Not so Super after all...

Well, I guess my Mom is the only one that actually has super powers. Clearly those powers are not genetic. I feel like she never got sick. I guess when she did she was just a lot better about hiding it than I am. Anyway, I was attacked by the evil stomach flu around 3:30 yesterday afternoon and from then until about midnight this is what I starred at...

It really is a quite nice bathroom, we loved it when we decided to move here but after spending so much time in there I'm kinda over it!

Better today

Julianna is feeling much better today. I could tell she was feeling better when she argued with me about taking a nap!
The bad news is that now Ike is sick. He had to stay home from work today because he was sick all night!! My 2 poor babies!!
I am just hoping that my Super Mommy-ness will protect me from the evil stomach flu!!! We'll see...

Rescheduled

Julianna's surgery has been rescheduled probably for the end of February.

Not so good...

I haven't officially talked to the surgeon yet but I have a feeling we will have to postpone. Last night was not good. I won't go in to details but lets just say changing every sheet/blanket/bumper/ toy out of her bed at 4am is not usually part of our routine. Poor baby. She finally took a sippy cup with some milk in the middle of the night but obviously it didn't stay down. So it looks like we'll be moving that date. More updates as the day goes on... this is the worst. Prayers for a healthy baby girl ASAP please!

Fingers Crossed

Julianna has been a little under the weather this weekend so we are a unsure about whether they will go on with her surgery on Tuesday. I am going to see how she is tomorrow and call the office to see what they have to say. I think it was just a mild little bug... I am hoping. She was still pretty playful but definitely had an upset tummy and wouldn't eat anything at all today except one slice of cheese tonight before bed. So, we'll see how tomorrow goes and just wait to hear what the pediatric surgeon says. I hope the baby girl is back to normal tomorrow. It's the worst when they are sick and you can't do anything about it. But I did enjoy some sweet cuddling time together this afternoon! :)

Spaghetti

Julianna had spaghetti for dinner last night and every time I would say "spaghetti" she would laugh and laugh. I had to get the camera....

Kalli.... this one's for you!

So anyone who knew me while I was at Hopkins knows that my friend Kalli and I have a special love for sheep... bahhhh. I found these shoes in TJMaxx and wanted so badly to buy them for her but unfortunately they only had size 5. I mean, we both have really small feet, but that wasn't happenin'. So, Kalli, this is for you.... it's the thought that counts!! Miss you!!

Children's Museum of Virginia

Today we went to the Children's Museum of Virginia over in Portsmouth. We met Blake and his mom Lindsay, and Nathan and his mom Lara. Julianna really enjoyed herself. It's a really fun concept and the kids can just run around and explore. She was exhausted and went down for her nap as soon as we got home.


Julianna in the BIGGGGG chair!


Lara, Blake, Nathan, Julianna and my hand making sure they don't fall out of the firetruck...


Julianna really liked this big "bike"


Look at the "pyiar" (caterpillar)


Playing with the trains

I was so excited because she kept the bow in her hair ALL morning! :)

It just figures...

How come on days when you have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do the kids don't want to nap. But on days when you have plans they SLEEP ALL DANG DAY!?!?!
I'm waiting for this little chicken to wake up so we can go play with her friend Blake... and then his Mommy and I are ordering PF Changs for dinner!
Seriously, how much better can "plans" get then PF Changs To-Go?!

New Trick

We let Julianna feed herself tonight at dinner. She has been playing with her spoon now for a while so I figured what the heck... she was getting a bath after dinner anyway! I was going to wait until the summer when I could feed her out on the porch and then just hose it all down, but I didn't want to hold her back! :) We still think she is going to be a lefty, but she did use her right hand tonight... she's mixin' it up on us. I really can't wait until she has mastered this skill and is truly and independent eater! Now, if I could just teach her to cook.....


This is fun!


Fits right in there!


HeHeHe... I like making a mess!


All clean!!

Online Shopping

I LOVE online shopping!! In college I would order things for myself all the time and was always so excited when it arrived. I didn't do it much after college, I had a great mall right by my house. But now, with a toddler in hand, shopping is not nearly as much fun or productive at a mall or store. This Christmas we did almost ALL online shopping. It is so convenient and what a thrill when the package arrives! :)

I just had a little shopping spree at Hanna Andersson. I LOVE their clothes for Julianna and sometimes for me too. Cute and comfy at the same time. Thought you might enjoy looking there, they have great stuff for girls and boys.

