Ella's Baptism and Pa's Belated Birthday Party

Sunday we went down to Newton Grove for Ella's baptism at Hopewell United Methodist Church with lunch afterwards.  After all of that fun, we headed over to Annie and Pa's to hang out for a bit and had a mini birthday party for Pa since it was the first time we had gotten together since his big day.  The kids certainly all got their fill of sugar for the month on Sunday - cupcakes and oatmeal cream pies at the lunch and more cupcakes at Pa's party - we usually don't roll like that!  :)

Ella did so great for the baptism; she was smiling and looking around at everyone like she knew exactly what was going on.  My kids were able to sit quietly (or their version of that) for the baptism part, but pretty much as soon as that wrapped up we headed on up to the nursery!

It was a fun afternoon at Annie and Pa's hanging out and just catching up.  It is so fun to see the kids all play together and I hope they are all as close growing up as we were with our cousins!

So many blessings; so much to be grateful for; God is GREAT!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

 She was so excited to be in her big girl seat!

 This was sitting at the stop light - still smiling as big as she could!!

 First time with all 3 forward facing - let the fun begin

Whitley Ann's very last bottle.

We have packed a lot in this week and while some things are fun and exciting, it's somehow a bit bittersweet to know that stage in our lives is over.  We've had some pretty big accomplishments though and are certainly more excited than not to keep moving forward to the next adventure!

After Whitley's procedure and nap we had to venture to get Naylor and Lalon to school.  Since her baby back facing car seat was still wet, I had to use the "big girl" seat for her.  I bought this one because it can face forwards or back, but in the new car it won't fit backwards.  I figured since we'd be turning her in about a week anyhow and considering how much she hates it, I'd just put this one in... that and I didn't have a whole bunch of alternative options!  She was tickled pink to be sitting like Naylor and Lalon and has laughed and smiled the entire ride.   (Brian left his truck windows down the night before her procedure and it rained and soaked the entire truck - thank goodness we had a back up seat!)

Last night we hit another biggie... Whitley Ann's very last bottle!  We've been introducing the sippy cup and some cow's milk just this week since I knew the formula was nearing it's end, but last night was it.  All done. I know it's silly, but I was a tiny bit sad - she's all grown up as far as the baby things go.  However, after making bottles without end for the past 3 1/2 years, I was only a tiny bit sad.  It was weird to wash everything last night though and not put it back in the cabinet.

Between the big girl car seat, no more bottles and Lalon out of diapers - I just don't know what to think!!  While they each were big accomplishments on their own, it sure was a lot for me to take in in just one week.

Moving forward to the next adventure, which I'm sure will be Whitley Ann's first steps...

Whitley Ann ear tube procedure

Today was the big day - we went in for Whitley Ann's tubes to be put in.  This all happened so quickly, we had just seen the ENT last week... I didn't have much time to process all of this, but I'm counting that as a blessing. Brian and I were up bright and early to head out with her, while Naylor, Lalon and Aunt Amanda were still soundly sleeping away.

Everyone had told me how quick and a routine procedure this would be, and I knew that for myself, no doubt, but there is the anxiety that today it's MY baby being worked on the the stakes are just a bit higher!  Honestly, we were in the waiting room to be admitted / processed longer than the procedure took.  We arrived about 6:15 (just a bit late, that's another story...) and around 7am got called up to sign and pay and then around 7:10 went back to get her ready.  We sat back with her and got her gown on while the nurse asked a bunch of questions and the anesthesiologist stopped by to talk briefly.  We also got a brief hello from Dr. Patterson, the ENT doing her procedure.  Then a very kind nurse said it was time and took Whitley with her lamb and lovey back to operate on around 7:25am.  Whitley Ann was all smiles and laughs as the nurse took her back which made it WAY easier for me to go back to the waiting area.


We made our way to the waiting area and by the time I had gotten a cup of coffee, checked my email and updated Facebook on the iPad, Dr. Patterson was in the lobby talking with us - just as quick as he said it would be.  He said there was some gross, puss, gunky stuff in her left ear (I'm pretty sure those are the medical terms he used, that's what I heard at least) and then some dried blood from most likely a past rupture in her right ear.  He did some drops in both ears, suctioned the goop out and inserted tubes - voila, a new baby!  We got a prescription for the drops to do a few times a day for the next few days to just make sure none of the goop lingers.

