Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
We have a 14 month old!
I havent posted in a while just all about Rhyan. She's feeling neglected. She told me so :-)
Its kind of surreal that she's 14 months old today. Wow. I am loving this age, so i want to post some of her milestones and things she's doing now... i know that as much as i want to remember, i'll forget.
1st.. and update on her torticollis. After Rhyan's surgery at the end of April, Dr Burstein recommended waiting one week to resume therapy and at that point that we do 6 weeks of therapy. Twice a week. Then, she should be discharged. That was the plan. Here is reality: we completed two sessions of therapy for six weeks. She is not discharged. She still has a tilt (her head tilts to the left... picture a puppy dog looking at you like "what?"). This is a problem long term b/c it can cause spine issues, blah, blah, blah. So we are continuing to go to therapy. Every other monday. But we only get 45 sessions for the year, and while i have NO clue as to how many we've done so far, i'm thinking its on up there. So we need to spread out the sessions. The therapist (Anitra) says she's improving but that Rhyan has a "strong personality" and "will hold her head straight when she wants to, and doesnt when she doesnt want to". Nice.
Jeff says she's a "pain" and "can we take her back?" (as in, do a return? um... no!).
So please be in prayer that God will help her little heart decide that holding he head up straight is a good thing... that is HER idea to do it... not mommy and daddy's idea at all! haha...
Onto good stuff :-)
8am breakfast (usually eggs and toast and banana. or oatmeal and fruit. or pancakes and fruit. or french toast and fruit. something. and fruit.)
9:45 nap
11am get up
12 lunch (something including a fruit, possibly a veggie, possibly a pbj or chicken nuggets. and yogurt)
1:15 nap
3-3:30 get up
snack of cherios or raisins or yogurt (if not had at lunch). sometimes goldfish.
6ish dinner
bath
bed.
Thats all i can think of for now.
Its kind of surreal that she's 14 months old today. Wow. I am loving this age, so i want to post some of her milestones and things she's doing now... i know that as much as i want to remember, i'll forget.
1st.. and update on her torticollis. After Rhyan's surgery at the end of April, Dr Burstein recommended waiting one week to resume therapy and at that point that we do 6 weeks of therapy. Twice a week. Then, she should be discharged. That was the plan. Here is reality: we completed two sessions of therapy for six weeks. She is not discharged. She still has a tilt (her head tilts to the left... picture a puppy dog looking at you like "what?"). This is a problem long term b/c it can cause spine issues, blah, blah, blah. So we are continuing to go to therapy. Every other monday. But we only get 45 sessions for the year, and while i have NO clue as to how many we've done so far, i'm thinking its on up there. So we need to spread out the sessions. The therapist (Anitra) says she's improving but that Rhyan has a "strong personality" and "will hold her head straight when she wants to, and doesnt when she doesnt want to". Nice.
Jeff says she's a "pain" and "can we take her back?" (as in, do a return? um... no!).
So please be in prayer that God will help her little heart decide that holding he head up straight is a good thing... that is HER idea to do it... not mommy and daddy's idea at all! haha...
Onto good stuff :-)
- Rhyan is trying to talk! She inconsistently (as in not daily) points to spud and says "Puh". When we get her up from a diaper change she regularly says "Up" and occasionally sets her cup down when she's finished with it and says "Ahh Duh" (all done). Very cute!
- She can point to her own toes and belly button. She can point to my hair, ears, nose, and teeth.
- Rhyan "Cleans up" everything. As in if she gets into my bathingsuit drawer and pulls them all out, she will then put them back and close the drawer before moving on. And when she's done with her bath, i know it b/c she puts the toys in the basket and starts messing w/ the stopper.
- She can accurately when asked find and point to the fan, clock, her monkey (stuffed animal), the tv (thanks, daddy!), spud, her cup... the list goes on and on.
- She sits her cup upright when setting it down.
- She follows directions very well! She is very obedient. This doesnt mean that she doesnt continue to try to get into the same cabinents later, but when caught, she stops :-)
- She clicks her tongue, is a "little indian", flicks her finger over her lips up and down as she says mmmmm (like a crazy person... haha).
- Acts surprised with a gasp at pretty much everything.
