2010 in Retrospect

Rylee on her first New Year's Eve

 Well, it is just after 11 o'clock at night (central time) on New Year's Eve. I'm sitting on the couch in our living room with my laptop in my lap, and Jordan has already gone to bed since he has to be at work early in the morning. I just watched the ball drop in Time's Square on TV. Outside, our neighbors are shooting fireworks, and I'm praying they don't wake Rylee up.
It's hard to believe that, in less than an hour, another year will come to a close. Naturally (with it being New Year's Eve), I've been reflecting this past year in my mind throughout the day. It's been quite a year to say the least, filled with many ups and downs, but I think I can honestly say that, overall, it's been the best year of my life thus far. God has truly poured out his blessings on my family and me this year, and I am so thankful and humbled by His love. As 2010 comes to an end, I wanted to be sure to "document" the highlights (as well as some of the "lowlights") of the year for me. Some of them may seem pretty insignificant, but nevertheless, they each had a part in making the year what it was for me. I may end up adding more events to the list if I think of anything else. I pray you all have a blessed 2011!

In 2010, I...

- celebrated my first new year as a married woman.

- got to experience the incredible feeling of a baby moving inside my womb for the first time.

- turned 20 years old (goodbye teenage years!).
- had bangs for the first time in years (and quickly remembered why I don't like them).

- watched my younger brother graduate from high school. 

- weighed more than 115 pounds (during my pregnancy).

- celebrated my one-year wedding anniversary.
- made new friends.
- went to four weddings.

- gave birth and became a mommy.

- almost lost my father-in-law to a heart attack.

- became a preacher's kid.

- became a stay-at-home mommy.

- lost my grandma Parker.

- lost my great-granny Flowers.

- lost my great-aunt Norma.

- moved into a new home.

- became a coupon-clipping Publix grocery shopper.

- tried guacamole for the first time (and didn't really care for it).
- got stung on my toe by a yellow jacket.
- saw Peter Pan: The Musical at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.

Rylee's 6-Month Doctor Check-Up

I took Rylee to the doctor this morning for her 6-month well check-up with Dr. Trumbull. As usual, he was beyond pleased with her progress. He said she's developing at an advanced rate, and she has good, strong muscle control, which leads him to believe she'll be an early walker (oh boy...). She now weighs 15lbs. 8oz., and she's 26 and 3/4in. long. I was actually a little surprised that she didn't weigh more than that, since she was 14lbs. 13oz. at her 4-month check-up (meaning she's only gained 11 ounces in two months). Dr. Trumbull explained that because she's becoming more active and mobile as she gets older, she is "working off" some of her baby fat. He said she looks and is doing great, so I'm not concerned.
Unfortunately, she had to get three shots today (the last of the vaccinations she had to get, beginning at 2 months old), so I had to hold her arms down and watch her scream as the nurse stuck my poor baby in the thighs again and again. She continued to cry, even after the nurse had finished and left the room, but I think that was to make sure I knew she was mad more than anything else.
All in all, though, it was a great check-up. I'm just so thankful that God has blessed me with a healthy baby, and that He continues to hold her in the palm of His hand and take care of her.

my sweet girl patiently waiting for her appointment with Dr. Trumbull

my sweet girl patiently waiting for her appointment with Dr. Trumbull

Christmas 2010

Well, Christmas has come and gone, and now we're only five days away from the new year - 2011! Crazy, huh? I can honestly say that this year has flown by much faster than any other year so far; so much happened in such a seemingly short amount of time. I plan to blog about some of the highlights (as well as some of the low-lights) of my 2010, and my "resolutions" for 2011, but for now, I wanted to write a little bit about our Christmas and share a few pictures as well.
My daddy drove up from Florida on Thursday (Christmas Eve Eve) to spend Rylee's first Christmas with us. On Friday evening, my mom, dad, sister, brother, brother's girlfriend, aunt, and cousin all came over to visit and have Christmas Eve dinner together. It felt so nice to be able to "host" a family event in my own home. I loved every minute of it. Unfortunately, I didn't even think to grab my camera and take any pictures while everyone was here, so sadly, I don't have any to share from that evening.
On Christmas morning, I went about my normal schedule of waking at 6 and getting Rylee up to feed her. When Jordan and my daddy had both woken up as well, we gathered in the living room and "opened" our stockings that we had filled up for each other. My sweet hubby filled my stocking with some yummy candy (Whoppers, Dove chocolates, some gum, etc.), and a couple of Sudoku puzzle books, and he also got me Celine Dion's Christmas CD ("These Are Special Times") and a coupon organizer, so I was really excited about that.
Later Christmas afternoon, we spent some time with some of Jordan's side of the family, first going to his aunt's house, and then going to his dad's house. We had Christmas lunch with Jordan's dad, mom, sister, and two nephews. His dad makes a delicious ham, so Jordan looks forward to the Christmas meal with him every year.
We spent Christmas evening back at our house, eating leftovers and staying warm and cozy inside (it sleeted/snowed off and on the majority of the day; it was neat to have a "white" Christmas, even though none of the snow actually stuck). We had a nice Christmas, and were very blessed to get to spend time together with each other and with our families.
Below are a few pictures that I took of Rylee on Christmas day. Like I mentioned earlier, I didn't take any pictures on Christmas Eve, and I didn't get near as many as I would have liked on Christmas day either - I wish I had some pictures of us with our families. I always want to kick myself that I don't get more pictures on special occasions, but oh well...

