Birthday Note

Dear Brylee,

A year ago today I laid on a bed surrounded by friends and family, heart and blood pressure monitors, and was denied any form of food or beverage, just waiting for our lives to change forever. I had no idea what kind of change that would be.

You came into our lives when you were just 36 weeks in development, but to me, that 36 weeks could not prepare me. In fact, I often say that God put you into our lives at the time He did because had I waited too much longer, I would have been far beyond nervous, thinking about the things that had to be done to prepare for you. I hadn't even packed my bag for the hospital yet!

When I first held you, late into the evening after surgery and a short, drugged rest, I didn't know what to do. You were this tiny being that your daddy and I were now responsible for, and I didn't feel all that maternal. I have seen television shows and stories from people around me how they cried happy tears when they first lay eyes on their child. I didn't. What was wrong with me?!

Looking back now, 1 year ago, it must have been shock. Because now, I crave so much time with you. I love to watch you smile, laugh, and explore. Nothing gives me more fulfillment than when you talk, kiss, and make your little expressions. I look at you and just can't believe that something so beautiful has half of my genes.

I don't know how you did it, but you managed to steal the hearts of so many. To see the people around you melt when you smile, and laugh when you pull your silly acts, lets me know that you truly are a blessing from above. Is it normal to have men like your Uncle Brad and Uncle Bill coo over babies? It is quite a sight to see!

Brylee, I know this world has so much for you. So much to explore and take in. And someday to apply your talents. But for now, I cherish holding you and showing you the simple things and watch your imagination grow. You are my little love, my Brylee bear...my little angel.

Happy birthday to my beautiful little girl. May God continue to show you His wonders and guide us as you grow to be the best child you can be for Him.

Love always,

Mommy

The Funniest Geocaching Adventure Yet...

My parents decided on a popular restaurant today for lunch, so Cary and I met them there. As we pulled into a parking spot at the restaurant, Cary pointed at a lightpole and wondered out loud, "Is there a cache in there?" I laughed, knowing that we have checked the area before and there is not one there...

When I got out of the car, I looked and saw that Cary pulled up the skirt to the lightpole and there was a container. I was wrong!

When we opened the container to sign the log, we noticed that it was a brand new log...and when dad and Cary tried to find it on their GPS and Android apps, it was not there. This means that the cache had been placed there and is waiting to be 'published'...or to become public to the geocaching world.

What a hilarious situation! We randomly looked at a location for a cache, found one, and then it even hasn't been made public yet! We have laughed about it all day long. It is a very random thing, something that doesn't happen everyday...I wonder how many times it has happened in the last 10 years (how long geocaching has been popular)...

Being Sneaky

Tonight Cary's and my 3rd geocache published while we were in Southlake. This cache is called chestmutt- 5 a.m. wake up call, a tribute to our daughter's birth.

I had mentioned to Cary that it would be fun to stake out the cache when it published to watch people come and retrieve it and just see how it all went about. You know, see things from a different perspective. So once we saw that the cache had published, we drove from Southlake to Lewisville, just hoping that it hadn't been touched before we got there.

Once we were there, we found a parking space in the dark with a great view and sat there, giddy with excitement. And sat there...and sat there....

After about 45 minutes of sitting there, getting excited every time we saw a car turn the corner and then feel the adrenaline drop again after it kept going, Cary checked to see if anyone had signed the log yet. Nope. Still waiting to be found by anyone but us.

Just as we pulled into another parking spot and pulled out stories about geocaching, we got a text from my dad stating he was on his way to grab it. We were getting silly about how we would approach him as he retrieved the log...something we probably would not do if it were anyone else but him.

Finally the big moment arrived and he and mom (and Brylee) show up to ground zero. After he grabbed the cache, and went back to the car to sign it, we pulled up into the parking space in front of ground zero.

It was fun to 'run into them' at 9:15 at night, however, we were also caught in the joke when we discovered that dad had seen with one of his handy Android apps that we were in the area...making it no surprise that we were there to see them.

I know for anyone who does not geocache this story might not be all that funny, and perhaps confusing, but it was fun. It was sweet to get to kiss my little one good night one more time tonight, in front of the building where she was born, almost 1 year ago. It was nice to talk to my mom and get to hug my dad, and hopefully create more fun memories to laugh at in the future.

What a fun (and cold!) evening!

Brylee Vs. The Slide

We took Brylee to a baseball park yesterday, where they also had a cool playground that was covered...so we played on the slide for a little bit. She had a blast with her daddy!

Recent Brylee Randoms

A lot has been going on for this little one already this month, and it is only the beginning!

