Christmastime is Upon Us

and I'm oh so happy!

I'm happy to be spending Christmas alive and well this year. I fully intend to take advantage of all the fun things that are around this time of year. Starting with Winterhaven, we went last night. We took my sister and Colter along and it was fantastic. Not freezing cold, but cool enough and not completely packed like it has been when I've gone in the past. Embry had a major melt down for like 20 minutes after we posed her for a picture in an elf cut out. She cried and cried and wouldn't stop for anything. Finally she got over it, but geez, it was dramatic. We walked almost the whole neighborhood except for a few of the side streets. It was magical. The one huge disappointment for me was that either we couldn't find the wishing tree, or it was gone. :(

the dreaded elf cut out

...and the result.

We went to the Eastside Desert Mom's group Christmas party a week ago. I took my kids plus I was watching Haley and Isaac that day so my mom came along to help out. It was at the Rockin Star Ranch and the kids had so much fun on the pony rides. I was very proud of Embry for not freaking out on the pony, which I thought she would, but she tends to be braver when grandma is around. I also won a gift basket with some neat sauces and dip packets. The only part that was mildly disappointing was that Santa arrived and the girls had to go potty, so by the time we got out, Santa was gone. Therefore, we did not get a picture with Santa this year. I was going to take them to the free santa at walgreens this past weekend, but it ended up getting too late and the girls took a nap instead. There's no way I'm going to see the mall santa for a stupid $30 picture!

I went along with Kim to her work party last Friday night. We got to dress up (always fun) and go to the Omni resort in Oro Valley. They had yummy appetizers and desert and I got to meet a lot of the people Kim works with and they were so nice! I also won a raffle there and my prize was a Kindle Fire! At first I thought it was just a regular kindle, which is also freakin awesome, but then I looked at it more closely when I got home and FREAKED OUT when I realized it was actually a Kindle Fire. Oh, I'm so blessed.

We went over to Anna's house last weekend to celebrate the holidays with Anna and family and Kim and the kiddos. There was lots of good food, presents, and fun!

Then we went to the Young Married's Christmas party on Sunday night. Tony and I won the contest for 'best White Elephant' gift by giving the 3 wolf moon shirt. Our prize was a very large gummy bear, some yellow snow candy, bumpitz, and a $25 gift card to Target. Woot woot!Yesterday, I got to spend most of the day making Christmas goodies with Embry. We had lots of fun making buttercrunch toffee, peppermint bark (with dark and milk chocolate), and cowboy cookies. I am convinced there is no better cookie in the whole world. I layered them in some Christmas tins with tissue, tagged them, and delivered them today. I took one to the hematologist, Dr Taetle, one to the Caremore care center, and one to the nurses in ICU west. It was oddly easy getting into ICU and once I was in there I could feel my heart beating faster. I talked to a dr, a tech, and a nurse while standing right outside the room I was in for 10 days last year, it was so surreal. I didn't know any of the people I was talking to (I think I only remember 2 of the people from ICU and they weren't there) but they asked about my story anyway and I thanked them for keeping me alive. They told me how good I looked for having gone through so much and the whole experience cemented in my mind the gravity of what really happened last year. How dire the situation was and how far I've come since then, it really did happen. So, once I left I felt really good, like life was mine for the taking, but by the time I got to my car I was crying. I think mostly because I'm just so thankful. It's hard to express all the feelings I still have inside of me, and I feel like I'm beating a dead horse. I mean people must be thinking, 'geez just stop talking about it already, it was so long ago!' but it really doesn't seem that long ago to me. Anyhow, all in all, it was a good experience and I think I'll be going back every year from now on. They need to know that what they do does really matter and I need to be reminded of how amazing God is.

