Time to be upbeat

I realize I've been complaining alot when really I have much to be thankful for. Namely, my precious girl Emma!

We really had a great Sunday. This morning, we got up for church and heard an awesome sermon on "Servin' it up!" In order to become more like Christ, we have to be servants to one another. We talked about how Jesus washed his disciples' feet in the upper room and also the passage that speaks of, "...that which you did for the least of these..." It was really uplifting and has inspired me to look for ways I can serve others.

After church, I took Emma to the mall to get her some new jammies and pants. She was so sweet the whole time we were shopping. I got her some cute jammies from Children's Place that were on sale. Bonus. I also got her some Jumbo Crayons and she colored us a picture when we got home that is proudly displayed on our fridge. We visited with Kev before he went to work and then she took a bath and got ready for bed.

I normally rock her every night for a few minutes before lying her in her crib. Tonight, she hopped up in her rocker by herself with her Lovey and Baby Bible. She was trying so hard to rock her self and kept head banging in to the back. In this pic, she's showing me where her belly is. :)

We're amazed each day at how smart she is and all the things she's learning. When we say it's bath time, she walks to the bathroom on her own and starts trying to undress herself.

When we tell her it's time to change her diaper or, "Change your butt," as Daddy says, she walks straight to her room and changing table.

She can follow lots of simple commands and is starting to learn the motions to some songs. Her favorite is the Itsy Bitsy Spider. It's crazy how fast she's growing and turning into a little girl versus my little baby. Oh, and to think there's going to be a new baby in the mix soon...that's crazy.

Hope y'all had a great weekend. I'll post an update after my appt with the doctor on Wednesday

I'm sick of "Grrr's"

I really don't want to complain, but come on! Thursday, my doc's nurse called to say that my glucose tolerance test was abnormal by TWO POINTS! 2 lousy points but I still had to do the three hour tolerance test at the hospital. This is annoying but wouldn't have been too big of a deal except for the fact she said it had to be done in the next 3 days (before I hit 28 weeks). Basically I had to have it done by Monday at the latest. With such short notice and it being flu season, there wasn't any way I could miss 4 hours of work on Fri or Mon so I had to do it today (Sat).

Sigh. I had planned on going to Wichita this weekend to meet my baby niece Isabelle Grace. I was so bummed out that I couldn't be there when she was born but was really looking forward to going this weekend. Now, it couldn't happen. It really stinks and I'm having a bit of a pity party right now.

I'm not worried about the glucose; I'm sure the results on Monday will be fine. When I was pregnant with Emma I had to do the 3 hour test because the first one was a few points out of range. I just wish I could be one of those lucky gals who have easy, blissful pregnancies. Oh, well, the end result is worth it.

Yay!!!! and Grrrrrr!!!

First the yay:
Kevin and I got a package in the mail yesterday. It was a birthday present (mine's the 7th, Kev's is the 11th) from Dave and Cort, Mae and Ian and Joe and Jill. It is a Wii!!!!!! We were so super surprized and excited. Now we need to get Mario Cart and then we can have mad family racing wars even though we all live in different states.

Huge thank-you's to all of you, you guys rock and we love you. Oh, yeah, Emma really loves the box too!

Now the Grrr:
This last week or so I have begun swelling in my legs and hands. I was about this far along in my pregnancy with Emma when I started to swell. Then my bp started creeping up. Then I started dumping protein in my urine, then bedrest, then an early c-section, then continued bp issues requiring to me to be re-admitted to the hospital when Emma was 6 days old. Ugh. I have been so optimistic that this pregnancy was going to be a breeze and has been thus far.

I went for my monthly check today and my glucose tolerance test. My bp was up a little bit but nothing crazy (134/72) From week 1 of pregnancy to week 23 I gained 9 lbs, which is great. From week 23 to today, week 27, I've gained another 9 lbs, which is bad. My doctor is going to keep a close eye on things and is having me come back in 1 week for another check. He said he's not too worried yet and that this may just be a "blip in the screen" and I'll be fine from here on out. I hope so.

I know God is watching over me and the baby and that He will take care of me same as he did last time. It's just a little disappointing to think I may be headed down this path. Please keep me in your prayers and I'll post an update after my appointment next week. Grrr

Glutony- A Deadly Sin

"This is what it looks like to hand a 1 year old a FunSize Three Muskateers bar"

"This is what it looks like when the 1 year old smears it everywhere, including her eye"

"This is what guilt and sloth looks like after the 1 year old realizes what she's done"

Happy Halloween!

I feel like I haven't updated the blog in a while and now that I have cute costume pics of Emma I'm motivated to sit down and type a post. :) So, where do I begin?

Last Saturday, Kev, Emma, and I headed to Wichita for the imminent birth of our new neice! Turns out, birth wasn't so imminent. Kev and Emma headed home on Sunday but I stayed until Thursday, knowing, that baby girl would come any second. Alas, I still am not an aunt. I am fairly confident that will change in the next day or so. Please, please pray for Mae and Ian that they have a healthy baby girl and that Mae can find strength and comfort in labor. Ian and Mae are going to be great parents. (And I will be a fabulous aunt!)

Emma is becoming a pro at walking. She is everywhere! It is so amazing to see her toddling around the house. She's also starting to talk a lot. She sounds like she is speaking full sentences- in another language. She is so sweet to us and loves to cuddle and give kisses. The other night I asked her if she would rub my belly and she did so and then laid her head on it like a pillow. I'm taking this as a sign that her and Hannah will be best friends and get along all the time ;)

Trick-or-Treating last night was alot of fun. Emma really enjoyed walking up driveways and waving to the people answering the door. The first house we went to Emma smiled really big and waved and really won the lady over. She put like 3 handfulls of candy in Emma's pumpkin! The best part is that there are very few candies Emma can have a bite of which means Mommy and Daddy get the rest. Sweet! By the end of the night, she was pretty exhauseted and all Treated-out. She passed out and slept until 9AM this morning which I think is a record.