- Makes the "ahhhh" noise after drinking something refreshing.
- Gets her teeth brushed twice a day. And likes it! (this is a nice change from when we almost lost fingers to her biting us...).
- Still takes 2 naps a day. Schedule is as follows: (all approximate times)
8am breakfast (usually eggs and toast and banana. or oatmeal and fruit. or pancakes and fruit. or french toast and fruit. something. and fruit.)
9:45 nap
11am get up
12 lunch (something including a fruit, possibly a veggie, possibly a pbj or chicken nuggets. and yogurt)
1:15 nap
3-3:30 get up
snack of cherios or raisins or yogurt (if not had at lunch). sometimes goldfish.
6ish dinner
bath
bed.
- She drinks about 20 oz of milk a day and then water.
- She's a standing fool. With a crazy stance :-) No walking yet. She crawls super fast.
- Into everything.
- She threw her first mini fit this past week. I told her to "stand up" to get the monkey (i would hand it to her if she did her trick... haha... terrible). It made her mad so she sat down, cried, put her face in the carpet, kicked her feet and screamed. And it landed her in her crib for isolation until she could be happy again. I cant handle that junk. uggg. teen years are going to be a nightmare. prayers please.
Thats all i can think of for now.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
A way to honor Tripp
I'm sure that anyone who reads this blog (all 3 of you) knows about my friend, Rachael, and the loss of her son, Tripp just three weeks ago. As i've mentioned before, this has absolutely affected me in a way i never imagined. I still cry for them. Daily. My heart continues to ache for them.
And i also want to find a way to continue to celebrate Tripps life.
Several of us "blog mom's" have come up with an idea that we will be seeing to fruition in the next few weeks... We are wanting to keep the actual gift a surprise, but we know that there are tons of people who might would want to give in on this gift. And we'd love for everyone who has been praying for the Copponex family to have the opportunity to be a part of this. So we've set up a site through pay-pal to allow people to donate as the Lord leads. Even if you just want to give $5 or $10... every little bit will help us reach our goal. Make no mistake about it... our goal will be reached and this gift will be given regardless of if anyone else gives. So theres no pressure. But we just know that the more people's names that we have to add to the card, the bigger the effect. We want Rachael and Greg to have this card (that will go with the gift) to have to look back on years from now and read all of the names of people who they may or may not have known who felt compassion and wanted to love on them through this time.
Will you join us?! If you would like to do so, please click on the donate button on the side of my page (at the top) and make a donation of any size. Then, please leave me a comment letting me know a personal way of reaching you (email, phone #... whatever) so that i can fill you in on the exact gift :-) Surprises are so much more fun and we would love for this to be a GREAT surprise for the Copponex family.
So please consider loving on this family through this gift. And please know that Rachael and Greg have been so moved by every friend and strangers kind words and prayers.
Thank you all!
And i also want to find a way to continue to celebrate Tripps life.
Several of us "blog mom's" have come up with an idea that we will be seeing to fruition in the next few weeks... We are wanting to keep the actual gift a surprise, but we know that there are tons of people who might would want to give in on this gift. And we'd love for everyone who has been praying for the Copponex family to have the opportunity to be a part of this. So we've set up a site through pay-pal to allow people to donate as the Lord leads. Even if you just want to give $5 or $10... every little bit will help us reach our goal. Make no mistake about it... our goal will be reached and this gift will be given regardless of if anyone else gives. So theres no pressure. But we just know that the more people's names that we have to add to the card, the bigger the effect. We want Rachael and Greg to have this card (that will go with the gift) to have to look back on years from now and read all of the names of people who they may or may not have known who felt compassion and wanted to love on them through this time.
Will you join us?! If you would like to do so, please click on the donate button on the side of my page (at the top) and make a donation of any size. Then, please leave me a comment letting me know a personal way of reaching you (email, phone #... whatever) so that i can fill you in on the exact gift :-) Surprises are so much more fun and we would love for this to be a GREAT surprise for the Copponex family.
So please consider loving on this family through this gift. And please know that Rachael and Greg have been so moved by every friend and strangers kind words and prayers.
Thank you all!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Beach Vaca: Day 6 (coming home)
We had a plan. The plan was to leave by 8am.
