Love With Lemons

Sweets & Treats

2011-05-21T23:27:00.004-04:00

Today we celebrated Isabella's 3rd birthday though she won't actually turn 3 until May 26th.
Each day I look at her I can't believe how big she is getting. She is so tall now and the way she communicates verbally has completely taken off into a whole new level. It is a lot of fun to sit and have a conversation with her. You would be surprised at what all they can imagine at this age.

Isabella loves all things sweet. Candy, cakes, lemonade or anything else that has sugar in it. We do try to limit her intake of sugary sweet stuff but there are some days (like birthdays) we feel it is ok to throw caution to the wind and let her have "her" day. Just as she told us all day "it is my birthday party!" (emphasis on the "my"). So we thought what better way to celebrate Isabella than to have a "Sweets & Treats" theme birthday. All things sugary sweet to match her personality. Even as I was getting things set up this morning she tried to manipulate (I mean charm) me into having candy for breakfast because as she said "it is my birthday party mama" and "I love candy it is yummy" followed by "it makes me happy."

Here is a little glimpse of our party today. We had lots of fun celebrating and eating lots of sweets with friends and family.

A Warm Glow

2011-05-16T23:21:00.003-04:00

Well at least this was an attempt at creating a warm glow. My first attempt at making my own silicone covered light bulbs was not as successful as I had hoped. Using this tutorial I felt pretty confident at the start of this project. I use electric candles and night lights throughout the house, and I also keep up a small alpine tree throughout the year that I decorate for seasons. My goal was to cover 5 light bulbs and one strand of lights for the tree.

I pre-hung all the lights on my clothesline before dipping them all and went to town dipping all my lights. I have realized that though some of the lights turned out good this is a skill that will definitely need to be perfected. After dipping the lights they have to set for at least 24 hours. I checked the weather before going to bed last night and realized it was going to rain so I brought all the lights inside to hang up, but in doing so the light bulbs started sticking together as I was carrying them. I should have carried them one by one but in my need to be speedy I totally messed up all my work. Needless to say I was pretty ticked and disappointed that I was not going to be able to use the individual light bulbs. After seeing how mad I was, Jeremy helped bring in the strand of lights which we hung across our kitchen. Though they are not perfect I was able to use the strand of lights on my tree.

For a perfectionist I was completely ready to give up on trying again but my sweet husband encouraged me that some things just take practice. I took a few before pictures which are pretty boring to look at and in my frustration of a project gone wrong I did not take any after photos. So maybe next time I will have something to show. At least the kids got a kick out of running under the strand of lights hanging across the kitchen.

First Birthdays-Boy Oh Boy!

2011-05-06T14:08:00.006-04:00

We have had a very busy and exciting April this year! We celebrated two birthdays and also found out that our third baby is going to be a BOY! I am just now catching up on rest from all the lack of sleep from the last few weeks. Eden's First Birthday fell on Easter this year. We had her party on Saturday, April 23rd. Thanks to my friend, Cassy; my mother in-law, Judy; and my hubby the party was a success. I just love a party! I love planning them (probably the most) and I love any reason for friends and family to come together and have a great time. This year I decided to do an owl theme party for Eden in the colors of pink and blue. In honor of the Easter holiday we had our own Easter Egg Hunt for the kiddos which was a blast. In addition to throwing out all the plastic eggs on the lawn we stuck balloons into the yard with toothpicks to give it more color. I also decided to start a new tradition of having a birthday tree for the kids each year on their birthday to put their gifts under.

In addition to Eden's first party we had found out the Monday before the gender of our baby and had decided to do a gender reveal as a side note to the party. We didn't want to take away from Eden's day so we incorperated the gender reveal into the egg hunt. During the egg hunt for the kids, Jeremy had hidden one golden egg with a piece of paper hidden inside revealing the gender of baby #3. The lucky winner was our friend Cassy and to say she was a little excited about us having a boy is an understatement. I think after having two girls we just assumed we would have another girl but we couldn't be happier to be adding a little boy to the mix. I think Jeremy is excited that there won't be any more estrogen than there already is in this house (3 girls is plenty).
First Birthdays sneak up on you. I can't believe that Eden is already one and that she is getting ready to be a big sister herself. She developed so quickly crawling at 7 months and walking at 10 1/2 months. The only thing she has been slow in is getting her teeth. She still only has her two bottom teeth, however, the top two are about to pop out any day. Eden and Isabella enjoy each other so much and watching them laughing and playing reminded me of why I wanted my children to have siblings. They are too precious! I know every mom will say this to new parents but enjoy each moment good and bad because before you know it you will blink and those moments will be memories.

New Year Surprise

2011-02-28T11:43:00.002-05:00

I have had a complete dry spell in blogging as you all have noticed. But I am really going to try and pick it back up again. Hopefully, I will have some interesting things to share with you as the days go by.

If we are friends in real life or Facebook Friends then you know that our family will be increasing by two more little feet the end of September. Baby #3 is a complete surprise to our family but a pleasant one none the less. I have to admit that I am extremely nervous about having three children because I am just now getting adjusted to two. To make the journey sweeter my sister in-law is expecting baby #4 in August. These cousins will be the closest of the seven.

Fall Recap

2010-11-07T14:14:00.002-05:00

I haven't written anything in a LONG time but for those of you who like to keep up with us here is a short preview of what we have been up to the last few months.

Free scrapbook design made with Smilebox

DIY Clothesline

2010-09-16T09:37:00.014-04:00

This past weekend a long time friend of ours came to visit. While he was here he built us a mantle for our fireplace out of recycled barn wood (in exchange I need to make him a quilt), and he helped us build our clothesline posts.I grew up hanging clothes out on the line and all of my family still uses this method to dry all of their clothes. After ten years of living in the south, I have noticed that not many people use clotheslines here. It is just easier to use a dryer, however, for me, hanging out clothes is therapeutic, nostalgic and it saves money all while clothes get that fresh air smell.

Since we have moved to Dalton, I have made a LONG list of projects I would like to complete and having a clothesline was one of them. Call me crazy but I longed to have one so I could feel like I had a little piece of home (Pennsylvania) here in Georgia. I am so excited that I can cross this one off my list!

I did some research online for DIY tutorials and came across a blog that had exactly what I was looking for. After looking around our property I found some old landscape timbers that were just the sizes I needed without cutting them. Then we found some lumber that we used as the supports for the cross bars. All I had to purchase for this project were:

2 packs of eye screws (total of 8)=$4.00
100' Clothesline=$2.00
40lb bag of cement=$3.00

Making a grand total of $9.00. Not too bad for a DIY project.

Jeremy and I dug the holes 2' deep and I mixed the concrete and set the poles while he was at work on Monday. I am realizing that I can be quite handy when need be!

You will notice in this last picture the clothespin bag hanging. This was Jeremy's grandmother's bag which Judy found while cleaning out the house before we moved in. I just loved it!

This my friends is our new clothesline! I have used it several times this week already. Isabella has loved helping and I can't wait to teach both my girls the art of hanging clothes out on the line and hope that they grow to love and appreciate it as much as I do.

DIY Cabinet Facelift: Part 1

2010-08-24T22:39:00.011-04:00

Have you ever started a DIY project around the house and halfway through thought "why did I want to do this?" Well that was me this afternoon. When we first moved into our house in Dalton, I decided there were a few things I wanted to do around the house to make it more "home" to us. One of those things was to redo the kitchen cabinets. If you have ever been to our house, then you know that we have a ton of cabinets in our kitchen. There was nothing wrong with the cabinets, I just wanted a different look. This is the section I decided to tackle first because it is the smallest section.

