4 Months!

I can't believe that in 4 months time, my heart has been stolen, split and broken so many times.

Stolen because that is what little ones do. Broken because leaving her daily at her daycare just tears me up. Split because it is now shared between two incredible people.

A few funny stories to share about this little one:

• I managed to scare her not once, but twice in one evening, which I say is due to her being tired. But it was funny because I sneezed (literally), and her arms threw out, her eyes got wide, and her grin turned into a frown with trembling lip very quickly. While she was crying, I was laughing really hard and trying to comfort her at the same time. Poor thing is going to get a complex!

• We are treating her dry skin with Aquaphor (BIG thanks to Jane!!!!), but unfortunately that has led to her first major pimple, which caused a little 3 or 4 year old girl to ask me what was wrong with her head at daycare the other day. Try explaining pimples to a young child….
  

• Now that we have debuted the photos that Whitney took, I can tell you that she was grumpy at that time. She had breakfast around 8:00 that gorgeous Saturday morning, and when Whitney arrived, it was getting close to Brylee's naptime. And I thought I had planned it better than that! Because her 'bow' (pacifier) was the only thing that comforted her at the time, we would snap a shot and then put it back in her mouth. When Whitney saw something she liked, she would give the sign, and we would 'pull the plug', hoping that the moment was perfect for her to capture and then push it back in again. After about an hour of this, Whitney began packing up to leave, and Brylee took a 10 minute nap. This apparently was enough to revive her. Whitney ended up staying another hour because the little one was much more cooperative!
  

• Last night, I was playing with her by blowing rasberries on her neck or cheek. She got so much joy out of it. I couldn't, wouldn't, stop, even though I knew I should because she had eaten not too much earlier. But the fun came to an end all too quickly when I went in for her cheek and just as she got into my blind spot, she spit up, giving me a nice surprise of milk just below (luckily) my bottom lip. I knew it was coming!

As a lot of people know, Cary sends out weekly emails to some family and friends. I have decided to keep it from being a baby-overwhelmed blog, I will only do by months. This is the report that Cary has this week from http://www.parents.com/:

(for Week 17)

Your baby probably entertains everyone (including herself) by making razzing noises or blowing raspberries. She'll laugh when you tickle her belly, she'll mimic your words by making similar sounds. Boost both her ego and speech skills by chatting and making eye contact with her whenever possible--during playtime, while changing a diaper. She's a lot more responsive now, and there's nothing more exciting to her than your face and voice.

And here is Cary's input:

"Once again, she is not quite to the above achievements, but she is talking (and screaming) and she is still becoming more and more inquisitive, content just watching things come and go. We are starting to figure out how to keep her from becoming less fussy in the evenings (without just putting her to bed) but her night time feeding habits have gone back to two a night. Other than that everything is good."

My input?

She is sitting up really well, and when I go into daycare, I get to see her sitting in a Bumbo (chair) and they are now also putting her in an exersaucer (activity toy). We just might have to invest in one soon!

She has a doctor's appointment on Monday, so I'll probably add her weight and any new adventures we get to start with then.

Until then, thank you to everyone for their advice and showing interest in our little child all the time. We are so blessed to have friends like you!

Safety First!

I would like to take a moment (I wonder how many posts I have started with that line) and speak about Fire Safety.

Most of you know (as most who read this are family members) that my parents are Fire Safety Clowns in the city of Lewisville. Every year in October, they, along with fellow clown Radio, go to schools and teach kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders Life Safety.

Their job of making a skit entertaining and educational for kids in that age range is hard and demanding, sometimes with their mission starting as early as March. Perhaps even earlier.

Cary has been the most amazing supportive husband and family man, so he and I have stepped up to be the clowns' media group, taking pictures, filming videos, writing scripts, and being assistants to the clowns with going to all the events as time allows.

But a step further for Cary--he continuously is trying to maintain a website, as well as promotional items, to help get the word out.

I can't speak enough about the importance of Life Safety. And by that, I mean, What to do:

• In case of a fire
• If your clothes catch on fire
• Smoke alarm education
• Swimming safety
• Crosswalk safety
• What to do when dialing 911 (the information to give)
• And so much more!