Thankfulness

Let me list some of the many things I have to be thankful for this year:

• Being Alive!
• being able to hold my kids
• walking
• doing my own hair
• cooking
• cleaning
• cuddling
• having medical insurance
• my warm cozy house that really feels like my home
• feisty Embry
• sweet Nola
• a husband who's a provider and a friend
• every breath
• the love of my family, near and far
• parents who love me unconditionally
• hot water for baths
• good books (and friends to discuss them with)
• friends who love me in good times and bad
• Mostly God, who gives me all these blessings and more
  

Nola Started Walking Yesterday!

Embry's 3 Years Old!

Another birthday has come and gone! This party was much easier to prepare for than Nola's was. I ordered subs and slushies from Eegee's as the main food source which cut down on a lot of prep time. The cake was fairly simple since I bought a cake decorating kit (including the cars, the trees, and the bridge) and then used colormist food coloring spray to color the cake instead of actually dying the frosting. I made deviled eggs and pasta salad for sides and my mom made her famous baked beans, pink stuff, and potato salad. I made a photo banner of Embry from ages 2-3 which turned out very cute and cut out some letters for the wall message and printed Dora and Diego characters I found online to hang up on the wall too. My mom spent a lot of time drawing all of the Dora and Diego characters to make 2 banners for the living room which were super cute! We rented a Dora jumping castle which is a whole story in itself.

The chance of rain was down to 15% (started at 60%) for the party and it was raining all morning leading up to the party. When the jumping castle arrived (early around 11am) Embry was so excited. She watched through the window as they set it up and before her nap I asked if she wanted to go jump for a few minutes. She ran through the house excitedly yelling about jumping in her Dora jumping castle and I followed. The second she got to the back door and I opened it, she froze and started screaming 'nooooo!' She really did not want to go in it. So I picked her up and took her in anyway where she proceeded to cry and cling to me like her life depended on it. She claimed she didn't want to get wet, but that really didn't make any sense because she LOVES water, so I'm not sure what her deal was. However once the party started and it wasn't raining anymore (and dada wiped down the inside of the castle with towels) she was more than happy to spend a LONG time jumping and screeching with delight. It did rain during the party, but all in all, it turned out pretty good. We stood under the porch to hit the pinata. None of the smaller children had any hopes of breaking it, but eventually I ripped it apart and dumped the candy out. All was well.



The day after the party, on Embry's actual birthday, Tony had taken the day off work so we went to McDonalds for breakfast and then to the desert museum. Embry loves the desert museum and she walked around holding one of our hands most of the time instead of being in the stroller. We got to see a lot of animals and Embry was very happy.
Then we dropped Nola off at my parent's house and took Embry to eat at Panda Express and then to Harkins to see 'Puss in Boots'. Embry really likes Shrek, so we figured this was up her alley. She had such a good time! She used a booster seat, never tried to get up, ate her popcorn, drank her fruit punch, and held our hands. It was PERFECT. It was a really great experience for all of us.
I watch my friends two kids on Monday nights so once we got home, I packed Embry up and headed to pick up her friends for dinner at McDonalds and about 2 hours in the playplace. Embry couldn't have been happier, it was fantastic.

We went to MOPS on Tuesday where I worked in childcare most of the meeting and both Embry and Nola picked up colds. So now they're sick and I feel bad for them, but since I just got over my sinus infection I'm really hoping they don't pass it on to me. I finished my antibiotics about 4 days ago and I still have a fever around 100 which will not go away. I called the rheumatologist and left a message to see if he wants to see me and the primary care dr was stupid and told me to take some tylenol and see if it goes away. Hello, am I an idiot? Of course I've been taking tylenol and I've had this fever for 2.5 weeks already, I'm pretty sure it's not just going away! Not to be a debbie downer, but Tony took off work for an hour this morning because I had a follow up appt with the podiatrist and the kids are sick, so Tony watched them while I went to the appt. Turns out they didn't put the appt into their computer and the dr was already running behind so they couldn't fit me in. I'd like to point out that it's not 'fitting me in' if I had an appointment and the dr's office staff didn't do their job correctly. Anyhow, vent over and I'm going to bed!