Before he finished talking with us the nurse had come out to say we could go back to the recovery room to see her.  As we walked back, the nurse asked if Whitley was still nursing - I thought that an odd question and told her not anymore.  She said that she had been rooting around and wouldn't really take her bottle and I told the nurse that Whitley was my sweet snuggler and that she was most likely trying to just get in real close.  It took a few minutes for her to calm down / wake up, but not too long, maybe 5 minutes and the nurse said that was normal.  Brian went to get the truck while I got her dressed and as the nurse and I were walking out, she calmed right down.  By the time she was in the car seat, she was alert and ready for that bottle.  She was pretty quiet, yet content on the way home and then getting drowsy as we pulled in the neighborhood (which is where we met Aunt Amanda taking Naylor and Lalon to school) - we were back home after the entire ordeal and getting her ear drops by 8:40am.

I took Whitley up for a nap and laid down myself.  While I don't love getting up in the mornings, I think the anxiety / anticipation of the week was more exhausting than getting up early this morning.  We both napped until noon and now having some lasagna leftovers for lunch.  Hoping the remainder of our day is as uneventful and that things are looking good for our post-op follow-up next week.

After a long nap, having some lunch, feeling great!

 Thanks for all the good thoughts and prayers sent our way!

Girl Update

We are continuing with Lalon's potty training and she is doing great - I am so proud of her.  We've had a few accidents, which is expected, but she really has been knocking it out.  The past two days have been accident free!  Now we have a ways to go on the # 2's, but at this point, she's saving those for her nap time diaper, which is fine with me...  okay, that's enough for the TMI!  :-)

We are introducing cow's milk to Whitley Ann and weaning away from the bottles.  I was scooping out some bottles earlier and realized how little formula we had left (and a week from being 1, I'm not buying more!) and we only have 5 bottles left - eeks!  I definitely want to save one bottle for her procedure on Thursday as a form of comfort, so today she did sippy cups with real milk all day except at bed.  She did really great and so far, no reactions, even better.  So a little more than a week from being 1 and it feels my baby is growing up in strides.  I have been able to sneak her upstairs around 7pm for bed each night while the others are down with Brian and she and I have had some quiet snuggles and two times has fallen asleep in my arms.  Talk about sweet; she is just the best.  I know of all the milestones, I think she may unknowingly be most excited about turning her car seat around - boy does she hate being in that thing!

Tomorrow will be a busy day of doctor's visits - Lalon goes to the pediatrician for her ear infection follow-up and then I take Whitley Ann for her pre-op visit to make sure she's good to go for her ear tubes Thursday morning.  For the surgery on Thursday, we are currently slated to arrive just after 6 am and our procedure around 7:30 am.  Amanda is going to come over tomorrow night so that Brian and I both can take Whitley and then Amanda will take Naylor and Lalon to school Thursday morning.  I plan to just bring Whitley Ann home and have a quiet, relaxing day with her as she recovers.

I'll keep you posted on how things go tomorrow...

Cousins Weekend!

I found this cute sign while the girls went out Saturday - how perfect for the weekend!

On and off for the past few years, my sister (her family) and I have met up with our two first Naylor cousins and their families for a weekend, generally in February.  Last time we did the 'cousins' weekend, Naylor was about 5 months old...  Now we see each other a ton throughout the year, but we haven't done the cousins weekend, so at Christmas we decided it was time again and this past weekend was the weekend to do it.  I offered to host it at our house since we are very kid friendly and kind of in the middle of everyone... well, kind of - Leslie and Jason live in south Charlotte, so they have a drive!

Everyone arrived Friday night and we just hung out, ate some pizza and chilled at home.  Saturday morning we had a big breakfast and lounged and around nap time once the kids were down, the girls headed out to do some shopping.  We hit up a few boutiques just to browse and then made our way to the Flea Market at the Fair Grounds.  The weather was gorgeous and it was just a perfect afternoon to be outside.  In the meantime, the guys were home with the kids and took them outside for some playing and set up the cooking gear for our dinner.

Brian and I had made plans to make some jalapeno poppers on the grill (cream cheese stuffed jalapenos that are wrapped in bacon) as well as frying up some chicken wings along with some macaroni and cheese (I had one left from Gwen stocking the freezer for me!).  Just before we started cooking, Robert Ashley and Taylor showed up and got in on the action too.  After the kids were all put to bed, the guys played a few rounds of poker and after that we played Catch Phrase.

 Nothing huge on the agenda, but we certainly ate very well, a little hydration and LOTS of laughs!  We all had a great time and were all so amazed by how great the kids did - no one went to time out, no hitting or biting - amazing!  We definitely have plans to continue the tradition hopefully sometime between Christmas and Memorial Day each year.  We sure are blessed to have such a great family that is so close and loves spending time together.

That's a big jackpot for the winner; I think Taylor ended up winning the most money!!  

 Ava James and Naylor fell asleep in our bed Saturday night - now that's sweet.

