Adios Celly!

My cell phone decided to take the plunge last night. RIGHT into the bathtub. We tried the rice trick over night, but no luck. It will turn on and I can accept a call, but the touchscreen doesn't work anymore so the phone is useless. I can access my contacts to call anyone. I haven't liked this phone from the beginning anyway, so I'm not upset about being forced to get a new one.

Joe and Brae are heading to Florida this afternoon. I'm sure she'll be excited to spend some much needed time with her grandparents. As for here, it's studying studying! I have a final right in the middle of my Saturday. Yuck! Please pray for a safe trip for them!

Getting Better!

Last night I ate lots of ice-cream, applesauce and eggs. This morning I was able to chew up some pancakes that my WONDERFUL husband made for me. He's been such a good nurse. Keeping me right on schedule for all my medicine. They doctor says I am okay to drink through a straw now, but I'm not going to risk that. Dry sockets are my worst fear and I will go to great lengths to avoid them. I still have no experienced any pain. A slight bruising feeling, but that's it. God is so great!

Mom called last night and said that Braelyn has started to say "nite-nite"! Her vocabulary is certainly growing fast! It's won't be long until she talks our ear off from morning to night.

Wisdom Teeth

Teeth are out. Not too much pain yet and I'm praying it stays that way. The bleeding took a little longer than I thought to stop. Prayers appreciated.

Slow down, Brae!

I just can't believe how fast Braelyn grows. Everyone told me before she was born that it would go fast, but this is ridiculous! It's like she is superhuman. I think that if I looked at her long enough, I could literally SEE her growing! Right now she is in the floor climbing in and out of her ducky bathtub!....Really?! I feel like just yesterday she couldn't even move without my assistance. I'm going to post a newborn picture and a "now" picture just for comparison. I have now noticed how much she likes to climb...uh oh! She's going to be one of those children that somehow climbs out of their crib at night. She's also getting really good at picking up small snacks (cheerio size) and eating them herself. She's really proud of it too. When I cheer for her, she usually smiles so big that the puff falls out anyway.   :o) A few of her other favorite past times include playing tug of war with Emily and clapping. She loves the tile in the kitchen and constantly bangs on it. Grammie will be very unhappy to know that I caught her eating a piece of dog food the other day. Whoops!

 Braelyn would like to send special love to her Aunt Meg and Aunt Jeni! I show her pictures of you guys often and she smiles! :)

Teeth!

Braelyn officially has two teeth! I have been meaning to blog about it for a week now, but got busy and forgot. It's her two bottom front teeth. My mom found them last week and we have been keeping an eye on them. They have actually come through the gums and can be seen. So exciting! Finally, all of the teething has paid off and although I am happy about this new milestone, I will definitely miss her gummie little baby smile.

Aiden is 1!

Yesterday was Aiden's first birthday. I can't believe he is already one! We had a blast at his birthday party. It was a luau themed party and Braelyn wore her dress from Hawaii! Aunt Jeni and Uncle Carey bought it for her on their honeymoon. Braelyn made it pretty clear what she wants for her first birthday and put in a quick call to Mimi and Papa!

 

(Aiden & Camdyn)

She loved Aiden's new wagon! She stood up in it and clapped her hands. I'm willing to bet she'll have her own when her birthday rolls around.

Recovery

Recovery is much harder than I thought it was going to be. The pain  is unreal and I have to stay doped up on so much pain medicine that I hardly know what planet I am on. I've pretty much slept for the last 2 days. Please pray that the pain will ease.

What a catch!

Last night was a "crammer" as we like to call it around here. Big test for me tonight. I needed a major pick me up. Joe needed to run out to the store for a dinner ingredient and came back with sushi (tuna, my favorite!) and a Venti White Chocolate Mocha! I could have fainted from excitement! And the best part? The sushi was on sale and the Starbuck's was FREE! It really is the little things. Anyway, what a wonderful husband Joe is. Always thinking of me in the small ways that make a big difference. I used to think I was "lucky" to have found such a wonderful man, but it wasn't long before I realized that I wasn't lucky, I was BLESSED in every sense of the word.

July 4th in Kentucky

We spent July 4th in Kentucky this year. Joe's family had a family reunion so we flew up with Pops. It was Braelyn's first airplane ride! She wasn't too keen on her new headset, but she did great. (A little nervous when Daddy flew, but so was I!) I took lots of pictures with lots of different family, but I wanted to share some here! We so enjoyed seeing everyone and we are so glad Braelyn was able to spend some time with them.