We're just hanging out at home today and enjoying some time together. Emma is napping right now and Kevin is going through some paperwork. We hope all of you had a great Halloween and are enjoying your weekend!

Her name shall be...

In my family, it's sort of a tradition that Dad picks the name for the kids. My siblings and I were all named by our dad, my mom and all her siblings by their dad. As many of you know, Kevin chose Emma's name (and a great selection it was!). We thought there's no reason for this baby to be any different so he has been compiling a list of names for our new daughter.

We had been toying with the idea of the name ending with the "uh" sound, like Emma. We also have been fairly certain that the middle name would be the same as my mom's, who passed away in December of '06.

After much deliberation, a decision has been made. Our new daughter's name will be........

Hannah Sue Costello

I don't know why it is so comforting to have her name chosen; maybe because it helps her feel more real and like she's here with us already. Whatever the reason, I am excited to begin calling her Hannah when I'm rubbing my belly instead of "baby girl".

In other baby news, Kevin's sister Mae is getting very close to having her baby. Her actual due date isn't for another 5 weeks or so but it seems she will probably make her debut a bit sooner. We can't wait to hold her and give her kissies. Please keep Mae and Ian in your prayers that the rest of the pregnancy goes well and that the baby doesn't feel too rushed make an entrance ;)

Busy Weekend

It has been a very busy but fun weekend. Saturday we got up early and met our friends Dave and Kellie for breakfast. They have 2 beautiful children, Ashlyn and Carter. We then all went to Celbration City. Emma took her first ride on a Merry Go Round and absolutely loved it. She kept saying, "ooooh, oooohhh!"

Later in the day I got a Drumstick ice cream cone (my favorite.) Kevin was holding it out for Emma to take some licks when she reached out and took it! It was so cute because she was sticking her whole face in it. I think she was surprized by how cold it was because after taking a bite she would shudder a little bit and make a funny face.

After that wholesome nutrition she had her first few bites of cotton candy, too. It was not a good day in Mommyville but I figured, "Hey, that's what amusement parks are for, right?"

We left the park around 2:30 and went home to change for a wedding. Kevin had to head in to work so he wasn't able to come with us. One of the nurses I work with was getting married and the ceremony was absolutely beautiful. Emma did pretty good with only a few outbursts. It's asking a lot of a one year old to sit quitely in a pew for 90 minutes so I was really happy with the way things went.

After the wedding, we stopped by my friend Christen's house to wish her a happy birthday. We finally got home around 8 and Emma was pooped.

This morning we went to Sunday School and church and have just relaxed the rest of the afternoon. I'm pretty sleepy and will probably turn in early tonight. Ugh, it's back to work tomorrow. I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a great week!

Happy Birthday to my Big Girl!

Last Friday my sweet Emma turned 1! I can not believe how quickly time has passed and how much our lives have changed. She is the greatest blessing given to me and I'm so thankful for this awesome privellege to be her Mommy :) We celebrated in Wichita with Kevin' family and had a wonderful time. Her Grammy and all her aunts and uncles love her very much and spoiled her proper. She got some cute outfits, shoes, and fun toys. She LOVED her birthday cake and did her best to eat every crumb. It is so cool to see the bond she has with family; I think that even babies have the instinct to sense those they are safe with, that love them and are familiar. She loves her family and they love her; for that I am thankful.

We also celebrated the upcoming birth of Kevin's sister's baby. Mae is due the first week of November with a sweet baby girl and we can't wait to meet her. Unfortunately, the Mommy and Daddy will not share the name with us but they're playing a little game that allows us to guess. Given the current clues, I am guessing the baby's name is Abba Babba. :)

Mae looks glowing and beautiful and the pregnancy is going as it should. The family will be traveling to Wichita for Thanksgiving to meet the sweet girl and give her lots of kissies.

In other "baby" news, the physician I work with adopting from China has returned home safely with their new daughter. They have all bonded and are adjusting tremendously well. She is a beautiful and sweet 6 year old girl and we are so thankful to God for making them a forever family.

And...yes, there's another 'and', our friends Brad and Missy have their sweet boy from Vietnam. They are hoping to return to the States on Friday. Trust me when I say he is so gorgeous. I can't wait for them to bring him to church so we can all "ooh" and "aww" over him. Please pray that God continue to bless them on this journey as they finalize paperwork and travel home safely.

I think that's enough for now. Hope all is well with each of you!

Toto, I think we're back in Kansas

We are headed to Wichita, KS today to visit with Kev's family and do some celebrating. First, it is Emma's 1st birthday and 2nd, we're having a baby shower for Kev's sister Mae. It will be so nice to get away for 5 days and re-connect with everyone. I'm also pretty stoked to add another state to my list of places visited (I've never been to Kansas.)

Please pray for safe travels for all of Kevin's siblings (we're blessed to have the shortest commute). I'll definately have lots of fun pics to post when we get back!

Good Morning Vietnam!

We are so excited to report that some friends of ours from church have received approval to travel to Vietnam and adopt their son. The wait has seemed like forever but the time has finally come. We are so thankful to God, for bringing Brad and Missy to this point and can not wait to see the things he has in store for their family. Congratulations, guys! We will still be praying for the three of you and can't wait to see that sweet boy in your arms!

Drum roll please..........

