Precious Moments

Those that know me best, know that I have always wanted to be a mother. It is in my blood. I have three younger brothers that I grew up very protective over. I still am. :)

Being a mother is hard. Harder than I ever imagined, but despite that, it is filled with such sweet, precious moments that make the memories of the hard times completely disappear.

On Sunday night, Blair woke up around 11:30pm, crying and upset. I went into her room, scooped her up and rocked with her trying to calm her down and get her back into a restful sleep. At one point, she popped her head up from my chest and leaned in to kiss me on the lips. She then looked at me with her big, sweet eyes and grabbed my face with both of her hands, sweetly kissing me again. It was so sweet and it completely melted my heart. How wonderful it is to be loved by her!! I am thankful for every second I can spend with my daughter, even if it's in the late hours of the night.

16 months - and cuter than ever!

I cannot believe it.. my baby is 16 months old and is growing up. I will tell you that this sweet baby girl is growing up to be slightly stubborn, incredibly smart and undeniably sweet. I like to think she is a great mix between Trav and I, even if she looks more like Daddy right now.

Our Love Bug is just that – she loves on everything and everyone. She loves to show her affection by giving kisses (MAH!). Even her chicken nuggets get a kiss. It is so, so touching to see her gentle spirit love on the things / people she loves.

Blair has been enjoying (matching) puzzles and reading. I can honestly say that she spends the majority of her play time playing with puzzles and reading books. Trav has found these really great board / flap books that are Bug's favorite. She has quickly learned many of the animals (and their sounds), and can identify a few colors and shapes. It is so much to watch her learn new things.

As far as eating goes - well, let's just say, that she is a toddler. Lots of snacking and picking at food. She still drives a finger through anything new that she has decided not to try or like. She is on a chicken nugget kick. That is her "go to" food and our safety net. She still likes bananas and eats various fruit like strawberries, blueberries, mandarins, apples, and grapes. On occasion I can get her to eat peas, but she refuses to eat carrots. We have moved on from the spoon fed yogurt, and Blair now drinks yogurt (I will take it). This was especially helpful when she was sick since the cold yogurt seemed to soothe her irritated throat. We have had a huge success with frozen mini pancakes! They are super easy to take to school for breakfast and they are her favorite. I am very thankful that she continues to drink milk like a champ. I strongly credit her milk and yogurt intake to keeping her weight on (whilst being sick).

Blair is doing well at school. Even after being out of school for 2+ weeks, she fell right back into her schedule like she had not missed a beat. They have recently begun providing lunches at school (which saves me quite a bit of time and money) and I think she is doing alright with the change. I am not 100% convinced that she eats as much as they say she does, but hope that the exposure and peer pressure will help her to try (and like!) new things.

My little girly-girl... ahhh, I have to say, I am so proud. She is getting much better about wearing bows and barrettes in her hear, loves herself some necklaces and bracelets, and will occasionally decide what she wants to wear. SO fabulous! She loves to watch me put on make-up and today (for the first time), wanted to brush my hair. LOVE.

Our little dancing machine likes to bounce and spin  to music. And she loves to help us sing! For a little person that is working hard to say and pronounce words, she does a great job. I bought her a fingerplay CD and booklet so we can practice songs. I think her enjoyment of fingerplays might stem from her sign language usage / knowledge.

We are still doing Gymboree - though it feels like we hardly go! We can't take her when she is sick (obviously) and sometimes our other plans get in the way, but we still really enjoy the class! Bug usually marches to the beat of her own drum and is happiest when she has a ball in at least one hand. She reminds me of her Uncle Conner. That kid always had a ball in his hand - and was / is the most athletic in our family.

We had a busy day visiting and catching up with some of our friends. Even though we don't see our friends every day - or even if it is once a year, it is nice that when we do meet up, we pick up right where we left off. No judging and keeping score - just genuine friendships.

Here are some pictures of Blair (and me) that we took today. Thrilled about that date stamp. Except the opposite. Oh well.

In the "words" of my love bug, "MAH!"

What a week!

Whew… after a week like last week – I am happy that one is over! On the list of less than desirable incidents: a new alternator in my car, a “friend” blow-out, a sick baby girl, and a personal family issue (to be discussed at a later time) that has taken front and center in my mind.

Of all of these things we suffered through last week, here is what I have learned (or some lessons that were reinforced):

Always buy the extended warranty for your car.