I chose to make this a DIY project not just because I enjoy doing projects but also out of necessity due to the fact we make it on one income now. This project has taken me two days to complete, and I am proud to say I did it all while taking care of two little ones. However, it didn't come without some stress and me constantly reminding Isabella to not touch the wet paint.

With the help of these four items...and a little elbow grease, I managed to get this...

They still need hardware but you get the idea. Now I only have a zillion more to paint.

Bow-Tastic

2010-08-14T23:15:00.006-04:00

Not that I am bored staying at home with two girls, but I have been needing to be crafty and do something fun. As of today I have 12 yards of fabric and tons of ribbon lying in my dining room. I am on a mission to make 4 quilts (before Christmas), personalized trick or treat bags and my latest endeavor of bow making.

I have been tossing the idea back and forth about making my own bows since I had Isabella, but I really just never took the time. So in my need to do something fun and crafty I decided to start making hairbows for Izzy and Eden. Let me tell you that having two girls is very dangerous. I can see now that I will be obsessed with making bows for every outfit and buying all sorts of accessories.

My first bows!

I am not quite sure what kind of personality Eden will have (other than she is very determined and strong) but as for her sister Isabella, a.k.a. drama queen, she is quite the girly girl who doesn't mind getting dirty. She is now into picking out her outfits, shoes and even her underwear (she is very particular about the panties)! When we go shopping and she sees something she likes she looks at me and says "mama that's cute" and then says "I need it", which is her new favorite phrase. She sticks out her bottom lip and says "I need it mama". They learn young.

Thera"pea"

2010-08-04T19:57:00.005-04:00

Our Aunt and Uncle live across the street and they have planted a wonderful garden in which we reap the benefits from. They are always bringing us fresh vegetables. Yesterday they came by and brought corn, okra, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and purple hull peas. We decided to have a home cooked meal last night at my inlaws so we got to work on preparing all the fresh veggies.

My sister in-law and I hulled all the peas, and I am a little embarrassed to admit that this was my first time hulling peas. However, I found the task very addicting. I love working with my hands and it was such a great feeling to prepare food that was homegrown. I never knew taking peas out of their pods could be so relaxing, but I really enjoyed it. I loved the texture of the peas, the fresh smell and the conversation that it provided.

You can see that this took us quite a while to hull all of these but it provided great thera"pea". I know that is corny but I couldn't help myself.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

2010-08-02T23:13:00.005-04:00

Since we have moved to Dalton, we now have to take our own trash to the landfill because we live in the country. But it's free and all you have to do is drive through and drop it off. It can be a pain cause sometimes it will pile up and it was just so nice having the convenience of weekly trash pick-up. Well since we have been hauling off our own trash I have been paying more attention to the amount of trash we actually throw away and it's a lot. About a month ago I made the decision that as a family we would start recycling. I told Jeremy that I was tired of running through trash bags and having to constantly take out the trash, and I felt bad for dumping all that trash in the landfill when some of it could be reused. Majority of what we were tossing was recyclable and consuming the space in our trash. We still have to make room for a recycling area, which I am still working on, but so far we have been recycling glass, plastics, paper and aluminum. When Jeremy takes the trash he takes all our containers of recyclables and drops them in their respective bins.
I have also taken notice to how many zip-loc bags I go through now that I have small children in the house. I love Zip-Loc bags and find so many uses for them but now I see how much of a waste it is to always grab a Zip-Loc for everything little thing and I have never been one to wash the bags and reuse them. So after searching around on the internet I came across Reusies. Reusies are reusable cotton/nylon snack bags that come in a variety of patterns. I ordered a few this past Friday and too my surprise they arrived in the mail today, and they were so cute.

As you see I got two different sizes. The smaller bag is great for a half of a sandwich or any other snack for the kiddos. The larger bag is good for a whole sandwich and snacks for multiple kiddos when you don't feel like packing two separate bags. These little gems can be put in the dishwasher or laundry. You will also notice that the smaller bag has velcro on both sides allowing to fold twice. I am looking forward to seeing how these hold up. After receiving them, I realize how simple these would be to make, and I may try to make some of my own. I have also seen some reusable snack bags that have zippers instead of velcro. I may purchase one of those as well and see which one I like best.

The next two things on my Reduce, Reuse, Recycle list are to build a clothes line so I can hang out my laundry, save power and in return get great smelling clothes (this is how we dried our clothes when I grew up and my family still does laundry this way). Lastly, we have been discussing making our own compost. I have been doing a little research online about how to do it but if anyone has made their own compost before, I am open to suggestions and opinions.

A New Look

2010-07-31T22:32:00.003-04:00

A few months ago Jeremy decided to buy us some domain names just in case we wanted to design our own websites. He knew that I was trying to get into the world of blogging and thought it would be cooler to have my own site.

I will eventually be switching everything over to lovewithlemons.com but for now it will be the same name with a different look.

Porcelain Throne

2010-07-27T21:45:00.011-04:00

It has been a really long time since I have wrote anything, and I can't believe I am breaking the silence by writing about a toilet seat. No your eyes are not playing tricks on you, I did say toilet seat.

I just couldn't not share this great little find for all of you mommies out there embarking on the world of potty training or those of you who still have little ones running around. I first saw this seat at Jeremy's aunt and uncle's house (they have grandkids) and was so amazed that I had to have Jeremy and his mom both come look at it (it doesn't take much to amuse me these days). Right then and there I knew I wanted one of my very own.
Months went by and I kind of forgotten about the toilet seat. Then last month I tried again to potty train Isabella. I waited around until a Saturday that way Jeremy would be home with us for two days. We had bought a princess potty that played music back in December 2009 but she really didn't care for it much. So the week after potty training I decided to buy a nicer little padded seat that sits on top of the toilet. Well this one was a pain and very dangerous because it would slide every time Isabella went to sit on. Making going to the potty on her own near impossible. So after almost going face first into the toilet, I headed out to Home Depot in search of the ultimate potty seat (the one I loved at first site). Maybe some or most of you have seen this incredible seat but I never had and you can just indulge me. But for those of you who haven't ever seen this I wanted to be sure I shared my treasure with you. This little seat cost us $35 but it has been some of the best money ever spent. I totally recommend this to all of you mommy and grandparent readers.

Drum roll please......
I believe the pictures speak for themselves. This is a dual potty seat for children and adults. When the smaller seat is not being used by the kiddos it is magnetic and stays tucked in nice and tight in the lid. So much nicer than having to clean out those little potties or having to remove those attachable seats constantly.

Isabella loves using the big potty and has been potty trained and doing great for about 5 weeks now. Still wearing pull ups at nap time and bed time but she is all about wearing her panties during the day!

Not that Eden doesn't deserve her own post but I just haven't gotten around to writing an update about her progress but she is doing well and growing very fast. I will leave you with a recent picture. She is 3 months old now and time seems to be moving quickly.

Miss Potter

2010-05-21T17:28:00.011-04:00

Yesterday my mother-inlaw, my girls and I headed out for some shopping. Our main goal was to purchase some flowers to brighten up the outdoors. It couldn't have been a nicer day. Isabella enjoyed looking at all the flowers, and Eden, well she slept through all of it.