*We have been hunting for the perfect coat for her for this winter. Very difficult to do since Texas weather is so unpredictable. We don't want something that she'll only wear once or twice because it isn't cold enough, and we also don't want to have to layer the coats because the ones she has are not thick enough. We think we found the perfect one today, thanks to Osh Kosh B'Gosh. Now I can't wait for the cold weather!

*She has also been sick for the last few days. You wouldn't know it from her attitude, just the nice green drainage coming from her nose. Her spirit has been strong and happy after the first day of fussiness. But she is most certainly feeling better!

*We visited Kindermusik last Friday for a test run of the music classes. She enjoyed herself, but Cary and I observed that this is pretty much the same program that the Library has, but for a much less expensive price (free). It was interesting to see and meet new people, and perhaps the future will let us attend the class on a regular basis, but for now, we might stick with library visits.

*Her birthday is 10 days away. We have gotten her gifts, and from the way her grandparents are talking, we'll need to buy a storage facility to make room for the lot she has coming in. I'm so excited that my little one is about to be a whole year old! Let the countdown begin!

*She caught her first bug (a beetle) tonight while at her T-ma and B-pa's. I didn't see it happen, but mom and dad recounted very well for us. Apparently she picked up an object from the carpet and turned to hand it to her Poppy...they praised her and then dad put it outside...probably just to be eaten by a gecko...but at least not by Brylee!

*She started saying 'momma' very clearly. She has been mumbling this and 'dada' for a while, but 'momma' is now very clear. She also discovered blowing saliva bubbles, at least more than she ever did before. And we are working on 'uh-oh' and signing 'thank you'...which she learned is the same as blowing kisses, so it is easy for her to pick up! She also knows 'all done' (the same as 'throw it in the pan' and 'wash the spider out'...whoever knew signs were so alike)!

The Irony Of Brylee's New Storytime Mates

For a couple of months now, Lewisville's Public Library has a storytime for toddlers on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Weekly Storytimes
Aug. 30-Dec. 10

Mother Goose Time (Ages 0-15 months)
Mondays, 1:30pm; Wednesdays, 1:30pm; Thursday, 1:30pm
Bennett Program Room
Get in on the fun for babies with this lap-sit program designed to encourage one-on-one interaction between parent and child. Mother Goose Time is 20 minutes of stories, movement, nursery rhymes, songs & parachute play. Note: A parent or caregiver must attend with each infant. Space is limited, so plan to arrive early & pick up a ticket.

I have had it set on Google Calendar since it's beginning with no luck of actually going, for some reason or another...But Cary finally got us up and going on Monday, eager to check out what they have. And I'm glad that he go us there, because now I'm excited about going twice a week if we can.

I have met some very nice moms (and dads), and better yet, Brylee loves it! There are stories, songs, and her favorite, parachute play!

She has met several other little ones, and I love seeing her interact with them...even though interaction at this stage really isn't much interaction. But we have met little ones that share a birthday super close to her. As in 2 days before, 1 day before, and 1 week later, all at Medical City of Lewisville. And those 3 were boys.

While this post is mainly about the excitement of storytime for her, I couldn't help but notice the irony of some of this. The night I was born, 20 something years earlier (hey...this is my story!), I was the 3rd out of 4 born, the other three were boys. And I grew up with all 3 of them for some time.

Though Brylee might not go through school with them like I did, she is going to the library's storytime with them.

I am looking forward to taking her back to the storytime again. With the closeness in birthdays coming up, we might just have to celebrate with them somehow!

Gerber voting!

Here is a reminder to go to Gerber.com and vote for little Brylee's picture! When you go to the site, click on the icon at the top that is labeled 'Vote' and vote for the cutest baby ever! You can also search specifically for her by clicking on 'Search' and putting in her name. You'll want to look for the picture like the one above.

You can vote once a day for several days, so enjoy!

And if you have a picture of your child on this site, let me know and I will gladly vote for them, too!

Thank you for your support. The prospect of a scholarship is awesome!

The Last Of Brylee's Firsts!

Last of Brylee's first holidays, that is. Halloween was so much fun for me, mostly because it was exciting to see how she would handle the ghosts, goblins, silly costumes, and yummy candy, and everything else that came with it!

On Friday, a camera-less day (not by choice!), we made our way around to State Farm to visit my former co-workers and see what kind of fun they had going on there. When we got there, I saw so many wonderful people, missed a couple (Penny and Amy), and everyone seemed so happy to see little Brylee and how much she had grown. I have not forgotten any of them, and miss them all!