Sometimes you grow out of friendships.

Your family will always be there for you.

Sounds like a week, huh? I would love nothing more than to blog about the hardships we go through (on what seems to be a week to week basis), but that is not why (most) of you read this blog. You read it to know what is going on in Little Miss Blair’s life and what we are up to. I spare you the details of some of our most grueling challenges not because our life is PERFECT – but because I try not to be Debbie Downer. J

In all that transpired last week, I was comforted by two signs from God – on the very day that I needed them. The first, a poignant passage:

“Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits’ ” 

 (1 Corinthians 15:33, NKJV)

The second, an email from an old friend that I had not corresponded with in over 6  months. She provided me with the reassurance that I needed in the decision I had been forced to make.

Relief!

In FUN news, we celebrated my Dad's birthday this week! Bug was with Gammy and GranDad so T and I could celebrate with a few margaritas! Happy, happy birthday to my wonderful Daddy!

Due to recent events, I have decided to lock my blog so that it is no longer public. If you would like to be added to the readers list, you can contact me at Awright@cronsutec.com and I will add your email to the group.

Hoping for a better week!

Update : HFM

On Friday, I took Blair back to Dr. Kavin's office. This appointment was her 15 month well baby check-up - plus I wanted Dr. Kavin to see how Blair recovering from the HFM. Here are Miss Blair's 15 month stats:

Weight - 26.6 pounds (91%)

Height - 32 inches (88%)

Head Circumference - I cannot remember the measurement, but it was in the 78% percentile.

So she is doing great and is developing just as she should be! She bounced around the whole exam room, playing, chatting, pointing, and reading. My little ball of energy showed Dr. Kavin just how well she was feeling. Her rash is mostly gone, with the exception of the patch around her wrist. Dr. Kavin prescribed some cortisone cream to see if that might help. xXFingersCrossedXx

Gammy and GranDad spent Friday night with Buggie so T and I could get some rest from a LONG week. It is always strange not to hear the monitor on with the lullabies playing! :)  We managed, and slept like babies!

This morning, Trav picked up Blair while I was in a photography workshop. After a 2 hour nap (for B), we headed to Reliant Stadium to see the circus! The rain somehow managed to stop (it has rained all week!) long enough to be very, very hot and humid. Ugh. Too bad they don't valet (& they could charge a steep price) at these kinds of things.

We had great seats, but our section was packed. We had the last two seats on the aisle and we had to get up constantly. We scoped out a higher section in a different area of the stadium where no one was sitting so Blair could walk through the rows between T and I bridging it off. She was happy with the freedom and we were glad to be able to actually spread out. Bug loved bopping and dancing to the music and watching the elephants and horses. She was making the cutest faces and having a blast. When she had had enough, we purchased a bag of cotton candy and headed out. Today was Blair's first experience with cotton candy. I worried about the car ride home - but she did great. And she loved the cotton candy, just like her Momma.

So big day for my little B. I had her decked out in a super cute Gymboree outfit with a matching necklace. She thought she was hot stuff! It was adorable.

These are the pictures I took when we got to the empty rows. I should've taken more but Blair was keeping us busy... we decided to not bring the stroller (because we didn't see a single other one there in hundreds and hundreds of people), plus having to get up so people could get food or use the bathroom - I am beat. Don't forget the walk back to the very hot car in 94 degree heat with 90%+ humidity. Hoooooot.

How many clowns does it take to fix a lightbulb? That's the skit and lost Blair's attention fast!





So big with her big girl necklace. Excuse me while I dry my tears with a tissue.

Just when things were settling down...

***This post is from Monday, July 9th***
Last Tuesday, the daycare called me to tell me that they found some blisters on Blair's left wrist. They were tiny and from the picture, you could hardly see them! Travis and I watched them over the rest of the week. When Blair got home from Gammy and GranDad's on Saturday, the blisters - or bumps looked worse. The little blisters were now like a patch on her wrist and on Sunday night, I decided that we'd be making a little trip to Dr. Kavin's. By the time we got to the doctor's office, her legs were completely broken out in these welts / red bumps. They almost looked like bites - which is really weird that they literally came out of nowhere.

 Well, my gut was right... she has another viral infection that he thinks is hand, foot and mouth. Ugh. She has the blisters in her throat which are symptomatic with the HFM. Poor little Bug. This time, the virus started in a different way - so we didn't know what the blisters were. So, Little Miss is out of school this week. Thank goodness for sister-in-laws and Moms.