This one's for you, Grammie! This could possibly be the cutest picture ever taken! She is grinning so big with her Grampie. 

 

 

 

The group picture is from Catfish Kitchens. We eat there every time we visit Kentucky. Although it doesn't look like it in this picture, Braelyn had a BLAST! She sang and clapped through the whole dinner. Kristi even got a video of her carrying on, which I have to figure out how to put on here! We decided against fireworks this year for the sake of Braelyn's ears. (and sanity!) Although, the kids had alot of sparklers and poppers. Braelyn LOVED watching those! She made fast friends with her cousin Matt in Kentucky. (Yellow shirt, back of the table.) He let her crawl all over him. We are so glad she got to spend some time with extended family. 

Go away, July!

It would be so wonderful if our family could just skip July. We do have a few fun things like a wedding and Aiden's first birthday party, but I have two surgeries this month. On the 14th, I will have surgery to repair some scars from labor and delivery that didn't heal quite right. On the 23rd, I will have my wisdom teeth removed. This is the one I'm really not looking forward to. I would rather anything hurt but my mouth. Not to mention all of the horror stories people tell about dry sockets and infections!
At the end of the month, Joe and I have finals for our summer semester which is always stressful. Somewhere in between, we have to find time for a family cookout, Braelyn's 9 month check up and several doctor's appointments!
I would happily skip July if I could.

"eyyyy dadadada!"

This is Braelyn's new favorite thing to yell. I'm pretty sure she knows who dada is, too. She and I walked into the kitchen last night where Joe was and she looked at him, smiled and yelled "eeyyy dadada!" We were so excited and praised her, so of course, she's yelling it all the time now. Everyone is dada! But it's great when she's in her crib and she yells for dada! ;-)

*WONDERFUL* grandparents!

Braelyn has the most wonderful grandparents. She really enjoys spending time with them. She spent several nights this week at my parents and she came home spoooiiiilllledd! When her Mimi leaves the room, she whimpers and crawls after her. And when Papa comes home, they head for the pool! They are so good to her. Always keeping her stocked with a wide array of new toys and the latest fashion trends. She really does love them. It's evident in her face when she sees them.

Her Grammie and Grampie spoil and love her, as well! Just yesterday her new pack & play came to the door. She loves it! They visit often and she also loves to Skype with them! She can't quite figure out how she can see and hear them but not get to them. She tries anyway. Grammie bought a book for her where she recorded her own voice reading the story. Braelyn LOVES this book! She bangs and grabs at the speaker trying to get to Grammie. And I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Grampie is wrapped around that little finger several times! I know he looks forward to teaching her to snorkel, ski, fly and of course, fish! When we visit them, we rarely even hold Braelyn. They cherish every moment with her. She is so relaxed and at ease with them. I just wish they lived closer. Although, if they lived as close as Mimi and Papa, Joe and I might never see her. No, really. We might could score visitation rights, but between the two sets of grandparents, we would be chopped liver.

Brae is one of the lucky babies that have great-grandparents! Not just one, either. She has FOUR great-grandparents! They all think she is just the cherry on top of their world.

She is one VERY loved little Princess! We feel so blessed to have such supportive family that provide her with such a strong and secure foundation for life. I know that personally my grandparents were just the most wonderful people that ever walked the planet and in my eyes, they were perfect. My relationship with them was important and special. I hope that Braelyn grows up the same way. I would stay for days on end with them and I remember crying because my parents wouldn't let me "move in." I learned to play ball, pick muscadines, shell pecans, understand baseball, give a makeover and of course, shop! They played a part in raising me and I'm a firm believer that it takes more than two people to raise a child. It takes a whole web of extended family, including grandparents. We feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to raise Braelyn, but even more so, we are thankful for all the support, help and love that surrounds her beyond what we provide.

Here are a few quotes I found that are fitting for Braelyn's grandparents. :)

"The best baby-sitters, of course, are the baby's grandparents.  You feel completely comfortable entrusting your baby to them for long periods, which is why most grandparents flee to Florida."  -Dave Barry

"Something magical happens when parents turns into grandparents. Their attitude changes from "money-doesn't-grow-on-trees" to spending it like it does." -Paul Linden

And last but not least....here is Braelyn enjoying her new pack 'n play! THANK YOU GRAMMIE!!