Rylee, when I woke her up on her first Christmas morning

getting ready to eat breakfast on her first Christmas morning

my happy girl on her first Christmas morning

playing in her first Christmas present on Christmas morning

you can't see all of it, but her shirt says "Mommy's Little Christmas Present"

playing with some toys at PawPaw Price's house

A Rare Weekend

This past weekend was a very special weekend for me. Not because anything major happened, like a birthday or anniversary. Not because I went on a big vacation or anything like that. It was special, because Jordan had both Saturday and Sunday off of work. Might not sound like a big deal to most people, but I don't think he's had an entire weekend off since he's worked at Home Depot (started in February of this year), other than when he actually asked off when Rylee was born, and when we went on vacation back in October. He's always off on the weekends from UPS, but he's usually always scheduled to work at least one, if not both days of the weekend at Home Depot. This past weekend, they just happened to schedule him off both days. I was so happy, and I know he was too. He finally got to sleep in an entire weekend, without having to worry about getting up and going to work at Home Depot after already working long and hard all week at both UPS and Home Depot.
I tell you, I am SO blessed to be Jordan's wife. He works SO hard to provide for our family so I can stay home and take care of Rylee. Sometimes I can't help but feel guilty that I don't have a job of my own to help provide financially, but Jordan always assures me that this is the way he wants it to be (me staying home with our daughter), and we both know that this is God's will for us right now as well. I'm so thankful that the Lord has provided two jobs for Jordan to earn the money we need to get our bills and other expenses paid, and I'm thankful that they are both jobs that Jordan excels at and enjoys doing. It's just so hard to see him on the go all the time, not getting the rest he needs, and not getting to spend time with his family. I don't want him to miss out on all of the special milestones that Rylee will hit as she continues to grow. So far I don't think he's really missed anything, but I'm afraid he'll be at work the first time she says "Dada", or the first time she crawls or takes her first step. I don't want him to miss those things.
Rylee's only 6 months old, but I can tell she misses him when he's not home. I always try to wait with her by the front door if I know Jordan is almost home, and she always gets SO excited, smiling and squealing and squirming in my arms when she sees him drive up and get out of the car. When he gets inside, she always wants to give him kisses. It is just so sweet. She loves her daddy, and I just wish he could spend more time with her. This season of her life is going by so quickly, and I just hate that he's missing out on so much of it. However, we know that this is just how it has to be right now, and Jordan's ok with that. We know that in God's time, He will provide one full-time job for Jordan so that he no longer has to work two part-time jobs. Sometimes it is hard to be patient and wait on God's timing, but we know that His timing is perfect, so we do our best to remain optimistic and thankful for all that we have.
Anyway, I wanted to share what we did this weekend. Saturday morning, after waking up and feeding Rylee, we turned on some Christmas music and made breakfast in the kitchen together - all three of us. Jordan held Rylee while I made some muffins (strawberry for Jordan; chocolate chip for me), and when I got them in the oven to bake, I took Rylee, and Jordan cooked eggs and bacon. It was so nice to just be together on a Saturday morning, singing and dancing around the kitchen with our little girl as we made breakfast. Moments like those are so precious to us, as they are few and far between.
After breakfast, we just relaxed around the house for a few hours until about 12:30, at which time my mom came over to watch Rylee for us so we could go on a date! It was only the second date we've been on since Rylee was born six months ago, so we were both really looking forward to it. We bought tickets to see "Peter Pan: The Musical" at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and when it was over, we went to Steak 'N Shake for burgers and milkshakes. The play was excellent, full of great sets/props, beautiful costumes, and talented actors and actresses, and our dinner at Steak 'N Shake really "hit the spot" since we hadn't had hamburgers in probably at least two months (sad, I know). It was a nice evening out, and I'm really thankful we were able to have that special time together.
On Sunday, we woke up and went to church for the Christmas cantata performance by the choir. After church, we went back home and spent another relaxing afternoon around the house with Rylee. That evening, my mom came back over to watch Rylee for us again so Jordan and I could go to the Christmas party that Home Depot held for its employees. It was nice to meet some of Jordan's co-workers and interact with them outside the work area. Jim 'N Nicks catered, so we enjoyed some barbecue, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, and cheese biscuits for dinner. Afterward, all of the employees played "Dirty Santa" which was entertaining to watch, especially when someone stole a gift. Jordan ended up with a weather radio/flashlight (I had been wanting one of those, too, so I was happy), and a pack of stainless steel thermoses, which he can use when he goes mountain biking or kayaking.
When we got home from the Christmas party, it was already getting late, and we were both ready to go to sleep. I actually felt a little sad at the end of the night, because I knew my weekend with Jordan was coming to an end, and I wasn't ready to go back to "reality". I got spoiled that weekend with time with him, and I wasn't ready to give that up. I'm definitely looking forward to Christmas, when he'll be off the whole day, and we can spend more time together and with our families.

at church on Sunday morning

I'm In Denial...