Nola's 1 year appt

Nola had her 1 year dr appointment yesterday.
All is well, nothing really to report except her stats:

Weight: 22# 4oz (75%)
Height: 31" (90%)
Head: 44.5cm (>25%)

She got 4 shots (including her flu shot) and she was none too happy about it! She had a bottle afterward, in between gulping sobs.

I finally went to the dr today after 8 days of a temp around 100 and cold like symptoms. She thinks I have a sinus infection and gave me a Z pack of antibiotics so hopefully I'll start feeling better soon. This is all too reminiscent of last year at the same time when I had low grade fever that just wouldn't go away. I'm praying that this year has a different outcome!

In other news, I am so excited about Christmas approaching! I'm so very happy to be alive and to watch my kids grow up over the past year. Normally you just take that as a given in life, to watch your kids grow up, but really it is such a gift. Even on days like today when I take both kids to the dr with me and Embry WILL NOT stop saying 'Are we gonna go to McDonalds and eat and play?!' because she chose not to eat her breakfast and was hungry at 10am, even on days like this, I'm so glad I'm here. Anyway, the point is, this season reminds me of how precious life is and encourages me to savor every single moment.

I have a problem. A problem with presents. I love to buy them. I love to wrap them. I love to give them. The problem is the bank account does not share my love for presents. I have been getting much better with kid's birthday presents. I set a limit and I don't go over it. Although I still have a issue with spending too much on family/friend gifts. I think, 'oh they've done so much for me, I could never repay them, so a gift will show them how much I appreciate them.' I know for the most part it's not so, but I suppose it's the least I can do. What does money matter anyway, it's just a worldly good, but it's also one of God's gifts to us. Am I being a good steward of His money? I'm sure I could never be good enough no matter how hard I tried.

Nola's First Trick or Treat

I went with my friend Anna and her girls and my sister and family to trick or treat around the neighborhood last night. I pushed Nola in the stroller up and down our street and then dropped her off back at our house with Tony. At one point, I was setting the stroller in front of neatly decorated house to get a picture of Nola and then I hear her whining and look over to see her slid down in between the seat and the snack tray so only her eyes were showing. Poor baby, I hadn't strapped her into the stroller because her ladybug costume was so poofy the straps wouldn't fit. Embry had a blast and got a good amount of candy too. She wore the same princess outfit that she wore for her first birthday party. It was too big then and a bit too small now, but it worked out and she was happy.
PS, Nola can now go from crawling to standing without holding onto anything! She's so proud of herself too!

Nola is 1!!!

Wow Nola, I can't believe that you're 1 year old already! This past year has gone by SO fast and I'm so very glad that I got to spend all of it watching you grow into a speedy little toddler. I'm sorry that I had to miss a few weeks of your life at the beginning, and I know you won't remember it, but it makes me sad anyway. You'll never know how important you are to me. You're my little one. The sweet baby that helped me to see how very special every moment of life is, even the bad ones when we're cranky and just want to go to bed. You are such an amazing little girl who makes me smile even in the worst of situations. You make me so happy and I can't believe I've been given such a miraculous blessing as you. I'm privileged to be your mama and I'm so glad that I get to watch you grow up and become the person that God intended for you to be. I love you so much No-nos, my little one, you're my favorite one year old!

We had Nola's birthday party today. It went very well, but as usual, I always feel rushed during parties. I feel like everyone is just waiting for the next big event...the food, the cake, the presents. Anyhow, I LOVED the rainbow theme. Holy cow, it was great. It was a lot of work to figure out how to make all the rainbow food, but it was so pretty. I have to say, I'm never making a rainbow jello cup again, those things took like 12 hours. Nola liked her smash cake OK but I was inside cutting up the rainbow layer cake while she was eating her cake, so I'll have to watch the video to see what all happened there. She has been able to stay standing up without holding onto anything for about a week now. She does it more often everyday and I think she might actually start walking soon, probably within the month. She's such a fun girl, I love her so much!

