Dinner Duo

On Sunday night the hubby and I cooked a fabulous dinner, together!

It was one of the best dinners I have eaten. When we thought about dinner earlier in the day we were kind of brainstorming. We went back and forth of different ideas. I have been in a casserole mood lately, especially since at the moment our budget is a little tight. And with casseroles you get more food and leftovers. As we came to a conclusion we thought about what we had in the fridge and what we were craving. The outcome was.....

Creamy Chicken Casserole



The dinner was so good. The best thing about it is that Jay and I worked as a team to prepare the meal for the family. Once a week now we are going to do a dinner duo. This yummy dinner also got me ready for the fall.

<3

Terribly Teething or...

Last Saturday we had my cousin Jan's babyshower for her 2nd child. At the shower Brillo was acting kind of scared and didn't want to go to anybody except me. I was in charge of games so for her to be with me was just impossible. My mom and sisters took care of her while I did the games. I think it might have been a little too much action for her to handle and with everyone wanting to hold her I think she just wanted to be left alone. At the end of the party when a few people left she started playing and keeping herself occupied. She was her little self again. When we got home she took a nap and we finished the night off. Jay and I almost went out but last minute decided not to since we were so pooped from the day. Good thing we didn't because that night Bri'elle had woken up so many times. She usually is very good about bed and will wake up maybe once through the night and just want comfort, her blanket gets stuck and she can't move it, or her diaper needs to be changed. She always goes back to sleep. After she woke up three times we knew something wasn't right. After the third time I picked her up out of her crib to bring her to bed with us thinking maybe she just really isn't comfortable and when I did I felt like I was picking up a burning piece of coal. Bri'elle was extremely hot, not just warm but hot. We stripped her down to just a onesie and tried to cool her off. After a little bit of time we took her temp and she was 101, which I'm sure she was a little bit warmer before we cooled her down. Next was Tylenol and orajel to help soothe her pain. The next day we skipped church and the Harvest Festival to hang around and try to get her better. She slept most of the day which was a good thing. Over the next few days she was just very unhappy. You could tell something was seriously wrong. She cried and just wanted to pretty much be left alone, not like baby Bri'elle. On Wednesday & Thursday she broke out in a rash. I was trying to wait it out for at least seven days before I called Kaiser but I was really starting to get worried, so were my parents. This had me even more worried because they watched me when I was sick as a child. Now I'm immediate when it comes to illnesses and what medical help before things progress. On Thursday night I called the advice nurse to make sure any symptoms that Brillo was having didn't need medical attention immediately. The nurse told me it didn't sound like anything serious but did schedule Bri'elle an appointment for her Pediatrician the next morning. Friday morning rolled around. Before I left for work Bri'elle was just waking up and seemed like she was actually coming back to herself again. Jay took her to the doctor appointment since I was at work. The doctor said she had a bad case of the cold and that the symptoms could last of to two weeks. Ugh! Luckily by the nightfall Brillo was in full spirit and feeling really good. Saturday came, she was cheery and smiley like before. All in all Bri'elle has recovered.

Still no tooth!

Bri'elle Meets 9 Months

I can't believe 9 months has reached our baby girl. She has grown up so fast; crawling (no more military crawl), standing, walking aroung things, eat more solids, the dreadful teething (no teeth yet), and the endless cyle of the news for this stage. Her vocabulary has tremendously increased. Although, she doesn't say them often besides the usual Momma, Dadda, bobba, Nana. And boy'o'boy has see acquired an attitude. I would have to admit she has more my attitude then anything. At this stage she is very much into mommy and daddy time. The other night she cried for Jay and I both to sit on the bed with her and play. It made both of us to feel good knowing that family time is starting to matter to her and she is starting to learn "family". Bri'elle has also started this new sleeping habit the past week or two. Most of the time she falls asleep drinking her bottle. After she finishes we will put her in her crib. In the middle of the night or early early morning Bri'elle will wake up crying & standing in her crib for one of us to put her in our bed. Once she is in our bed she will sleep for about an hour and then cry to go back to her bed. We think she just wants our comfort. We have tried to comfort her cribside but she gets more upset and more awake. So it makes more sense to just get her out of bed until we come up with another solution. Lately she has been teething really bad! I feel so bad for her. She gets so cranky and you can tell she is just miserable. Poor thing, I wish those teeth would just come in for her sake. But I recently learned that when a baby doesn't cut teeth until later in age it means something like their teeth will be strong or something about the enamel. Not sure if it's true but if it is more power to Bri'elles teeth. Another milestone Bri'elle has upgraded her crawl. She now does a full on quick drawl crawl. She is fast too! We are now having to watch what is on the floor and what is in her reach becaeuse if she sees something she wants she is there.