After the short visit (half of the group was going to a town hall meeting so the other half was about to get exceedingly busy), Cary, Brylee and I drove to mom's work where we were going to pick her up for lunch. But we also took the adorable kid in to show off her Halloween costume...and of course T-ma was happy to show her off!

After lunch, we went home where we de-gutted 5 pumpkins for the game night the next night. Then it was time to go to Archon to meet Oma and visit them for their Halloween festivities. Funny thing about this moment is, mom had sent me an email reminding me to not forget the camera. And once we left, I realized that, of course, I had forgotten it again! D'oh!

Archon had set out their candy and Oma, Cary, Brylee, and I walked around visiting with Cary's former co-workers and picking out some candy here and there that Brylee cannot have, but yet her mom wanted! (I was actually good though, taking very little candy!) There were so many adorable little kids there, dressed as bunnies, pirates, super heroes, tap dancers...I so wish I had my camera! When we left, Oma took our little flower child to stay the night with her and Opa.

And that is when Cary and I decided to go birthday shopping for our little one. Only 3 weeks away!

Saturday night was game night, and after the early morning air show, we all went home and started the food and last-minute cleaning for it. Mom made chocolate cupcakes, I made chocolate covered pretzels, and both of us made mummy dogs.





And then it was time for the big reveal of the costumes!










Dad was Phantom of the Grand Ol' Opry and mom was a witch...but with the costume and wig, she could have been a Dolly Parton ghost.













Cary, Brylee, Chester and I were music genres: I was 50's rock and roll, Brylee was 60's folk, Chester was 90's grunge, and Cary was gospel.










We were nervous about how Brylee would respond to her T-Ma and Poppy's costumes, but she was actually very comfortable with them, crawling to them and trying to pull off the Phantom's mask. I guess it's all those times she had been surrounded by clowns and she's gotten used to 'different' people.

We had so many guests at this party! My uncle Richard, his girlfriend Kim, and their little one, Ashton (who was a fire fighter).













My high school best friend (and still close friend) Autumn, her husband Jim, and their little boy Evan were there. It was their first game night, and it was so incredibly awesome to have them there! (Autumn was a cereal killer, Jim was Black-Eyed Peas, and little Evan was a temporary dinosaur)













My aunt Amy and cousins Spencer and Stacy were there. Amy was a small town beauty queen, Stacy was also a flower child (like Brylee!), and Spencer was....well, I'm not sure what he was. But he was there, and that is what matters!















My grandma Jarvis was also there, dressed as a (cute) scarecrow.













Another one of my cousins, Erica, was there. She had just come from a football game, so she didn't have a costume on. No worries...again, what matters is the fact that she was there! (and I promised I wouldn't put any pictures of her on the blog because she didn't want her picture taken).

And last, but not least, my uncle Bill. Who dressed up for the first time...as a mime. Great makeup! Almost convincing...except he talked...a lot...














On the agenda for the night was eating mummy-dogs, decorating pumpkins, and of course, games!





























































































































































The party was over around 10:00 that night. It was so much fun, and it was so nice to see everyone and have a great Halloween! Another successful night!

On Sunday, our church had it's annual Trunk Or Treat...which we walked around and saw our friends from hometeams past and present. And our pastor handed out HUGE Kit Kat bars!

Oh Yeah...

It's a lounge-around-in-your-flannel-jammies kind of day.

Alliance Air Show

On Saturday, Cary, Brylee, mom, dad, and I went to Alliance Airport for the annual air show. I have never been to one before, and it was a last minute voyage for us. What a fun time!

Due to getting ready for the Halloween Game Night, we could not stay long, but what we did experience was so interesting, and I want to go to another one soon!

I wanted to see these babies fly, but I heard that they were the closer for the show that day...at 5:00...the same time game night started. Oh well. There's always next time!









Stunt airplane that we saw and were mesmerized by. The crazy things these people do!




















My dad wanted to go into the cockpit of this military plane. He is fascinated by military aircraft, so this was a great opportunity for us. I went inside with him and got to look around. Unfortunately his camera battery was dying, and I didn't have mine with me, but I hope it was a good experience for him!



























Brylee was such a great sport during this, with the loud sounds of the airplanes going above and the large crowds everywhere. She even managed to get a great nap in!























My favorite part of the show was watching the military fighter plane show it's stuff. We think it was an F-16, and it was so awesome to watch fly by and then the large 'boom' that came afterwards. Wow!
































A really big 'thank you' to my mom who was willing to put aside her busy morning getting ready for game night to go with us. It was so much fun having all of us go, and then help you clean up the house afterwards. It meant a lot!

Brylee's 1 Year Video...3 weeks early!