28: A Year in Review

Last October 10 was my 27th birthday. I had no idea what we did, so I just looked back and I guess we went to a movie. I was almost 35 weeks pregnant with little Nola. October 26 we welcomed our miracle baby Nola into the world after not having an epidural for my 12 hour labor. I'm just glad it wasn't any longer than that and I'm pretty dang proud of myself for making it through!I had her at almost 6am and 5 hours later I had my mom, Embry, Tony's mom, and sis visiting me at the hospital when I got the news that I had to have a D&C because I was hemorrhaging. Not the worst thing in the world, but not too great either. I wanted to visit with my family!In November we had family over for Thanksgiving, which was GREAT, except I wasn't feeling too well. Then in December they finally figured out I had a pulmonary embolism and partially collapsed lung. They started me on blood thinners, oral and injection, and sent me on my way. On Dec 16 I went to the ER where they thought I had internal bleeding, so they admitted me.


December 21 I couldn't breath and the nurse called a code blue. They intubated me and determined that a blood clot had traveled from my leg to my heart. My heart was only working at 25% function. About 20 friends and family showed up that night to pray for me.
I missed Christmas. :( New year's was the first night I got moved out of the ICU and it was spent watching 'When Harry Met Sally', eating cheese, crackers, and sausage, and drinking sparkling apple cider. I got released on Jan 4th and finally went home. I spent 2 months doing physical therapy to strengthen my muscles enough to walk, do my hair, feed myself, etc. It was a very humbling experience.
I had my 'I'm Alive' party in March! I made up for missing the Christmas party and we celebrated the fact that I was still alive. In May we went on a horseback trail ride the day before mother's day and I got bucked off. I fractured 4 vertebrae in my lower back. I'm still suffering the consequences of that stupid horse. On my 28th birthday, we had a picnic in the park. I had my husband and two precious girls with me, it was perfect!

Since getting out of the hospital in January, I've gained 30 lbs. Made my pcp check my thyroid and lo and behold, it's low. Going to pick up some new meds now!

And the Madness Begins!

We've been busy! First we took Tony's dad out for lunch for his birthday on our way up to Phoenix on Sunday 10/2/11. We went to Famous Dave's BBQ, it was our first time there, and we liked it quite a bit. Tony's dad made the mistake of ordering a burger that was supposed to be really spicy and then putting extra hot sauce on it and making it devilishly spicy. The rest of us did not do that and we thoroughly enjoyed our meals.
Then we headed up to Phoenix to spend the night and leave the kids with Dorothea. Of course I made everyone (except Tony) stay up too late playing games, but was well worth it in my opinion. I lost, but what else is new? We also had some yummy dinner from Filibertos. I love me some egg, sausage, and cheese breakfast burrito! Below is a pic of Allison, Tony, and Alex. Alex just moved back to Phoenix from Kansas City a few weeks ago. It was really good to see him again and spend some time with him. The last time he saw Nola she was just a few weeks old.

After we got up the next morning, we headed off on the 5 hour drive to Las Vegas. It was actually a relatively pretty drive with different desert landscapes to look at along the way. When we got into the outskirts of Vegas we tried to look for the 'Sister Wives' but had no luck. ;) We met my friend Kristy and her husband John at their hotel and went to eat at the Mandalay Bay buffet although we weren't super hungry since we had been snacking the whole drive up there in order to stay awake. I was impressed with how much food we were able to pack away even so.

Tony and I went out to eat at Serendipity that night while Kristy and John had a date to see the Lion King. The food was alright and we spent a lot considering it was supposed to be a cheaper restaurant. We met up with Kristy and John the next day and went to the Freemont Street Experience (I might be wrong about what that's called) which is the old Las Vegas strip that they put a sort of covering over. Basically it was casinos (surprising right?!) and shops so we just kind of wandered around and I found a few presents for people.