The plan did not go as we thought it would.
Instead, we were out by 8:30. Not too bad, i guess.
We had fed Rhyan breakfast before we left (um, have i mentioned lately that girlfriend eats an entire packet of adult oatmeal for breakfast plus a whole banana?). She slept off and on until about 11:20 and we pulled over to eat lunch at the cracker barrell at 1pm. She was great that entire stretch!
I tried to let her stretch her legs and crawl around on the grass a bit before we left to finish up the drive, but she was not about to touch the grass. haha. No wonder she didnt like the beach :-)
We hit a little traffic on the way through Atlanta, but we still got home by 4pm our time (a one hour time gain from the time we left in ala at 8am until we got home, remember). The last hour was kind of touch and go... Rhyan was a little cranky. But then, so was i.
Nothing exciting. Thank the Lord. He has been so good to us in giving us safe travels and a great time with family this week :-)
I'll upload pics and put them in the appropriate posts tomorrow. :-) Night, all!
The plan did not go as we thought it would.
Instead, we were out by 8:30. Not too bad, i guess.
We had fed Rhyan breakfast before we left (um, have i mentioned lately that girlfriend eats an entire packet of adult oatmeal for breakfast plus a whole banana?). She slept off and on until about 11:20 and we pulled over to eat lunch at the cracker barrell at 1pm. She was great that entire stretch!
I tried to let her stretch her legs and crawl around on the grass a bit before we left to finish up the drive, but she was not about to touch the grass. haha. No wonder she didnt like the beach :-)
We hit a little traffic on the way through Atlanta, but we still got home by 4pm our time (a one hour time gain from the time we left in ala at 8am until we got home, remember). The last hour was kind of touch and go... Rhyan was a little cranky. But then, so was i.Nothing exciting. Thank the Lord. He has been so good to us in giving us safe travels and a great time with family this week :-)
I'll upload pics and put them in the appropriate posts tomorrow. :-) Night, all!
Beach Vaca: Day 5
Rain, rain, go away... come again after we've gone home!
Andy and Ronni headed out around 9am. We snapped some last minute shots before they left.
Man, it rained ALL morning. And ALL afternoon. Not just a little rain... i mean, it POURED. It started monday night and just never stopped. What a bummer on our last day here! 
I couldn't help but to be thinking of Rachael and Greg (and their family) on this day. This pic i took when the sun finally started coming out again. Prior to that, the sky was as black as i'd ever seen it. But then, you can see just behind the clouds how bright the sun is. Even when the sun is blocked, its still there. Shining as brightly as it ever has. *grateful*
Rhyan looking pitiful and wanting to go outside...
It did give us good reason to try out the indoor pool. Man, Rhyan LOVED it! That girl splashed and splashed and laughed and played more than she does in the outdoor pool. I think she likes it b/c its not so sunny so she can see better w/o being blinded by the bright sun.
So we obviously lounged in the indoor pool/hot tub (yes, rhyan even liked the hot tub... her little lips were getting blue in the pool so we took a dip in some warmer water. her lips pinked right back up!). It was kind of nice to have to relax on our last day. Sometimes, i feel the need to cram in something good so we feel like we got our fill, but i didnt really have that option w/ all the rain. In all honesty, i was hoping to pretty much spend the day at the beach. They lowered the double red flag's (meaning NO swimming allowed) down to one red flag (meaning, swim with extreme caution) and the waves were HUGE from the storm... but alas, it was not meant to be. Instead, we enjoyed andy griffith re-runs :-) This was before we headed down to the pool. "Nun" Rhyan drinking her milk.
Some fun pics of Rhyan splashing around in the indoor pool. She LOVED it!
And doing a little light reading after her pool time...
I also realize early tuesday morning (way before i normally get up) that I indeed did have a bladder infection. Thank the Lord that we got that rx filled. I took it but still hurt until the evening when i got a second dose in me. I swear, i'm plagued with bladder infections. I've had them since i was a kid! booo. I hope rhyan avoids those. Forever.
Tuesday night we rode across the street to the shrimp basket. Andy and Ronni had eaten there the last 2 nights (ordered out) and really liked all the food. I agree! The shrimp slaw was awesome! And Rhyan did great, again (do y'all get tired of hearing that?! haha).