Daddy's Ship

Julianna had a visit with her friend Blake on Friday. His Daddy is on the same ship as Ike and we all went down to the beach to see their Daddy's ship coming back in. They were both very excited but I don't think either one of them actually noticed the ship out there in the water. The beach was too exciting. Chasing each other, walking close to the water, airplanes and helicopters flying by and watching the seagulls seemed to occupy them just fine.


Playing at the beach.


There's the ship!


Best friends! :)


Looking at the helicopter.


Ridin' in style to the beach.

They loved riding in the wagon together. Here they are laughing at each other!

Random Pet Post

The 3 kids, each with their very own chair! :)

Caffrey got some special attention and a good brushing from Dad today. We could have made a good sized kitten out of all of the fur we brushed off of him.

Our new kitten. The sunglasses are for size reference! :)

Caffrey and Lucy dog in there usual spots!

Mommy and my Lucy girl!

1 week late

I wanted to play catch up with my blogs. Last weekend, Ike and I had a wonderful weekend for us to hang out together while Julianna was in MD with my parents. Friday night we had an event for his work, kind of a post-holiday party, at a hotel downtown in Norfolk. We got a hotel room for ourselves, boarded the dog, and really enjoyed our night out with no curfew. We didn't get up until 1145 the next morning. It was WONDERFUL!!! Those of you who knew me pre-baby know that noon was a regular wake up time for me, so it was nice to get back to my roots! :)

Saturday night we went out to dinner with my brother, Chad, and his wife, and good friends of ours, Dave & Holly. They will be leaving Norfolk soon to move to California thanks to the Navy. We will really miss having them so close by. We had a great visit with all of them and took time for a quick photo-op before saying goodnight. We really did enjoy ourselves but I was very excited to see Julianna on Sunday.

Happy Birthday Ree Ree!

Happy Birthday Jennie Marie!!! We didn't forget this year!!! We love you!

Flash Back!

My friend Dana sent me this picture today. This pic was taken about 4 days before Julianna was born and Dana had her little boy 2 weeks later. The picture just cracked me up. I do not remember my belly being that big. It's kind of funny. I really don't remember feeling that big but whoa.... it was out there! :) Seems so long ago but just like yesterday at the same time.
Thanks for the pic Dana!! Miss you!

Laundry

I know I can't be the only Mom out there that does this so I thought I would share...

I just LOVE folding Julianna's laundry. Every time I hold up a piece of clothing I think to myself.. "AWE, how cute are these widdle tiny boot cut jeans!" or "OHHHH, Look how mini these socks are!", or "Ike, seriously, how cute are her pajamas!" haha
Sometimes I even say it out loud when I am the only person home! :)

It just reminds me that good things really do come in small packages.

Enjoy your weekend!

Update

We had our appointment with the pediatric surgeon today about Julianna's hernia on her belly. Turns out she will have to have surgery to repair it. Hers is called a Epigastric Hernia which is one that will not resolve on its own and will actually become larger and more painful over time. So, we scheduled our sweet little girl for surgery on January 29th. Yesterday, the thought of it scared me to tears, today I am fine with it.... ask again on January 28th. I will probably need pills!

It is a minor surgery and is outpatient. We go in early morning and should be home for lunch. It's the thought of the anesthesia and her little tiny IV that makes me nervous. The recovery seems easy though. They said there are no restrictions and she will just have Tylenol with a little "sumin'sumin" in it for pain. We met the doctor today and she seemed very nice and it will be at the Children's Hospital here. We'll keep you updated as we get closer.

15 month check up

Julianna went for her 15 month "well child" visit on Wednesday. She is doing great and she totally showed off for the doctor while we were there. She was pulling out every trick she had. She did lots of sign language, performed all of her animal sounds, shared a few of her favorite words, then she thought she was super cute and initiated a game of Peek-A-Boo with the doctor. Our pediatrician is awesome. She is young and so cute. Julianna really took to her, until she started poking on her a little bit. Even then there was only a mild amount of crying, she did really well.