Today is the 15th. Of December. That means that my baby girl is now six months old. SIX MONTHS! As in, HALF A YEAR! Can someone please tell me how this happened?! Where have I been the past 183 days? I JUST gave birth to her yesterday... didn't I? This is just so crazy. I'm not ready for this yet. I don't want to be, anyway. Time is going by way way WAY too fast, and it's just not fair. (Yeah, I know... "Life isn't fair." Blah, blah, blah.)
Every time I look back through all the pictures we've taken of her so far, I feel sad. Sometimes I literally cry. It's funny how Jordan and I differ in our feelings on this. The older Rylee gets, the more excited he gets (for now at least), because she's able to interact with us more. He wants to be able to play with her and all that fun stuff. And although I enjoy the smiles and laughs and squeals that we get from her now, I still can't help but feel sad about the fact that she's not the newborn baby we brought home from the hospital... do I have to say it again?... SIX months ago. That baby did nothing but eat and sleep and fill up diapers all day long. I could hold that baby in my arms for hours, and she wouldn't squirm or fuss. She was comfortable and content cradled in my arms. That's where she wanted to be.
The baby we have now doesn't like to be cradled in my arms. Now, don't get me wrong - she still loves to be held (she's a momma's girl... for now, anyway...) - but she wants to be held up and usually facing out so she can see what's going on around her. She won't let Mommy cradle and snuggle her anymore (unless I'm breastfeeding her, but that's different). I miss my snuggles with her. Those were such precious bonding moments between us that I will cherish forever.
The baby we have now gives us kisses. And although it melts my heart every time I get one of those big, sloppy, wet kisses from her, I can't help but think that one day she'll be wanting to give those kisses to a boy (although hopefully a little less sloppy).
What am I going to do when she starts talking and walking? What am I going to do when she starts school? What am I going to do when she becomes a teenager and starts driving? What am I going to do when she graduates? What am I going to do when she falls in love?
I went to a friend's wedding this past Saturday, and I cried. Although it's not all that unusual for me to cry at a wedding (I'm a pretty emotional person), this time it was a little different. It was the first wedding I've been to since becoming a mom. And although I was partially crying happy tears for my friend, I was also realizing that someday - hopefully not for at least 20 or 30... or maybe even 40 (if we're lucky, right?) years - that beautiful bride is going to be MY daughter. I'm not ready to watch my husband walk our baby girl down the aisle and give her away to some guy. I don't think I'm going to be ok with that. And if time continues to fly by as quickly as it has so far, that day is going to be here before I know it. That's just not cool. I want more time. I NEED more time.
Now, some of you are probably reading this and thinking "Seriously? She's only 6 months old, and you're already thinking about all of that? Chill out." But I'd be willing to bet those of you who feel/think that way don't have kids of your own. If you're a mommy (or a daddy), you get it. And now I do too.

my sweet 6-month-old

Rylee's First Christmas Present

We got Rylee's first Christmas present today - an Evenflo ExerSaucer. I actually ordered it online last week from albeebaby.com, and it arrived at the UPS hub in Montgomery (where Jordan works) today, so he brought it home. We decided to go ahead and put it together today instead of wrapping it and sticking it under the tree until Christmas. I want to get as much of our money's worth out of it as possible, and Rylee's not going to remember if she had any presents to unwrap on Christmas morning, so I'd rather she start getting some play time out of it now. My sweet husband worked hard and got it all put together, and as soon as I put Rylee in it for the first time, she started hitting and chewing on all the different toys on it, and expressed her delight with squeals in various pitches. I'm really excited that we were able to get the ExerSaucer for her. It will provide countless hours of entertainment for her, and it will allow me more hands-free time to get things done while still keeping an eye on her. I guess it's a gift for both of us!

Rylee's first time playing in her new ExerSaucer. Merry Christmas, Rylee!

Rylee's first time playing in her new ExerSaucer. Merry Christmas, Rylee!

Mom's 50th Birthday

Well, my dear mother turned the "big 5-0" back on Sunday, December 5. That afternoon, Jordan and I (and Rylee) had her, my dad, my brother, and my sister over to our house for lunch and some birthday cake and ice cream. I made a pot of taco soup. I had never made it before, and I had been craving it for a while, so I decided to give it a shot. I pulled out a few of my cook books and picked which ingredients from those recipes I wanted to put in mine. I ended up using:

- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 cans pinto beans
- 1 can corn
- 1 can petite diced tomatoes
- 2 packages taco seasoning
- 1 package dry ranch dressing
- 1 cup water

I browned the ground beef, mixed all the ingredients together in my Crock Pot (my first time using it), and let it simmer for a few hours. I was nervous how it would turn out since I had never made it before, but it ended up being a big hit with everyone (and I thought it was really yummy myself), so I was relieved. Anyway, we had a nice time visiting with them and celebrating my mom's birthday.
BUT... with it being her 50th birthday, of course we weren't just going to leave it at that. Little did she know, Dad and I had been planning a surprise birthday dinner for her. The only downside, though, was that we had to wait until the weekend after her birthday to have it, because she was out of town the Friday and Saturday before her birthday for the "Deeper Still" conference in Birmingham, and Sundays are already busy enough with church. I busied myself making phone calls and sending Facebook messages to reserve a restaurant, order a cake, and invite family and friends to help us celebrate. We only had a few weeks or so to pull it all together, but the anticipation of the surprise made it feel like the day was never going to come.
I made reservations at Casa Napoli in Wetumpka for 6pm on this past Saturday, December 11, and I ordered a big chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and white chocolate butter cream frosting from Chocodelphia in Prattville. I bought some balloons from Dollar General to tie to the chairs at the restaurant to add a little festive touch to the atmosphere.
Mom arrived with Dad and Amanda at the restaurant shortly after 6 o'clock, and we had a nice group of family and friends (I think there were 22 people in all) gathered to welcome them. We pulled off the surprise, and had a nice time celebrating her birthday over some good Italian food and a delicious cake. I'm so blessed and thankful to have her as my mother. I love you, Mom!
I forgot to have a picture of me taken with my mom at the dinner (I'm so bad about remembering to get pictures taken, and I always want to kick myself afterward), but I do have a couple of pictures I wanted to share. 

my sweet hubby and me at my mom's birthday dinner

Mom's beautiful 50th birthday cake, made by the very talented Jennifer Kirk at Chocodelphia