We followed dinner by a last trip to the DQ. Man, that place is addicting. I love the dipped cone. What's your favorite treat? Here are some pics of flowers outside the DQ! Beautiful!
I'm loving my new nikon D3000. I got it for "mothers day, your birthday, our anniversary and Christmas" according to Jeff. Yeah, right! lol. Anyways, it grates on his nerves that i carry it everywhere and take pics all the time, but i love it! I had warned him before dinner that afterwords, i was going to want to head down to the beach and get some nice pics. He complained, but complied. So we did. I'm pretty stoked about some of them. I'm no professional, but lets just say that i was pleased with the fact that we didnt all look hideous. The sun was setting, the waves were big and it was BEAUTIFUL! It was a GREAT way to end our vacation.
Ok, y'all dont have to say it, but my husband is really hott :-)
Andy and Ronni headed out around 9am. We snapped some last minute shots before they left.
Man, it rained ALL morning. And ALL afternoon. Not just a little rain... i mean, it POURED. It started monday night and just never stopped. What a bummer on our last day here! 
I couldn't help but to be thinking of Rachael and Greg (and their family) on this day. This pic i took when the sun finally started coming out again. Prior to that, the sky was as black as i'd ever seen it. But then, you can see just behind the clouds how bright the sun is. Even when the sun is blocked, its still there. Shining as brightly as it ever has. *grateful*
Rhyan looking pitiful and wanting to go outside...
It did give us good reason to try out the indoor pool. Man, Rhyan LOVED it! That girl splashed and splashed and laughed and played more than she does in the outdoor pool. I think she likes it b/c its not so sunny so she can see better w/o being blinded by the bright sun.So we obviously lounged in the indoor pool/hot tub (yes, rhyan even liked the hot tub... her little lips were getting blue in the pool so we took a dip in some warmer water. her lips pinked right back up!). It was kind of nice to have to relax on our last day. Sometimes, i feel the need to cram in something good so we feel like we got our fill, but i didnt really have that option w/ all the rain. In all honesty, i was hoping to pretty much spend the day at the beach. They lowered the double red flag's (meaning NO swimming allowed) down to one red flag (meaning, swim with extreme caution) and the waves were HUGE from the storm... but alas, it was not meant to be. Instead, we enjoyed andy griffith re-runs :-) This was before we headed down to the pool. "Nun" Rhyan drinking her milk.
Some fun pics of Rhyan splashing around in the indoor pool. She LOVED it!
And doing a little light reading after her pool time...
Tuesday night we rode across the street to the shrimp basket. Andy and Ronni had eaten there the last 2 nights (ordered out) and really liked all the food. I agree! The shrimp slaw was awesome! And Rhyan did great, again (do y'all get tired of hearing that?! haha).
We followed dinner by a last trip to the DQ. Man, that place is addicting. I love the dipped cone. What's your favorite treat? Here are some pics of flowers outside the DQ! Beautiful!
I'm loving my new nikon D3000. I got it for "mothers day, your birthday, our anniversary and Christmas" according to Jeff. Yeah, right! lol. Anyways, it grates on his nerves that i carry it everywhere and take pics all the time, but i love it! I had warned him before dinner that afterwords, i was going to want to head down to the beach and get some nice pics. He complained, but complied. So we did. I'm pretty stoked about some of them. I'm no professional, but lets just say that i was pleased with the fact that we didnt all look hideous. The sun was setting, the waves were big and it was BEAUTIFUL! It was a GREAT way to end our vacation.Ok, y'all dont have to say it, but my husband is really hott :-)
Beach Vaca: Day 4
Monday... the day where most people are heading back to work after enjoying their weekend. Well, we are not most people. haha. Another beautiful day!
And fyi, i actually did not take a single picture all day. How tragic. So instead, i'll just post some randoms from the week. The view from the front of our condo.
This is Andy and Ronni's last full day here. They will be leaving tomorrow morning. So we had to take advantage of their babysitting services again :-)
More yummy eggs, sausage, cantaloupe and biscuits for breakfast. Nice way to start the morning. Have i ever mentioned that breakfast foods are my favorite? I could eat "brinner" daily. Then we headed on down to the pool to let Rhyan enjoy it in the cool of the morning. The baby pool is almost cold in the mornings... but then, the baby pool is too much work anyways. She just wants you to hold her hands so she can walk around in it and then crawl in and out of it constantly. Its much easier to hold her in the big pool.