Tuesday night Kristy and I went to see Le Reve while John worked at the conference and Tony hit up the casinos. It was pretty fantastic, like a cirque de soleil show, but in water. There were lots of cool stunts and pretty props, but it left me wishing I was more flexible. I'm not entirely sure it was worth $120 each, but it was pretty special none the less.
On Wednesday Kristy and John had to leave in the afternoon, so we walked around with them for a bit and grabbed a bite to eat before they left. Shortly before they left, it started to rain. Apparently all the traction on the bottom of my flip flops had worn off because I was sliding all over the strip. It was terrifying. So I stayed put in between the M&M and Coca Cola shops while I made Tony go get the car to pick me up. I'd say that was a better option than breaking my hip. We came home on Thursday, got to Jamie's house around 4pm to pick up the girls, and made the drive back to Tucson. Thanks to everyone for watching our kids, we really appreciate it!

We've been wanting to try out this new biking/jogging/horse back riding trail just south of our house (by Tony's work). So we finally went on Saturday afternoon. I took the girls in the bike trailer for the first time and they really enjoyed it, Nola even fell asleep. I was ready to give up about halfway through the trail (it's 2.6 miles) and turn around, but Tony had me go another 1/4 of the way. I survived and I have a really sore butt to prove it! I'm hoping now that it's cooling off, we'll be able to go every other day and I won't have to pay to join a gym until it get hot out again in the spring.
Then yesterday (10/9/11) we had Nola's dedication at church. Lots of our friends and family came along to support us and most of us went out to eat at Culvers afterward. We basically introduced our families, said the dedication vows, and read what we wrote on our 'homework assignment'. Here's what I wrote:

My wish for my girls is that they grow up to put their whole trust in God. I don't want them to fear the future or dwell in the past, but to realize that God's infinite wisdom and love will guide them through any hardships that come their way. I wish for them to be independent, passionate, kind, caring, and responsible. But most of all, I want them to know how much they matter - to me, to their dad, to each other, and especially to God. I want them to know that they are valuable, important, and loved wholly and unconditionally.



Oh and today is my 28th birthday!

Nola is 11 Months Old! (almost)

Nola turns 11 months old tomorrow! Eeee, that means only 1 month until her birthday! I decided to go with a rainbow theme and let me tell you, it's hard to find rainbow birthday party supplies! I'm pretty excited about making a rainbow cake and I've got until Oct 30 to get everything together, so it should be fine.

We decided to go to Las Vegas for 3 nights Oct 3-Oct 6 because my friend Kristy and her hubby John will be there for a conference. The girls will be spending 2 days with grandma Dorothea, 1 day with Aunt Allison, and 1 day with Jamie. I would have rather gone on the weekend, but we have a mandatory meeting for Nola's dedication at church on the 2nd. Then we'll be heading up to Phoenix so we will only have a 4 hour drive on Monday to get to Vegas. Have I mentioned that I LOVE Las Vegas? It would only make sense because I'm so naturally drawn to all things sparkly and shiny right?! It's practically a whole city made of glitter! :D Kristy and I are going to see Le Reve which is an acrobatic water show. I saw some of it on Regis and Kelly earlier this year and vowed that if I ever went back to Vegas, I'd be going to see that show. Our hotel is super cheap (got a good deal online) but the shows are always expensive so we're going to try to get tickets the day of and see if they're cheaper. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It will be nice to spend some time with Tony away from the kiddos too. We've been having a bit of a rough time lately which me not feeling too well and more responsibility falling on Tony at work and at home, it's just been more stressful than normal.

I've been doing more playdates which is always fun. I find that the kids are (generally) much better behaved when we're out of the house. There's more to look at, a change of pace, and sometimes I even get to talk to adults! However, a few weeks ago I met up with a friend from young marrieds for lunch with the girls and Nola (who's normally the calm one) screamed and cried pretty much the ENTIRE time. It was maddening! I just kept apologizing and saying 'really, she's not normally like this!' I had no idea what was wrong either which is the most frustrating thing in the world. I fed her, she screamed. I held her, she screamed. I gave her toys, she screamed. Impossible.