It's a Girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Emma will have a baby sister. Everything looked good today. Baby is growing as she should be. I'll try to post an ultrasound pic tomorrow after I scan it.

Celebration and anticipation

This weekend was very exciting because Kevin's sister, Genevieve, came to visit us in Springfield. It was an extra exciting visit because it was her first time meeting Emma! Gen is a surgical PA and lives in Miami Beach. I know, we're jealous too. She stays pretty busy but we're so thankful she was able to come to town for Labor Day weekend and spend some quality time. Emma loves her aunt Gen; I think she knew right away that she was family and loved her instantly. We're hoping to take a trip to visit her next summer.

We also have much anticipation tonight because we are getting our first ultrasound tomorrow! I can't wait to see our baby's little face and find out if Emma is going to have a baby sister or baby brother. My appointment is at 2pm tomorrow and I will be counting down the hours. I pray that our baby is healthy and growing well. Time is moving so much quicker this time; I feel like we waited for an eternity to have our ultrasound with Emma. Now, it's almost alarming how quickly the days are going by.

I will be sure to post the big announcement tomorrow evening. Stay tuned! (by the way, please say a prayer that we're not having twins!)

Celebration

My office at work was doing a great bit of celebrating today. One of our physicians received final travel approval today to travel to China and adopt their daughter. He and his wife have previously adopted two beautiful daughters, who will be entering 3rd and 4th grade this year. Their new daughter is 6 years old and will meet her new parents sometime after the first week of September.

We can not wait to meet her once they come home. Please keep their family in your prayers as they prepare travel arrangements and secure their visas (mom, dad and both girls will be traveling to meet their new addition.)

Moving right along

I went to the doctor today for a check up and everything is progressing well. I'm feeling good and the heartbeat sounded wonderful. I'm really excited because I go back 3 weeks from today for my ultrasound! It has really snuck up on us. Kevin is predicting we're having a boy and I think I'm leaning towards a girl. We'll see who's right.

Enjoy the picture above. Emma loves those little rectangle wafer cookies. You know, they're made of 3 or 4 layers with creme in the middle? Anyway, she just devoured a chocolate one and was feeling quite satisfied.

A Special Surprize

This darling little onesie was waiting for me when I picked Emma up from daycare today. Every year, the class make "Friendship Shirts" for all the kids. They are so good at making little crafts, even with the babies. The made us a cute hand-print gift for Mother's Day and a foot-print for Father's Day. Emma's foot is in the middle and all the other little "dots" are the toe or fingerprint of her classmates. Isn't it sweet. I love having these little keepsakes that I will always be able to pull out in the future to remember how little she once was.

Where have we been?!

Someone politely pointed out to me that I have not made any posts about Emma in quite some time. My appologies. Let me bring you up to speed. First of all, she is growing and changing so much every day. I look at pictures of her from just a month ago and I can see such a difference. Her hair is really starting to thicken and grow; I can not wait until I can put little bows and pony tails in it!

Milestone wise, she is really taking off. Her crawling has become much more sophisticated and much quicker. She is all over the house and we are chasing her constantly. One of her favorite targets is the cat dish. A few times we have been too slow and she's nabbed a piece. Luckily we get her before she starts chewing it up. I caught her in the act the other day and have photographic evidence. Also, please note her There's Something About Mary hair- nice.

She also is starting to talk! She says mama, dada, daddy, hi, and kitty. Kitty was actually her 1st word. We thought it was a fluke but she still says it.

We're trying to teach her some body parts. For the last 3 weeks, we've asked Emma where her belly is. We ask her every day and every day we point to her belly button and say, "There it is!" Well, this week, she finally got it! She pats her chest area a little more than her belly area, but still, she gets it! It's so cool to see that we've really taught her something. Now I'm working on toes.

She is also beginning to try and pull up on furniture. She's standing really well if we stand her up. She hasn't quite been able to pull herself all the way up but she gets to her knees and is trying really hard so it's just a matter of time.

All in all, she's still our sweet girl. I can't believe she'll be a year old in about 6 weeks. It sounds cliche, but time has flown by so fast. It makes me a little sad to think she's creeping out of being a baby.

I'll post more pics again soon. Hope all is well with all of you. All our love!

February 4th

That is the tenative date that Emma will become a big sister. Yup, that's right, we're doing it again. We are so pleased to announce that we are 12 weeks pregnant with our second baby.

We started this blog toward the end of my pregnancy with Emma to keep everyone updated. We'll continue to post about sweet baby girl and also keep you informed of our pregnancy.

I'm healthy and baby is growing well. We should be able to have an ultrasound in September to find out if Emma will have a baby sister or baby brother. We covet your prayers and support. Thank you all for your love and friendship
Love, Kevin and Mandy

Yay

I just had to make a quick post.....


Kevin passed his NCLEX exam! He's officially an RN! I am so proud of him and so happy for him!

Trying to Settle

Sorry we've been MIA for a bit. Things have been a little chaotic the last few weeks around our household. We moved out of our house into our apartment on July 2nd. We were supposed to close on the house tomorrow but there's been a delay so it looks like it will be next Friday.

We've been in the apartment a week but I still feel really upheaved. There are still boxes and random piles of stuff laying everywhere. We've discovered that we had a lot of useless crap laying around our house that we don't have room for in the apartment. We've only been married right at two years but we've really accumulated a lot of stuff!

We're trying to sort through and decide what has to stay, what can be stored and what we want to get rid of (there's a lot of things in that last category.)