For most of the early afternoon, we just sat around like the lazy thugs that we are. We can have a tendency to be very lazy on vacation. Especially now that we have Rhyan and she requires naptimes. We're kind of stuck in the condo during those times.
No wonder she doesnt stand for very long... with a stance like that, would could?!
Ronni volunteered to stay with Rhyan so that Jeff and i could enjoy the pool for a while and we definitely took advantage :-)
We stayed in for dinner and just ran out and got some pizza from the hut. Here, Rhyan's chillin... enjoying some t.v. Law and Order svu isnt inappropriate for a one year old, right? lol.
Minor glitch in the vaca... i got a bladder infection. I recognized it monday and called my dr. They were good enough to call something into the cvs in orange beach, ala and we picked it up when we went out for dinner. By monday evening i was feeling better, though and thought maybe it wasnt an infection after all. So i filled the Rx, just in case, but didnt take it.
Lastly, i bugged jeff enough that he finally gave in and we made another run to DQ for dessert for everyone. What a way to end a day of vacation :-)
And fyi, i actually did not take a single picture all day. How tragic. So instead, i'll just post some randoms from the week. The view from the front of our condo.
This is Andy and Ronni's last full day here. They will be leaving tomorrow morning. So we had to take advantage of their babysitting services again :-)More yummy eggs, sausage, cantaloupe and biscuits for breakfast. Nice way to start the morning. Have i ever mentioned that breakfast foods are my favorite? I could eat "brinner" daily. Then we headed on down to the pool to let Rhyan enjoy it in the cool of the morning. The baby pool is almost cold in the mornings... but then, the baby pool is too much work anyways. She just wants you to hold her hands so she can walk around in it and then crawl in and out of it constantly. Its much easier to hold her in the big pool.
For most of the early afternoon, we just sat around like the lazy thugs that we are. We can have a tendency to be very lazy on vacation. Especially now that we have Rhyan and she requires naptimes. We're kind of stuck in the condo during those times.
No wonder she doesnt stand for very long... with a stance like that, would could?!
Ronni volunteered to stay with Rhyan so that Jeff and i could enjoy the pool for a while and we definitely took advantage :-)We stayed in for dinner and just ran out and got some pizza from the hut. Here, Rhyan's chillin... enjoying some t.v. Law and Order svu isnt inappropriate for a one year old, right? lol.
Minor glitch in the vaca... i got a bladder infection. I recognized it monday and called my dr. They were good enough to call something into the cvs in orange beach, ala and we picked it up when we went out for dinner. By monday evening i was feeling better, though and thought maybe it wasnt an infection after all. So i filled the Rx, just in case, but didnt take it.Lastly, i bugged jeff enough that he finally gave in and we made another run to DQ for dessert for everyone. What a way to end a day of vacation :-)
Monday, June 21, 2010
Beach Vaca: Day 3 (Fathers Day)
Rhyan is thinking she should help me type this post. I disagree. Especially since this is my MIL's computer :-) She tends to want to help anyone and everyone. What a little giver :-)
So, we're enjoying some old re-runs of matlock around here. Good times.We started the morning by Rhyan and I taking Daddy out to breakfast to a place called "Hazel's". Its a breakfast buffet. It was pretty good. Rhyan, as always, was quite a hit at the resturant. Every time we take her out to eat, we're reminded of what a good baby she is as she behaves so well while theres several other children crying and pitching fits around us :-) Thank you Lord for such a good baby. Please, Lord, let it stay that way. (ps, i know we're probably doomed w/ the next kid... haha). Please note the bib: "Got Biscuits?". How fitting (um, i think this is Shelby's?!)
We sat at "Mary Gene Walker's Table"
We sat at "Mary Gene Walker's Table"
I'm not quite sure of whats going on here?