Lately Jay and I have started planning for her birthday. We are thinking of doing a family thing and go to Disneyland since we have ALOT of timeshare saved up and then we'll have a party for her with everyone. Her birthday is on a Friday this year so most likely we will have her party that Saturday. There is so much to do.....

Camera On the Loose (Vent session)

My camera was stolen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I planned a surprise party for Jay's 25th and to top off my night I discover my camera was stolen. I'm soooo very upset. I can't believe someone would actually do such a thing and then I can seeing how this world is filled with manipulative people. Especially these days, you can hardly trust anybody. Fortunately I do have those around me that I can trust and appreciate them being in my life. So there's been some talk that some people from the party stole my camera. I'm not one to quickly assume and start accusing somebody of something so I haven't took any further actions (since I don't have proof it was them besides world of mouth, which is an assumption). I have asked EVERYONE who came. No one has my camera. I've called the company for the party bus. The bus driver said they didn't find it on the bus but then I think BS because he is probably the one who took it since he was begging for tips. I've called the main guy (I think the owner of the company) and have left several messages...they also owe me my deposit back, no response. Gee I wonder why. I called him two days ago and told him that I'm filing a report with the police about my camera so something is on file. Let's see if that gets his attention. I just really and truly can't get over the fact my camera is gone. It has Bri'elle birth (showing every detail if you know what I mean), pictures of Bri'elle here and there, a few random misc pics from different places, and then all of Jay's Birthday pics besides anything that happened after the event obviously. Everything besides Jays pics are uploaded to my computer and external hardrive, luckily. UGH!!!!!
Stupid, Idiotic, senseless, pieces of S***, worhtless no good sons of B******, Karma will bite you in the A**.

Well now that I feel a little better, I hope this never happens to anybody!

:)

Quick Update

Wow, time slipped away from me. Its been a little over a month since I blogged and I was actually getting really good at it. Darn! Well the past month has been really really busy. We've had tons of birthdays, the Relay For Life, school, and then Jay's birthday beginning of Sept. Keeps our time short. Most of our time is spent between all the birthdays in August. I swear Jay and I have already told ourselves if we can help it we will not be trying for any babies due in July and August. Too many birthdays to handle.

The birthday people this month that we celebrated was: Laura, Shelly, ME, Haley, & Jojo. It was fun to celebrate them though. We had lunchshopping date with Laura and Mike. For shelly we took her to saddlerack and then had a surprise midnight party for her. Haley's bday I took her to get her belly button and nose pierced. Jojo we went out to dinner and I took her to get her eyebrows done for the first time. Lastly for my birthday we did ALOT. I pretty much celebrate my birthday for the whole month. We went to antlers, melting pot with a group of friends (so much fun!), hung out and had movie night, went to see the musical Beauty and the Beast, had a BBQ, got my lip pierced, dyed my hair, and a few other festivities.

School started but luckily I'm only take one class. I tried to get into a photography class but it was only being offered the same day as the class I'm taking now. So next semester I'm taking it. I need to get my show on the road.

Bri'elle has been growing so quickly. She has been crawling for awhile now and is now walking herself around everything. She won't let get but she will definitely be taking steps soon. It's so crazy how time flies and how much they learn. HEr vocabulary has multiplied it seems like overnight. I will be doing a Bri'elle post pretty soon with pics!

So far for September we celebrated Jay's birthday. Since this was his half way to 50 party I threw him two surprise parties. One was party bus style with all our friends (and some family included) and then a BBQ at my house with family and a few friends. We also had our first night alone without Ms. Brillo. We stayed at the Hilton the night of the party bus. Both parties were alot of fun. I'm so glad I good make his 25th birthday special. I try to do something that will leave many memories. One downside to Jay's birthday was that my camera (& Jay thinks some of his cash that I gave him for his Bday) was stolen. This will also be a separate post because I have to vent.

All in all the past month has been a crazy busy month with lots of memories!!!!

I promise I will try to write more often.

