Monday, August 31, 2009

Bad News...

Sweet Olivia had her Follow Up Dentist Appointment this morning at 8:45. We were hoping for good news, that everything was healing up nicely from her fall at the pool about a month ago, but I had a bad feeling about it, I could see the front two teeth were turning a lovely shade of gray, and I knew that was bad news. What I didn't know until the dentist told me is that one of them is very loose and that too is a bad sign. So the outcome is...two root canals for Olivia, which means "surgery"at the hospital. I immediately broke into tears, she of course was already screaming because we had to hold her down to let Dr. W take a look in her mouth. I should add, that we were scheduled for a normal first timer appointment today so the hygienist tried her best, but Olivia wouldn't even open her mouth...so after bribing her with money for her piggy bank (just coins, we didn't have to bring out the big guns), she gave him and let Brad brush her teeth for a few seconds...

Surgery is scheduled for Sept 25th, so between now and then please send your prayers our way that it doesn't become infected, that is the risk in waiting, but Dr. W wanted to wait until we were home from the Beach because he didn't want her being so far away if something happened post-op. She will go to her Ped, Dr. S for a Pre-Op physical the day before...

Of course now I am a bit nervous about my trip to Manila, since I leave on Sept 30th...

Silver Lining, my Mom & Dad will be here to help out, just last night when Olivia cracked her noggin on the cabinet she started yelling for YaYa between sobs, so I am pretty sure she will be trilled to see my Mom.

Tomorrow Avery goes for her 6 month check up, fingers crossed we don't end up with a referral to a Pediatric Cardiologist...but the cards appear stacked against us these days when it comes to Doctors and Medicine. At least she is taking her Antibiotic this time around, too bad we haven't seen a big improvement, and we are on Day 3.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

House Randomness

So I am on a huge HGTV my own house kick, I just want to change everything around...re-paint, add recessed lighting, change out door knobs (almost done with that), paint all the doors in the house...I just can't stop making lists, Brad is ready to shoot me. So I thought I would share with you a few updates I have made lately...very small, updates I might add.

I can't keep a plant alive to save my life...but don't fret, with a few gulps of water, this little gem bounces back in no-time.

A new sign in our Front Entry way...now here is where you guys come in, we are going to be painting the foyer (the wall behind the sign is part of that area), and we aren't sure what color would work best. The dining room and formal living room that are off of the foyer (and its a very open floor plan) are a putty/tan color. And I got the sign on www.etsy.com .

I might have shared this before, but its the new vinyl wall art in our kitchen...I happen to love it. Again, www.etsy.com.


I had seriously been looking for fake lemons for the longest time, I had priced them out at several different stores, even searched online, and just couldn't stand the thought of spending $10 on fake lemons...I jumped for joy when I ran into a display at the Marshall's in the West End (the one on the Southside is a tad ghetto) and spotted the $4.99 sticker...jackpot.


Rough life huh?


I need an organizational tool for the girls bath toys...any suggestions?


Just a sneak peek into the Girls Bathroom....of the future. And an update on the painter situation...we have called in reinforcements...hopefully we can set up a time for Joel to come out and get started...


This is hanging over our toilet in the Master Bathroom...I bought it in Manila at Balikbayan Handicrafts.


A day in the life of Avery...

I love to take a bath with my sister AND pee in the bathtub...


I love it when Dadda washes my hair..


I spend a lot of quality time chewing on almost anything I can get in my mouth..


Momma snuggles me as she drys me off...


Then I pretend that I am too cool for school...

Next, I have play-time with Riley while Olivia gets dressed

And I roll all over the floor...

And as always, I stick out my tongue as much as possible..


A Typical Sunday in the Life of Olivia

First things first...

You must diaper all the babies in the house...

Then you play in the pool with Dadda


Then you let your parents give you implants..."big-tata's", her quote, not ours.

Then you take a bath, all while giving "Bath Baby" a bath...when she was washing Bath Baby's chest, Brad said "you washing her chest?", Olivia replied "No Dadda, Lala washing her Tata's".

Oh yeah, and we take baths with our little sister now...

Chesterfield County Fair...




So if you know me well, you know I love a good fair...I love the food, the sights, the smells and of course the people watching. Its a real treat for me. However, the heat just about ruined the treat this year. We headed out around 5:00pm, of course we joined up with The Koehlers, so Olivia and Zack could continue their love affair...the sun was still shining bright and we were a' sweatin. Lala, as Zack affectionatly calls her was sportin' her new favorite hair style, the pig-tails. And yes, I cropped myself out of that picture on purpose. I had a mini breakdown looking at these pictures, it really smacks you in the face when you see yourself in pictures just how much weight you have to lose...so you won't be seeing me on the big screen (your computer screen), until some of this weight has melted off into the sunset. More on that later...