I couldn't wait to plant the flowers so when Isabella went down for a nap I took Eden outside in her bouncy seat and got busy playing in the dirt. I successfully planted 60 flowers (6 planters and 2 hanging baskets). I saved one special container for Isabella so she could plant her own flowers. She is definitely all girl but she loves to play in the dirt. Here are some pictures of her planting her little flowers.

A Delightful Melody

2010-05-13T14:36:00.005-04:00

Well folks she is here! After checking into the hospital at midnight and two epidurals, Eden Aria Griffis, whose name means a delightful melody, joined our family Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 12:38 PM. She weighed 6lbs 13oz. I will spare all the details and just share some pictures of this special day. Eden is wonderful!

34 Weeks and Bedrest

2010-03-26T10:17:00.003-04:00

I am currently 34 weeks according to the ultrasound measurements and have been on bedrest for the last week. I can't believe my first pregnancy went off without one complication. I get down to the end of this one and I go into preterm labor. Last Friday, I was packing boxes cause we are moving and by the time Jeremy got home I was having contractions pretty close together. I was induced the first pregnancy so I wasn't really sure what signs to look for or what natural labor would feel like. So we decided to err on the side of caution and call the Dr. After explaining all my symptoms they wanted me to make my way to Parkridge Hospital for an evaluation. I was too early to go to Women's East if by some chance I delivered I needed to be where there was a NICU.

After a few hours of being examined and waiting on Dr. Childs to arrive (who was on call last weekend :)) I was finally admitted. Apparently my contractions were coming two minutes apart (I had no idea) and I was already dilating. I really thought I was going to be sent home and that I was probably making a bigger deal out of what was going on but I was told I did the right thing cause had I not come to the hospital I would have surely went into labor that night. Dr. Childs ordered lots of fluids, some antibiotics and two steroid shots for the baby's lungs. Finally after midnight everything started slowing down. The next morning I was reprimanded again by my wonderful Dr. for overdoing it and for stressing way too much. So I was ordered to my worst sentence of bedrest until baby's arrival. So between Jeremy, my friend Cassy and my mother in-law, Isabella has been well cared for. My house on the other hand has kind of been put on the back burner.

I am happy to report that I made it to my 34 week appointment with baby still in tow and hopefully will keep her there for another week. I take day by day hoping to make each week's appointment without going into labor. I have not dilated anymore and baby seems to have moved up a little. And the best news of all was that I am now at a safe enough point to deliver at Women's East. Which is an answer to prayer. Eden's heartbeat is very strong and we were able to see her exercise her lungs on the ultrasound yesterday. We are so thankful for our new little girl and can't wait to meet her.

We were going to have maternity photos taken but the bedrest sentence has thwarted those plans and this is the best we got. Better than nothing.

32 Weeks

2010-03-09T21:44:00.000-05:00

Here is my belly at 32 weeks. I am running out of growing room and growing more miserable each day. Second pregnancy has been much harder physically than the first. However, I am trying to enjoy these last few weeks as this will most likely be the last time I am ever pregnant. Kind of bittersweet. Maybe if I had started having babies at a younger age there would be more kiddos. We still have yet to come up with a middle name. I am hoping that we will have decided on one before she is born.

On The Move

2010-02-25T22:04:00.005-05:00

A lot has been happening over the last few months. Isabella is growing and developing so quickly I can't keep up, Eden is going to be here in about 8 weeks (hopefully not sooner), and after much thought and prayer we will be moving to Dalton, GA. My choice to be a stay at home has not come without sacrifice and this is the biggest one. Jeremy and I have been given the opportunity to live in the house that belonged to his grandparents. It's a little house his grandad built nestled in the country on lots of land and across the yard from Nana and Papa. I am sad to be leaving Cleveland because this has been home for nearly 10 years, however, I also feel excited for a new change and relieved of a financial burden of our current mortgage. After much consideration, Jeremy and I feel that this is the best decision for us and the girls. I believe that Isabella and Eden will love having all of the opportunities of "country" living. We even have a big pond behind the house. And I can already hear Isabella telling me she is going to Nana's when she is mad at me or if I won't let her do something. I am sure there will be many days when she will go stomping through the yard to get some lovin from Nana and Papa! We obviously are not far from Cleveland and hope that our closest friends will still come to visit. Jeremy will continue working in Cleveland so he will be commuting daily. Our goal is to be moved over the course of the next month and hopefully "settled" before Eden's "birth"day.

Here is a little update on Isabella.

Current Age: 21 months

Vocabulary and Speech: it's never ending at this point. She is starting to put short sentences or phrases together and I seriously can't keep up with all her new words. When she wants something she looks at me and says "momma, have it". Understands commands and usually will carry them out.

Movies and TV: I try to limit this but I have to admit that being nearly 8 months pregnant TV has become my lifesaver! Her favorite things to watch on Netflix is The Wiggles, Caillou, Dora and Blues Clues. Her current favorite movies are The Tigger Movie and Willy Wonka. She runs around the house yelling "Tigger, Tigger" and singing "oompa, loompa, doopity doo." it's very cute!

Favorite Songs: Jesus Loves Me which she now will sing along with you, Ring around the Rosies, Row, Row, Row your boat, and itsy bitsy spider.

We have been going through a terrible time with her sleeping habits. It all started after a stomach bug but its starting to look up. I can honestly say the last month was by far the worse sleep I have gotten since she was born. I was blessed with a good baby so maybe it has just been payback.

Potty Training: This is on again off again mainly because I am too lazy to stay dedicated. She loves sitting on the potty and looking at magazines. Today I was drinking my morning coffee, paying bills online and it was so quiet that I knew she was up to something. All of sudden she walks into the kitchen naked, hands me her diaper and says "look, pee pee". The joy of toddler hood. She hates being wet or dirty and now has discovered she can remedy the problem by taking off her own diaper. Yes friends, it is definitely time to use the potty!

Teeth: She has four molars and is currently cutting all four incisors.

She is quite the busy little girl. My days are completely full of keeping up with her. The only time she is still is when she is sleeping. Most days I live for bedtime cause I am exhausted. Love my girl dearly but she is definitely not one to sit around. She is always on the move.

I am almost 31 weeks pregnant and have another doctor's appointment next week. I will give a pregnancy update after that. I am running out of belly room and I have started feeling some aching, pressure, and some pain. Just praying that Eden stays content in her little nest for a while longer!

Updated Bump

2010-02-10T21:32:00.000-05:00

It seems and feels as if I have grown overnight. My belly is definitely getting bigger and rounder. I am expecting only another 10 or 11 weeks.

12 Weeks and Counting!

2010-02-04T22:11:00.010-05:00

Yesterday I had my last appointment of my second trimester. I am currently 27 weeks and 2 days pregnant, and I will now be seeing my Dr. every two weeks. Good thing I love my doc! And then I realized that I could really only have at the most 6 more prenatal visits.....HOLY COW!

Anyway, everything looks good so far. I had my sugar screening done at this appointment and praying that all comes back normal. BP was low 90/60 and let's just say that yes there has been weight gain.

Here is a little peek at Eden (whom we still need a middle name for)! She has chubby cheeks (like her sister) and long toes (like her daddy). She is nestled very low in my pelvis and is currently using my bladder for her pillow. Eden weighs about 2lbs 7oz.