Clap Clap Clap

Tonight while I was playing with Bri'elle when I said,"Yay" she started to clap. She did it twice for me. I was just beside myself. It was totally out of nowhere. When I realized that she was clapping I told her "good girl" and "what a big girl" so she knew she did something good. I was so excited that she was clapping that I swooped her up and took her downstairs to show Jay and the next of the clan who was down there. I tried to get her to do it again but she didn't want to share the moment who everyone. I'm sure this definitely isn't the last time she will be doing it. We do patty cake with her and she loves that so it makes me feel good to see our hardwork at teaching/playtime is paying off. Things like this just make my day. :)

Good Ole Friends

Last week I went to my friends shower who I haven't seen since I was about seven. It was so nice to see her and catch up a little. She lived across the street from me when I lived in Rodeo. Her family moved a little after Haley was born. I saw her once after she moved and the communication was lost. After so many years we found each other on facebook. What a coincidence! Her sister Candice is also my FB friend and secretly invited me to Richelle's baby shower. I'm so glad she did and I was able to go. I got to reconnect with the family who pretty much watched me go through my treatment when I was a little girl. It was a total flashback. Her mom was telling me of how scared she was when I would stay the night because the tube I had that went into my chest for my medication. I'm so thankful for her family and for her. They treated me so good more than one could expect.

In seventeen years so much has changed. I don't think we would have ever recognized each other walking on the street. Its so bizarre. On my way there all I could think of is were they going to know that it was me walking through the door and hoping her sister was going to be the one to answer since Richelle didn't know I was coming. All in all it made my weekend. Reconnecting with old friends is such a nice feeling.

We exchanged phone numbers and are hoping to keep in touch for the future. <3

Big girl this and Big girl that

(This post I drafted and forgot to actually post it, so here it is)

Last week Jay and I went I bought Bri'elle her first crib. She has been sleeping in a bassinet since she was a newborn. The poor girl was getting so squished in the thing we HAD to buy her a crib. We were trying to hold off as long as we can because they are so expensive and we were hoping we would get other options, but nothing came to us. So, here we are now! Little miss looks so tiny in her crib, its crazy. I'm glad we got it. She has been sleeping much better and comfortably in it. Our room is a little tight right now but its well worth it. Bri'elle is so happy too. She will play in there for a good hour before she wants out when she wakes up. And she doesnt cry when we put her in it. The best thing out the crib we picked out is, it's a convertible crib. Now we won't have to buy her a toddler bed, big girl bed, or a bed when she is a teenager. It turns into a full bed!!! Its a good investment seeing how we won;'t have to buy abother bed until we have another baby and we already decided we will buy another convertible one. This will save us from having to buy so many beds and mattresses. It's a win win situation.


Also during the weekend (last weekend that is) Jay got her "big girl" carseat out of storage. Bri'elle sits a little higher and she can see all whats going on. Her seat even has little armrests and a cup holder. Someone is just a little spoiled. I'm glad we got this when we did, it was 75% off at Target when I was about 4 months pregnant. We figured it was a good deal considering it was on sale for only $30.00 or something and was originally in the hundreds. If we didn't use it for her it would've became a gift for someone. Bri'elle isn't too fond of the seat yet. We haven;t totally figured it out to sit absolutely right. I feel like it should lean a little father back. It makes her sit up straight which she is not used to. Last night on our way home from my cousin's wedding I somehow loosened the headrest and Bri'elle was happy to sit in her seat. So I think I solved the problem, hopefully.

First Mom-attack

A week ago from this past Thursday I went with my bestie Sherin shopping in Walnut Creek. It was such a lovely evening. The air was nice and crisp but it wasn't cold. Since it was summer there were lots of couples and families window shopping just like we were. As were strolling on by all of a sudden I feel something off, so I stop the stroller and as I go to look at Bri'elle I notice she isn't in her stroller anymore. I just see this little baby laying face first on the ground screaming crying. Of course I swoop her up in an instant. I just couldn't believe it. I wanted to start crying right there on the spot. A lady came over to help but there really wasn't much anyone could do but offer the sympathy for a mom who just watch her baby girl get her. The lady handed Sherin Bri'elles blankie that luckily fell with her. When she had slipped underneath the tray the blanket landed on the ground first. This allowed Bri'elle to fall perfectly on top of it besides one of her knees. Quickly Sherin and I kept going back and forth looking her over for any scratches, bruises, or bumps. Neither one of us noticed anything wrong besides Bri'elle being a little shaken up. I kept thinking to myself what do I do, what should I do. I wasn't sure if I should take her to the ER to get thoroughly looked over or what. I think Sherin read my blank expression because even at one point she asked me if I wanted to go. After about 5 minutes of crying and comforting, Bri'elle was herself again. Talking and smiling away. Once I seen that I decided to stay and just keep an eye on her. The incident had me so stirred and I felt totally horrible for the fact that I couldn't answer the question of how she got out of her stroller. I wasn't sure if she unbuckled herself, if the buckle came undone, if it wasn't buckled all the way, or if she simply just wasn't buckled. It still boggles my mind. I just don't know! And I don't like not knowing. To help make Bri'elle better we went in to one of the nearby baby stores and I bought her a new pair of stunner shades. They are so cute. I'll have to get a picture of her in them. I let her wear them as soon as they were paid for. She actually kept them on for a good 20 minutes. She was very proud to have something new and I think it did help make her feel a little better. I read that most of the time a baby just needs distraction of whatever it is that makes them feel sad, annoyed, upset, lonely, etc... I think the sunglasses did just the trick.

