Wicked Saturday

A belated Mother's Day/Birthday gift to my mom:


Including lunch at Cheddar's beforehand (though I didn't win the "who's paying" battle)...what a perfect way to spend a day with mom!

Yet More Brylee Pics

On Saturday, Cary took some pictures of Brylee in my mom's yard, and here are some results. Me, I'm biased, but I think the photographer and subject are amazing!

So Much Going On...

Brylee has been teething for the last week or so. When we put our fingers into her little mouth, she bites down, and we can feel a sharp little edge. Her pediatrician doesn't recommend Orajel, so we put that away and have been working with teething rings and Tylenol since.

Since I don't want to over-medicate our kid, a recommendation (from her pediatrician again) was Hyland's Teething Tablets. Have you heard of this? We bought some, and they recommend 2-3 tablets about 4 times a day. To us, that was a bit excessive, so we tried one at first. It is a quick-dissolving tablet that you place under the tongue (and how do you do that to a 6 month old?) and within a short time, the child feels better.

I'm sure they do work well, but Brylee cried so hard having this weird tiny object in her mouth, and then vomited up her entire meal a little later (not known if this is the reason or if she was just having an upset tummy). I have yet to try it again, but I do want to see if there is a better reaction the second time. Apparently there are moms out there that live by these tablets!

Second, Brylee sat up by herself last night! She and I were sitting on the floor playing with her playmat and I just 'tested' to see how long she could stay up on her own. It was quite a while (in seconds...we're quickly heading towards the minutes though!). So excited, I interrupted Cary's studying session, placed her on the bed, removed my hands from her back, and voila (!) she sat for even longer than just moments earlier! We called and texted family (what is going to happen when she does something more monumental?!), and they shared in the excitement. This news flash even made it on Brad and Faith's 2 Blind Squirrels podcast.

I love our family and how they share in the excitement.

Lastly, there is a decision Cary and I need to make for our family. And I have been thinking about this and praying about it for a while now, and now that it is potentially here, I am nervous and not sure if it is the right decision. So again, I have been praying constantly. Please pray for God's guidance so that we may not go against what He is telling us is best.

Mom sent me this information this morning, and while a lot of it is being done, I wanted to post it here as a reminder, and so that maybe we'll look back eventually and be able to see how much difference we made in our child's life:

Suggested activities:

Your baby loves to touch, grasp and 'make things happen'. Fun activities, such as shaking or banging objects, help them to understand they have an effect on the world. Conceptually, they are learning about up and down as well as coming and going, and will love to play games that act these things out.

Suggestions on encouraging and supporting your baby's development include:

• Babies need interaction with other people much more than play-time with toys.
• Talk to them.
• Look into their eyes.
• Play games like 'Here is your nose - here is mummy's nose'.
• Play the game of picking up their dropped toy (over and over - babies of this age love it).
• Play 'ah boo' as you hide your face behind a book or cloth, then say their name when you come out.

Happy Tuesday all!!

6 Month Visit

Yesterday was Brylee's 6 month check up and shots. As hard as it is to watch her get poked and prodded, I was eager to find out how she looked to the medical professionals.

She is now 12 lbs 9 oz, 24 1/2" long, and the nurse practitioner thought she looked great. We are still working on getting her skin nice, however, with eczema, her skin looks great one moment (yesterday morning) and dry and red-splotches another (while at the doctor...).

Just this last week, she is pulling herself forward, reaching out for something she wants, and buzzing her lips. Her hair is also growing. Currently, it looks strawberry-blonde, so we'll see soon!

Here's a look at the list of veggies we have tried and her opinion:

Green peas: blech
Carrots: yum!
Mixed vegetables: yum!
Prunes: blech
Bananas: yum!

She also enjoys rice and oatmeal cereal, as well as apple juice and pear juice. We even just tried juice in her first sippy cup today!

I can't believe how much she has grown and changed, especially in the last month!

Last Weekend

What?!!? How did I ever forget to log about the super busy, long weekend that we had almost 1 week ago?! But somehow, this is an ever-increasing scenario in the Life As A McFadden world...

Remember when I said that Brylee has seen a goat? Well, that happened last weekend when we went to Paris for her first visit. She met her (second) cousins Sondra, Kay, Kyle, and Kelly, her great aunt Louise and great uncle Jimmy, and (3rd?) cousins Ryan, Khimen, and Dustin.