Avery spent the evening in her BOB and was a little angel, she passed out as we headed towards the car, and slept right through our brief stops to get Fried Oreo's and Elephant Ears, which BTW, is the same exact thing as Fried Dough...I asked. Turns out, where you live determines what you call it...heck, I don't care what you call it, I call it YUMMY.
Olivia and Zack enjoyed hot dogs and ribbon fries before heading to the kids play area...they messed around there long enough for Insley and I to have some girl time while Juliette ate and we took cover under a tent to get a break from the sun. We later caught up with the men and kids...Olivia and I went on a hay-ride, hence the picture of us together above...


We were home by 8pm and both girls were off to dreamland as soon as their heads hit the pillow/mattress. Yes folks, Olivia is now using a pillow. "Paa-Low" as she likes to call it. She loves it. Its just a tiny little thing, the little sham that came with her PBK bedding...

Friday, August 28, 2009

Grrrrr....

So the painter didn't show up...so I am left with two options:

#1 - Use one of the other painters we got quotes from and pay an additional $100 over the original painters quote

#2 - Paint it myself

I am leaning towards #1 because we have chosen a "Yellow" color and I have been told that Yellow is a tricky color to paint with...AND I have no free time.

I mean really, who just doesn't show up for a job? It does happen to be going around though...my neighbor has "hired" two different cleaning ladies and BOTH of them have failed to show up on their first day on the job...I feel so bad for her, I need to have my house cleaned or I feel like my life is spinning out of control.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Some tid-bits

A few updates...

*My dear, and close friend April's husband Addison just got a new jobby job, we are so excited for him, not only does this mean he will be working more normal hours and have a somewhat normal life (as normal as it comes in the world of Accounting), it hopefully means that April can come out and play now that Addison will be home more. Congrats to Addison!! (and to April)

*Our close friend Rob and his wife, Gretchen are expecting their first little one on February 17th. G is winning the battle over whether to find out the gender or not, so it looks like we will be shopping for yellows and greens for the Ragsdale Family.

*Congrats to my hardest working friend Dana for having 97 jobs this school year...good lord, that girl has a work ethic like no other, I so admire her for all that she does, and the best part about it, I know she not only loves being a teacher, she happens to be GREAT at it.

*I booked my next trip to Manila, depart Richmond September 30th and arrive back in Richmond on October 7th. I don't have much of a choice with my travel dates, Brad has travel planned on either end of my trip so I can't leave until he gets back late on the 29th and he has to leave again early on the 8th, so there you have it folks...it isn't easy when both parents travel, god bless our parents for all they have done to help us out.

*My SIL, Shannon has been having some crazy contractions...think little Hambone will be making an appearance before his scheduled arrival of September 29th? And yes, I know his name is Heath, not Hambone...but I just can't help it.

*I bought Brad his Birthday Present today...yes, his Birthday is November 15th...but its perfect, I just know he is going to love it, and of course...its a surprise.

*The bathroom painter comes tomorrow night to take care of the Girls Bathroom, I can't wait to put it all together, look for pictures this weekend. We are going to have him quote us the blood stained areas where Riley has left his mark, but we aren't in a hurry to clean those up being that his ears could bust open at anytime and make an even bigger mess. Uck.

You would think I was pregnant with all this nesting energy I have burning inside of me, I keep telling myself I am just nesting for Molly since she too is entering the nesting phase...that must be it, because NO, I am not pregnant. But I do have a list a mile long of things I want to clean out, clean up and make pretty...

Jumping & Hiding Fools

Where's Olivia?

Jumping Jack-Flash





Dinner Time

Tuesday Night

Monday Night




The only thing missing is Dadda...

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Happy Half Birthday Sweet Avery

Yesterday was Avery's Half Birthday...we had a little get together planned with our neighbors, but we are still recovering from the "snots" and The Koehler Family now has the snots, there was no way we were going to risk getting Pregnant Molly sick, being sick while pregnant is not fun. So instead of the little get together we went to Don Pepe for dinner, Olivia had a blast gobbling up everything in sight, beans, rice, "mexican pizza", chips, salsa which she tried to wipe off her tongue - HA. And then we ran to Home Depot to get Towel & TP holders for the Girls Bathroom since the painter should be here this week we wanted to change those out while we were already going to have the existing ones off the wall. I will of course take a picture when the room is finished...I can't wait. I happen to me madly in love with their shower curtain...and Molly has their towels as we speak...of course they are going to be monogrammed.