Despite this virus, we had a blast this weekend. Roslyn picked Blair up from school on Friday after nap and had a fun sleepover with her grandparents. T and I decided to do a sushi date night, and then relax at home. On Saturday, we had our new fridge delivered! The fridge we had was from Travis' Mom and it was 15+ years old! It was definitely time for a new one and oh, how exciting! A working ice maker and water dispenser…. Oh how I have missed you so! It is huge and I am in love. Ha!

Once Love Bug got home on Saturday, we played and played and played here at home. Blair is so funny and I just love her personality! She is big into the “uh-oh” stage and stays it about everything. Sometimes she will say it, then throw something on the ground. Uh-oh indeed. But we are working on it. Sunday we all caught up on some sleep and since it was a rainy day – we spent the day playing inside (which means playing in the playroom for a few mins, then running into the living room and playing there for a few mins).

Travis and I crack up when Blair runs. It is this uncoordinated sequence of steps and squeals as she tears down the hall. I feel like she is always milliseconds from falling – but somehow manages not to trip or crash (whew!). And my baby loves shoes. So far she has not gotten into the habit of taking them off – but she sure likes them on. It is probably because they are silver and sparkly. J

Last night, while rocking Blair to bed, I told her we would read Goodnight Moon one more time, then we would put the book down and rock in the chair with Mommy to go night-night. She looked at the book, dropped it over the side of the chair (like we always do – and SHE has to be the one to drop it) onto the floor, turned around in my lap and laid her head on my shoulder. First of all, it was all incredibly sweet – especially when I knew that she wasn’t feeling good. But secondly, it was this huge light bulb that turned on. She understood everything, including the order in which it was said, and did exactly as I had asked. That was my “Ah-ha!” moment in testing boundaries.

That is all she does these days, test boundaries. Amazing how little ones can know this and exercise it so well. It also amazes me how she knows when to bat those little eye lashes and turn on the big puppy dog eyes when she wants to stay awake and not go to bed. She just knows how to turn me into mush.

Reading – can we just talk about this for a minute? Home girl LOVES to read. They are not always story books. Lately she has been obsessed with these flap books of animals and common words – she could look at it all day. My favorite thing is to look up and she is “backing into” your lap to sit down with a giant book in her hands. My baby loves to read. And point. And count. We do a lot of that.

 “MAH!” That is the newest sound that B makes and it is when is giving kisses. It is sooooo cute. She loves to kiss T and I, Raleigh and Kingsley and her babies. I love the sound and cannot get enough. Speaking of babies, my daughter has quite the motherly instinct. She carries around this life-like baby that drinks from a bottle. She loves to feed her bottle and pats her back when she is putting her to sleep. Makes my heart melt!

So Baby Girl is obsessed with this "Dream Lites" commercial that shows non-stop on the Sprout channel. The second she hears the little jingle come on, she is running to the t.v. and excitedly watches. The whole thing.



Getting pumped about the Dream Lites.

Love this sweet face!

New art for the playroom (made by Trav and I)

Sharing tea with Daddy

Little Bug is always recovering from little bumps and bruises from tumbles! She is a tough chick!

Love this precious Elmo Airplane ride-on. The seat lifts up so she can put her "stuff" inside and the propeller actually spins. Fun!

Feeding her baby

Our new fridge! Yay!

Practicing with Photoshop...

That is the question.

Happy 4th of July!

Hope everyone is enjoying their 4th of July! This is one of my favorite holidays and I spent it with some of my favorite people!

Here is how we spent the day...

It started off with red (looked more pink), white and blue (looked more turquoise) pancakes, bacon, and milk.

Blair takes a bite of each pancake individually, then finishes them one at a time. It's kinda silly, but it is what she does.  :)

Then we gave Bug her holiday basket. It had some Elmo bubbles, a couple of new books, a Latches board (Melissa & Doug), new swimsuit, some fruit and veggie squeeze pouches, a Pajanamals DVD & CD, crayons and a crayon box.

A new flap book

A couple of curls in the back ♥

Caught the smile, but got the eyes closed.

Fun latches board

Loves the new book!

After naptime, we spent the afternoon at Mimi and Pops' house to swim and grill burgers. Yum!

 Happy 4th of July!