I just can't believe the anxiety that a fall like that makes a mother feel. I don't know if I could handle anything worse than that. Another thing is, is that it happened in public and you don't know if the other people who saw it happen think to themselves. I remember instantly wondering if they think I'm a bad mommy and how could I have let it happen. But after telling my mom the story and then thinking about it. All moms have their own experience with something like this and should be supportive and understanding. Its an awful thing that we can't really prevent; some things just really do happen. Most happen within a blink of an eye. I'm just really glad Bri'elle didn't suffer any major or minor injuries. I'm sure that wasn't the last of the falls especially when she starts walking. Just think in about 16 years I could be facing a crying teenager who got her heart broken. I better prepare myself now for this.

Good luck to all you moms-to-be out there; I'll pray for all you moms out there with infants & toddlers; & major props to all those moms that have been there and done that.

My Dad's B-day

On July 8th we celebrated my father's birthday. He didn't ask for much or really anything at all so we all brainstormed and decided to have a dinner for him. We invited my nana & papa (my mom's parents) and my grandma (my dad's mom). My Aunt Maggie came with my grandma. My dad was pretty surprised to see his mom and sister at our house. Usually it's just our household gang. Grandma Edmunds gave my dad a wonderful gift. It actually touched me seeing her give it to my dad. It was my grandfather's rosiery that he had. I know it means a lot to my dad since my grandpa passed away when my dad was 17. The next gift my dad liked was his dinner. Yummy meatloaf, mash potatoes, brown-sugared carrots, green beans, rolls, and salad. This was all topped off by a chocolate fudge cake Jason made my dad. Another wonderful birthday to celebrate.

4th of July Weekend

This year for 4th of July I took Friday off so I would get a 4-day weekend and be able to spend the Holiday with the fam. My cousin Jan asked if we could watch her son Anthony from Thursday night to Sunday Afternoon. Of course we said we would. So I picked him up from Kristen's house Thursday evening. I was so excited to have him for the weekend. We don't see him very often so this was a nice treat. For 4th of July and since we had Anthony we planned lots of things to do.
On Friday we had a kick back day. All of us lounged around the house during the morning and then in the afternoon my mom, Jodi, Bir'elle, Anthony, and I headed to Six Flags so my mom and Jodi could activate their passes and we could use them the next day. When we got back me and Jason had to take Bri'elle to her doctor appt. As we got back to the house Anthony was outside with my mom jumping through the sprinklers.

Once we got settled inside we decided to go swimming. Bri'elle loves to go in the water so its so nice to be able to go into the backyard for some sun and fun. Anthony didn't care for the water too much at first but then warmed up to it. We had to make everything a game.



We called it an early night because the next day we went to Six Flags! On Saturday morning I took Anthony to the playgroup that I take Bri'elle to. I chose to just take Anthony because Bri'elle had just went down for a nap and she needed her down time & it will allow Anthony to have some time with his fave cousin Bandi. Anthony was really shy at the playgroup and kind of kept to himself. I expected that since he hasn't been around the other kids before. After playgroup was over I took Anthony to McDonalds and got him a Happy Meal. He was so excited. All he cared about was his toy. I went through the drive-thru to be quicker and so then we can get a start on going to Six Flags.
Jay and I decided to get passes to Discovery Kingdom/Six Flags. We figure it'll give us something to do the whole summer and it won't cost everytime we go. It was the first time I'd been to six flags since Sophomore year in highschool. Things are so different now and theres so many new rides and attractions. Its pretty nice though. Bri'elle loved it. The loud sounds and all the people. Anthony rode on a few rides with me. We had alot of fun and I let Anthony pick out a souvenoir from one of the gift shops. It was nice to get the whole fam bam together to go, I'm sure we'll have many more family days to Six Flags.