Rylee's First Time Meeting Santa

I wanted to post another quick update to share a couple of pictures of Rylee's first encounter with Santa Claus. He is currently making appearances every day at Bass Pro Shop in Prattville, and parents can take their children to get their picture taken with him for free.
I was anxious to see how Rylee would do when she was put in the arms of a big, hairy stranger. She has become quite the "Momma's Girl" since she's home with me every day, so sometimes she gets upset/scared and starts to cry when she's with someone she doesn't recognize. I hoped if we handed her over and got out of the way quick enough, Santa's "elves" could snap a picture before she realized who she was with. I figured if nothing else, though, we would get a funny picture of her screaming her head off in Santa's lap.
We had to wait in line for at least 45 minutes, and I grew even more anxious because it was past Rylee's dinner time. She started sucking/chewing on her hands and Jordan's hands, and although she wasn't fussy, I was sure she was going to lose it the second Jordan gave her to Santa. We finally worked our way up, and when it was our turn, Jordan sat Rylee in Santa's lap, while I stood in front of her next to the "elves" who were taking the pictures. We all shouted "CHEESE!" at her and made silly smiley faces, but inside I felt like I was holding my breath, waiting for her to start screaming. Instead, though, she just sat there looking and smiling at us. She even looked right at Santa, and then looked back at us and smiled some more. I was pleasantly surprised, and very happy that her first experience with Santa was a good one (not that she'll remember it, but still...).
The "elves" gave us the picture they took of Rylee with Santa, but I don't have a scanner to scan it into my laptop. The two pictures below are shots that I took on our own digital camera.

Ready For Christmas 2010

I wanted to do a quick post to share a few pictures of our Christmas decorations this year. They're nothing too extravagant - just our Christmas tree and our stockings and little nativity scene on the fireplace mantel - but it's our first Christmas in our new home, and our last home didn't have a fireplace (we had to hang our stockings over our entertainment center last year), so I'm excited. It's also Rylee's first Christmas, so that's even more exciting. My daddy will be coming up from Florida to spend Christmas with us this year, so we hung up a fourth stocking for him. We also bought an inexpensive Christmas train set to go around the skirt of our tree. Jordan has always wanted a train set, and I know Rylee will enjoy it as she gets older. We are very blessed, and we have so much to be thankful for this year (and every other year, of course).

our fireplace where our stockings are hung on the mantel (our little nativity scene is in the center of the stockings)

our Christmas tree with our new Christmas train set

We're ready for Christmas!

My "Thankful List"

Today is my favorite Thursday of the entire year. Today is Thanksgiving Day. I was recently reminded how so many people (often myself included) are only consciously thankful for who and what they have in their lives on this one day. I look around me, and it just blows my mind how much I have to be thankful for. From now on, I am going to try to live every day in a constant state of "thanks" for everything I have been blessed with.
Usually around this time, I start making my Christmas "wish list" of things I'd like for Christmas - something I've been doing for as long as I can remember (I mean, who hasn't made a Christmas "wish list"?). Instead of doing that this year, I decided to make a list of who/what I'm thankful for. After all, why do I need to make a Christmas "wish list" when I've already been blessed with far more than I need or deserve? I wanted to post my list below so I can look back on this blog and read it from time to time if I ever need a reminder of all I have to be thankful for. I know it won't include everything I'm thankful for (that would be a VERY long list if I took the time to think of everything), but I will at least try to mention the most "important" things. At the end, I also wanted to post a few pictures from today.


My "Thankful List"


1. I am first and foremost thankful for my Heavenly Father for creating me, and for sending His Son to die for my sins. I am thankful for His unfailing love. I am thankful that He is always there to hear my prayers, even though I'm so often not willing to listen to Him. I am thankful for every blessing He ever has and ever will give me. I have Him to thank for everything else on this list.
2. I am thankful for my wonderful husband, Jordan. I am thankful for his love and friendship. I am thankful for the hard work and selflessness he displays every day working two jobs to provide for our family. I am thankful God called me to be his wife.
3. I am thankful for my precious, healthy baby girl, Rylee. She is one of the most incredible blessings God has ever given me - one I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to have after being diagnosed with PCOS. She is a constant reminder from God that with Him, ALL things are possible. He is the Almighty Creator of life. I am so thankful for the blessing of motherhood.
4. I am thankful for my mom and dad, my daddy, my brother, my sister, and all my extended family (including my in-laws). I was blessed to be raised in a loving, Christian home by wonderful parents whose main concern was teaching me about Christ. I am thankful to have so many people who love and support me.
5. I'm thankful for my home and everything within it (my bed, my clothes, food, etc.). I am so blessed to have a roof over my head to shelter me from the ever-changing weather.
6. I'm thankful to have not one, but two reliable vehicles for transportation.
7. I'm thankful to live in the United States of America, and I'm thankful for all of the men and women who serve in our armed forces to protect my freedom.
8. I'm thankful for all of my brothers and sisters in Christ. I am very blessed to have friends who love the Lord and are there to encourage me and hold me accountable in my walk with Him.
9. I'm thankful for my health, and for all of my doctors who have treated me whenever I've needed medical attention for any reason.
10. I'm thankful for music - especially contemporary worship music. I love praising God through song.

Rylee wearing her "baby's 1st thanksgiving" outfit

me and my sweet husband, Jordan

my sweet girl and me

Rylee and me in front of our Christmas tree

Rylee and me

me and Jordan with our precious baby girl

Rylee's First Vegetables and Halloween

Well, this past weekend held more milestones for my sweet baby girl. She's been eating rice cereal once a day for two weeks now, and on Saturday we were allowed to start feeding her vegetables. The doctor said to give her orange and yellow vegetables first, and to introduce a new one every five days. I decided to start her with sweet potatoes and see how she liked them. In a way, I felt a little guilty giving her sweet potatoes. I was sitting there saying, "Yummy sweet potatoes, Rylee! Yummy, yummy!" And I hate sweet potatoes. Ha! I was very proud of Rylee, though. Although she made a few silly and confused faces, she never actually gagged, and she ate the entire jar like a big girl! We fed her sweet potatoes last night and tonight as well (like I said, we need to wait five days before we introduce her to another vegetable), and she finished both of those jars too. I just can't believe my little girl is already eating baby food. Time is going by so fast, and I'm just trying to keep up and treasure every second I get with her.
Yesterday was also Rylee's first Halloween. We didn't make a big deal of it, though. I just couldn't see spending money on a costume that she would wear one time, and then taking her trick-or-treating for candy that she can't even eat. Lord knows Jordan and I don't need any candy, so we just had a nice relaxing evening here at home. Thanks to Nana (my mom), though, Rylee did at least have a Halloween outfit to wear yesterday, so I took a few pictures of her in it with a big smile on her face.
I wanted to share a video of Rylee's first few bites of sweet potatoes, and then a few new pictures as well. Enjoy!

she's not too sure what she thinks about the sweet potatoes

she likes them! all gone!