I will leave you with the "bump" progression.

Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice

2010-01-23T23:00:00.009-05:00

Since I have been staying at home and having a little more time on my hands, I decided to break out my sewing machine. I am a total newbie when it comes to sewing but they say practice makes perfect.

I could not settle on a nursery set for Eden so while my mother in-law and I were out shopping last week I decided to mix and match the nursery set and make Eden's crib quilt. This is my first take on a rag quilt. Fairly simple just takes time cutting all the material and piecing it together.

After all material was cut.

Planning the layout

Finished product

Once I got the hang of piecing and sewing all the squares together, I began enjoying making this quilt. I am ready to make my second quilt and hoping it will go a lot smoother than the first.

The other day while shopping I saw some cute onesies that had ruffles around the legs, and I wanted to buy one but then I thought "I can make those". So tonight with the help of a friend I took a hand at making Eden a cute onesie that I also want to get monogrammed. I used scraps of flannel leftover from her quilt to make the ruffled edges.

That's all the creativity I have mustered up this new year. Hoping there is more to come and hoping that my sewing gets much neater!

Empire of the Sun

2010-01-19T19:13:00.003-05:00

For the past few nights Jeremy has started a ritual with Isabella of allowing her to sit on the computer desk and pick out music she wants to listen to. All the albums are open and she will point to whichever one she wants to listen to. If a song comes on she doesn't like she is not shy to tell you so. A friend of Jeremy's has introduced him to a new band called Empire of the Sun and Isabella has developed a love for them as well.

Each night after supper Isabella and Jeremy retreat to the computer room and listen to music while I clean the kitchen. After I was finished this evening I snuck in there to grab a video. Enjoy...

Ringing in the New Year!

2010-01-11T21:58:00.001-05:00

To end 2009 Jeremy, Isabella and I went to some friends' house for a little New Year's Eve party, and then we headed home for a nice quiet evening as a family. We put Isabella to bed and then watched the ball drop online as we toasted in the New Year in our jammies.

Isabella playing with her friend Ella. She had great toys!

And then of course, who wouldn't want to play a little rock band to ring in the new year!

This is how we ended 2009

The next day I woke up bright and early because that is what happens when you have a very busy toddler. I thought to myself what better way to start the new year than by crossing something off my to-do list. I pulled out Isabella's quilt that I started making last year and actually finished it. It's my first one and definitely rough around the edges but she likes it and that's all that matters.

Almost a week later this arrived in the mail....

Isabella has to be in the middle of it all!

Checking out her new ride!

Momma's new caddie. This is probably the only new thing on wheels I will be getting for awhile!

If getting ready for the new baby isn't enough, Isabella has entered the terrible two's and toddler hood. The atmosphere of our house has seemed to change overnight--it's amazing! And by amazing I mean the terrible two's have kidnapped my sweet compliant child and have replaced her with a very busy, very opinionated, and very moody monster. Don't get me wrong she brings A LOT of joy and I am really trying to enjoy each phase but wow, what a time to pick to be a stay at home mom!

I decided the other day that it was time to transition Isabella into her toddler bed. Don't know why I thought this was a good idea--guess I can chalk it up to pregnancy mentality! However, so far she loves the bed, still goes to bed as normal every night, but nap time has been challenging to say the least. Anyway, I am really hoping and praying that she will transition fairly quickly over the next couple of weeks.

While I was converting her bed, I never thought that later this day I would deal with a whole stream of emotions but I did. I found myself feeling very sad and somewhat depressed that my baby was now becoming a little girl. This bed seems to swallow her hole and I had to fight the urge to put the crib back together, while reminding myself that this is just part of it--giving them independence. It's a scary thing.

Please do not think we are lazy parents or rednecks for the lack of pants my child is wearing; we are, however, potty training along with the bed conversion. I am a glutton for punishment! But really I am trying to do what I can before the new baby comes.

This last, first week of the New Year has been quite eventful. But I will leave you with one last picture of our most cherished time with Isabella and that is of one during our bed time routine. She is the most sweetest and lovable when she is getting ready for bed. She wants to cuddle, say prayers, give family hugs and give noses (this is what she calls it when she wants to rub noses with you). Then she always has the brightest smile which reminds me that despite the times I feel inadequate as a parent that I am not alone in this journey. God is with us, and I trust that where I may fail, He never will.

The Name Game

2010-01-08T23:09:00.000-05:00

Picking out a name for your child takes a lot of thought and consideration. With our first daughter, picking out a name came fairly easy only because Isabella was a name I had loved for a girl since Jeremy and I first got married. We had toyed with other names because Isabella had become so popular, but I kept coming back to Isabella. And now after having her it fits her perfectly.

Picking out a name the second time around has not been so easy for us. First, I had my list, Jeremy had his list and we couldn't seem to agree on anything. Then there is the trouble of making sure it compliments the sibling's name. I also began thinking of what her initials would be, what nicknames she would have (cause typically I do not like nicknames), if she would be teased because of her name, etc. Those of you who have children have all been here. There were times when I would feel so overwhelmed at picking out a name I told Jeremy that I wasn't going to pick one out at all.

Upon researching a ton of websites, listening to name suggestions from friends and reading baby name books Jeremy and I have finally settled and agreed on a name. Well the first name anyway. We are still trying to think of a nice middle name. Meanings of names are very important to us, and I find myself at times over analyzing all the names on my list until I have scratched out every name and have to start all over. A very frustrating process.

We have told some people the name we have picked so to some of you reading this will be no surprise, however, to some it will. Drum Roll Please........Our second daughter's name will be Eden. Which is Hebrew and it means paradise/delightful. I wanted a name that was not too common but not to strange neither. I think it is a very feminine name and sounds beautiful when you say it. Jeremy and I were going to try and keep the name a secret until the day she was born but I am not good at these sorts of things. I am sure we will get mixed responses concerning our choice of name but its the one we kept coming back to over and over.

So there you have it. We have a list of ideas for middle names but I am open to suggestions!

Double the Pink!

2009-12-01T10:11:00.002-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen the verdict is in, and as most of you already know we will be welcoming another girl into our family. We couldn't be more excited!

Last Monday, Jeremy and I went in for our appointment with Dr. Childs hoping to get a peek at our little one. I was seventeen weeks along and wasn't sure if they would be able to get a clear shot. To ensure that the baby would be moving I do what I have always done before an ultrasound and I drank Dr. Pepper 30 minutes before my appointment. Yes that is right, I am pregnant and I drank caffeine and soda (however, this is about the only times this happens). For some reason Jeremy and I were both nervous about the gender of this child. I am not quite sure why but we were. I was hoping for another girl, but more importantly hoping that our baby was growing and developing normally. Anyway, we walked back to the ultrasound room, I laid down on the table, and Jeremy and I held hands as the TV monitor above was turned on and we got a peek of our little baby. Seeing how much she had grown from 81/2 weeks to 17 weeks was amazing. She must have loved that Dr. Pepper cause she was moving around like crazy. Within a couple of minutes the gender was revealed. As soon as we got a clear toilet bowl view, I said is that a girl and the technician confirmed, "oh yes, no doubt it's a girl!" Jeremy squeezed my hand and my heart was racing about a mile a minute. Jeremy had an immediate look of relief on his face. While we were waiting for Dr. Childs, Jeremy confessed to me that he really wanted another little girl but was convinced that we were having a boy. He was very nervous at the thought of having a son which I was surprised to learn. He loves Isabella to pieces and is so good with her.