The next day (4th of July) we woke up late and missed church, had some breakfast, and then headed into the pool. Anthony did not want to be in the pool but Bri'elle did. So we just played poolside and let Bri'elle get some pool time. I got a call from Jan right when we were heading to the pool saying that they just landed and they would be at our house soon. I got all or should I say most of Anthony's stuff together while he was outside. About 45 mins to an hour later Jan showed up. Anthony was sooooo happy to see his mommy. I can now definitely relate to how Jan felt having her baby boy get excited because she was there. Always a great feeling. After Anthony left we stayed in the pool for a little longer. I was really trying to work on my tan since I'm not going to the the fake n bake any more. Its is soooo bad for your skin and natural is always the way to go. I actually got a little bit of a tan just from walking back and forth in my shorts. I'm curious to see what Bri'elles skin color will be. We definitely put sun screen on her, but she still gets some color to her. Its like a bronze color. I think she might be more on the tanner side of both me and Jay's whiteness. Jay bought Bri'elle a water floaty that has an awning to keep her covered just incase. It is so cute to see her in her floaty and kicking her feet. We really want to do swimming lessons for her. I'll be looking into that this summer.






Later that day Jay went and picked up his niece Anella for the night. We went over to Jay's dad's house and had some BBQ. It was a really yummy dinner and visit with the family that was over there. Jason's dad has a new gf who I absolutely adore. She is so amazing. Its really nice to see his dad happy and with someone. Marty did some sparklers after dinner while we waited for the pineapple-upside down cake baked in the cast iron skittle that Jason, Shelly, and Deanna (Marty's girlfriend) cooked up. I took Brie'elle outside to see the sparklers. I was a little nervous at first when I brought her out there becuase I didn't want to freak her out. When she heard it her little head whipped over to search where the noise came from. As soon as she see the sparks I was saying "Yay" so she knew it was a good thing. Next thing you know Bri'elle is bouncing up and down - which means she likes it. I was so glad. I didn't want her to be scared and next year not want to watch them. Since it was getting cold and we didn't have a jacket for Brillo we headed home to get a change of clothes for all of us including Anella. By the time we got home Bri'elle fell asleep and it was about time for the fireworks to start. Jay stayed home with Brillo and my brother and I walked Anella up our hill to see the fireworks. My mom, dad, Jojo, and little cousin Kimmie were already up there. It was so neat to see the fireworks from up there. We have never watched them from our hill and it was pretty amazing to see our view. We saw about 6 different firework shows. Since Jay was at home with Bri'elle I recorded them for him.





Monday, the day after 4th of July, Jay and I left while Bri'elle was napping (my sisters watched her of course) dropped my car off at the shop for the service that was due and headed for breakfast. After breakfast we gathered all the kids around and were off to Six Flags again for the weekend. Gotta love having the pass! We bought Jays little brother Carlito a pass for his birthday. This way pretty much everyone in our families have a pass. If not good thing we have the book of savings and signed up for the emails. When we got home Jason's mom came and picked up Carlito. This was the first time she has met Bri'elle. At first Bri'elle acted a little anxious since she didn't know her but with Jason and me next to her she did fine. After they left which was about 10 minutes later, it was winding down time and ready to start the work week.

We had a blast all weekend even though we were exremely busy. It is always fun getting the little ones and spending time with them especially now that we have Bri'elle. I think it is very important for her to grow up around the family she has. I have always been really close to my family/friends and couldn't see it being any different. Now that the weekend is over I'm glad to home some family time with just us three.

Bri'elles 6th & 7th Month Mark

I swear life goes by faster when your a parent. Bri'elle is just a little over 7 months old and I just can't believe it. I know every parent watch days go by and wonder where the time went especially parents of parents. Bri'elle missed her 6th month appointment because I though it was one week and it ended up being the week before. We weren't able to get her another appointment until she was just shy of 7 months old. In a way it was better because she became effective with her medical coverage a day before her appointment and we switched her pediatrician, so she was able to see her new doctor.
At her appointment she weighed in at 19lbs and 8.5 ounces and then was 27 3/4 inches. The doctor said she is between 80 and 90 percent above average which is wonderful. About a week later Jay took Bri'elle to her WIC appointment and she had already gotten to 20 pounds and 28 inches. That was a quick growth spurt. Now that she is a big girl. She can go in her big girl car seat. We are going to get it out of storage this week and try it out. I think she is going to be very excited. Whenever she does something new we tell her "what a big girl" or "your a big girl" and she gets a huge smile on her face. You can tell she knows she did something new/good.
There is so much more a little baby can do and how much they learn at the stage she is at. She now eats big girl food: her crackers, and then we give her soft people food like avocados, bananas, melons, beans, pasta, etc. We started her on a sippy cup. She almost has the whole drinking process down but she still sometimes will try to drink it backwards or upsidedown. We noticed the over these last few weeks she has learned how to through a fit. Her little legs lock up and she tries to scoot and then gives you her poutty lip face. Its so cute but we have been reminding ourselves that you can't let them get away with it. I read in a book that this age is the perfect time to start discipline. Right now it is the NO stage. If she does something she shouldn't do we tell her very firmly "NO!" and look her in the eye. You can't smile or let up and then we disctract her with a toy or whatever. So far its working pretty good. She is catching on to the word. On a sweeter side of baby life she knows how to give kisses. This is one of the best things. She doesn't give them freely though. If you gotten a kiss from her and you ask for another one she may or may not give you another kiss. It is soooo funny especially when she starts to give you a kiss and then takes it away. Bri'elle loves to stand and will try to pull herself up to anything that she can grab. She hasn't mastered crawling yet its more like the army crawl backwards or she flips herself over to quick to even stay on her belly long enough to attempt to crawl. A few more things she does is dance, "ride the horsey"-we call it-she knows how to bounce up and down like she is riding the horsey when you do the click click sound to make a horse go, does patty-cake but likes to hold your hands, she does this thing that will probably be hard to explain on here but I'll try so bare with me....She puts her lips together and goes "pppphhhhh" and sometimes spit comes out. It so darn cute!
There are so many things she has been doing. I will put together a whole post of "new" things for her 6/7 month mark of pictures and hopefully some videos.