Lunch was a delicious lasagna, salad, and garlic bread. And the dessert? Delicious chocolate pie and cookies! We are so spoiled!

Cary and I took the opportunity to take Brylee out to show her Sondra's pet goats. Even though they were scared to get too close, Brylee looked at them with curiosity.

Dad, Cary, and I also went on a geo-cache hunt, where a treasure (a finder's log) was hidden about 600 feet away from Sondra's!

Needless to say, we were exhausted after a long day, but it was wonderful to see our family again. I hope that we get to visit everyone again soon in Paris. I love them and miss them!

This Is Just Too Cute Not To Share

If you can get through the 20 second commercial before the video, the baby sloths are adorable!

What A Song!

In My Daughter's Eyes

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the
world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me gives me
strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand
around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about

It's hangin' on when your heart
has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light
It's in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy
she made me
For I'll be there
In my daughter's eyes

-Martina McBride
(written by James Slaughter)

This song was released in 2003. Why am I just now hearing this?!?!

It brought tears to my eyes driving home after watching my poor child get her 6 month shots. Oh how I love to be her hero and 'rescue' her from her pain!

Product Review: Chocolate Covered Gummy Bears

Sounds decedent, doesn't it?

Who wouldn't want the perfect combination of Gummy candy (bears, worms, bugs, stars...) wrapped lovingly in chocolate? It sounded too good to be true to me!

And, alas, it was. One bite and I was done. Not at all interested in continuing my $8.99/lb bag (of which I only scooped about $1.59 worth).

Thank goodness someone in the apartment was desperate enough for chocolate to eat it. Not me. Not Brylee. Chester, maybe, but I refused to let that happen. Cary was though. Mr-I-don't-like-gummy-things found a lot of joy in them. Just because he wanted chocolate.

All in all, I am glad I tried them. I'm even more happy that I didn't add to my incredibly long list of must-have sweets.

To me? 1 1/2 thumbs down.

Oh Happy Day!

(I know I've used this picture before, but I love it!)

I want to wish a very special birthday to my niece, Helen. She's 9 years old today!!!!



I've only known her for 3 years, but those years have been very special to me. I can't believe how much she has grown during that time!



Helen, I look forward to seeing you whenever you come visit (or we go visit you!), and I hope that this birthday brings you excitement at every corner, and a year of blessings!

6 Month Tribute

Today, our beautiful baby turns 6 months!

What a blessing, whirlwind, and journey it has been.

Along with all of the other updates on her (slowly starting solids, chatterbox, standing), she is now almost sitting up by herself (she can do it for a few seconds before leaning to one side and falling that way), taking 'steps', and new this weekend: reaching out for things (especially when she wants someone to sit her up).

She has seen dogs, cats, a horse, and a goat now. All 4 legged animals that probably 'look' like Chester to her. Now I need to find some other type of animal to introduce her to that doesn't have 4 legs or look like a typical mammal (birds, giraffes, elephants...). I know it will take her a while to grasp the concept of what each animal is, but since I love those things so much, I'm eager to get started quickly!

I want to take an opportunity to rave about the grandparents. For the last 6 months, Brylee's grandparents have been nothing but so supportive and helping, willing to take her and allow Cary and I to get away and remember how to be a couple.

I was really hesitant at the beginning to let anyone care for the baby until she slept through the night, but her grandparents convinced me (no convincing necessary for Cary!) that once she starts sleeping through the night, then that help wouldn't be needed as much anymore. So I took advantage, and now, 1 night a week she stays with one set of grandparents and we get a date night.I can't express enough gratitude for T-Ma, Oma, B-Pa, and Opa for all that they have done. I know writing this, or even saying the words everytime doesn't make up for their willingness to play with Brylee, watch her overnight, and all the additional things they have done. To make life a little easier for us transportation-wise, they have play mats, exersaucers, and bottles ready at their house, and all I need to do is make sure I show up with clothing!

From Day 1, Brylee has been very blessed by family. She doesn't get to see her aunt, uncle, and cousin much, but I know that she adores them and loves to see them whenever she is in town. She has met almost all of her extended family, and they spoil her just as much as we do.

Obviously, I write tons of posts on her, so stayed tuned for more 'big firsts'!