Whitley Ann's ears...

I took Whitley Ann for a consult with the ENT this morning per our pediatrician's advise.  After about 2 minutes, he told us what we knew was likely to come... tubes.  She's a classic case of why / when kids need them and while I don't love the idea of my baby getting worked on, I know it's the best answer for her.

So, we scheduled our appointment for next Thursday (eeks!) with our pre and post-surgery appointments scheduled too.  *sigh*

I know it's a very common, in and out, quick process, but it's still my baby girl, so a quick prayer for her, me and the team working on her sure would be appreciated!

Family Ramblings

For about a month now, we have all been sick at some point and overlapping in sickness too - not fun.  The main causes being colds / ear infections, but with some meds and rest we are all on the mend now (I hope)!

Last Sunday Brian and I took Naylor and Lalon to the circus while Whitley Ann stayed with our friends Blaine and Liz.  We had intended to take Whitley, but as it got closer I started thinking about her lack of sitting still...  Naylor and Lalon had a great time, we shared a hot dog and some ice cream which was fun.  Lalon had just started her potty training and at the circus seemed to be when it all kicked in.  Unfortunately for me we had awesome seats down front... which meant a heck of a climb each time she had to go.  She did awesome though and would tell me she needed to go potty, we'd go up and to the bathroom and she'd go every time.  I was really pleased that she not only told me, but was able to hold it until we got there.  We had taken our 'fancy' camera with us, but the security guy made us take it back to the car... I didn't think to pop the 'baby' camera in my bag, so we didn't get any pictures.  However, my friend Rikki was at the same show and took these pictures, which I have now stolen for documentation purposes.  :)   On the way home, I asked Naylor what his favorite part was and he said the hot dog and ice cream... maybe I'll save some money next year and just buy him some hot dogs at home! 

This week Lalon was able to make up her sick days from last week, so she's been at school Tue / Wed while Naylor and Whitley Ann were home with me.  Yesterday I took Lalon to school while Brian was still home with the others and when I got home, Naylor was walking around downstairs looking for something.  I asked him what he was looking for and he said, "Where's Lalon?  I can't find her."  I told him she was at school and he said, "oh, I miss her."  awwwww!  

We had a free pass to Monkey Joe's (a bounce house place) and I told Naylor we'd go do something fun so we headed that way.  We've been to bounce places before, but not this particular one... he had a really fun time, but it took him a while to warm up and go in to jump.  I think he really missed having his partner in crime with him to take on the world.  He did eventually get going and had a fun time and while he wanted some ice cream, we were able to settle on a $1 motorcycle toy instead.

Lalon update

Lalon, Lalon, Lalon... she is just something else.  Sneaky and sweet all at the same time.  She makes me laugh every day and I love her so much.

Lalon's latest news is that she is potty training and doing really great with it! She's been wearing her big girl underwear and we've had some accidents, sure, but overall I think she was certainly ready.  This week, she has worn her big girl pants to school and only had one accident so far!

She continues to love to mess with Naylor and it's sometimes funny to watch... all those times he was beating up on her when she was so small are starting to come back to him (guess she was making a mental tally after all!).  She will go get one of his special toys and then stand in front of him until he notices and then squeals and runs away so he will chase her.  What a mess!  They sure do love playing with each other and while they certainly have their share of fights, there is certainly love.

Lalon is still rocking out in her big girl bed and could be a bit of a hoarder when it comes to bed time.  She has this list of items she wants in the bed with her and with all that she has, I don't know how she knows, but she knows if one item is missing.  Also, Aunt Kerri gave the kids "tunnels and castles" for Christmas and Lalon's is in her room now.  They love playing with them and on two different occasions, I've found Lalon in her castle taking her nap - one time naked... she had peed in her diaper and didn't want to be wet, so went au natural!

Lots of fun for Lalon these days.  She loves to do some "work", loves hearts, her babies and loves a prize snack (piece of candy), popcorn or marshmellow.  The child would eat an entire bag of marshmellows at once if you'd let her!

Whitley Ann update

Time to do some catch up!!  I think since my last post Whitley Ann has hit probably her 10 month and 11 month birthdays - whoops!  She has changed and grown so much just in the past month, with almost a new trick coming each day.

She has moved from her early days of army crawling to a real crawl with her belly off of the floor.  The day after Christmas, we were at Annie and Pa's house and she climbed two stairs on two different occasions; I thought uh-oh then.  Shortly after being back home I ran upstairs to change the laundry over and in just a minute I turned to find Whitley Ann just behind me... I had not brought her, so she had climbed all the way upstairs and made her way into the laundry room!  Well, that happened only one more time before I got the gates back out and placed one at the stairs.