After the ultrasound I had to do the whole routine checkup. Not a good time to do blood pressure check. Because of all the excitement my blood pressure was high for me but it was only because we had found out we were having another girl. I typically have lower blood pressure during pregnancy. I was nervous about the weight check as always, but I was pleased to learn that I had only gained 3 lbs in the five weeks since my last appointment. I know some of you ladies out there who are oh so fortunate to hardly gain 10 pounds during pregnancy would gasp at this, but I rejoice. I gained so much weight my first pregnancy and have been doing much better this time around. Let me just add that I get really annoyed when people make remarks about how much weight or how little weight a woman gains during pregnancy. The goal is to have a healthy baby, and as far as weight gain goes that is something that is handled personally with your OB.

As we were leaving the Dr.'s office, I kindly looked at my husband and said well I guess we can call you "Estrogen Man". LOL! I asked him if he wanted to try for a boy to carry on the name and he gave me the "are you crazy" look. He says two is enough. My reply was well knowing our luck we would try for the boy and get another girl! On the drive home Jeremy patted my tummy and said in the sweetest voice, "it's a little baby girl"!

So all in all we are having a healthy pregnancy thus far. Everything with this pregnancy has been very similar to the first. I have had no sickness which I am so thankful for. I have not had many cravings this time like the first pregnancy, however, I do want sweets which is not a good thing. I do my best to avoid them and I don't buy any at the grocery store. Everyone once in awhile I will break down and buy cookie mix or brownie mix just for a treat.

The Week From Hades

2009-11-12T16:07:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to write an update on Isabella since the weekend, but it has taken me this long to recover from our horrible experience last week. I also have been dreading writing about it because it stirs up fear and anxiety all over again and literally makes me want to throw up thinking about it or talking about it.

We had a good Halloween weekend spending time with the family in Dalton, having a Halloween party with the cousins and going trick or treating. Isabella showed no signs of being sick, and actually she has never been sick her whole life up until last Monday, November 2.

Last Monday began as any typical day for our family dropping Isabella off to her Nana and heading to work, however, our day did not end so typical. My sister in law dropped Isabella off at my work around 5:00 p.m. and I noticed that she felt unusually warm. I figured it could have been from having on a long sleeve shirt, warm jacket and that she had been riding in the car from Dalton to Cleveland. After getting home I checked her temp under her arm around 5:30 and it was 99.5 so I figured it was more like 100.5 but I wanted to get a more accurate reading. In the meantime, I called my friend Cassy and had her stop by the drugstore to purchase an ear thermometer on her way to our house. Almost an hour later at about 6:30 Cassy calls and we were discussing two different types of thermometers when I hear a thud on the kitchen floor. I turned my head to see my baby lying on the tile floor by the kitchen chair. I go running to her thinking she had fallen from trying to climb on the dining room chair (which she always does). When I got to her she was unresponsive and was having a seizure.

By fault when it comes to situations like this I am not the calm parent. I scoop Isabella up while dropping the phone and screaming for Jeremy that Isabella is having a seizure. He grabs her and starts praying and I proceeded to call 911 in my panic state. While I am on the phone with 911 I am watching my child turn colors, drool coming out of her and then she lost all colors and started turning blue around her mouth. We lied her down on her left side and was preparing to do CPR because at one point it didn't appear that she was breathing. The 911 dispatcher was so nice and trying to keep me calm and reminding me that I needed to stay calm for my daughter, and that I needed to continue talking to her so she could hear my voice. Jeremy and I were trying our best to get her to come around but she was gone-- she wouldn't respond. Her eyes were rolling back in her head and every once and awhile she would try to open her eyes and look for us. It was the most heart wrenching thing I have ever been through. It felt as if it took the ambulance an eternity to get to my house. By the time they arrived, Isabella began breathing somewhat normal though it was very shallow and she was burning up with fever. The paramedics loaded me and her in the ambulance and Cassy and Jeremy followed behind.

I wanted to go to TC Thompson but the paramedics kept saying it was too risky to drive that far in case Isabella would start seizing again so they took us straight to Skyridge. I have my own opinions about Skyridge and this was enough to send me into more panic. I kept thinking my baby is going to die. This is it, God has only given me one year with this precious baby. However, for the first time ever I can say that the hospital experience was much better than anticipated.

After arriving they checked her temp which was 101. I was thinking that it wasn't even high enough to have a febrile seizure so once again I am freaking out but reminding myself I am not the medical expert. They gave her a catheter to catch a urine sample, did two chest xrays, drew blood, and did a CT Scan. Here is a picture of Isabella after being stabilized.

The waiting is one of the hardest parts but after all the tests were run and reviewed by the on-call doctor he reported to us that all things were normal except it appeared she had a touch of pneumonia in one of her lungs and a double ear infection.

By the end of the night Isabella was sitting up in bed singing songs with her Nana and smiling for all her visitors. This is the amazing thing about children. They have an uncanny ability to go through hell and bounce back as if nothing ever happened. I wish adults had this ability. I believe it is God's way of protecting them in their innocence. This smile below was one I longed to see again and was so fearful that I wouldn't. But God came through for us that night as He has done so many times. We are so thankful for all the prayers that were prayed that night.

The next day we followed up with our pediatrician and he confirmed the ear infection, but also said that she did not have pneumonia but what they had seen on the xray was possibly a small amount of fluid that was trapped in her lungs from having the seizure. The good news was that we were able to narrow down the reason for the seizure, and we hope and pray that we never have to go through this again. There is nothing worse than watching your child suffer and being helpless to stop it.

I am happy to report a week later, that Isabella is back to her bubbly self, getting into all kinds of mischief, telling her mommy and daddy no, and smiling that big huge smile that lights up our world. And also trying to climb the dining room chairs again which were almost locked away indefinitely.

Just A Thought

2009-10-27T21:19:00.005-04:00

Tonight we were given a book called Faith of Our Fathers from my father in-law. One chapter in this book was dedicated to my husband's paternal grandfather. When I sat down to read this chapter about the life and ministry of my husband's grandfather, I had no idea it would cause this much introspection. It is always the selfless stories of those who overcome great odds to make a difference in their world that inspire the most. And by saying their world I mean their families, their communities, their friends, and all those they have come in contact with during their lifetime.

Upon reading this brief summary of the ministry of this "great" man I began to wonder what kind of legacy will I leave behind if I live to be 84, and I wonder what the world will have to say about my generation and those that follow. The generation of our grandparents, those who lived and fought through a World War and survived the Great Depression is one of tenacity, integrity, determination, camaraderie and great faith. The more I listen and read stories of the earlier generations the more respect and appreciation I have for all those who diligently worked and sacrificed to make a better life. They trusted in God to supply all their needs and saw many miracles great and small.

We have not seen or lived through such times as these and to be honest I have little faith in how my generation would respond if they were to happen. Don't get me wrong, I think there are some great things about my generation, but as a whole do we possess such characteristics to carry us through times of peril. I fear sometimes that we have become so self-reliant that we have less need for God and community. In a world where everything is moving a hundred miles an hour and everything and anything is at our disposal at the click of a button and the pleasures of life are in abundance, I ask myself if we have such principles, standards and faith in God to survive and leave a heritage for our children.