Rylee modeling her "Baby's First Trick-or-Treat" outfit for Halloween

Our First Post-Parenthood Date

Last night, Jordan and I went out on a date for the first time since I had Rylee. Our last date was on our one-year wedding anniversary, two days before she was born. She is now four and a half months old, so it was a long-awaited and much-needed time out together. My mom came over to watch Rylee for us (thanks, Mom!).
We had dinner at a new Italian restaurant in Millbrook/Prattville called Antipastos. We were served fresh bread with an herb butter and Italian house salads while we waited on our main courses. Jordan tried their Chicken Parmesan, and I ordered the Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo. The food was plentiful and delicious, and we were both stuffed when we left.
After dinner, we headed to Build-A-Bear Workshop in Eastdale Mall in Montgomery to "build" a stuffed animal. We decided on a cute monkey, and after it was stuffed and sewed up, we picked out a pretty little outfit to dress it in. We agreed that the monkey was a girl, and we named her Maggie. We intend for her to be a Christmas present for Rylee.
When we finished in Build-A-Bear, we walked around the mall for a little while, holding hands and peeking in different shops. It was nice to spend time together without a car seat and baby and diaper bag in toe. Of course we still missed Rylee, but I knew she was in good hands with my mom. We had a nice evening out, and hopefully we can have another date night soon.

Maggie the Monkey

A Long-Overdue Update

Well, I certainly didn't intend for this much time to pass before I finally got on here to post another blog. I guess the only excuse I really have (and it's a darn good one if I may say so myself) is that I have a very active, very clingy four-month-old who demands my attention from sun up to sun down. Pretty much the only true free time I have anymore is when I finally get her to bed for the night. And since that's usually not until around 10 o'clock in the evening, I'm ready to go to sleep myself. As a result, I'm way behind on all of the updates I've been meaning to post, and now I'm sitting here with my calendar in my lap trying to remind myself of everything that has happened since my last blog.
First of all, I will go ahead and let you know that I still don't have pictures of our new home to share yet. I know I promised I would post some soon - and I will - but as of right now, I still just haven't gotten around to actually taking any pictures around the house. Shame on me, I know, but I will do my best to take some soon for those of you who have been anxiously waiting to see our new home.
In my last blog, I believe I mentioned that my great-granny Flowers passed away on Sunday, October 3. Her funeral was Wednesday the 6th, and Rylee and I drove down to Brundidge to attend the funeral. It was nice to see the little country church that she served in for so many years full of family and friends who gathered to celebrate her life here on this earth. We miss her now that she's no longer here with us, but we can also celebrate in the fact that she's now with her Heavenly Father. This year has been tough on my family related to deaths. I lost my great-aunt Norma in May, my grandma Parker in August (as I mentioned in one of my earlier posts), Granny Flowers, and one or two other extended family members. Hopefully our family has reached its "quota" for now, and we won't have anymore funerals to attend for a while...
Earlier this month, Jordan had a week of vacation from UPS, so we headed down to central Florida for a few days to spend some time with my family down there. I enjoyed not only visiting with my daddy and my aunts and uncle, but also with Jordan himself. He works a lot, so I'm not used to getting to spend that much time with him. Needless to say, it was hard to come back home to the reality of only seeing him for a couple of hours a day (if I'm lucky).
We had to cut our Florida trip a couple days short so I could get back home for a doctor appointment with my OB/GYN on the 13th. At a previous recent appointment for my yearly pap smear, the "swabs" the doctor got from my cervix indicated the possible presence of mild pre-cancerous cells. Getting that phone call from the nurse really shook up my world. She made sure to explain that having pre-cancerous cells did NOT mean that I had cancer, but nevertheless, hearing that "c" word pretty much knocked me off my feet. There is a pretty extensive background of cancer on both sides of my family, so for me, it's always been more of a question of not "if" I ever get cancer, but "when". Anyway, my appointment on the 13th was basically another pap smear, but a little more "involved". This time, my doctor used a microscope so he could get a better look at my cervix. Based on what he saw that day, it did look like I had mild pre-cancerous cells, but they sent the new sample "swabs" from my cervix to the lab for confirmation testing. He told me that based on what he saw, he was about 90% sure that the results would come back as mild pre-cancerous, but that there was always a slight possibility that it could be moderate pre-cancerous (slightly worse). A few days ago, I got a call from the nurse with my results. It turns out it was only inflammation on my cervix; there were no signs of any pre-cancerous cells. All I can say about that is that GOD IS GOOD! I am so thankful to be His child resting in the palm of His healing hand. I am so undeserving of His unfailing love, but I'm forever grateful that He showers me with it anyway!
In other news, Rylee is now four months old and thriving! She can roll over from both her back to her stomach and from her stomach to her back. She has mastered grabbing at rattles and whatever else might be in front of her face (unfortunately I think her favorite thing to grab is my hair). She is drooling a lot now (I think she has started teething), and she loves to give big, sloppy, wet kisses. Every day is a new adventure with her. We started giving her rice cereal on the 15th when she turned four months old, and she's doing really well with it now. At first she didn't seem to care for it too much, but now she dives at the spoon if we don't get it in her mouth fast enough. This Friday we will start her on vegetables, so that should be interesting. Today we took her to the doctor for her four-month check-up. She weighed 14 pounds, 13 ounces, and she was 25 inches long. I was actually a little surprised at her weight, because she was 15 pounds, 4 ounces at the Health Department just a few days ago. I mentioned it to the doctor, but he wasn't concerned about it. He said she looks fantastic and is advanced for her age. He is extremely pleased with her progress, as he has been from day one. Rylee had to get three immunization shots today, which was probably just as hard for me as it was for her. Thankfully Jordan was able to go to this appointment with us, so he was able to console her, and I was able to hold myself together enough to refrain from shedding any tears. Rylee still screamed for a minute, but overall I think she did a little better today than she did at her last appointment.
For now, that's all of the updates I can think of. I'm sure I'm probably forgetting to mention something, but it's getting late, and my brain is going to sleep. As I mentioned earlier, I will post some pictures of our new home very soon. Until then, I'll leave you with a few recent pictures of Rylee.