Home Team Again

Last night Cary and I stepped outside of our comfort zone to do something we haven't done in about 3 years: go to a Home Team meeting.

A Home Team is a small group of people that meet at someone's home to do a Bible study. Because Fellowship Church is so big, the Home Teams were designed so that people can get involved, make friends, and study together more in-dept without the overwhelming feeling that the weekend services have. They are split into categories, and the 2 I'm familiar with are the Singles (split by age), and Married.

Cary and I met at a Home Team in the late summer of 2006 through a Singles group I had been attending regularly for about a year, so it is odd that we stopped attending not long after getting engaged/married.

When this group meets (every 2nd and 4th Wednesday), there is food, socializing, and then study. Just before the in-depth studying starts, there is an ice-breaker. Last night, the fun ice-breaker was going around was introducing yourselves, stating how long you've been married, where you live, and either a pet-peeve or an interesting fact about you.

I don't do well with speaking in front of people, so as everyone was taking their turns, I was carefully thinking about what I could say. I could think of a couple of pet peeves (which would be funny, but also a downer), but I had a hard time thinking of something interesting. Now I can think of a couple (I love to blog, blog lurk, and day dream of being a stay-at-home mom), but last night...nothing.

So my introduction to my 'new group of friends'?

"Hello, I'm Jenn. And we have a great dog...."

Good thing I have Cary to make up for my lack of social skills...

Curiously Strong Mints...

That can't break through Ranch dip...

What does that say about my lunch today?

Mother's Day With The Jarvis'

With a title like that, it should be known that this means, super fun, and super tiring...


On Sunday morning, I woke up at 6:00 with Brylee ready to eat. I decided to give Cary a little sleep-in time, so she and I went and watched a little tv, and just spend some time giggling together. At this stage, she is smiling, screeching, and giggling so much, it makes all unhappiness go away.

Once Cary woke up, he made us breakfast (waffles!) and presented me with the gift that Brylee did:



I love it! It reminds me of a field of flowers...that happen to be our little girls' finger prints!

After breakfast, we began the fun task of gathering up all 4 of us, including food, diapers, clothing, and toys for our little one, and trekked to my parents house, where we all relaxed for a little bit, making cards for Teacher's Appreciation week (the previous week...). Included in the cards was a picture of Brylee and her handprint in yellow. I, personally, really thought they turned out cute! (and should have gotten a picture...)

Mom and dad also presented me with a beautiful trunk made so that I can store up the treasures that Brylee gives me as she grows (flowers she picks, drawings...). I love it, and can't wait to start filling it up with memories!

Around 12:30, we packed everything up, including Chester, and with my mom and dad, drove out to Valley View, TX to my uncle's ranch, food, and fun.

It was a windy, blustery day, very much in need of a jacket or sweater, but it felt so nice to be outside. Thanks to my uncle and cousin, Chester got the opportunity to play catch with Austin and Hunter, and totally ignore the other dogs around him.

Yeah. Remember when he used to go to daycare and play all day? Or when he wrestled Rosco down and both passed out from pure exhaustion? Not anymore. The mutt loves to be around humans, and tends to ignore other dogs. I think he thinks he's human...

He came face to face with his first horse (which was quite a sight!), and ran all over the yard with Austin and Hunter. Then as we went to the front yard to play kerplunk and croquet, he sat at the fence, looking longingly at the balls. I tried to take him into the front yard for a short time, but forgot to bring his extending leash, so he was limited in where he could go, and he kept trying to get into the middle of the games. Plus, I felt bad for the left-over dogs in the back yard. I mean, which is worse--being ignored all alone, or being ignored with someone else?!

While I didn't play, I was highly entertained by the chaos of the games. Dad tried to explain 'kertunk' (not the real name, but I have the hardest time remembering it), and because so many were there, it was difficult to play correctly. So out came croquet. Which led to dangerous feats and broken items. And lots and lots of laughter...

I did take the opportunity to take Brylee outside for a brief moment (did I mention it was windy and cold?) and show her a horse, which she very briefly touched his nose. And then I swept her back inside again to where Grandma J, Faye, Deb, Mom, and Simone (Eric and Deb's ranch-hand) were keeping warm.

What a long, tiresome day! We drove home around 4:30, where we then departed from my parents and drove to our apartment and readied ourselves for our next week at work.