In 6 shorts months Avery has found her feet, her hands and....her VOICE. Boy is she a loud one, she yells like its her job, we were joking last night whether she is going to have a short temper with the way she grunts and yells. She is a rolling machine and while in her crib at night protesting sleep it appears as though she wants to get on her knees and crawl, but we haven't seen that happen outside of her crib. If I have anything to say about it, I would love for her to hold off on crawling for a few more months. Olivia didn't crawl until she was 10 months old and was walking by 11 months, that worked perfectly for me. But I have a feeling Avery will be crawling long before 10 months...but I think I said the same about Olivia, so who knows. Avery enjoyed her first taste of "food" on August 17th, just a few days short of her Half Birthday. Where does the time go? There are hours in certain days when I can't believe she is ONLY 6 months old, but when I sit down to think about it I can't believe she is ALREADY 6 months old.

Capital One Picnic...aka "Bouncy House Party"

So I might have mentioned before that Olivia and I went to the Capital One CSC Family Picnic last Thursday, it was only 712 degrees outside and right in the middle of the day...can't you just picture it now, SUPER DE DUPER HOT...and yes, that was a quote from my big purple friend, Barney. And while I am on the topic of Barney, I just have to say, that while I was horrified that Olivia loved him early on in her TV watching career, I happen to have a new outlook on that and am a big fan of him. Yes, its painful to watch, the kids outfits are like nails on a chalkboard for me, and the acting is horrible, BUT the messages are great and right now, at such an impressionable age, I am all for positive influences for my first born, so I am going to suck up how uncomfortable it makes me feel and let her enjoy it. How very big of me right? That's me, selfless. HA.

Now back to the Picnic...They had BBQ, Grilled Chicken and Hot Dogs for the main entree, and for those of you that know me well, you know I am not a huge fan of BBQ, but I was impressed. And for activities they had loud music for Olivia to dance to, Water Balloon tosses, kickball and a few other "big kid" things. And of course the Bouncy House!!! We enjoyed a snow cone down the front of our shirt...by we, I mean Olivia. And we looked super cute doing it, and again by we I mean Olivia. I do have to point out how adorable my daughter looked in her new Birthday Shirt from her "Aunt" Kori.





This one was taken for the sole purpose of showing off her cute lil Pig Tails...please excuse my big white thigh in the bottom right.


Sunday, August 23, 2009

Oatmeal & Snots

Not in that order...so the girls starting coming down with their first cold of the summer on Thursday and I woke up Friday morning feeling like a bag of dirt...and it only went downhill from there. So we decided late in the day on Friday that a trip to DC wasn't going to be in any ones best interest, so we called the Roggi's and cancelled our photography session, please note, this is the third time we have had to cancel, and I am starting to get a little depressed about it, we are madly in love with them and were so looking forward to catching up and for them to photograph our girls (www.stephencharles.com).

Brad took dinner and baby presents over to his cousin Alex's house on Friday Night, he and his wife Kristen are expecting their first little one on September 11th and we owed them a present, as I wasn't able to attend her shower. We had all planned on going, but with the snots and all, we thought it was best to stay home and keep our germs away from the very pregnant Kristen. Brad said their house is gorgeous, and I am super jealous I didn't get to see it, I've only driven by it, just before they closed on it back in January...

Saturday was filled with a trip to Costco for Brad and Olivia and a whole lot of NOTHING. Oh wait, I did happen to blow by way through about 2 boxes of Kleenex...lovely.

Sunday...more of the same...but we mixed it up a little and Olivia and I took a trip to Wal-Mart, we needed a new shower curtain liner and it couldn't wait another second. And I mean it, it was seriously gross in there....ick. And I should note, that Brad had an early morning trip to Patient First....Poison Oak for him, and a shot in the butt later, he is doped up on some serious steroids and complaining every chance he gets...I told him serves him right for actually getting a break and riding in the woods, see, if you just doted on your children 24 hours a day like I do, you wouldn't catch such nasty things....right? HA.

Brad had the neighborhood Fantasy Football Draft tonight, but I am ashamed to admit that I had to call him at 7:15 and beg him to run across the street for a few minutes while I tried to get Avery down. This is the first time in my time as a mother that I have asked for help like this. Let me try and explain the situation...picture it now...
  • Riley stepping on my feet at least 45 times
  • Olivia taking her sweet a$& time getting up the steps, one of my biggest pet peeves, seriously it takes the girl a good 20 minutes to climb to the second floor, all while I am trying to following along with Avery, Avery's Bottle in hand and all of Olivia's toys she wants to bring upstairs to play with while I am trying to put Avery down.
  • Avery won't take her bottle, flopping around, whipping her head around like a crazy person
  • Olivia is banging pots and pans around
  • Riley is barking at something outside
  • Avery is fussing
  • Olivia is threatening to go back downstairs