Shockingly, our daughter is short for her age. Hmmmm. Oh right... no surprise at all. She is in the 20th percentile for her age in weight, and 25 percentile for height, but don't worry. She makes up for all of that in head circumference with a whopping 90th percentile. That is actually a decrease from when she was an infant and she was in the 95 percentile! haha She is 29.5 inches tall and only 20lbs 14oz. She did great with her shots and so did Ike! He was planning on leaving the room for her shots, but he stayed and actually was the one to help the nurse hold her while she was given the shots. They both did great. I am so proud of my 2 little babies!!! :)

The only concern the doctor had is a hernia on her abdomen. It is NOT an umbilical hernia which is very common. This hernia is actually higher up on the abdomen. At her 12 month visit they basically wanted to watch it to see if it would close on its own once Julianna started walking and strengthening her abdominal muscles. However, it has actually gotten bigger, so we are going to see a specialists tomorrow. We don't anticipate it to be a big deal but we are also prepared if they tell us that she will eventually have to have it repaired by surgery. Either way, she is in God's hands and we trust that everything will go smoothly.

Work in Progress

We are in the process of revamping the blog. And when I say "we", I mean "Ike." :) He has never posted a blog but loved figuring out how to redesign the page. It looks great, doesn't it?! :) Not to toot my own horn, but.... TOOT TOOT! hahahaha

Today will be a trial to see how everything works. And more importantly to make sure Ike can still read everything from out on the boat. That is one of the most important things about this blog. What a great way things have improved for the military to stay in touch with family while deployed. It has come a long way from hand written letters that take weeks or months to arrive!


On a totally different subject. I have to brag about the weather again because it is just so pleasant outside. It was so nice today that even old people were wearing shorts! :) Of course he was wearing black socks with tan Rockport sneaks! hahahaha For real....

Happy Anniversary!

Today, Ike and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary. We had a lovely dinner, just the two of us, at an awesome steakhouse in Ghent (an area of Norfolk.) Thank you to Chad and Sara for the restaurant gift certificate they gave us for Christmas and to Chad for "babysitting" Julianna while we were out. He joked that it really was just "baby-sitting." There was a baby in the house, and he just sat there. haha She was asleep before we left so he just had to make sure she didnt need anything while we were gone. We really appreciated the night out though. We always tell Julianna she has to be super cute when she is with Uncle Chad and Aunt Sara if she wants any cousins! :)

Thanks to everyone for your well wishes today! It has been an amazing 3 years... time flies! Oh, how our lives have changed! ;)

74 degrees in January!!

We just HAD to take advantage of the amazing weather today. It was 74 degrees and beautiful. We decided to drive over to Virginia Beach to the boardwalk and check out the scene there. There was a playground right on the beach which was awesome, but Julianna was still just a bit too little to get good play out of it. We went down the slide a few times but the bigger kids were wanting to play much harder than Julianna was able. We walked around on the boardwalk and visited with some friends then headed home. Once Julianna decided that an afternoon nap wasn't necessary we thought we would take the new Radio Flyer wagon out for a spin. That was a Christmas gift from NeeNee and "BaBop." She loved it. She rode right along and just enjoyed the breeze. We also spent some quality time in the swing singing and practicing our signs. Daddy came home just as we were finishing up our walk and that topped off a day well spent. I am so thankful for days like these, when you can really just enjoy life and the joy it brings...

Tormenting the cat

Julianna loves her kitty and I'm sure he likes her too. BUT... he would rather try to hide from her and that just makes an excellent game for Julianna to play. He found a box we were using to put away Christmas decorations and tried to hide but SURPRISE she found him. They really are funny together. She follows him all around trying to kiss him saying "mow, mow" and tries to "pet" him. haha Pets really are great entertainment for kids. I can't imagine what we would do all day with out the cat and dog to keep us busy! Enjoy the little clip, turn up the volume...

The Last Christmas Present Arrived!

This is called a "Daddy Doll." Two military wives started this business after creating dolls for their children when their husbands were deployed and saw how great it was for their kids. They turned it into a business.... and WHAT A GREAT IDEA. They are little pillows with an image of your loved one to hug and love on when you are missing them. Ike had one made for Julianna to have while he is gone. I have to say that I cried like a baby when she opened it. I knew nothing about them. I had never seen them before. Ike just handed it to her and she yelled "DADA!!!" and then grabbed "him" and gave him a big kiss and a hug. I lost it! She carries it around with her and says DADA and kisses it all day long. I just love the idea. How special that she will get to see him everyday. Ike, you are a great daddy... we will miss you! I think I need an Ikey Doll too...


Julianna's Daddy Doll.... by the way, his shirt says "Mini Boss" because that is actually his job title on the boat... not because it is a "mini daddy!" :) haha


Sitting with my Daddy Doll


Carrying around my DaDa!


This one just made me laugh...


Thanks Daddy!! I LOVE YOU! :)