15 pm. We met my dad and headed to UPMC Shadyside to visit with my friend and "big sister" in my sorority, Jacqui, who was in the hospital in preparation for her bone marrow transplant. Brooke got kicked off the floor since she had recently had shots, and I visited with Jacqui for about half an hour...then the nurse said since Jacqui's levels in her blood were still good, she could put on a mask and come see Brooke as long as she kept a safe distance from her. I know that made Jacqui so happy, and Jacqui's mom seemed so glad to be able to hold Brooke! When we left, we stopped at Hoss's and made the drive to my mom and dad's house.

Friday night was rough - Brooke was up every 2 hours. I don't need to say anything else about that....

Saturday, I started preparations for the party. Then, Jim and I went to dinner (by ourselves!!!) at Ponderoda and met up with my "pledge mom" Reneya and her husband Dave to watch the Clarks. Oh my god, it was so much fun. The concert was great - if you have a chance, check out their music. Brooke stayed home with my parents, my in-laws, and my sister. She was still awake when we got home, but she crashed as soon as I started rocking her and slept a little better - she only woke up twice!

Sunday was party day - and I think deserves its own post tomorrow!

Appointment

Brooke had a great 1-year appointment yesterday.

She is weighing 22 lbs and is 29.75 inches tall! That means she weighs more than 70% of 1 year old girls and is taller than 75% of one year old girls. And her head is bigger than 80% of 1 year old girls. Haha, she's big, but proportionate!

She can now eat whatever we eat. She got 2 shots and a blood test, which she wasn't happy about.

I spoke with Dr. Castro about taking Brooke to see her godmother, Jacqui. Jacqui is going into the hospital this Thursday, the 29th, and will be having her bone marrow transplant on Aug. 5th. I was thinking of taking Brooke to see her on Friday while we're in Pittsburgh. Dr. Castro said it would be fine for Brooke, but Jacqui's drs will probably have rules about visitors and especially children - but Dr. Castro thinks that, at the very least, Jacqui's room may have windows looking into the hall so that she would at least be able to see Brooke through the big window. I feel better about my decision to take a one-year-old into the hospital to visit after speaking with Dr. Castro about it :-)

Great weekend!

Friday, I didn't want to have to carry Brooke in all the rain from Tropical Storm Bonnie (it was raining when I left for work), so she stayed home with Jim. Turns out, the so-called Tropical Storm was a dud (although it ruined my morning commute), but it was nice for her to have a day at home anyway!

Brooke and I had a great time this past weekend. On Saturday, we went to her friend Andrea's first birthday party. It was outside...the day was really beautiful! It was hot, but the sky was clear and so sunny! There were ponies, and Brooke took her first pony ride. She seemed to like it - no smiles, but lots of squinting at the sunlight, and she even petted the pony's neck (thank goodness she loves to "clean her hands" with wipes!). Brooke had her first taste of cheeseburger (which was delicious - I haven't had a cheeseburger on a charcoal grill in ages!) and tried potato chips. She also had snowcone and cake. Liz and her husband, Andrea's parents, did a great job with the party, and the craft table was fun! The birthday girl is so sweet and promptly grabbed a handful of icing!

Yesterday was "Mommy-Daughter" day when we just stayed home and played ALL DAY. It was great. I like to do that on the weekends, she gets so tired of being on the go all the time. She's always an angel when we're out and has fun wherever we go, but it's never quite the same as being at home playing with her toys!

Now, we're into another week, and looking forward to next weekend, when we'll be with family and finally having her party!

Update

Brooke's one-year appointment was supposed to be this afternoon, but her pediatrician had an out-of-town emergency and rescheduled for Monday. I'm a little disappointed, because I can't wait to see Brooke's stats, but it will be nice to have extra pay before vacation!

I am getting beyond excited - only one more week, and it will be time to leave! This weekend, I plan to play fashion show with Brooke and figure out what clothes to pack her - she's at this in-between stage where a lot of 12 month still fits her, but in some outfits, she needs 18 months. It drives me a little crazy - I knew what I wanted to pack, but now I need to make sure it fits her. And she outgrew roughly half of her pj's - right before our trip. Have you ever tried playing fashion show with a one year old? I'm lucky I can get her to sit still to get dressed once a day, let along trying on multiple outfits....