I finally gave up on the bottle, Avery was refusing it, having only taken 1.5oz, but the minute I put her into her crib she screamed bloody murder, she has been a fussy mess all weekend, the poor thing just doesn't feel well, hasn't slept well and was just exhausted. So between Avery screaming, Olivia climbing all over me, and Riley driving me to drink, I needed some help. Avery was too distracted to eat with Olivia banging all the pots and pans in her room...Brad was here for about 15 minutes, long enough for me to get Avery to sleep, however she still refused her bottle, got Olivia's teeth brushed, into her PJ's, and into her crib...however she was still fussing at me through her monitor when Brad came back after finishing up the draft.

On a positive note, Brad got Tom Brady. WOOT WOOT.

So I am guessing that Avery will be up in a few hours to eat since she took a whopping 1.5oz before bed...great. Can't wait.

I failed to mention that Avery tried Oatmeal tonight for the first time...hence the subject line. She liked it...she isn't crazy about her food like Olivia was, but she doesn't put up a fight either. I am so dreading a 5 day work week, I really need 4 day work weeks during the summer to keep me sane.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Finally...a name for our nephew.

I have been giving my SIL, Shannon a hard time about settling on a name for our darling nephew...drum roll please...

Heath McCoy Jones
(Shannon, I hope I spelled that right)
We can't wait to meet that little man, I've already had a blast shopping for him since my days are filled with pinks and purples. I hope I am not ruining a big surprise by outing his name, I am just so excited, I can't even stand it, now I get to start monogramming EVERYTHING I see...in blue for once, not pink. And we got word this week that Shannon is measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule...can't wait to smooch all over that bundle.
Speaking of shopping, I ventured out to Target last night...along...at 9pm. Seriously, one of my favorite places on Earth, and at 9pm, alone...what more could a girl ask for? I found the most adorable tunic style tank tops for Olivia on Clearance, so I scooped up a few in size 5T...and I should also mention I bought her the most adorable Preppy Navy Sweater from Lands End last night....wait for it, wait for it...in a size 7. HA. Can you believe it? A size 7, what was I thinking? Who am I kidding, I know EXACTLY what I was thinking...I was thinking it was too cute to pass up for $6.99, and that my daughters HAD to have it, and like they always say, the good things are worth waiting for...so they will have to wait until they fit into it, but it will be perfect, I just know it. And back to Target...they have the most adorable Toddler Shoes on sale right now, I would buy each and every one of them if I knew what size Olivia's feet were going to be later this Fall, into the Winter, but ya never know...so I settled at two pairs...hot pink Mary Janes...I mean, what girl doesn't need hot pink Mary Janes? HA.
Brad took today off, he just needed a break, so he is going for a nice long ride in the woods today while I go blind from looking at Excel Worksheet after worksheet, I want to poke my eyes out with a fork...
On a serious note...I shouldn't be joking about my eyes. One of my High School Classmates was in a serious car accident on Saturday, was hit by a drunk driver and is at Mass General, in the ICU, sedated. She just had her first of many 15 hour facial reconstruction surgeries, and they are worried about her regaining her eye sight. Please send your prayers up for Nichole and her family. Coming from a small town helps you put things into perspective...
I should also mention that Avery came home from daycare on Wednesday in one of Olivia's outfits and Donna didn't even realize it, sad that it fit her well enough to not raise any red flags...a 6 month old wearing a size 24m old outfit. Geez, what am I feeding this child?
Both of the girls are snotty messes, Avery had a very rough night last night, she was so congested she could barely breathe, she had to sleep in her Fisher Price Rocker, Brad slept on the floor next to her, tonight its my turn. It looks like our trip to DC is off for the weekend. I am bummed, but know its a wise decision to stay home with two sick girls it wouldn't be all that much fun to be in a hotel, trekking around the city, but it also means that we miss out on our photo session with our wedding photographer, this is the 3rd time we have cancelled, guess its not meant to be.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Can't Wait...

for the Fall TV shows to start...its sad isn't it? Megs might know this about me but I am not sure if its a wide known fact, but I love to look at the Major Network Schedules and put the Season Premieres in my planner...I don't know whats worse, actually doing it, or not being ashamed to admit it? HA.

