Girls' Weekend

I had another weekend with NO kids! Brandon stayed home with the kids so I could go surprise a college BFF (best friend forever- for those family members who may be reading and not know) after she got engaged. Melanie and I went to Oxford, MS, on Saturday afternoon and showed up shortly after Lauren and Christopher got engaged. It is hard for me to call her Lauren, because I have only called her by her last name since I have known her. Anyway, he proposed and had her family waiting back at his parents' house for a little party. She had no idea that friends were coming too. Melanie and I were the outsiders, being her Auburn friends, so we had to wait and meet some of her MS friends to make sure we were in the right place. (Because Melanie's GPS told us to go way down the opposite end of the street... glad we can read good ole street signs and house numbers ourselves!) We were just kind of hanging around outside of Christopher's parents' house and then he came outside to let us know we were in the right place. Nevermind the fact that his parents' house looks like a major historical landmark and I just couldn't believe it was their home! Beautiful! Anyway, we walked in the front door and Lauren's back was to us but she turned around when she saw other guests' reactions. She really stared at us for at least 10 seconds before giving us a hug... I felt like I needed to re-introduce myself to her. Oh yeah, one reason it was such a big shock is that I have been MIA as a friend since I have been pregnant or with a newborn for over 2 years. I did get to see her last summer, but I am sure she was not expecting me to show up! So she was very excited that we could be there to share in such a fun weekend. I was on CLOUD 9 all night, just being with old friends and being around so many of her friends and family that I feel like I know because of living with her. Did I mention that I lived with Lauren and Melanie for 3 out of 4 years of Auburn? So, I was thrilled to be with them all night again. (And maybe that old bond is so deep down and that is why we all had white jeans on?)

The couple in the bottom picture is Lauren's parents- I love them! They were so much fun to be around and they have always treated me like I was one of their own. And no, I am not sitting in Donnie's lap, I was on the arm of his chair. Also, I am not a wino, but just happened to be carrying around my wine glass because the caterer snatched it up the one time I set it down. Lots of the guests were amused at the fact that I have 2 kids, so one guest didn't know my name and I was dubbed "2 kids."

The lucky man- Christopher! Can you tell he and Lauren had been in the sun all day? I guess that day was worth the sunburn! I got to know Christopher better this trip, and it makes me laugh how perfect he is for her. Lauren is one of a kind- she knows what she wants and doesn't take anything less... and he takes it all in stride. I can't wait to be around him more in the years to come!

Ok- more on the party... when I think of a party to celebrate the night of the engagement, this is not what I think of. I think of maybe a few appetizers and some drinks on a countertop. Keep in mind that we got engaged at Brandon's hunting land and I am pretty sure there was camouflage somewhere on his body (hat maybe?), but that totally was perfect for us. This house was straight out of Southern Living or House Beautiful, inside and out. And, the party was catered with great food (better than I have had at some weddings), and a cocktail bar. We thought we would be going out to celebrate later, but there was no need to leave, the party was so much fun. We took a tour of Christopher's parents' house and saw their wine cellar, movie room, and I was AMAZED at the mirrors in their bathroom. If you want to watch television while you get ready, you just aim the remote at the mirror and a tv appears inside the mirror. I was pretty baffled by it, it took me a few times of turning it on and off to really believe it. I am sure they were laughing at me, and at one time someone asked where I was from and when I said Birmingham, they just nodded and said "oh." Still not sure what that was all about! Anyway, this weekend was so much fun and I was so glad I got to be a part of it. I love you Lauren, congrats again!

PS- I love you Brandon, thanks for taking the kids all weekend so I could feel like I was in college again! (To brag on him, he was on call Friday night, and he offered to keep them after he had been up for 30 something hours just because he knew how badly I wanted to go.)

Birthday Treats

My birthday was this past weekend and I got some fun treats! My mom gave me some Trish McEvoy makeup and some new necklaces and earings (these aren't the exact ones, but pretty close). Some sweet friends brought me beautiful roses that were light pink turning to hot pink on the tips- beautiful!!! Then, my brother gave us a night of babysitting and paid for our movie, so we went to see The Proposal, and it was GREAT! We laughed so hard, and Brandon even enjoyed it! Brandon took me to a great dinner at Brio, and it is so nice to sit and enjoy a meal and talk to each other. Plus, the food at Brio never disappoints! I got some money from Brandon's parents and grandparents and my grandad, so I ordered a new carseat for Blake. It doesn't sound too exciting, but trust me it is! We needed one and don't have a lot extra in the budget these days, so at least I could get the one I wanted! So I am very excited to see this coming soon. My parents took us out to eat at PF Changs last night, which was also great. And they are watching both kids this weekend so that Brandon and I can go to the beach with a friend from college. I am excited to read and relax all weekend! Last week wasn't the best at our house (Brandon's schedule was awful and he was only home 2 nights), so these birthday surprises were a nice treat!