Even with all the craziness, though, we are so happy to be moved. Our complex is quiet and peaceful. God has so richly blessed us, bringing all of this into reality. We, and alot of our family, prayed about moving for a long time. We first talked to a realtor in February. We then waited and prayed asking God to show us if this was the right decision for us. On the one hand, the economy isn't good for selling homes. It's great for buying a home but we knew we weren't in a position to buy right away. On the other hand, we felt as though we were in a constant state of stress and anxiety with our neighbors. God really placed it on our hearts that it was time to move so we moved forward with our realtor. After only 40 days on the market, an amazing feat, we had a contract on our house. Ahhh. Thank you, God.

So, we're adjusting to different drive times, different amounts of space, and the hassle of not knowing which box anything's in (I'm a sloppy packer), but we are at peace and happy.

Once we get more settled, we'll post some pics of the new pad. Hope all is well with everyone. Love and miss you, Kevin and Mandy

Praise God!

We have a contract on our house! I can't hardly believe it. After only 40 days on the market we are on our way to moving out of our first home. Part of me is a little sad because we really do love our home. The other part of me is excited to move to a different part of town and try something new. We're going to rent an apartment for a year or two (hopefully) and then will try to buy again. We found an apartment we like today and will be moving the first week of July.

Keep us in your prayers that the inspection and appraisal goes smoothly; they could cause potential snags that would be deal breakers.

Yay! We're moving to the south side!

Happy Father's Day

Here's to the very best daddy (and husband) I know. We love you so much!!!

9 Months! (almost)

Emma will be 9 months old in a few days. We celebrated by having her picture taken at Sears. They do a really awesome job and you can purchase a CD so you can make your own prints.

Emma wasn't extremely enthusiastic about the picture taking process. I think we got several good shots, though. Enjoy a few of my faves.

"Kitty"

Emma has begun babbling using lots of consanants and lots of syllables. Normally this sounds like another language with a few "ma-ma's, da-da's, and ba-ba's" thrown in the mix. (We pretend that she know what they mean.)

This morning, I was sitting on the couch with Emma getting her ready. She looked into the dining room where Jack (our cat) was stretched out on the floor. "Kitty." She said, "Kitty." Just those two syllables. I know it was probably just one of those cool coincidents that we get to witness occassionaly.

I've wondered, though, if sometimes babies know in their mind that Jack is a kitty but they just can't get their mouthes to work right yet. In their head thinking, "Kitty, kitty, kitty, Jack is a kitty," but when they open their mouth it comes out, "grbrammm." And then, sometimes, they get lucky and it comes out just the way the intended it.

Yeah, probably not.

Hangin with the big kids

After church, Emma and I went to see me very good friend Kellie. Kellie will be having her second baby, Carter, any day now! We are so excited and had to take her some goodies for him. We also got to see Ashlynn's new bedroom. Ashlynn is 3 and just the cutest little girl ever. She is very excited to meet her baby brother and I think she will be a good little helper.

To help her prepare for her new status as a "Big Girl", her baby room was updated. She got to pick out new furniture including a full size bed and a matching dresser. She got new bedding and pillows and, well, her room is fit for a princess. It's precious.

Emma had a blast playing with Ashlynn this afternoon. She bounced on her bed, sat on a princess couch with her, rolled around on Ashlynn's bean bag and played with some of her toys. It was a great day. I hope the next time we visit it will be in the hospital to see baby Carter!

New Jammies!

Emma's aunt Jill and uncle Joe sent her some new jammies in the mail today. Old Navy makes the cutest baby stuff! After her bath, Emma put on her new jammies and sang, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" into her hairbrush. Now she's off in dreamland. Good night.

Splish splash, Emma's taking a bath

I feel like time is moving so quickly. Sometimes that's a good thing. My very good wonderful friend, Kellie, will be having her second child any time now. I remember the day she called me to tell me she was pregnant and that seems like only a month ago. Sweet Carter will be here soon and I can't wait to kiss his face off and squeze his little cheeks.

I am also so happy that it is almost time for Kevin's sister Mae and her husband Ian to move closer to us! They live in Charlotte right now where Ian is completing a laproscopic fellowship. But they will be moving to Wichita in a month or so which is only about a 4 hour drive away. It is going to be so awesome to be this close because they are expecting their first baby this fall (and I have to be able to kiss his/her face off too!)

Emma is growing so fast. I can't believe she'll be nine months old in a couple weeks. We've just decided it's time to move baths into the big girl tub. Her baby tub turns into a seat that you can put in the big tub to help keep them from going under. She has always enjoyed her baths and smiled and gabbed through them. But man, oh man, she loves taking baths in the big girl tub. She kicks her feet and wiggles her fingers through the water. She really loves it when we pour water on her with a cup (see pic above). She'll be taking showers before I know it. Okay, I'm rushing things a little.

Consider your birth order

Our pastor at church has been preaching on a series entitled "Pain in the Family." This week's sermon was all about sibling rivalry and birth order. He used the stories of Jacob and Esau and Joseph and his envious brothers. God used the rivalry between both these sets of brothers for His holy plan.

Our pastor challenged us to examine the birth order in our own family and what implications that has for our purpose within our family and for God.

As many of you know, I am the oldest of 4. My next closest sibling, Laura, is 10 years younger than me and the twins, Eric and Lindsey, are 14 years younger. Growing up, I begrudged them so much. Because I was so much older, I called myself the live-in babysitter because that's all I seemed to do. I despised the fact that they followed me everywhere, always wanted in my room and that, yes, I even had to take them on dates sometimes!! I know, can you believe it?