I was sad to see HawthoRNe end last night, I really liked it and hope that TNT renews it again for another season. And Army Wives has just been so-so for me this season. Entourage again, just so-so, but I do happen to like E and Sloan together so I am hoping that happens at some point this season. Now on to the Fall Shows that I can't wait for:

NCIS
NCIS - Los Angeles
Three Rivers - but I know I will cry my eyes out every show, the previews get me...
Private Practice - I can't wait to see what happens with Violet and the baby...feels like it was just yesterday this show ended.
Grey's Anatomy - I am interested to see how they write Meredith's Pregnancy into the show..
90210 - who did Annie hit? And when is Dylan coming back? Seriously, David needs to come back as well...
Gossip Girl - how is this going to work with them going to college?
One Tree Hill - hottie from Lipstick Jungle is joining the cast, but does that mean that Lucas is a goner? I have heard he and Payton were no longer on the show, but how can that be? Brooke totally needs a love interest.
Mercy
The Good Wife
Flashpoint - whenever it comes back
Southland

And there are a few others I am going to check out, we have already talked about getting another DVR for our bedroom so we can keep up...pathetic huh?

And I am hoping and praying that Friday Night Lights comes back again in January...

Diet...again

I am very ashamed of myself...I fell off the wagon while I was traveling, gained back the 8lbs I had lost and now am back to square one. I hate it. I hate the feeling...my clothes aren't fitting as well again, its depressing. But I am back on the wagon now, I haven't been as strict as I was before, and I know that I will need to be to get the weight back off. Brad bought me some Full Bars (wwwfullbars.com), so I have tried them once a day so far for the last two days and plan on adding them into my routine twice a day once I get another flavor, currently only have Peanut Butter.

And I should note that this time around I had Brad take a "Before" picture of me posing in a bathing suit. Its horrible, I will NEVER in a million years post the picture for all to see....unless of course I lose 65lbs, look fabulous and want to brag, then you might see the "Before" posted next to the "After"...just maybe.

All my Children...

Literally...not the show.

So Olivia's latest phrases:

"Go away Mommie, go away"

"I got an ouchie in my mouth, fall down at pool", and she happens to tell this to anyone that will listen, over and over again.

"Kiss my ouchie"

"Baby Avery, dis' my baby, not yours"

Avery

Is cutting two teeth, the bottom two, they popped up last Wednesday and are both through now...and unlike Olivia teething has been a nightmare for Avery's sleep schedule, she has been all over the place and waking 2-3 times a night and her naps are hit or miss.

Now sits up...fairly well. (don't mind the dirty onesie she is wearing)




Tried Rice Cereal for the first time on Monday, loved the experience...



And we took Avery to the Pediatric Neurologist (Dr. R), her immediate reaction was "her head looks like it fits her body", she looked at all of her records, looked at our family head sizes (we were prepared and brought all the measurements), determined that its not Hydrocephalus, but rather a benign issue that causes fluid on the brain, and the head stops growing between 15-18 months of age. So Dr. R didn't order any tests, but will be watching her closely and she will go back to see her every 3 months. So I feel "so-so" about it, clearly it could have been a lot worse, but part of me would have liked to have had a few tests run to 100% rule out anything serious, at this point we don't really know much.

She goes back to Dr. S, her Pediatrician on September 1st for her 6 month check up, I can't wait to see how much she weighs. I will likely spread out her shots again and I am prepared for a referral to the Pediatric Cardiologist if her murmur is still present.

Going through the Big D...




don't mean Dallas...

I left on Tuesday August 11th for San Angelo, Texas and flew back into Roanoke on Friday August 14th and met Brad and the girls down there. Brad took the girls to Bassett on Tuesday and he worked that part of the state for the rest of the week while the girls enjoyed quality time with "Bina and PawPaw".

My few days in Texas were filled with long, exhausting, painful hours working with a large group of our Activation Agents, not fun, but it was good for me to get exposure to a domestic supplier, as my perspective is currently based on my Manila agents.

So...landing in San Angelo, the airport has two gates, one airline, three employees, five rental car desks and one baggage claim. Its hilarious. Literally the agent working the ticket counter, takes your boarding passes and helps you board the plane, and for crying out loud might run down to the tarmac and guide the pilot to the runway. You walk away from the experience wondering if the mailman is also the Vet and Dentist in town...small town USA. But they did have every Chain Restaurant and Big Box Retailer known to man, so I couldn't really complain. I will say though, while the Fairfield Inn we stayed at wasn't bad, its sad when that is the nicest hotel in town. We did however have dinner at The Grille, which is owned by a chef that was on Hell's Kitchen.


And on a side note, on Thursday the 13th my toe started killing me...infection. Urrggg.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Our Lil Model

So if you recall one of my friends from work, Becca Williams (http://www.jrebeccawilliams.com/) photographed Olivia at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens just before her 2nd Birthday. I wanted to share a few of my favorites...