in the truck on the way to Florida (Oct. 8, 2010)

her first time playing on her floor gym (Oct.12, 2010)

her first time eating rice cereal (Oct. 15, 2010)

after she rolled completely over from her back to her belly for the first time (Oct. 16, 2010)

Just Checking In

Hello, dear blog. Yes, I'm still alive, and no, I haven't forgotten about you. I've simply been a little busy lately, since WE MOVED!!! Yes, it's true. It's real. Sound the hallelujah chorus! Our first night in our new home was this past Friday, October 1. The next morning, I had that classic, waking-up-in-a-new-home-for-the-first-time moment where, for a split second, I wasn't sure where I was. But then of course, just as quickly as that confusion overcame me, everything rushed back, and I got excited all over again.
We love it here so far. We have SO much more space here compared to our last home; we don't know what to do with ourselves. I don't know if we'll ever get completely unpacked, because we can't make up our minds on where we want to put everything. We just have so many options here, where as at the other house, we didn't really have any options at all.
I do miss the other house in some ways, though. As I mentioned in one of my previous blogs, that house will always have a special place in my heart, as it was the first home Jordan and I shared as husband and wife, and it was the home we welcomed our daughter into after she was born. We created so many wonderful memories in that home, and I will always cherish that chapter of our lives.
In the same way, though, I am also very grateful that we have a new home to make new memories in. This is an exciting new chapter in our lives, and I can't wait to finish unpacking everything and really get settled in. I can't wait to have friends and family over, because we actually have the space to entertain guests. We now have plenty of floor space for when Rylee starts crawling. (Having said that, I am by no means rushing her to start crawling; my baby is already growing fast enough as it is! I fully realize that once she starts crawling, there's no turning back - she's going to be all over the place!) There's just a lot of exciting new stuff to look forward to in this home.
For now, though, we still have a lot of unpacking to do, while at the same time packing for our trip to Florida this Friday. We'll be headed down for a few days to visit my daddy and family.
Even before that, though, Rylee and I will be headed down to Brundidge on Wednesday for my great-granny Flowers's funeral. She passed away yesterday. Her health had been declining for quite some time now, and we knew she wouldn't be with us much longer. We will certainly miss her, but at the same time, we know that she is now resting with the Lord, and that brings a great comfort that we're very thankful for. I'll see her again some day.
Well, I think that's all the updates I have for now. I promise to try to blog again soon with some pictures of our new home (I'd like to get settled in a little more first so I'm not just taking pictures of rooms full of yet-to-be unpacked boxes.) Until then, here are a couple of recent pictures of Rylee that I took here in our new home.

napping in her crib for the very first time. 'bout time! (Sept. 30, 2010)

playing with her puppy from Papa (Oct. 4, 2010)

We Have the Keys!

It's official! Finally! The closing of our new home was a success this afternoon, and we now have the keys! Unfortunately, we won't be able to move in right away (we still have to have a new air conditioner unit/heat pump and a new water heater installed), but we are so anxious to at least start moving our stuff in. Hopefully we will be able to actually start living there sometime next week. We are just so relieved that everything is finally settled, and we're very excited to start this new chapter in our lives. I'm already looking forward to our first Christmas there (which is just a few months away now - can you believe that?!). We'll have a fireplace that we can hang our stockings from. It's the little things that get me the most excited about this move. This is going to be our home. We are so thankful for this opportunity, for all of my parents' help in getting us this far, and for God's continuous blessings on our family. We are so humbled by His love!

the keys to our new home!

One Step Closer to Reality

Well, twelve days after the original closing date of our new home, we got some good news today: the closing date has finally been rescheduled for this Friday afternoon. The attorneys now have all of the paperwork and titles and everything they need, so hopefully it will actually happen this time. It's funny, but in a weird way, I don't actually feel as excited as I originally did. Of course I'm still very excited, but I guess after the first closing date fell through, it just seems sort of surreal now that it's actually going to happen. I think once Friday is here, and everything is for sure finalized, it'll hit me, and then the excitement will set in once again. Until then, we've got to get busy packing! Anyway, just wanted to give a quick update. Until next time...