Anyway, I have later said that since I had more of a motherly role with them I feel we are closer now than we would have been had we all been closer in age. This was a blessing in December of 2006 when our mom died. Because I was so much older, I feel like they were able to look to me as a strong comfort and almost maternal figure. I was able to comfort and hold them in a way that no one else could, not even our fathers. I am thankful to God for His wisdom and His blessing upon our family and birth order.

I look now to Emma and wonder how God will use her as the oldest child in her family. I pray that God blesses her and reveals His plan to her. God bless all of you, my dear friends and family today!

Good morning

Ahh. It's been a great morning. First, Emma slept in until 8:30! She's starting to sleep longer and longer and that is amazing. I haven't slept pass 6:30-7 in forever. Kevin went to play frisbee golf this morning and I sat around in my house robe until noon. Actually, it's noon now and I don't plan on changing out of my robe any time soon. We kept the curtains drawn and watched Mona Lisa Smile and drank coffee. Emma played with a new toy and took a long nap in her swing. I love days with no agenda...

Cramming

So, I plan on cramming lots of info into this post (in a condensed manner.) Sorry it has been so long since I have posted but we have been busy!

On May 16th Kevin graduated with his BSN!!!! yay!!!! I'm so proud of him and so excited as he starts this new endeavor. Tommorow is his first day of work as a nurse. He accepted a job at Cox South's emergency department. A nice perk is that he'll get to work with a good friend ours, Dr. Lee, that we go to church with.

We had lots of family in town for graduation (Kev's brother also graduated with his MSW). Kev's sister Mae came to visit from Charlotte. She is expecting her first baby in December. We're all betting that it will be a little boy. She's starting to get a little baby-bump and we had a lot of fun shopping for maternity clothes.

Also that weekend, Emma hit a lot of milestones. She learned how to clap her hands, she learned how to make kissing noises AND..........she learned how to crawl!!! It's more of an army crawl than a hands and knees crawl but that's okay. The whole family was standing around her as she made her first lunge. It was such an awesome thing for all of us to witness. My next project is to do some baby-proofing (I've put this off too long.)

Kevin's older brother Joe and his wife Jill came to visit for Memorial Day weekend. Joe is in the Army physician assistant program and will be finished this January. They are currently stationed at Ft. Campbell but we are hoping there's a chance they can move closer after he graduates.

Are house is still on the market for sale. We've actually had an offer from a buyer but it was a really horrible one so we turned it down. We've shown the house 5 or 6 times now and are hopeful the right buyer will come along before the end of summer.

For Sale!

We officially listed our house on the market today. It was a fairly lengthy process with lots of papers to sign. I'm glad to finally have it done, though and now we can relax a little bit. Kinda.

Part of me is naive and thinks the house will sell in a month or two. The other side of me is playing worse-case-scenarios and thinks that with the market being so cruddy it will be a year before it sells. Hopefully reality will fall some where in the middle.

Turns out realtors jump on new listing pretty quickly. The first 4 weeks a house is on the market are the most important. Everyone wants to see the "new listing" and so we should expect high traffic over the next month. Our realtor said we have to make sure that we keep the house in "showing condition" and be prepared to start fielding phone calls from other agents who want to show the house. We picked a pretty dumb month to finally move forward with things. This weekend we have family in town for Mother's Day, next weekend family is in for Kevin and Dave's graduation and the following weekend we have family for Memorial Day. Figures.

I'll keep you posted on our progress. Hopefully we'll have a SOLD sign in our front yard soon!

Emerging from the cave

That's what I felt like this morning. I woke up with no headache. At lunch, no headache. Tonight, no headache. Praise God Amen! Woo-hoo. Thank you for your prayers.

My day wasn't all smiles and rainbows. My cell phone was stolen today at work. The biggest bummer of it all is that I've always been one to have cheapie, bottom-of-the-line phones. But on this past Saturday, Kevin got me a new Katana II from Sprint as my Mother's Day gift. It was fabulous. It was sleak and light and had some pretty cool features. But now it's gone. I'm very sad. We have insurance on our plan so I have a replacement on the way but we had to pay a $50 deductible. It's partially my fault for leaving it on my desk. That will teach me.

The girl was great today. Kevin brought her by my work at the end of the day and she was quite charming for everyone. I meant to weigh her but forgot. Maybe later this week...

Another tidbit of news, we are meeting with a realtor on Wednesday afternoon. We have decided to sell our house. The truth is, we really love our house but we hate our neighborhood. After 2 years of dealing with all-night parties, bickering, disputes, frequent police visits, and questionable behaviors of our neighbors- we're leaving. At least, we hope we are. I am praying that our house will sell quickly in this crummy market. It makes me sad to give up our house but we're confident that it's the right decision for our family.

Prayer Request

I could use some prayers. I have had a migraine every day for over a week and it is really starting to wear on me. Some days the medicine works, some days it doesn't. I stayed home from church today because of it, which really has me bumming.

I've had migraines since I was 16 but it's rare that I have one that drags on for days and days like this. I'm kinda thinking an adjustment to my braces has triggered it. Hopefully, I'll feel better tomorrow.

Emma was SO good this morning and let me lie on the couch for a few hours so my medicine could take the edge off (kevin was at work.) She was being so cute, I had to grab the camera for a quick picture!

Happy Birthday Lindsey and Eric!

My brother and sister turned 12 this past Sunday. We were able to go to Farmington for their party and it was lots of fun. Eric, my brother, kept yelling, "Cake! Cake!" He was not at all interested in candles, presents or singing songs. Eric has spastic type cerebral palsy. He is our little miracle baby and such a blessing to every life he encounters. Eric is always happy and always friendly. He never complains about anything; not even when he must endure painful surgeries and therapy treatments. He is an inspiration in my life.