Medical Security

Finally!!!!!!
We were accepted for medical coverage for Bri'elle. This is such a relief. We got the letter from Kaiser in June and her coverage started on 07/01/10. When I was on maternity leave in October 2009 I started the process to get her, her own coverage. My employers insurance is too expensive so Jason and I opted to get her separate coverage. I wanted her to still be under Kaiser. Working in medical billing is an advantage since I understand the whole system. Private insurances are too confusing and can be tricky. Kaiser has been wonderful to my family and to me for all my services and I want the same for our daughter. We tried to get coverage for Healthy Families since Nov of 2009 and found out in April of 2010 that we weren't approved. Of course I was extremely upset to find out in April because she had already had two doctors appts that we would have to pay out of pocket. We were approved for Medi-cal (yes, we applied. I feel everyone should apply that are from the US and use the government funds that OUR taxes go to) but have a high share-of-cost because of our income. I needed the denial from Healthy Families to be able to apply directly for the Kaiser coverage. Now I get to practice what I do at work for personal use and appeal Bri'elles doctor appts that weren't covered to Healthy Families. This will be exciting to do this for myself.
Now we can enjoy taking her to doctor visit's without worrying if we have enough money. I'm so glad Kaiser approved us. The medical coverage through them is very inexpensive as long as you fall within the guidelines. This was quite an experience going through the process.

TS3

Bri'elle had her first trip to the movies to see Toy Story 3. Jay and I were so excited to take her. Even though she doesn't know exactly what it is she is watching she responds really well to the colors and sounds. We thought it would be interesting to see how she would act in front of a big screen. She did awesome. More than we could have expected. We got to the movie right when the preview started. It was Saturday morning the weekend it came out and since we went to the first showing it wasn't that crowded. As we walked in and she heard the noise she starts jumping up and down. We sat down and she just started staring. She seemed to be very interested in the screen. Next the movie came on and she went totally ecstatic when it was playing the music. About 15-20 mins in the movie she fell asleep. I couldn't believe it. I looked down and her eyes were slowly shutting until they were closed shut. She woke up at 10 mins left. At the very end she wanted to stand up and got a little more active. Jay stood up with her about 2 mins before it was over to let her get a different view and to let her think she was doing something else before she really got antsy. All in all I would have to say it was a success. I can't wait for the next movie. We want to take her again sometime soon so she can get used to it.

Father's Day

This year Jay celebrated his first Father's day (Bri'elle out of womb). In the morning I woke up and had full responsibility of Bri'elle. He got to have a daddy day pass. Jay and I equally take responsibility of Bri'elle besides when I go to work and Jay stays home, which doesn't really got to sleep in while me, Bri'elle, and my mom went to church with my nana & papa. We were gone for about 2 hours and got home around 11:15. At 1:00 we were having our families over to my parents house for a Father's day BBQ. It was a great BBQ. There was tons a food and great company with our families. Jay and I got all the dad's (my dad, Jay's dad, Jay's grandpa, & my papa) frames that say grandpa & me (from Bri'elle) or I "heart" papa (from Bri'elle). We got pics of Bri'elle with all her grandpas so they can put the picture in their new frame. It was a great day. We all had a lot of fun.