After breakfast we took a dip in the pool. Rhyan just loves the water! What a little fish!!! Katie had suggested that we get a little blow up pool for rhyan... we might just do that. I do think she would like it. I'm skeptical that she would stay in it, though. She really likes the big pool! We'll see.Everyone enjoyed an afternoon nap as we avoided the heat of the day. After Rhyan got up from her morning nap we played around in the condo for a bit. Man, Rhyan is so stinking talkative, lately. She doesnt say any words that we can understand... only "Mama" and "Dada". She used to say "byebye" but quit saying that a while ago. But there's lots of "na, ttttsss, puh, kuh, nuh, la", etc... She talks CONSTANTLY (this is new in the last week or so). Anyways, she keeps us entertained.
Jeff and I decided to take some turns at the pool and he let me go first. So the girls (Ronni and I) took advantage and headed on down. Shortly after, Jeff joined us. He had put Rhy down for her nap and Grandad agreed to watch after her (aka: i'll watch golf while she sleeps...haha). So we got almost 2 hours for adult only swim! FUN!This is the view from the living room of the condo. Not bad!
"Adult only" seemed to be the theme of the day as Ronni and Andy volunteered to keep her so that we could go to dinner. We took advantage :-) We drove around a bit to do some sight seeing and then settled on "Bubba's" for dinner. I enjoyed surf and turf while Jeff got grilled chicken. It looked a litte funny to see the waitress bring a massive plate with steak, fried shrimp and 1/2lb of crab legs to me while she delivered to Jeff a small plate with 2 grilled chicken breasts :-) Before you gasp at all i got, the crab legs were for Jeff. So we each had 2 yummy things to eat. And both of us cleared our plates! Unfortunately, we have NO pics of this night. Jeff moaned and groaned if i even acted like i was going to get my camera out!We topped off the night by swinging by the DQ for a treat for all of us.
The beach still looks fine, although we're staying around the pool. Life continues to be good.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Beach Vaca: Day 2
The huge barges that were working to keep the oil away!
Our Condo... ours is the 6th floor, next the last one on the right.
Lazy, lazy, lazy. That's all we are around here. And i love it! This picture was actually taken on Fathers day morning. Two wonderful Dads :-)
Rhyan woke up at 6:30 this morning. Jeff tried to make me feel better about it by saying that on our home time (we're one hour behind here in ala, remember) it was really 7:30 which means she slept in . I found more comfort in telling him that since it was "dada" she was calling for, he really should not disappoint. He was kind and obliged :-)Rhyan with her "pants on the ground"... lol
We pretty much hung around the condo for the morning. After Rhyan's morning nap we packed the cooler with lunch stuff and headed to the pool. She enjoyed it, but not quite as much as yesterday it seemed. The thing is, she doesn't want to be held but that's obviously not an option. She doesn't want to be confined to a float. She really just wants to crawl all around the pool. But the cement is undoubtedly 500degrees and would fry her little legs and hands. So that's out of the question. She is far too independent for 13 months.
We took her see the ocean today. She is not in love. Now, keep in mind that we took her AFTER we had already worn her out at the pool. So she was tired and hot. She was ok with it until Jeff walked out a little deeper and her feet touched the water as the waves came in. Poor girl. I got a pic of her crying which was pretty cute :-) Then, i got her to stand on the sand for a bit. Again, she didn't love it. She was ok with it, but something tells me she could live another 13 months without experiencing it again.
We came back up to the condo where she enjoyed playing around with only a diaper. She was obsessed with putting this travel sized bottle of baby powder (perfect for getting sand off a sticky baby) through the handle on her push toy. It kept her entertained for 30 minutes, minimum.She's been showing off her standing skills. I just cant wait for that girl to take some steps!
Before we headed to dinner, we caught glimpses of the wedding on the beach!
After her afternoon nap she got a bath, we all got ready and we headed out for dinner. Once again, she was a DOLL and made us proud. She did spill my water (on her Gran) but that was my fault for not keeping it out of her reach. Oops. No harm. No foul. Just water. And a big thanks to Gran for not getting mad :-)
Once Rhyan was down for the night, Jeff and I enjoyed a walk on the beach and just some browsing of the area. We didn't even talk much. Just walked quietly. I thoroughly enjoyed it.Well, day 2 was slightly uneventful. Just the way we like it.
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