What legacy will we leave behind? Will it be one of self-indulgence, self-reliance or self-sufficiency? Or will we realize that the things worth having in life are obtained through hard work, sacrifice, integrity and faith and reliance on God.

Hoo...Hoo...

2009-09-01T19:13:00.006-04:00

Isabella would like to share with everyone her new t-shirt. After taking these pictures I have realized how much she is growing up and it kind of made me sad.

She was so excited to share her secret with everyone.

It is still very early in our pregnancy and though I know most people wait later to share the good news, we were just too excited to contain it. We are praying that everything goes as well as it did the first time around. Our estimated due date is the very end of April 2010. Jeremy, Isabella and I are thrilled that our house will be growing by one more.

The Stranger...

2009-08-21T20:06:00.006-04:00

There are not a whole lot of words for this post.

I was sitting on my couch this evening looking at my door to my deck thinking "man those doors need to be cleaned!" When all of a sudden I noticed something strange in the door. Now, I can have a pretty crazy imagination but this was just too weird. It was like watching some weird supernatural documentary on television.

Anyway, here is the picture I took this evening of my door. Do you see what I see?

How about now??????

Bye, Bye Baby

2009-06-02T22:01:00.004-04:00

I feel like I am saying goodbye to babyhood and quickly transitioning into toddler "hood". Wow! I don't think I am ready for this. Last Thursday, two days after Isabella's first birthday, I was on the phone with my grandmother wishing her a happy birthday. While I was in the middle of a conversation with my grandmother Isabella turned loose of her toy and walked across the living room with no prompting whatsoever. I gasped, cheered (very loudly), and almost dropped the phone. As I was screaming "she's walking", Isabella falls down and claps her hands and seems most proud of her new accomplishment. She did it several more times that night, but I was never able to get her on video (typical!). So I thought I would catch it on video the next day, but she didn't walk at all. Over the weekend she walked some. First for her Nana on Saturday, and then for Auntie Cassy on Sunday. Yesterday and today she has been walking quite a bit more so I think she is getting the hang of her new found talent. I was finally able to catch it on video tonight.

Let Them Eat Cake

2009-05-26T09:00:00.021-04:00

Today I want to wish my sweet baby girl a very Happy First Birthday! She has given me the greatest gift in the world by making me a mommy on May 26, 2008. We had a busy weekend full of party planning, celebrating and going to the zoo. Here are a few pictures. They speak for themselves.Isabella was greeting her guests

All the goodies
The pretty cakes (they were yummy too).

Bring on the cake!

Isabella was very methodical about this whole cake thing. She started off by putting one finger in the cake for just a little taste. After that it was two fingers, one hand followed by both hands. Eventually she was really getting into it.

This stuff is good!Nana was waiting the whole time to snap a picture of this face!

Isabella got many wonderful presents but I think this chair from Papa and Nana was her favorite. She looked like a little princess in it.

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T10:38:00.005-04:00

This year was my first time celebrating Mother's Day as a mom. I missed it last year by a few weeks. I began my day with only two hours of sleep from the night before which were spent on the floor of my daughter's bedroom. Not exactly how I wanted to begin my day of "rest and relaxation". However, all of you mom's out there can relate that no matter what day it is, the task of mommy is 24/7. This day was very bittersweet for me because although it was my first Mother's Day it was also the anniversary of my mother's death. Yesterday marked 12 years since her passing. I wish so much that she could see me as a mother and that she could meet her beautiful granddaughter. I wonder if she would be proud of who I have become and what her thoughts would be if she were able to see me being a mommy to Isabella. Although time has flown by since then, there are days when it feels like only yesterday that she was still here. I am so thankful that I now have a new reason to celebrate with hope and love on Mother's Day and that it no longer has to be a day of sadness for me.

Yesterday was a beautiful day. Jeremy, Isabella and I had "brunch" at cracker barrel with his parents and Nanny and Papaw Griffis and afterward we visited together for awhile. My sweet mother-in-law bought me a heart shaped locket, wrote me the sweetest letter and put a picture of me an Isabella in a special frame that said "A Picture of Love". Jeremy was a little disappointed because his surprise for me did not make it in time so I actually still have a special something coming this week. I can't wait to see what it is because he was so excited to give it to me.

Mostly, I reflected on what a blessing my daughter is in our lives and how much she is a symbol of restoration for Jeremy and I. Isabella whose name means devoted to God has brought so much joy and meaning into our lives. She is the reason I strive daily to be a better mom, wife, friend, employee, etc. I want to teach her what it means to be a Proverbs 31 kind of woman. My biggest challenge in life is to teach her and to help her grow into a woman who fears the Lord. I pray every day for wisdom and grace in doing so in such a world where these types of ideals are not encouraged any more.

Becoming a mom is by far the most challenging and rewarding life experience. Jeremy and I stand in amazement of this marvelous gift that God has blessed us with. She helps us understand God's love on a whole new level. I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have been given the opportunity to be Isabella's mommy. She makes me smile and laugh everyday. Even on the days I am completely exhausted it only takes one look at her sweet face and every sacrifice made is worth it all.

I Got It From My Momma!

2009-04-06T16:16:00.004-04:00

Isabella loves dancing these days. There is never a dull moment in the Griffis house anymore. Every night is something new with our darling daughter. She knows how to brighten even the darkest of days.

Jeremy and I love to watch or just listen to the Palladia channel on Charter. They usually have a lot of cool bands and concerts on. This weekend I was watching Nelly Furtado in concert and Isabella started bustin a move! She is hilarious.

O Be Careful Little Mouth...

2009-03-13T14:43:00.004-04:00

What you eat! Rather than singing the traditional words to this song "what you say" it seems that I must remind my daughter that everything does not go into the mouth. Jeremy has been playing Mr. Mom this week working from home and watching Isabella. On Wednesday Jeremy laid Isabella down for a nap in her bed. She was already asleep when he laid her down but within 30 minutes she was awake. He went in to check on her and noticed that she might have something in her mouth. Well about the time he picked her up and said is there something in your mouth, she threw up all over herself and her bedroom. Jeremy calls me at work not sure what to do and tells me that he thinks she had something in her mouth. I immediately thought hair barrette, and sure enough we had a baby minus one hair barrette. Isabella obviously is distracted by shiny objects and decided to swallow this shiny, glittery, metal barrette. After calling the pediatrician several times that afternoon, I finally decided that I couldn't stand not knowing for sure where this barrette was in her body so we erred on the side of caution and drove to TC Thompson Children's Hospital for an x-ray. I felt like a horrible parent bringing my 9 month old baby into the ER for something she had swallowed. I was afraid I would get a million questions as to why we were not keeping a closer eye on her. Anyway, everyone was very nice and said that most of the cases they get of swallowing things were of coins and hair barrettes. The x-ray revealed that she had swallowed it and that the barrette had made it low enough in her body that they suspected I would find it in her diaper. That was Wednesday and I have yet to see the famous, blue, glittery hair barrette. Here is a picture of Isabella and her daddy waiting for the x-ray. I do hope this is not a foreshadowing of what is to come in her toddler years.Needless to say there will only be bows from now on!

Just a little update

2009-01-27T21:03:00.013-05:00

A lot has happened since I last wrote. Jeremy and I did a little remodeling to our living room. We took out a wall that separated our dining room and living room. A friend of ours, Jason King, came in for a weekend and we did it all on a Saturday. Isabella is growing by leaps and bounds. She is 8 months old now. She is rolling around like crazy and starting to get up on all fours. Here is a little view of our last few weeks.