A Few Updates and 3 Months of Motherhood

Well, it's been a week since my last blog. I've been a little more busy this past week than I usually am, so I just haven't taken the time to post anything. I'll try to take this opportunity now (even though it's late, and I should really be going to bed) to recap everything that's happened since my last post.
For starters, I guess I'll mention the fact that I am now a stay-at-home wife and mommy. My last official day at Chocodelphia, where I worked part-time for almost two years, was this past Thursday, September 9. I worked there all the way up until I had Rylee back in June, but since going on maternity leave, I have only been back a handful of times to fill some shifts. Since we will soon be moving farther out into the country, Jordan and I had been discussing whether or not it would be worth it gas-wise for me to continue working. It was a hard decision to come to, but at the same time, I know it is best for our family right now, and I am so thankful that God has blessed us enough for me to be able to stay home and watch my sweet girl grow. I will certainly miss working at Chocodelphia; it has been a second home to me in the almost two years that I have been employed there. I was blessed to work alongside two great bosses, very talented bakers and chocolatiers, and several sweet girls who were like sisters to me. I will also miss all of the wonderful customers - especially the "regulars" - who I had the pleasure of serving on an almost-daily basis. I loved the fact that, even if I didn't know them by name, I knew them by their drinks: large decaf Americano with two pumps of sugar-free vanilla; large white chocolate mocha with extra white chocolate, seven sugars, and whip cream; large Turtle Mocha over ice with a dome lid... they go on and on, and I will truly miss making them. It will be weird not smelling like espresso every day. I can honestly say that I always did my very best to bring a smile to the face of each person I served, and many of them brought smiles to my face as well. It was a special chapter in my life - my first "real world" job - and I will always cherish the memories I made there. And now I'm starting to get emotional, so I'm going to move on to the next subject.
I went to the doctor yesterday afternoon for my annual "female" check-up. Of course I won't go into the details of that, but Dr. Dupre said my exam looked great. I've actually been on an antibiotic since Sunday for Mastitis (a bacterial infection of the breast that is very common in breastfeeding mothers). It's my second bout of it (I got it for the first time when Rylee was about two weeks old), but thankfully the medicine has been doing its job and I'm feeling much better, so that wasn't an issue of concern. The best news (in my opinion) from my check-up is that I am now back down to my pre-pregnancy weight of 107 pounds! I certainly wasn't expecting that - if anything, I figured I was going to weigh more than I did the last time when I was there in July for my postpartum check-up. Needless to say, I'm thrilled to be reacquainted with that number; now I just need to tighten up my stomach so that my figure will reflect that number. We'll see how that goes...
Tomorrow will mark one week since what was supposed to be the closing date of our new home. Instead, we are still waiting to hear when the new (and hopefully final!) closing date will be. We are very anxious to be moved into our new home and begin that chapter in our lives. Right now, we're just sort of stuck in the packing phase. We've got boxes packed full of stuff just sitting in our living room with nowhere to go, so things in our current home are a little crazy and unorganized. Hopefully everything will be finalized soon, and we'll be able to start moving. We know that everything happens in God's timing. Sometimes it's just hard not to wish that He would speed things up a bit. He knows what He is doing much better than we ever do, though, so we're just waiting for Him to work everything out. 
In the mean time, I am, as always, staying busy keeping up with my sweet Rylee. She is the greatest joy in my life aside from my relationship with Jesus and then my relationship with my husband, and I never cease to be amazed at how much I love her. I am just crazy about that little girl! I read a comment on Facebook the other day where someone said that having a child fills a hole in your heart that you didn't realize you had, and that is SO true in my opinion. I can't imagine not being a mommy now. I am so blessed to have her as my daughter. She is three months old today, which of course is hard for me to believe/accept; I actually teared up a bit earlier today thinking about how fast time has gone by so far. I had some pictures taken of her this morning by a very talented photographer, Lynne Richardson, who I currently go to church with. She did a maternity photo shoot with Jordan and me when I was still pregnant with Rylee, and she's been anxious to get some shots of Rylee since she was born. The weather was nice today, so we decided to do the pictures outside. Rylee hung in there with us for a little while, but eventually she got hot and sleepy, and she made sure to let us know she was done. We didn't get all of the shots we had hoped to get of her, so we're going to try to get together again in a couple of days to finish the "session". I wanted to go ahead and include a few of my favorites from today in this post. I'm also going to share a couple of pictures that I took of her here at home today.

Rylee's first time sitting up like a big girl in her Bumbo seat

Taking a bath to get cleaned up for her pictures with Mrs. Lynne

photo taken by Lynne Richardson (check out her website: www.picturetaker.smugmug.com)

photo taken by Lynne Richardson (check out her website: www.picturetaker.smugmug.com)

photo taken by Lynne Richardson (check out her website: www.picturetaker.smugmug.com)

And this was the moment when Rylee decided she was done for the day:

photo taken by Lynne Richardson (check out her website: www.picturetaker.smugmug.com)

"Bummer" News

Well, today was a pretty good day until about 3:45 this afternoon when we got some really "bummer" news. My mom called, and the closing date of our new home has been postponed. It was supposed to be tomorrow afternoon, and as of right now, we don't have a rescheduled date. Apparently the bank is still waiting on the title of the land that the home is on (or something like that... I'm pretty sure that's what my mom said the issue was). We don't really know any details, but the bottom line is, we're not going to be able to move in this weekend like we've been planning. It's definitely frustrating (especially for my parents, since they're the actual buyers of the home, and are having to deal with all the "dirty work" associated with it), but there's nothing we can do but wait until everything is worked out. Hopefully that won't take more than a few days, and MAYBE we can be moved in by next weekend... but we have no idea. So, like I said, we just have to wait and see what happens when. As upsetting as it is, I know that everything happens in God's timing, so I'm trying to focus on that and just be patient. This is definitely one of those situations that you can look at from two different perspectives: "cup half-empty" or "cup half-full". So I'm going to do my best to look at it optimistically. As some of my friends have told me: at least it'll give us more time to pack!