Lindsey is your typical tween; she L-O-V-E-S Hannah Montana, she has posters of cute boys all over her room and her earrings always match her shirt. But, she's so special, too. Lindsey has a heart of gold and is full of love. She is my snuggle baby. Even now, she will curl up beside me or on my lap and rest her head on my shoulder. She still wants to hold my hand and gives lots of hugs. She wants to help with everything. Cleaning, cooking, folding laundry, changing a diaper. She doesn't mind, she just wants to help.

I love them both so very much and it breaks my heart that I can't see them as often as I would like. I hope they had a really happy birthday and that they feel surrounded in love.

"I said I wanted brownies!"

Sorry, I had to change the template again. I didn't really like the other one but have been too lazy to look through my options again.

Emma cracked me up tonight. She was sitting in her bouncy chair and I was feeding her some veggies. About half way through, she put her hand up to her mouth and spit a big bite out; then she threw it at me. She didn't mean to throw it at me, or at least I hope not. It was just so funny because she seemed so deliberate and then laughed about it. I'm sure I won't think it's as funny when she's throwing plates off her high chair and flinging spoons across the room. Maybe she just didn't like Beech Nut Vegetable Medley...

Great News!!!!

The cat is out of the bag! I can officially announce that I'm going to be an Auntie!!! Kevin's sister, Mae and her husband Ian are expecting a baby in October. We are so super excited to welcome baby Villanueva!!!! Please send up some prayers that the pregnancy continues to be healthy and Mae gets over morning-sickness!

Everything's good on the homefront. I'll post more later when I have time. I'll leave you with a cute pic of Emma.

Play Date

Emma had a play date with her BFF Erin tonight. (Actually, Mommy and Daddy had a playdate with Erin's mommy and daddy, Carrie and David.) Carrie had Erin almost 6 months before Emma was born. Throughout our pregnancies, we joked that Erin and Emma would be BFFs.

They were so cute tonight! David grilled us some awesome steak and asparagus at their house. Emma thought Erin was so cool; she laughed and giggled hysterically just watching Erin run around and play. By the end of the night, Erin was patting Emma on the back and giving her hugs. We had a great time.

"Please, no autographs; I can't read yet"

This is kinda long, but bear with me.

So, I know it's cliche when people always say, "I know I'm probably bias but my baby is the cutest baby in the whole world." I'm beginning to think Emma really is the fairest baby in all the land.

People are constantly telling Kevin and I how gorgeous Emma is, how long her eyelashes are, how blue her eyes are, what a pretty smile she has, blah blah blah. I truly feel burdened by it sometimes. I hate it. Now before you start thinking I have nothing to complain about and I should be thankful, let me explain a few things. Lets go back to when I was pregnant....

**Imagine Wayne and Garth wiggling their fingers and saying "Dodudo, dodudo, dodudo"**

Kev and I teased each other constantly that we were probably going to have an ugly baby but hopefully she'd have a great personality to make up for it. Our "joking" escalated to the point that I was actually afraid we really might have an unattractive baby which would lead to no one liking her, she'd never get picked for dodge ball, no date for prom, no college scholarship, etc. (You can see I easily let things snowball in my mind). Anyway, I had a dream one night that totally changed my fears. I dreamed that I had just had the baby and was still in the hospital with her. I was holding her swaddled in my arms just staring at her. I was overcome with this sense of joy and pride and peace. I look up at my friend and say, "Wow, what a beautiful baby." "Yeah," my friend says, "you hardly even notice she only has one eye." What!?!?! In my dream, my baby was a Cyclops. The thing is, she was mine so in my eyes she was flawless; I truly didn't even notice that she only had one eye! I realized that, as a mom, I'm never going to look at Emma and worry about whether or not she's pretty nor will it matter to me.

Ok, now fast-forward to today. Emma's daycare sends little "report cards" home telling us about her day. Today's note said, "I should be in a fashion show with my pretty purple outfit and gorgeous blue eyes!" Now I know that they are just trying to give a compliment. Or, maybe they couldn't think of anything productive from the afternoon so they were making something up. The point is, I fear that she will continue to be so beautiful, that's all people will notice. Again, I know, I know, I'm snowballing. I know that beauty is from God and beauty can be part of God's plan (just ask Esther). I just pray that Emma will have a heart for Christ a and soul as beautiful as her dimples. I pray that people notice her for her character not just her cuteness.

I know I'm just on a rant. (Thanks for listening). And please, don't stop telling me Emma is cute. I always love to tell mommas how precious their baby is, too. Maybe I've had too much coffee today...

Knock on Wood...

...but I think everyone in my house is healthy now. Kev's bug only lasted about 12 hours and Emma's was pretty much gone by yesterday. I had a little bit of stomach flu several weeks ago and it is miserable! I felt so bad for both of them; it stinks when you can't do anything to make it feel better!

Things have been pretty busy in our world. Kevin is trying to finish last-minute projects that need to be completed before graduation. My new position at work has been a little stressful and Emma is growing and changing every day. She wants so badly to crawl. I think it's still going to be several weeks before we see any creeping but she has her eye on the prize. She will stretch and reach and grunt trying to get a toy. She high-centers on her belly with her hands and feet in the air; she almost looks like Superman!

Today was Emma's first day at a new daycare. Ugh, that's not fun. We got a call a few weeks back from Cox's daycare (local hospital where Kev works) saying that our name had come up on the waiting list (we were put on when I was 6 months pregnant.) At first we totally dismissed it, thinking, "We already have daycare." But then, we started weighing the pros and cons of our current vs. potential situation. We don't have any real gripes with the lady who had been watching her, (well, a few but not worth the details) but we felt like Emma could benefit from a little more structure and curriculum. It's more expensive but the hours are more flexible, it's closer to home, they provide more supplies, and most importantly: they make a true effort to work with the kids to meet goals and develop skills. Even 6 month old Emma has goals they will consciously work on with her. She's starting to sit without support, drink from a sippy-cup, and is wanting to crawl.