We've had a great week so far. Sunday, we started it out by going to Gaby and Olivia's birthday party. Their theme was Snow White, and they had their party at Busy Bee Kidz...it was this really cool play area for little kids. Brooke was a little clingy at first - I think she was overwhelmed by the amount of kids (most of them 3 years old) running around. Then, she found the rocking horse - once I showed her how to rock that pony, that was it. Then she started crawling and playing. She ate pizza, cotton candy, jello, and cake - I have never given her that much sugar at one time, and she LOVED it. She had never had pizza either, but couldn't get enough and ate almost a whole slice by herself! She got her face painted and brought a balloon home. They gave out Disney princess swim floaties as the favor - thank you, Gaby & Olivia. We had so much fun!

Tuesday was Brooke's actual birthday. I was working, so I dropped her off at daycare in her "baby's 1st birthday" onesie and a headband with a large pink rose - they got out the camera and started snapping pictures! She was so happy all day. After school, we picked up Daddy and went to IHOP for her birthday dinner. She loves breakfast, so we wanted to take her for eggs and pancakes. She ate about 1/2 of the child's meal we ordered her (!) and then the waitresses brought out a scoop of vanilla ice cream covered in whipped cream with a candle. They sang happy birthday, and we helped her "blow" out the candle, and she enjoyed her treat. When we got home, it was present time - she got clothes from Aunt Kelly, toys and a book from Aunt Heather and her family, and several toys and clothes from Mommy and Daddy. She did NOT want to go to bed that night!

This weekend, we have another birthday party to go to, and we'll start getting ready for her big birthday trip! I need to get my bridesmaid dress packed and get out all the clothes we're going to pack, and we have some bills to pay. And we need to clean so that we can come to a clean house at the end of vacation. I can't wait!

Happy Birthday, Brooke!

My little princess is 1 year old! Her appointment is on Thursday, so we'll know her stats then. She's now standing and cruising, and she loves to play. She has the sweetest laugh and is just the most cuddly little thing.

So, back to her birth story....I had contractions ALL NIGHT. I would try to get into bed but be really uncomfortable. So, at about 5:30 am my new nurse promised she would help me get into bed and lay on my side and find Brooke's heart rate. I got into bed, and as I was moving to my side, I felt a huge gush. My water broke at 5:45 am. The Cervidil was still in, I was so excited - until I found out I was only 1 cm.

Once my water broke, the contractions got more intense. When my dr got there at about 9 am, I was still only 2 cm dilated. I got my epidural and was finally able to get some rest. Time passed and is a blur to me. The nurse kept putting the oxygen on me, but I couldn't stand to have it on. Around 1 pm or a little after, one side started to wear off, so I was given a little more medicine through my epidural. I was still only 2 cm dilated, and Brooke was starting to have delayed decelerations - Dr. Miranda said she didn't like the contractions, she was trying to move away from them, and her heartrate was decelerating after contractions every once in a while. She said since I had so far to go (I was on a high dose of Pitocin, but my contractions were coming every 2-7 minutes - super random), she thought it would be better to have a C-section so that I didn't end up needing an emergency C-section later in the day. I was sad, because I wanted to have a natural labor, and very scared, but all I care is that Brooke was born, safe and healthy.

She gave us some time to call our families, then I was prepped for surgery. I was given a different mix of my epidural drugs to completely numb me for surgery. When I was in the OR, I started vomiting - I don't know if it was all the drugs, the smell, the nerves - or a combo of all of it. I completely relaxed as soon as I heard Brooke cry. She was born at 2:07 pm weighing 7 lbs 10 oz and 18.75 inches long.

We had an uneventful time in the hospital, despite having trouble nursing. I am so grateful to Dr. Miranda, who safely delivered my baby girl and took steps to keep her healthy before we were in an emergency situation. I have told Jim that she is delivering our next baby, even if we move to Broward County.

Dr. Miranda holding Brooke at 1 day old.

A couple of more pictures (what a difference!):

Brooke at 2 days old, getting ready for her hospital pictures.

Brooke at 1 year old.

Loving Tigger (notice her monkey in the background, she loves Monkeys).