The food was so good (hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, brownies, banana pudding....) that we didn't even eat dinner that night!

What a fantastic way to spend my first Mother's Day. I am so truly blessed to have a family that keeps us on our toes and we're always laughing and remembering how to enjoy each others' company.

Thank you, Jarvis family, for once more having such a great time!

Come On Baby, Let's Do The Twist!

Saturday was Gary's birthday, and in combination with Helen's upcoming special day as well, we decided to go all out...50's style!



Yes, this was inspired by the adorable Poodle Skirt that Brenda made for Brylee for 50's day at daycare. I couldn't resist trying to find another reason for her to wear it again. This time, I got excited and ordered one for myself from etsy.com!


The day of the party, we arrived to find the decorations already set up (pooh! I was going to help!), and the room looked super-cool. Cary got his hair greased up and made a cigarette to get into the act.


Helen looked adorable in her long t-shirt and scarf, and made friends with the blow-up guitar very quickly. Everyone was dressed to party, and the music playing was 50's all the way...


Cary and I were brave enough to go to the grocery store to purchase some pickle relish and diapers, all while in our 'costumes'. It was fun running through the grocery store in a poodle skirt! (and reminiscent of when I did the same thing while wearing a renaissance dress...)


We played a game of guessing the name of the musician on the sticker on our back, including Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and The Big Bopper, then we ate a delicious meal of hamburgers and sausages, waffle fries, and Root Beer Floats (!!!!)


Trivia was played, guessing the answers to questions Brad came up with about Gary and Helen. For Helen, I got about 6 right (yay!)...for Gary...2 out of 10...


After trivia, we dug into cake and watched Gary and Helen open gifts. Wow. These two are spoiled!!!! Helen got a basketball goal, roller skates, and some games, while Gary managed to get a pull-up bar, sunglasses, and a nice add-on to his bathroom. It's so funny the differences in gifts between children and adults...

The cake was amazing...as it always is. The McFaddens have a receipe for a special icing, which is a hard chocolate, and if you have chocolate cake, it just isn't the same without that icing. I'm drooling thinking about it now...


I hope that Gary had a very special day, and knows just how much all of us love him. What a fun guy to have in our lives, and I hope our effort to let him have fun was a good effort.

Helen's birthday is just around the corner (the day she turns 9, Brylee will be 6 months), and I hope she had an awesome day as well.

Another thing to add: Brylee adores her cousin. As soon as Helen walks in the door, Brylee just stares at her and follows everything she does...Helen better watch out when Brylee learns how to walk...she'll become Helen's little shadow!














Happy birthday!!!! I can't wait until June for the next party!

Blog Of The Month: Steece's Pieces

This blog came as a recommendation to me from my cousin, and I'm glad she recommended it!

Steece's Pieces is the online journal of Suz and Joe Steece and their precious, energetic 2 (almost 3!) year old quads. Oh my!

One thing I love about this blog is that Suz tells the stories of her little ones, includes tons of pictures, and even labels which quad is what...which has to be helpful considering two of the quads are identical twins.

Suz has a very happy, fun energy about her, someone I would have loved to have known growing up. It's a lot of fun to read about the day in her life, but it's even more neat that the blog started at least a year before she had kids.

Here is a snippet of her blog, when she met with other families that also has quads, and they went out to dinner:

http://thelifeofsuz.blogspot.com/2008/07/classy-steak-dinner.html

Reading this blog makes me wish I was either an RN (which was a pursuit at one time--not too long ago!) or a quad mom because her annual reunions in pictures seems so nice and refreshing--what an amazing thing to do with friends!

Such a friendly, down-t0-earth person who takes the Lord's blessings and makes the most of every bit of it. She is an inspiration, and I do hope that I am fortunately able to meet her and her little ones someday!

For my next blog, I am reading:

Hope and Grace

**Originally, I had plans on reading Kayleigh's Story, but as I began their journey, I found myself breaking down uncontrollably. It is a beautiful story, and if you can, I encourage you to read it. Perhaps someday I'll be able to read it all the way through myself.

Happy reading!

I'm A Droid Widow

Alas. Cary's love has replaced me...with this:

(photo courtesy of HTC.com)

I should have known it was coming. I mean, this provides him hours of entertainment in the form of knowing her music trivia, plays whatever games he wants (robot wars?), and even brags of intelligence with stars and constillations. She constantly stays in touch with the social world (Facebook). She even knows North from West and has a built in GPS signal!