She had a bit of a rough day. Apparently she cried a bit and wouldn't let the photographer take her picture (today was school picture day). When I called to check on her at lunch, she was in the middle of a melt down! Apparently, she had a dirty diaper shortly after that and was in a much better mood :)

Kevin's at a Cards game tonight with his brother David. He just texted me to say they were losing. Bummer. I'm going to a game tomorrow afternoon with my work. I heard it might rain. Bummer. Oh, well.

Poor hubby

Emma has passed the torch on to Daddy. Today was the first day she hasn't thrown up...and the first day Kevin has. Poor guy. Hopefully Kevin's will be shorter lived than Emma's and I won't catch it!

Poor baby: part deux

Last night, she had another vomit/heaving spell around midnight. After that, though, she slept through the night until about 7:30 this morning. I went to work while Kevin stayed home with her. He introduced liquids a little at a time and she seemed to be doing better. I came home for lunch to check on her and decided I'd feel better if we had her looked at (just in case.)

Even though she had managed to keep everything down this morning, she was kinda listless and her eyes were a little gunky. She also had a low grade temp and a little diarrhea. So we loaded her up and headed for my work to see the doctor. Something told me to sit in the back with her on the way there and am I glad I did! She started vomiting everywhere! We were almost there when this started so I told Kev to not stop, just get there. Then I realized that we hadn't packed a change of clothes. Nice. I ususally have some random clothes/blankets in my car but not today. Nope, that would have been convenient. There was puke ALL over her, her carseat and her blanket. Yeah, good times. Luckily, my work stocks packages from Newborns In Need, so we borrowed one of those when we got there.

After her exam, the NP said it's probably just a viral bug that's got her. One of her lymph nodes was a little swollen so we started her on an antibiotic just in case it's bacterial. Sweet girl, she's decided that amoxicillin tastes fabulous and takes it like a big girl. She and I took a nice long nap when we got home and she seems to be doing better. She just took some Pedialyte and some diluted formula. Cross your fingers that it stays down!! I'm hoping she'll be fine tonight and able to return to daycare tomorrow- she only has two days left at her current babysitter. Oh, did I forget to mention? We're switching daycares. More on that later...

Poor baby

My poor baby is sick. Projectile-vomit-high-fever sick. Turns out, two kids at her daycare went home puking today and she has started with it tonight. We called the on-call doctor because I was worried; she's never been sick before and her temp was 102.9! He wasn't too concerned and said it was probably a virus. Kev's going to stay home with her tomorrow and keep an eye on things. We set the pack-n-play up in our room so we can keep her near us tonight. I had put her to bed in her crib earlier, but she woke up after about 30 minutes from puking everywhere. I had to give her another bath. Say a little prayer for my poor baby. I'll update you tomorrow.

Happy late Easter

Sorry I haven't got anything up here sooner. We had an awesome Easter. After an uplifting sermon at church we spent the day with Dave and Cort. Emma had an adorable Easter dress. So cute. For Lent, Kev and I both decided to give up TV. It has been awesome. It's now 4 days later and we still haven't turned the tube on. I don't know that we will totally give up all television forever (we really love a good movie...and Guitar Hero) but we have learned alot about our priorities and what can give.

Kev's mom came for a visit Monday - Wednesday. That was really great because we hadn't seen her since January. And, I'm excited to say, we're going to Farmington this weekend. We haven't see my dad since the first week of December. That is entirely too long for a grandpa to go without his baby granddaughter. We're also going to meet up with my Aunt Cindi and cousin Lesley. I'm really excited and will hopefully have some fun family photos to post.

Hope you're all having a great week!!

TAG!

I've been tagged by my dear friend Laura.

You have to tag 5 people (you can't tag the person that tagged you)-You leave them a comment on their blog (‘you’re tagged’ and ‘why’)-Direct them to your blog for instructions…when you get tagged, you post ten fun facts about yourself!

So, in no particular order, here are my 10:

1. I love coffee. I drink it every single day and feel miserable if I don't. I tried desperately to give it up when I was pregnant but then I was getting caffeine-withdraw headaches! I love it with lots of cream, no sugar. I am totally happy to pay outrageous prices for Starbucks and Churchills. Coffee is how I socialize, it's how I work, it's how I worship. You'll never see me at work, with friends or at church without my trusty travel mug.

2. I love video games. Mainly in the Nintendo family. Recently, however, I've developed a love for PS2 Guitar Hero. Rock on, baby. I grew up playing Mario and Zelda with my mom, who was also a video game nerd. Before miss Emma came along, I could completely lose myself in Zelda Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask and an entire day would pass before I realized it. Unfortunately for me, I'm really good at getting all the way to the end of a game but then not having the skills to beat "The Big Boss." Oh well. One of these days when I have some free time...

3. I love naps. Sometimes on the weekend, I will mentally "schedule" a nap. I like to stretch out on our couch with a blanket and pillow and crank the ceiling fan and snooze away. I was one of those weird kids that always asked if it was nap time yet. I've always been a person who needs plenty of sleep to function but I always seem to come up short. (Maybe that's the reason for my #1). I like to take naps outside, too. I grew up on a country road with no neighbors in sight. I would lay on our picnic table and sleep under the sun. Those are some sweet memories.