Teeth were coming in quickly there for a while, but seem to have slowed down for a bit.  She now has her bottom two center and top two center, along with the top right - looks like the top left is starting to peep through as well.  Her newest, most unfortunate trick, saved just for Mommy, is biting - she's only done it a few times, but still those little suckers are sharp!  She's now consistently saying "uh-oh", "ma ma" (although not necessarily about me), sometimes "da da" and once in a while a "buh" which comes when I'm trying to get her to say "bye" and will wave (most of the time after person leaving is gone, gotta work on that timing!).

She's been cruising around the furniture for quite some time and has one 'walking' toy that she loves to push around when Naylor and Lalon let her have a turn!  That's another fun thing; it is so much fun to watch them beginning to really interact with Whitley Ann now that she's bigger and trying to keep up and their laughs are just the best.  Whitley Ann can't stand to be without them these days and will sneak up in to whatever they are doing.  Naylor's thing these days are those 'races' he sets up with his cars and Whitley will come through and grab a car... or Lalon will have her work and Whitley will get all in her business.  We now (very lovingly) call her the "Whitley Monster " when she is doing these things.  It tickles Naylor so much and at night when we are going upstairs and we let Whitley crawl up the stairs and he will get in front of her and giggle the whole time saying the "Whitley Monster is coming to get me!".

This is a rare moment of seeing the Whitley Monster taking action, in a few short seconds that nice organized cabinet will be destroyed with a string of forks and spoons strewn from the garage door,
through the kitchen and into the den.

One last update that isn't quite as cute... she got an ear infection about a week and a half before Christmas which was the pits and we got some amoxycillin.  At her 2 week follow-up, she still had the infection in both ears, so we did a little stronger medicine, ominicef.  After a longer stretch, almost 3 weeks just because of scheduling, still there. BOO.  So at that point our pediatrician suggested we do a rocephin shot for 3 days straight to really knock it out.  We did, starting on a Thursday, went Friday and Saturday to get the shots.  By that Saturday, the dr said she could see some improvement and that hopefully this would be the end.  Another 2 week follow-up and she was looking pretty good.  Then over the past week and a half the rest of us have gotten sick; Naylor and Lalon both got ear infections (about a week and a half apart).  Brian was really sick and home for a few days from work, as he was starting to get better I started getting it.  We tried all the home medicating we could, but I finally went to the dr and got some meds which have done the trick - I really think I had an ear infection!  Anyway, the day I went to the dr, Whitley Ann was just out of sorts, so after naps I took her in and low and behold... ear infection.  She's on augmentin now and seems to be a bit happier, so I do believe it's working, but we obviously have some other issues to address.  I'm taking her Friday morning for a consultation with an ENT specialist per our pediatrician's advise.

Love this picture - that big old smile and look at those teeth - my sweet girl!

Oh!  And we are working our way away from bottles and she's eating tons and tons of table foods, basically anything we eat except for spicy stuff.  I'm not trying to rush her, but I am a tiny bit excited to not make any more bottles (after 3 years it's getting just a tiny bit old).  I just poured the last of our formula into the container last night, so the end is near...

Aside from the ear situation, she is doing really great and is just the best.  She is so happy and has the most contagious smile and really and truly completes our family.  I'm so thankful we have her in our lives and love seeing all three of them interacting together.  Brian and I are so very blessed; God is good.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Thanks Valentine's Rooster!

The roses we shared with the kids

My beautiful roses - I don't know that Brian has ever given me a dozen red roses  - hmmm....

Lalon showing Naylor her new stuff (I can't tell what she's holding)

Lalon *loves* hearts; she was having as much fun with the decor as her treats!

This airplane was a hit; he hasn't put it down yet.  I love Lalon's expression here; she's the best.

A day late, but Happy Valentine's Day!  We were good this year and the Valentine's Rooster visited us all.  Naylor and Lalon got a few little knick knacks and candies, while Whitley Ann got some puffs and fruit.  Lalon was sick last week, so she's been making up those at school yesterday and today so Naylor, Whitley Ann and I had a nice day just hanging out at home.  Once we picked Lalon up from school, it was home for a nice family spaghetti dinner and a quiet night in with some wine.  Brian brought home a beautiful dozen of red roses that we shared with the kids - got them each a small bud vase and they loved smelling their own rose.  Brian and I got the kids cleaned up and in bed and enjoyed the evening together just catching up and watching some tv.  I also got to play around with my new iPad!!  I'm still deciding if I want to keep it or not, but wowee this was our biggest Valentine's ever.  After all this time, Brian can still surprise me!  The best part is the love that  this family has brought me - I feel like we are truly complete and really finding our groove as a family of five now.