Standing all by herself

Pigtails are the bomb!

First time touching snow

My little techy girlPure Sweetness

The newest addition to the family, Ox, Isabella's little ugly doll

And finally last but not least a little something to make you smile....

The Shoulder Shrug

2009-01-13T08:37:00.004-05:00

I am not sure if all kids do this at this age, but Isabella has recently picked up a new body move--the Shoulder Shrug. I guess this move when put together with her already foot tapping to the music that she was doing the other day in the car could be considered somewhat "dancing". Anyway, I think it is adorable and always hoped that she would have rhythm. Maybe just maybe she is well on her way.

Her Favorite

2009-01-02T19:27:00.003-05:00

Here is Isabella playing with her favorite toy that she got from her Nana. I think she is a little superstar in the making.

Christmas at the Griffis'

2009-01-02T14:48:00.011-05:00

We had a great first Christmas with Isabella. She loved all of her gifts and most of all loved all the paper the gifts were wrapped in. A note to all first time parents with little ones at Christmas, just buy wrapping paper and tissue paper and your child will be very happy. Jeremy and I's holiday break from work is coming to an end, however, at times it didn't feel like much of break with all that was going on over Christmas. We spent a few days at his parents including Christmas day. Aubrey and her family were in town. On Christmas night the Cochran family joined us for dinner and a game of exchanging gift cards, and the day after Christmas the Griffis family got together. Their were 26 of us, I think. All 8 of Nanny and Papaw Griffis' great grandkids were together for the first time. The kids were having quite a time in the playroom upstairs. Since the whole family was going to be together, Jeremy and I planned to have Isabella dedicated during this time. It was a very special moment to have the whole family together and to have Isabella's Papa dedicate her to the Lord. There were 7 ordained ministers there to pray for our little girl. We also found out that Isabella is going to have a new little cousin sometime in August or September. Here are a few pictures to document our holiday break.Some of the Cochran Family

Christmas is for big kids to!

"Slow your roll"

2008-12-03T15:46:00.004-05:00

I was informed the other day by some friends that there is a new anti-energy beverage called "Drank". They claim that Drank will "slow your roll". Now if you are like me, you will find the name and mission of this beverage quite funny. After doing some research on this new "Drank", I found that the purple carbonated beverage contains melatonin, valerian root and rose hips which give it a sedating effect. This beverage that is growin g in popularity in the South was dubbed this name from the hip-hop community. I have yet to try this drink but when I do I will be sure to let you know how it effects me.

A Daily Load

2008-11-19T08:56:00.003-05:00

Starting back to work after having the baby has been good, but I do miss her so very much. Now that I see how fast she is growing I really wish I could be with her for every moment. I feel like I am missing out on so much of my daughter's life. There are times that I do get to bring her to work with me when her Nana can't watch her, and although thankful for this opportunity, these days are the ones that often make me struggle with not staying at home not just for the missed milestones but also for the ability to not have to pack up what seems to be the entire house just for 9 hours out of the day. I always begin my day in such a bad mood because I'm already exhausted from sleep deprivation and then having to pack and load all the equipment and also having to take the baby out in 30 degree weather. Below is a picture of all the stuff I brought to work with me yesterday.

Mr. Jaspurr

2008-11-17T21:40:00.002-05:00

I'm too sleepy to write but I thought I would at least leave you all with a clip of our unique cat. Most people who visit us always try to catch a picture of our crazy cat in this peculiar position.

Jump Jump

2008-11-05T18:43:00.004-05:00

We bought Isabella a Rainforest Jumperoo last month and she has just discovered all the fun she can have. Here is a little of what she did for 30 minutes tonight.

Trick or Treat

2008-11-01T14:01:00.003-04:00

Isabella celebrated her first Halloween, and I had so much fun dressing her up. Here are a couple of pictures of her in her costume.

Gooey Fun!

2008-10-27T22:47:00.008-04:00

Halloween just wouldn't be Halloween without pumpkin carving. When we first moved to Cleveland, my friend Cassy and I started carving pumpkins every year at Halloween. We have skipped a few years here and there but tonight was just like old times. She brought the pumpkins and the carving sets and we got to work on our creations. I picked this ridiculous hard cat pattern that started to fall apart when I began taking the pieces out. However, we rigged it so you can't even tell. Although my cat only has whiskers on one side. Maybe the pirate skeleton chopped them off. Cassy did a fabulous job carving her pirate skull. She even sprayed gold glitter on it so when you light the pumpkin it sparkles.

Me and Cassy working hard at carving our pumpkins!

TAH DAH!

Newbie Voter

2008-10-27T22:37:00.005-04:00

On Saturday, Jeremy and I went to the mall and voted for this year's election. This was the first time Jeremy has ever voted. He was very proud to be a participating citizen. We took some pictures of this momentous occasion.

Cousins, Pumpkins and Viruses...Oh my!

2008-10-24T21:01:00.016-04:00

Last weekend Jeremy, Isabella and I spent the weekend in Dalton at Jeremy's parents house. Aubrey, my sister-in-law was in town with children, so it was great time for us all to get together. Aubrey cooked a fabulous lasagna on Friday night in honor of my birthday (thanks Aub!) and Judy, my mother-in-law, baked a fabulous homemade apple cake with cream cheese icing...I didn't eat just one slice! We also got to celebrate Papa's birthday as well.

On Saturday we all decided to have a Griffis family outing. We drove to Resaca, GA to Cagles Dairy farm to walk through a corn maize. It was a blustery day for the kids but I think they enjoyed it...well at least Asher did. He loved the giant yellow haystack pillow. Actually, the adults loved it to. Definitely not something you want to get on with a full bladder! Days like this are very few since Aubrey and her family moved to Durham so we cherish each moment we all can be together. It's great to get the cousins together and watch how they interact with one another. Asher is into everything, Charity, well she sits back and watches her big brother, and Isabella is amused by it all. I was wanting so bad to go to a pumpkin patch this year and maybe we still will be able to, but I did get some pictures of Isabella with some pumpkins at the Cagles Dairy Farm.

To end a perfect weekend, I woke up Sunday with a stomach virus and it was awful. I felt horrible. A few days earlier Isabella had it and she had passed it on to me. Jeremy finally got me home that afternoon and let me tell you that was the longest drive from Dalton to Cleveland. Well that night while I was passed out on the couch, Jeremy gets sick. Thank goodness we left Isabella with her Nana for the night. This was the first time for our little family to pass around the stomach bug. But I am happy to report that we are all on the mend and feeling much better!

Here are a few pictures from our autumn weekend.

Asher, Isabella, Charity and Papa...Trying to get a picture with all of them is very challenging these days!

Asher was having a picnic on the porch and Piper was hoping he would share his cheese.

Aubrey and Jeremy are excited about being in the corn maize!
As you can see I was most excited about the giant jumping haystack!

And I think she was the cutest pumpkin of the whole bunch!

Banana Pancake Day

2008-10-24T15:39:00.002-04:00

I love these rainy kinds of days. The only thing that would've made it better is if I could have stayed at home in my "jammies", curled up on the couch, and if I could have made banana pancakes for brunch.