She is willing to take on whatever task he wants her to, from remembering gift lists, grocery supplies, and knowing the weather, days in advance. And if he's tired of her knowing too much, with a simple reprogramming, she forgets. Just like that!

The only thing she refuses to do is vacuum and wash the dishes and care for the baby. So maybe he'll keep me around. You know, for the fun things like that...

...And Out

So it is now Brylee's turn.

She and I are home today, while she has a cough and a stuffy nose. I'm constantly trying to make sure she doesn't have a fever, and each meal I hope she keeps down (she LOVES to spit up 'majorly' when she's not feeling well, as she did yesterday morning).

She is taking advantage of the day and sleeping quite a bit....and she should. She kept me awake from 2:00 this morning until 3:30. And since I'm still recovering from Tuesday, I think I might take advantage and try to take a nap as well.

I just hope that she doesn't get the headache like I did.

Down...

It started on Saturday with a thick throat and headache. But I toughed it out and went to play putt-putt with Helen, Brad, and Cary. It was a wonderful time, and we played with hard bets: whoever won got to choose where we eat. Whoever loses, pays.

The competition was really between the brothers Brad and Cary. Or maybe the competition was between Cary and Cary. I love to see him get his competitive edge! Helen and I stayed close in score, all the way through. But after 1 1/2 rounds and 3 lost balls later (all but one retrieved or new ones fished out of the pond), I (the score keeper) determined that Cary came in first, Brad second (by one), and Helen and I bringing up the rear (again by one point each).

**Edit: reading the above makes it sound like I chose Cary to be the winner because I was the scorekeeper. Not so--his eagerness to get ahead and stay ahead is what put him in first place. Brad, though was very close to his score. And Brad helped with the scorekeeping. I think he added a few points to Cary's score, just to try to even it out some...


I'll just say that Helen beat me because she scored the 1st hole-in-one, Cary the second, and Brad the third. Me? Well. We'll just kind of put that aside.

The lunch that Cary had chosen was a hamburger place called Balls. After the GPS led us all through North Dallas and back again, the parking lot showing where the place should be, but no luck. But, fortunately, there was a Cici's pizza...and 4 starving people.

After we were satisfactorily full, we made the drive back to Cary's parents. With one quick side trip. As we came to the red light at Hard Eight Barbeque, someone pointed out that there is a geocache there. Which became our next treasure hunt!

45 minutes later and down in some ditch with who-knows-what plant and being bit by some unknown insect species, we did not have any luck finding the silver canister surrounded by grey rocks. So that makes Cary's and my treasure hunting at 3 and 1.

The headache and sore throat continued throughout the rest of the day, which made me cancel the evening plans of going to Addison and seeing my high school friend, Clay, again. I haven't seen him since little Brylee was born. I miss him!

I was, however, in bed by 9:30 that evening, and didn't wake up again until 9:00 the next morning. Sunday was our visit to Cary's parents' (Brylee stayed Saturday with her T-ma and B-pa, and we spent part of our day there as well), Monday was back to work, and the headache and throat ache continued.

Today, I stayed home from work with a terrible headache, and now the sore throat is a thing in the past. But my head continues to pound, and I hope another early night into bed will help that.

Here's to hoping!

Starting Off The Week With A Fiesta

This week is Cinco de Mayo, the holiday commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

This is a big celebration in Dallas, and you'll drive around and see restaurants advertising their Cinco de Mayo specials. Neither one of us are from Mexico, or have any blood relation, but it's not going to stop us from celebrating--eating style!

I don't normally post recipes on here, but I do want to share this one that I got off of allrecipes.com:

Easy Mexican Casserole

Prep Time:
20 Min

Cook Time:
30 Min

Ready In:
50 Min

Original Recipe Yield 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 cups salsa
• 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, drained
• 3 cups tortilla chips, crushed
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 (2 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until no longer pink. Stir in salsa, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in beans, and heat through.
3. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread crushed tortilla chips in dish, and then spoon beef mixture over chips. Spread sour cream over beef, and sprinkle olives, green onion, and tomato over the sour cream. Top with Cheddar cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Cary and I personally enjoy it without olives, but oh, the rest is so delish!!!!