Recent Happenings

Kate turned 2 on May 29th, but she just went for her 2 year appointment on Wednesday. She weighs 26 pounds, which puts her in the 40% for weight, and she is 33 1/2 inches tall, putting her in the 30% for height. When she was born, she was in the 95% for height, so she is falling off the curve a little bit! Kate had to have a finger prick to check her iron, which was low AGAIN, but she did not cry at all! I told her that she could get a sucker if she was a big girl, and it worked. Little did she know, she would get a sucker even if she had cried. I talked to Dr. Peters for a while about Kate's diet, since she would rather eat snacks and crackers all day than any solid meal. I am just trying to make her snacks healthy, rather than goldfish all day long. Evidently all kids do this at some point or another, so the doctor was fine with it, as long as we push the meals.
Kate has had a light heart murmur forever, but Dr. Peters said it was louder than she remembers it being, so we are going to see a cardiologist on July 29th. I am not that worried about it because she had a cardiac ultrasound when she was born and there were no structural problems. I also talked to Dr. Peters about Kate's nonstop repeating and strange OCD behavior. She will replay situations or conversations days after they happen, and she is constantly repeating things I tell her. For example, when we were at the beach, if the upstairs neighbor opened their glass patio door, it sounded like thunder in our condo. She would gasp and run to me every time, until I told her, "It is ok. It is not thunder, it is just the neighbor." Then, every time after that, she would say, "It's ok it's ok it's ok, it's not thunder, it's the neighbor." Repeating it so much that we were going crazy. If an older child displays this much repitition, it can point to autism, so it kind of freaked me out a little bit. She also does things with an OCD nature. I leave Blake's carseat in the car now, but when I used to bring it in, Kate would always have to buckle his seatbelt. Also, she has to have shoes on all the time, but she puts them on the wrong feet... EVERY TIME! When I asked Dr. Peters about it, she laughed in my face. She said that Kate seems like her mind is just running 90 miles a minute and that she is just excited about learning new things and wants to repeat them. She said that she was even a little ahead of the game and just not to worry about it. That made me feel better, and when I told Brandon, my sister, and my mom about it- they all said, "I can't believe you asked her if she thought something was wrong!" To set the record straight, I do not think Kate has learning problems, but I also do see her doing things that seem unusual. I guess I have a girl that marches to the beat of a different drum!
Another recent piece of information- I quit my job, for good. I haven't worked recently anyway, but I at least made it official. I feel like when I have worked since having kids, I have not been fully THERE, but just doing my job and going home. Which, in an NICU, is not good. Your heart really has to be in it or your head can't keep up! Brandon's schedule is also pretty rough right now and he just said that he didn't want to come home from working 36 hours to stay home while I go to work. I also heard that they were not hiring flexi positions because they didn't have anymore and it just made me feel guilty for hogging a position when I am really not working much. I handed in my resignation letter on Wednesday and I feel a real peace about it. I know that the Lord has provided and will continue to provide for us in any situation. That is about it for our house right now!

A Few Of My Favorite Things

This is Blake's "lovey" or "Lamby" that he sleeps with. I have been letting him cry it out for a little bit now and he has done great so far (except for when he is sick). I noticed that he was losing interest in his pacifier, which makes me very happy since I am dreading taking it away from Kate. *Side note- she only gets her pacifier for naps and bedtime, but she frequently talks about/begs for/throws fits for it anyway.* Anyway, I realized what was soothing him instead of it, and it is Lamby! He loves his Lamby, but he is chewing the ears right off of it. Do you see the funky dark colored ears? That is straight out of the washing machine!!! I am loving this though because it is truly soothing him. I guess I will just keep washing it and buy new ones when they get too gross to stand.

My roses make me happy! And, that big tomato that will be ripe soon makes me very happy too! Do you see the rose that is about to bloom in front of the tomato plant? We take walks everyday to look at our plants, since Kate "helped" plant them. It is nice to show her the pretty flowers and see how excited she gets. The kids are feeling better today, but we are still laying low to rest before a fun July 4th weekend!

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