I got certified in first aid and cpr yesterday. It makes me feel a little more confident about a) having a pool and b) having a child who chokes a lot and c) living in a region with rattle snakes and scorpions. Turns out scorpions aren't nearly as dangerous as I thought they were, which makes me feel less paranoid.

I made the girls picture appointments for Friday. I also made an appt to get my hair cut. I'm kind of nervous, but I think it needs something to make it bearable while the short hairs are growing out. This is what I'm going for:But obviously my hair is straight and I could NEVER stand having my bangs that long.

Oh I should say that Embry's hand, foot, and mouth disease is all gone. Has been for a while, but it was a bummer for her. Tony got it too, but only very very mildly and for about a day. I swear he's got the best immune system ever. Embry was quite miserable while she had it though, not fun for any of us. Nola (and I) never got it, so WOOHOO!

As far as my health goes, I started taking probiotics which I think are really helping my tummy troubles *yay*! My back is the same-ish. I've been having more headaches, blah. There is a very troubling pain in my right groin area (like the inside of my hip maybe) when I stand up or walk or sit or lay...so pretty much any change in position will get it going. Maybe I should go to the orthopedic guy again, but I'd really rather not. It could just go away on its own, but then again, maybe not. I keep telling Tony it feels like my crotch is gonna break.

A Recap

Nola turned 10 months old on Aug 26, which is just unbelievable to me! I know I was kind of out of it for a bit there, but it really seems like she can't possibly be that old yet. We finally got signed up for the next baby dedication at church, so we'll be doing that for Nola on Oct 9. That happens to be the day before my birthday, so I think it's reason enough for a party! :)

Then she'll be a year old on Oct 26, time for another party! Then 2 weeks later Embry will be 3, time for another party! I think I'm going to do a rainbow theme for Nola's and of course Dora and Diego for Embry and we'll definitely have a jumping castle for that one because Embry's been talking about it for about 4 months now. She's obsessed. I have no idea where she gets that trait from. ;)

Embry completely regressed with the potty thing a few weeks ago. It is maddening. She is now getting better again, but she was peeing in her pants (which forced us to go back to pullups ie $$$) pretty much every time she peed. Now she's doing better, which means she's had the same pull ups on since this morning without incident. She's peeing in them overnight now too though which is really disappointing because she had been dry at night for at least 6 months. Ah well, I'm sure it's just a part of toddlerhood that must be explored before moving onto the next stage. Lucky for me though she never pooed anywhere but in the potty and is now even using the big potty so we don't have to do that yucky poop transport from little potty to big potty. That can make even the strongest of stomachs turn.

We went to Phoenix over labor day weekend. It was super fun but also utterly exhausting as always. Nola woke up screaming twice the first night which was extremely stressful for me because I hadn't gone to bed till midnight (I was up playing games) and she was sleeping in a pack n play in Allison's room with Allison and Micah so I was really worried that her death cries would wake up the other baby. Anyhow, I fed her both times and she went back to sleep. The second night she was totally fine, so I'm not sure what he problem was, but she got over it pretty quick. We went to the Sea Life Aquarium in Tempe the first day and met up with Tony's mom, Allison, and Micah there. I had expected something really sucky, but it far exceeded my expectations. Embry LOVED it! She got to touch the starfish and stick her head in the tank bubbles and watch all the different sea creatures, she thought it was just great. I had fun too! Tony's brother Stefan came over that night and we had dinner. We got to see my friend Jamie while we were there and also Tony's friend from high School and her husband. Oh and we went to downtown Tempe with our friends from young marrieds who just moved up there. Embry got to play with Noah and it was just the cutest thing. :D Makes my heart happy.