"Jesus Loves Me"

I don't really have much of anything to update right now, but I felt like blogging anyway, since I haven't posted one in a few days.
We're now three days away from the closing date of our new home, and four days away from when we will start moving in. Hopefully we'll be completely moved in (and ready to watch some Alabama football in our new home!) on Saturday the 11th. Jordan started packing the first bit of our stuff on Saturday night (two nights ago), so our living room is looking a bit bare now, but that's ok. Exciting, actually. We've got a LOT more packing to do, though, so the next few days are going to be pretty crazy, especially with juggling work and taking care of Rylee as well. We'll get everything done one way or another, though, and I think we'll all feel a lot better after Saturday.
In the mean time, Rylee is still growing more and more every day. She'll be 12 weeks old tomorrow. Last night, Jordan and I sang "Jesus Loves Me" to her, and she cooed along with us a bit. It was pretty sweet, and it actually choked me up a bit too. "Jesus Loves Me" is one of the songs my grandma Parker always used to sing with my brother Seth and me when we were little. She would've been 95 years old on Saturday (two days ago), so I'm missing her (not that I ever don't miss her). Anyway, I shot a little video of it, so I figured I would share it on here. Enjoy.
(P.S. Happy Labor Day!)

(For whatever reason, it appears that half of the video was cut off (it was supposed to be 40 seconds long), but you still get the gist of it.)

Another Baby Girl for Chocodelphia

I intended to post this blog last night, but I was just too tired, so I figured I would do it tonight instead. Anyway, yesterday afternoon, Rylee and I drove out to Baptist East Medical Center in Montgomery to visit my friend and Chocodelphia co-worker, Kristin. On Tuesday, August 31, she gave birth to a precious baby girl named Madison Grace. She weighed 5 pounds 1 ounce and was 17 inches long. I had a nice visit with Kristin and her family, and I got to hold Madison for a little while too. I couldn't believe how tiny she was compared to Rylee. It was yet another reminder of how fast time has gone by and how quickly Rylee is growing. It felt like just yesterday that I was in that same hospital after giving birth myself. In reality, it's been almost three months. Crazy! Anyway, Madison is the third baby girl to be born to a Chocodelphia employee this year. One of our former co-workers, Cece, had a baby girl named Sarah in January. Then I had Rylee in June. And now Kristin has had Madison. So if you want to have a baby - more specifically, a baby GIRL - go drink the water at Chocodelphia.

Here I am with sweet little Madison Grace. I think she slept the entire time I was there.

Here's a close-up of Madison. Isn't she precious?! (Sorry it's a bit blurry; I had the flash off.)

I've Been Adopted

Well, one week before we're due to move, two young cats have shown up at our house and have, apparently, decided to adopt us. Now, when I say they "showed up", I know they didn't really come far; our next-door neighbor has tons of cats (they keep breeding), so I'm sure they came from his house. But they made the venture over to our house two or three days ago, and have been pretty much camped out here ever since. Every time we open the door to go outside, they're right there waiting on us, and they practically wrap themselves around our legs as soon as we step out. We haven't fed them or anything (because, of course, that's a sure way to keep them around), but we do talk to them and pet them, and I guess that's enough for them. I'm sure they're getting food from the neighbor (or from somewhere, anyway), because, although they're small (they're still coming out of their kitten stage), they don't look like they're starving. I'm trying not to get attached to them (I've been good and haven't named them or anything... I don't even know if they're boys or girls) since, like I said, we're moving next week. Part of me wants to take them with us, though. They're the sweetest little things, and it'd be nice to have some family pets. Jordan and I have gone back and forth when talking about it, and I know we won't take them with us (after all, they're not ours to take, even though I'm sure the neighbor wouldn't miss them). We need to allow ourselves to settle in to our new home and get used to the financial differences that move will make. I don't want to take on the expense of two cats, and then not be able to afford to take care of them the way they deserve to be. Hopefully someday we can have a family pet, but it's just not the right time for us yet. So for now, I'm just going to enjoy their company when I check the mail every day, and then, next week, we'll say our goodbyes, and I'll wish them well. Here's to Kitty and... well... Kitty. (Like I said, I'm not going to name them... or is that what I just did?...) 

Here they are, waiting for us to come out and play with them.

 

It's Been 11 Weeks Already? Seriously?!

Well, my baby girl is 11 weeks old today. Not a major milestone by any means, but nevertheless, it's another week that has flown by a lot faster than my particular liking. It seems like every time I blink my eyes, another week is gone. During my pregnancy, people warned me that time would go by quickly once I had Rylee, but I guess it's one of those things that you don't truly grasp until you're living it yourself. It seems like every day, Rylee is doing something new, so I'm trying to savor every moment I possibly can. She smiles all the time now, which I absolutely LOVE. She's got the sweetest little face, and her smile warms my heart so much. A few weeks ago, she also started cooing, which has been a lot of fun for Jordan and me as well. We love to sit down and have "conversations" with her. We'll say "I love you!", and she'll coo back to us, and it seriously sounds like she's trying to say "I love you!" too. Today, I sang the ABC's to her a few times, and she cooed right along with me. I also tried to get her to say "Mama", and I swear one time she did. Ok, so maybe she didn't quite say "Mama", but it sounded pretty close to me, anyway. I try to keep eye contact with her while I talk to her, and I can see the concentration in her eyes as she watches my mouth and studies how I'm forming my words. It's so exciting to see how she's growing and learning and taking in the world around her. It's like watching a miracle every day. I always knew I would love being a mommy some day, but I never imagined I would love it THIS much. I'm just so humbled and thankful that the Lord chose to bless me with such a beautiful, healthy baby girl. I look at her, and it just blows my mind that she was created by an almighty God through the love shared between my husband and me. That is awesome! God is so good! I am blessed!

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him." Psalm 127:3

Only 11 weeks old, and it looks like she's already practicing for when she has a cell phone someday... about 16 years or so from now.

"Raise your hand if you're 11 weeks old today!"

Passed out in my lap.

My two favorite people in the world: my baby girl and her daddy, my husband.