Playing Catch up

So I've been totally lagging on this. I swear when I used to blog in a notebook I was religious. I have tons of notebooks from blogging every year since I was 18. I would write in it almost everyday. Now I can barely get on here to write once a month. I feel so terrible and everything that is passed is the past. Its hard to write about things that have happened so many days ago especially for me. I can't do it during the beginning part of the weekdays because of work. I don't have an option to use my computer at work for things that aren't work related. Also I have such a great memory but certain part of my memory gets erased really quickly which I think has to do to some of my treatments, no fair! Its hard for me to go back and remember everything. Recently I have set aside some time to do certain things so I'm planning on getting this in the schedule as well. So the next few postings will be things that happened within the last month. Let's hope I can get everything!!!
I want to re-do the blog so I'm going to try to keep writing as I figure out what exactly and how exactly I'm going to do it. I want to blog about different things and don't want them under the samething. I want to have one profile and then different options so you can pick my different "blogs" to read. So if any of you know how to create something like that let me know. :)

Uncle Sam

We love the beginning of the year when we get to file for taxes. Especially since we get money back. I guess that would've been a given. We filed late this year. I waited about a week before the deadline was, to actually finish them and mail them in. We do direct deposit so they came back to us really quick. With this said, I'm proud to say, Jay and I are back in the house hunting business. It will be a long process until we are ready to purchase a home but we have our goals set and are now talking about our plans in the next year or so.
All this was prompted by getting taxes back. This will be the only time I thank Uncle Sam {lol}. Jays bills are almost completely payed off including his car. We then are going to pay off some of mine as well as eliminate what Jay has in collections. When we first got together that boy had so many credit cards and since he was a party animal and made a good amount of money he blew it. If only we could go back in time now. I basically told him he needed to get his act together if he wanted to have a relationship with me since we were getting serious. We worked so hard to get things out of collections and did the "right thing" and then we were shot back when he was laid off. Jay felt bad if anything of mine would've went to collections so we paid my bills or should I say those that we were able to. Luckily, since I work for a billing/collection agency I know how to work my way through the delinquent bills. Since then we have been trying to catch up. I would say now we are pretty much there. I'm so proud of us!
Over the next 6 months we are going to watch our credits and pretty much try to get them as close to perfect. Your credit score is very important in todays economy. Not only are we going to pay bills another step we are starting to do is save for our down payment, our back up money, and house money. I have learned a lot the past few years about purchasing a house and one thing I have learned is you got to have a decent down payment. I told Jay that I did not feel comfortable buying a house unless we have at least $15,000 to put down, and he agrees. I have gotten advice and everyone says to save as much as you can and not be in a hurry. I would really like to aim for $20,000 but we are going to see how it goes and take baby steps. As for our back up, we want to save a little extra money for any mishaps. You never know what can happen to you in this economy right now which we have experienced. We would feel better knowing we have that extra money to cover us. A lot of people don't have this either because they think it can't happen to them and are to comfortable in the places they are at or never think of it. I know so many people who lost their homes and their advice was that if they would've not been so hard headed and spent so much money here and there they would've been able to remain in their home. It is very sad and the rest of us have to learn from these types of unfortunate happenings.
Jay and I have bought things here and there for our future home. We keep all the stuff in storage so it will be brand new when we get to move. Until we move we are going to keep purchasing little things (only if they are on sale) that we need for our home. The only downside is that we have no clue what our home looks like (not counting the one I can see in my mind) so we are working with an open slate. Any extra money for the house is going to be put into the house. I want to be able to buy all of the appliances (if they are not included) and furniture when we have the keys in our hands and before we move in. We are hoping to buy a newer house or a house for really cheap that we can redesign and make it a new house. We are up for the challenge and I think it is pretty neat when you "flip" a home or "demolish" the original layout. That is exactly what our house fund will be for.
As this is the beginning of our process some things will change and some things will not. We set these goals as our preliminary process. We know what we want and how to get there it just depends which path we decide to take and if there will be any shortcuts or deadends. The plans we mapped out will allow ourselves time to be prepared and we will not feel rushed or pressured when the official house hunt begins.
I'm so excited for this next phase of life. Both of us are beyond ready to be in a house that we can have all to ourselves. I can remember back to when my parents took vacation and I had the house all to my own. I was so excited. I rearranged the furniture and cabinets. The duties I was left with was to watch my sisters. At 18/19 most teens think PAAARRTAAAYYY, but I thought of it as a way to be responsible and get a taste of what homeownership is. That is exactly what I got and I wanted more. Before I bought my mustang I was actually looking around to save for a house. At that time the house market was at a steady pace. My mom and I went around looking at houses and I had already started saving, but having a brand new car was also appealing to me. The car came first obviously. Too bad! But I did learn a lot from the experience. Now I can look forward to buying a home with my soulmate. To build a future in and a home. One can dream and my dream will come true when I'm granted my home - A place that will be the definition of love, family, & happiness.