MOPS started this past Tuesday. It felt so comfortable being back in that room with all the other moms that I share so much in common with. Although I have to say, cutting the time down to 2 hours really made it feel rushed for me. Maybe it was just because it was the first meeting and it won't feel rushed when there is a speaker and the regular layout, but it seemed like a lot to cram into 2 hours. We did squash books for a craft which I actually didn't do a whole lot of prep for at all, that was my partner in crafts, so woohoo! Now we have 3 crafts left for the year and I'm halfway prepped for the next one, just need to cut out some stuff on the cricut and we'll be all set. I'm also making the new baby onesies. I made about 10 to start off with, 5 for boys and 5 for girls, so I'm ahead of the game in that regard.

Where has the time gone?

I can't believe it's been almost a whole month since I last blogged, yikes! I guess I'll do bullet points so I don't have to think of transitions :)

Nola:

• she's crawling like a pro.
  
• Her favorite chew toy is any cord she can find.
  
• She's toppled one of the surround sound speakers and the tv tray over on top of herself, but she's easily soothed so neither was a big deal.
  
• She enjoys going to the recycling bin over and over again to take out dangerous objects like soda cans and plastic wrap.
  
• She has the cutest smile EVER! I just want to eat her face with those big cheekies and little baby teeth!
• We found out she hates bubble wrap being popped near her. Embry found this quite enjoyable, but Nola was very upset so the bubble wrap is currently in a 'time out' in the laundry room.
  
• She got the two front side bottom teeth about 2 weeks ago.
• She pulls up to her knees on everything, but has only pulled up to her feet 3 times that I can think of. Once on Embry's purple chair, once on the toy table, and once in her crib (which was super cute and I wish I had my camera to take a picture).
  
• Her most common 'words' are 'Ga', 'nnnnnga', 'hoyuhl' (both she and Embry made this same sound), 'eh eh eh eh eh' (like a machine gun), and 'udl udl udl udl' (like a wookie).
  
• We started giving her a sippy cup with water like a month ago and she really doesn't understand that she needs to suck on it. She just bites it and well, that's about it.
• She's started taking 2 solid naps each day. One around 9am and then another around noon. I like it A LOT.
  
• It has gotten so much easier to feed her which is a humongous blessing! We give her almost all stage 3 foods and don't have to put any of them in the food processor first. Occasionally she'll gag, but hasn't thrown up from it in about a month. She even eats yogurt with chunks in it and gnaws on french fries etc.
  
• However, she throws up 1-2 times a week. Like her whole jar of food and her whole bottle and it smells and it's really gross. She'll be all fussy and then she'll throw up and then she'll be super happy. So I'm going to have to ask the ped about that at her 1 year check up.
  

Embry:

• I love her, but she sure does know how to push my buttons!
  
• She moves at the speed of slow.
• Unless she's with her friends and then she's like a tornado.
• She hates naptime, but she still stays in her room for 2 hours/day. Sometimes she takes a nap, sometimes she plays, but either way, I sleep.
  
• She's definitely started to test her boundaries.
  

Me:

• I'm dang tired.
• The neurosurgeon said I have 2 months to decide whether to get the kyphoplasty done. He found a different bone glue that is more like bone rather than super rigid, but he'd rather not use it since it hasn't had any long term studies etc.
  
• My back has been hurting more again. It's somewhat ok when I'm up and going, but after I sit or lay down for any amount of time, it's pretty bad.
  
• The hair that fell out is now about 1-2 inches long and it's driving me nuts. I'm thinking of getting my hair cut short just so it will blend in better. That's what I did last time this happened, but I look even fatter with short hair.
  
• I am fairly certain I'll be joining a gym within the next week. I need to do something about my body, it's gross and it's affecting my mentality in a bad way. We'll see how my bones feel when I try to work out, I hope it all goes well.
  
• I was really sick last week. I hated it. I had a lupus headache (like a migraine) and pretty much couldn't move from my bed for a 16 hour period. I had a headache for 2 days before that, but not severe, then I went to take my nap and it just got horrible.
  
• My stomach has been messed up for about a month. It's like it was before I got pregnant with Embry. It sucks, but maybe it will help me lose weight?!