A crafty Saturday Night

I saw this on a friend's blog and knew immediately I was going to be trying it out!  Let me tell you, overall it was a pretty easy craft.  However, it's hard to get a profile picture of 3 small children, but on the bright side, I have them very well trained to look at the camera.  After the pictures, the rest of it went pretty quickly and I was so glad that I waited until the kids were asleep to do this.  I'm reworking the whole 'gallery' in our living room to add in some of Whitley Ann's pictures and I plan to put these in the mix too!  I'm including links to the two blogs (my friend's and her friend's with the instructions) in case you want to try it out yourself.  Overall, I'm pretty happy with how they turned out.  At the moment, I'm thinking I may change the background for the girls' silhouettes, but I'm going to see how they look on the wall before I do that...

My friend Lindsay's blog entry

Tutorial of How to Make Silhouettes

And here are my finished products - I was pretty excited that I actually finished a project!

Lalon 

Naylor 

Whitley Ann

Chicken and White Bean Stuffed Peppers

And another Pinterest recipe... I know you're probably all sick of hearing about Pinterest!  I'm typing this up as the peppers are cooking and while I haven't tasted them yet, they sure do smell yummy!

Chicken and White Bean Stuffed Peppers, from Skinnytaste

Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes  
Servings: 5 • Serving Size: 2 halves • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 303.7 • Fat: 5.9 g • Protein: 29.9 g • Carb: 34.9 g • Fiber: 6.5 g 

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 half red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup parsley (or cilantro)
• 5 bell peppers (red or green)
• 14 oz shredded cooked chicken breast
• cumin
• adobo (or salt)
• 15.5 oz can white beans
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar

In a medium pan, heat oil on medium heat. Add chopped onions, garlic, parsley and red pepper. Saute until soft, about a minute. Add chicken and season with cumin andadobo. Add beans and 1 to 1-1/2 cups of water and simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until it thickens and the liquid reduces. Adjust spices to taste.


Preheat oven to 350°. Cut peppers in half removing seeds and stem. Place peppers in an oven-proof dish. Fill each pepper with 1/3 cup of chicken and bean mixture. Pourabout 1/3 cup water or chicken broth on the bottom of the dish. Cover tight with foil.Bake 30 minutes at 350°. Remove foil, top with cheese and bake uncovered another 5 minutes.

Healthy Banana Bread

Of course another great find on Pinterest... and my friend Meghan had also made it, saying it was a keeper, so Lalon and I tried our hand at it this morning.  Unfortunately we got too far in before I realized I didn't have enough of all the ingredients needed, so we improvised.  So the improvised version we made this morning probably lost some "healthy" points, but it was good!  Just so you know what I didn't have, I used white AP flour (didn't have any whole wheat) and I only had about a 1/4 cup of honey, so I added 1/2 cup of molasses - and that my friends is where healthy said good-bye!  :)

Banana Bread, from 8 weeks to a healthier you

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar free applesauce
• 3/4 cup honey
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 mashed overripe bananas

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together applesauce and honey. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. 

Naylor update

Naylor has really blossomed as a 3 year old - enjoying being the 'big boy' of the family and helping Mommy and Daddy.  This week he went to the dentist for the first time and did a great job!!  We did a few practice runs of what might happen while we were there and I think that was helpful, as well as our awesome hygienist Jessica who was wonderful in keeping Naylor at ease.  She showed him her John Deere toothbrush (winning!), let him wear some SpiderMan sunglasses (winning!) and showed him her super big flashlight (heck yeah!).  Oh, and he got to watch Mickey Mouse all the while.  I was so pleased with how well he did, so he got to pick out a prize Lighting McQueen car on the way home.

We just recently got the Cars movies and he *loves* them!  He's always had a thing for cars, but now it's over the top and he likes to set up races.  This basically means he lines as many cars up as possible and just marvels at them.  Every once in a while, the "Whitley Monster" (she comes out just about the time a race is ready) will crash the race, but generally he's even a good sport about that.

Some fun things he says that I want to jot down before I forget them...

• The other morning he came in the bedroom and told me I needed to get up because the sun was awake.
• He likes to give a high 5, but will say, "get me five!"
• If when he is getting dressed his shirt is inside out, he'll say, "My shirt is in outside!".  

A race lining up...

Another race he made before bed time...

All yesterday he kept sitting at the table with a few trucks and saying it was his office.
At dinner he didn't want to eat in his office - he's so funny!

I have a list somewhere of other funnies, but can't find it at the moment - I'll add to this when I do!