4. I love my husband. I've known since the day I met Kevin, when I was 15, that he was the one God had for me. We have so much fun together and think the same things are funny. He lets me be a dork and clumsy and awkward and then tells me I'm beautiful. He picks me up when I'm weak but still allows me to be strong. He can read my heart and knows all my secrets. He is gorgeous and romantic and funny and smart and faithful. He is my everything and I am thankful to God for blessing my life with him.

5. I love my baby. She is my joy and my earthly purpose. I never tire of staring at her or snuggling her or comforting her. My biggest fear is that I will fail her (which is probably inevitable to happen at some point). I daydream about the plans God has for her life and the great things He will do through her. I hope she loves God. I hope she hates scary movies. I hope that she will let me hug and kiss her when she's 14 and I hope that she can come to me with any problem. I hope she is athletic like Kevin and has a heart for people like me. I hope she keeps her blue eyes.

6. I love God. I've always known He was there but I ran from him for a long time. I didn't discover a personal relationship with him until about 3 years ago. I am thankful for his mercy and grace; without them, I wouldn't stand a chance. He has proven himself faithful in my life, has blessed me beyond what I deserve and gives me a hope.

7. I am domestically disabled. I want very badly to be June Cleaver, but it ain't never gonna happen! I know how to cook but I absolutely hate to do it. I can often be pretty lazy (see #3). I hate to run errands. I hate balancing the checkbook. I leave laundry in the dryer for days and pretty much refuse to clean the litterbox. That being said, I do clean quite a bit (the kitchen, bathrooms, sweeping, dusting, etc.) The problem there is that I don't pick up after myself once everything is clean. It's kind of a never-ending battle. Thankfully, Kevin is a great and willing cook. He reluctantly but faithfully cleans the litterbox. He's good with the money and doesn't mind running to the Post Office.

8. My name is Mandy, and I am a Shopaholic. Just ask Kevin, the one with the checkbook. I love to buy things. I love shoes and clothes and purses and baby stuff and home decor. I love scrapbook stuff, electronic stuff, and pet stuff. If there's a sale in a 40 mile radius, I'll find it. I'm exaggerating a little, but not much. I think I've gotten better since Emma has arrived. I really really really hope that I don't pass the shopping gene on to her.

9. I love to read. I used to read borderline romance novels by Jenny Crusie. I have most of them. My latest passion has been Christian stuff. I really like Max Lucado, John Ortberg and Gary Thomas. My favorite book of late has been Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. This book was totally written for me and has changed my life and my relationship with God. If you've never been into Christian literature or if you've ever struggled with your faith on any level, I totally recommend it.

10. I really enjoy my life. I don't have much room for complaint. I have an awesome job with Jordan Valley Community Health Center and recently got a promotion. I work with amazing people who are totally dedicated to serving others. I have an awesome church that lifts me up, inspires me and refreshes my soul. I have some amazing friends who've become like family and are always around when I need them. My family is amazing. Both my natural peeps and my in-laws, I am truly blessed with a circle of love. My husband and daughter complete my happiness. God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good!

So, I can only tag 2 people because everyone else I know has already been tagged! I'm going after Mae and Jill.

6 months ago today

my baby girl was born. Wow. Half a year. I can not believe that so much time has passed already. In a sense, I feel like I have loved and known her forever. Other times, I feel like it was only a month ago that our lives changed.

I had my first date with Kevin 10 years ago and feel like we have a solid relationship. Boy, has Emma put that to the test. It's amazing how conversations with your spouse change when it is 4:30 in the morning, and you've both been surviving on 2-3 hours sleep for over a week. Or when you're in the middle of a restaurant trying to decide the course of action when you have a screaming child, but your food hasn't arrived yet. Or when you just know if your spouse would bounce her this way she would stop crying but you can't say anything because you're BOTH the parent and you BOTH have to learn your own ways to care for her and your way is NOT the only way. My life is changed forever, and so is my relationship with my husband.

I never knew how sexy a man could look with a child sleeping on his chest. I never knew my heart could skip a beat from seeing my husband brushing our daughter's hair. I never knew I could laugh so hard by watching a man make silly faces and noises, just to make our girl smile.

I know I have changed, too. I can't tell you how, you'd have to ask Kevin about that. I know I have more stress and chaos in my life than I've ever had but that comes with more love and joy and kissies and laughter too. My life is awesomely blessed. Thank you all for being a part of our daughter's life. There's more to come.

Overheard in the nursery...

Today at church, I had the joy of volunteering in the nursery. So after Sunday School, Kev took Emma to service and I hung out with a bunch of 3-4 year olds. It was a blast! It's been awhile since I've been around kids that age and I had forgotten how funny they are. But, today I remember. Here are some things I overheard today:

"Jesus should have shot a web at the mean men!"

"I have to go potty!!!!........Nevermind."

"I got a tattoo on my chest, like Daddy."

I'm sure there were more mention-worthy conversations but I was too busy chasing after them to remember.

Face-Lift

Do you like the new look? I was getting sick of the pink and this seemed a little more like Spring. We've had a great weekend so far. Kevin's family is Irish so we had an early St. Pat's celebration yesterday with Dave and Cort. Cort got us all some silly hats from Wal-Mart and we played dice all night. We don't get together and hang out much anymore (with the exception of our Sunday night Bible study) so it was great to have some fun. Dave and Cort are both in grad school so that keeps them pretty busy.

We've started using a doorway jumperoo type thing for Emma and she absolutely loves it. I have a cute video of her in it that I will try to post later. She's getting so big! She will be 6 months old this week! Time has flown by and I have loved every second of it. I thought I'd post some of my favorite pics that we've taken recently. Have a great Sunday!