Dumbest Criminals

2008-10-18T21:16:00.003-04:00

Does anyone remember that TV show about dumb criminals caught on tape? It may even still be airing on some weird channel I don't know about. Anyway, I took Isabella to get her pictures taken today in Dalton. After the photo shoot, the photographer began to tell us a story about a man who got caught for fraudulent check writing. Apparently the photographer was warned about this "criminal" coming in to get his pictures done and using a bad check. So after the photo shoot, the photographer took his check and gave it to the mall office so every store would be on the look-out for this "savvy" criminal. Well when they asked the photographer what he looked like she said "I've got pictures of him". LOL! The funny thing is he was still in the mall, and was about to purchase $700 worth of jewelry with a fraudulent check when he was caught and arrested. What made this guy think it was okay to get professional pictures taken and use a fraudulent check to pay for it. Seriously!

Just for a side note. This so-called criminal was on probation for previous fraudulent check writing and was wearing the exact same outfit as he was the first time he got arrested.

Initiation of Motherhood

2008-10-17T10:52:00.003-04:00

I am typing this blog from home on this rainy Friday morning. Isabella had a great day yesterday. She was in the sweetest mood and her Nana said she was so good. Well she went to sleep last night around 7. Around 11 I heard her choking so I ran to her bedroom to find her pajamas soaked not with drool, but with, well you can imagine. I felt so bad for her. So with the help of Jeremy I pick her up clean her off

I know it's been a long time...

2008-10-13T20:13:00.012-04:00

After being reprimanded on how long it's been since I last wrote anything, I am finally sitting down at the computer to update everyone on the happenings of the last few weeks. They have actually been quite eventful, hence, the lapse in blogging.

Isabella is now 4 1/2 months old and on September 26 she marked her 4 month birthday by rolling over for the very first time at my work. I of course missed the initial rolling over because she actually did it while sleeping in the office next to mine. I heard her crying frantically and found her lying on her stomach off of her blanket. I was so excited but also in shock from her crying that before I even thought to get a picture I swooped her up in my arms to calm her. Then I realized that I missed that camera moment. So the rest of the day was spent trying to replay that momentous occasion which Isabella so happily performed four more times for me. However, she has not done it since!

The first weekend in October was spent traveling 10 hours by car to Pennsylvania to visit my family. This was the first time that my family had seen Isabella. My grandmother's was the first stop we made and we surprised her. She was absolutely thrilled to meet Isabella and just went on and on about how pretty she is.

The whole weekend felt like a whirlwind going from place to place. All the visiting wore out both baby and daddy.

I got to take Isabella to the 44th Annual Fall Foliage Festival. Did I mention that everyday was cold except Sunday. We had to buy Isabella a winter hat and a cozy cover for her car seat and stroller. She didn't like being bundled up so much.

We also got to celebrate an early Thanksgiving dinner at my aunt and uncle's house. The visit was bittersweet for me. Although it was great to see my family, it was very sad that my parents were not around to meet their first grandbaby. Several times references were made to how much my mom and dad would have loved Isabella and how they would've gone crazy over her. Overall, we had a great family trip. And though sad to leave, we were excited to get back home and get the baby back on her schedule. As any mom knows schedules are life savers when it comes to infants!

Then this past weekend I celebrated my 32nd birthday. That's right the big 32! I am officially "in" my thirties. It's hard to believe that a year ago on my birthday was when I found out I was pregnant. Time flies! I had a very good birthday thanks to my hubby, my daughter, and all of my wonderful friends.

And one more thing happened since my last blog and that is I did what most every new mother does and that is.....I cut my hair. Not real short but up to my shoulders. And I love it. So I apologize for disappointing any of you who hoped that I would not become a statistic. But at least I didn't go too crazy!

That's all for now! Back to sterilizing bottles and getting things ready for tomorrow. My baby gets four shots tomorrow and I am not looking forward to it. So for now I'll leave you with a picture of Isabella taken tonight after her bath. We were listening to Jack Johnson and she was in the sweetest mood.

Heirlooms of Tomorrow

2008-09-21T11:12:00.007-04:00

Last week Isabella's Nana, Jeremy's mom, gave her this little bonnet that she purchased for her a few weeks ago. The bonnet is made of cotton and lace, and with a few snipped stitches this special bonnet will become the "something old" handkerchief that she will carry on her wedding day. So today I thought it would be special to take out my wedding dress and take some pictures of my beautiful girl who will one day walk down the aisle as I did 9 years ago. Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. Although this day is many years away, I know that with a blink of an eye it will be here. As she is her mommy and daddy's princess now, she will one day become a young man's princess to have and to hold till death do they part.

T.G.I.F.

2008-09-19T14:26:00.005-04:00

Every Friday I bring Isabella to work with me. My office has been very supportive in this new transition, and it gives Nana a little break. Isabella is usually very well behaved. You would hardly ever know she is around. Today I made her a little spot on the floor in the office next to me so she could take her naps. I laid her down because she seemed to be sleepy, and from time to time I would peek in through the window and see that she was just quietly soothing herself to sleep. About 20 minutes had gone by and I went to peek in and this is what I found....

She completely turned herself around and it appeared she had a great time doing it.

Growing Girl

2008-09-19T09:41:00.009-04:00

The last two weeks have been full of growing moments. Isabella is no longer the fragile newborn I once cradled in my arms. She has more than doubled her birth weight, and she now sits up with support and eagerly takes in the world around here. This is her sitting in her new bumbo seat just chillin in my office.

Last night I purchased larger bottles because as you can see she is a growing girl. However, the formula just doesn't seem to satisfy her. I think she is wanting big girl food. She is also able to stand up with the help of mommy and daddy and put weight on her legs. Our little princess is getting big so quickly. Look out world!

Tiny Dancer

2008-09-07T09:41:00.006-04:00

Having a little girl is the greatest because it is as if I get to play with my baby dolls all over again. Although sometimes Isabella likes playing dress up there are other times when I just know that she is appeasing my desire to put her in every outfit she owns before growing out of it. Well the other day the ultimate dress up article arrived in the mail. The TuTu! That's right a tutu and it was the hottest pink I could find. I'm already determined to put her in dance classes as soon as she is old enough to register. But for now I will use the tutu to play dress up and watch her giggle and smile.

I live for this smile!!!

This looks like a break dancing move...LOL

Bustin a move!

Funny Girl

2008-09-04T21:17:00.003-04:00

Our time with Isabella in the evening is very precious. Jeremy and I cannot wait to get home and talk with her and watch her interact with us. She is developing quite a personality and will let you know very quickly if she doesn't like something. For the most part, she is a very laid back child and she is such a joy to be around. When she smiles her whole face lights up. Lately, she has showed some attitude and I find it quite amusing; it won't be amusing when she is older, so for now I will laugh and chalk it up as her developing her personality. Here is a little video of Isabella getting annoyed with her daddy this evening. She loves to talk to you but tonight I think she was over it. Enjoy!

Something New

2008-09-03T18:49:00.001-04:00

So I've joined the world of blogging. Depending on what day it is I could have a lot to say or a little of nothing. I guess becoming a new mom has made me want to journal more about my daily experiences. I never imagined it humanly possible to experience so much love, fear, anxiety and anticipation at one time until I held my baby girl in my arms for the first time. Having a child was by far the most amazing and rewarding experience. There are not enough words to even describe how it feels to become a parent for the first time. It is just one of those things that has to be experienced first hand, and when you do, you suddenly know what every mother or father before you has felt. It is simply amazing!