5 months!

Our little girl turned 5 months a few days ago. I can hardly believe it. Time has gone by so quick. She is a growing like a flower. Literally! When people say be careful they will change within a blink of an eye, you never really know what they mean until it happens. You have to cherish every minute with them and take a lot of pictures to capture everything.
At 4 months she was weighing in at 15.6 pounds and 25 1/4 inches tall. We were amazed when the doctor gave her stats. This means she is a very healthy girl, which is great to hear. When we found out we were pregnant I was a little concerned with how my children's health will be like considering I had bad luck. Some things that I have been diagnosed with aren't hereditary, but there are other things that worry me. I will always have my guard up when it comes the her health.
Lately she has picked up on so many new little tricks. Things she has started doing with her mouth are hard to describe in writing of what they are. Let me tell you though, a lot of spitting action and drooling. Now she can reach for her toes and grab them. Its so cute to see her bring them to her mouth and try to eat them. She knows how to put her hands out because she wants you. She can almost sit up without any help. I have a feeling she will be at the point soon were she will not need anything behind her helping with her balance.
It is so neat to just sit and watch them. I enjoy just laying her on the bed and watching her entertain herself. This is such a rewarding job.
Below are a few pictures of her new tricks!

First Mother's Day!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

First off, I'd like to say that I'm blessed to be able to call myself a mother. It is truly an honor for God to grant me with a child and one who is as amazing and beautiful as my daughter Bri'elle. A year ago on Mother's day Jason and I announced to my family that we were expecting. Now to actually have our little bundle of joy here to celebrate the day made it even better. I always wanted children and thought it would be just great but words can't even begin to describe the love you have for your child and how awesome it is.

I had a wonderful day. It started off with me waking up to my little princess early in the morning. Since she went to bed a little earlier the night before she missed the memo that mommy had for her asking her to sleep in for an extra 30 mins to an hour. Who could blame her though, right!? I mean I guess I was lucky she wanted to get up early to have mommy and baby time before daddy got up. I loved every minute of it. I got her up, changed her, put on some cartoons, jumped on the bed to wake daddy up, fed her some cereal, and then we took a shower. Daddy took the baby from there while mommy got ready. At church they hosted a brunch for all the moms catered by the Powder Keg, so we set off to church a little early. My nana, papa, Jason's grandma, my mom, brother, and sister Jodi joined us. It was nice to have all of them there. The service was amazing as well. My friend Lissa had her baby girl Ava dedicated to the Lord this morning so it made it extra special. Next we came home to unwind, do some homework, and get all of our mother's day gifts together. My nana had a BBQ at her house so we went there for some dinner. It was good visiting with everyone but Bri'elle was so tired and teething really bad she got a little cranky and then went to sleep. On our way home from my nanas house we stopped by Jason's grandmas to visit with her and his poppa. After a busy day we where finally on our way home, but it didn't stop there. We had to cram a lot of last minute homework in. No worries since I got A's on everything. Yay!

I would have to sum up the day and say it was pretty awesome. Here are some pictures from today. I'm also going to add the picture my family took for my mom as her mother's day gift. She wanted a family picture of all of us kids.

Time Flies - Update

HOLY MOLY!!!! Time sure does go by quick. Sometimes I just can't keep up with how much stuff we have going on. Between a fulltime job, fulltime student, and a fulltime wife/mother things like facebook & blogging get pushed off on the back burner. I need to start making time and set it aside so I can keep up with posts regularly. It makes me sad when I don't have time to blog and update about our lifes. I would love to have all the blogs up to date so one day Bri'elle and the rest of our clan (when they get here) can read it and have a glimpse of what life was like when she (they) are younger. Its always nice to bring back childhood memories.

Now for an update. AS of 04/16/10 Bri'elle had her 4 month check-up. She weighed in at 15.6 pounds and is 25 1/4 inches long. The doctor says she is between 83 & 84% above average. He has no concerns besides her eye. Her right eye is showing signs of an obstructed tear duct. I also had this a few years ago in the same eye. The result was a surgical fixation of my tear duct and nose. It is too early for them to determine if she will have to go through the same procedure. I really hope not. I won't be able to bear watch her go through surgery especially at such a young age. Lets keep our fingers crossed and hope it goes away.

Not only has her growing increased significantly but so has her learning ability. She has picked up on a lot of new things. Now that she eats regular baby food she always wants to feed herself. Of course she doesn't quite know how to restrain from choking herself, I've actually let her try to and she did a fantastic job getting the spoon to her mouth. She is talking ALOT more. It so much fun to see the many different things she can do now. I'll post some pictures of her recent capabilities.