This might be common sense to some adults, but I am still learning new stuff all the time. Children are not born with this education, and it is up to families and teachers to help them understand this. This simple education could make the difference in life or death.

Please check out the website that Cary put together: http://www.lewisville-lafs.com/. Sit down with your kids and discuss the importance of being safe. It's never too early to start! Also, check out all these really cool items you can buy: http://www.cafepress.com/LewisvilleLAFS

His first design:

And his newest designs:

(And I hear there is another Petunia in the works!!)

Sleeping Advice, Please

To all parents out there that happen to read my blog:

How do you get a 4 month old adjusted to a new schedule for sleeping/eating?

Brylee has been, for the last month or more, sleeping mostly through the night, with the exception of a bottle at 4 a.m. So, needless to say, that 4 a.m. became 5 a.m. this week with Daylight Savings time. I bet the 'inventor' of that didn't have to deal with infants and sleep, or a new job position that they are still getting to know...

I wake up at 6:00, so the 5 a.m. feedings pretty much leave me awake.

But wait, there's more! (that is one of the funniest lines ever, and I like to use it whenever I can). She has (just this week as well) started on a 1 a.m. feeding, leaving Cary and I wondering what happened that she suddenly feels the need for that additional time. Could it perhaps be a growth spurt?

If it were as easy as just the 5:00 feeding, I would set an alarm to surprise her with an earlier feeding so that way she would get onto that schedule, but with the 1 a.m. thrown in, I'm a little confused.

Any thoughts?

Thank you ahead of time!

Catching Up Is Hard To Do...

Wow. So I am now 2 weeks behind, AND decided on a whim to start a Blog Of The Month Club. What on earth am I thinking???

Perhaps I need to find a way to get paid for this, make it a full-time job, AND stay at home with my little one. One can dream, can't they?

So, let's see. 2 Saturdays ago, which happened to be March 6, my parents, Cary, and I headed out to Ft. Worth for some fun in the sun at the Japenese Gardens. This would have been so much more fun if:

1) There were more trees blooming. There was 1. Yes, just one tree that made a beautiful appearance, flowers off of every branch.

2) If Brylee decided to be awake and content. She went around in her stroller, sleeping the entire time. What do I expect from a 3 1/2 month-old? Happy, awake behavior with no fussiness. We even took her out once so we could get pictures proving she was there with us, and not just a stroller. She was not a happy camper. You could hear her wailing all around the gardens. But once we put her back into her stroller, she was out again.

Of course, I really don't have high expectations, and hope that everyone knows that I don't expect all trees to be flowering and full of beautiful leaves this time of year. Or that I really expect my little one to be happy and excited (or awake) at this age. Just trying to give my blogging some spice (thanks cjane!), but sound like I'm complaining instead.

Back to writing....

I wish I could remember more about that weekend, but since time has flown by, I have lost it. But not the funny memory of Cary missing a turn and pulling into a Dairy Queen non-chalantly to see if we wanted a beverage so he could turn around. Too bad that particular Dairy Queen had a broken soda fountain and only had lemonade (which turned out to be water) and tea. But what a clever way to hide missed streets!

This last week was also fun of great memories and good times, starting with dinner with friends, shopping for birthday gifts, and then a concert.

Brad, Faith, and Helen drove in on Friday, where the adults left the young'uns with their grandfolk and went to Love And War In Texas, a restaurant in Grapevine. Tonight they were debuting their patio with a concert, starring one of Cary and Brad's favorite artists: Max Stalling.

2 other groups/artists performed before he did, so we made time to eat and then listen afterwards. The band that went on just before Max was named Black Top Gypsy, which had a member that is Max's wife. That happened to be in the restroom at the same time as I was! (that part is really irrelevant, but I know Cary and Brad would be disappointed if I did not include it).

I have not been the biggest fan of country growing up, but my appreciation has grown since being with Cary. So much so that I enjoyed Black Top Gypsy and Cary got me their cd. My 2nd country album ever!

The most fun was watching Cary and Brad act like little kids when they saw their favorite artist, and I was impressed with how normal Max is. He sat in the audience watching the other bands, as well as walked around and just chatted with concert-goers before his time to go on stage. Did not have the attitude of a celebrity at all. My respect for him is high witnessing this, and also seeing him with his family.

On Saturday morning, Cary and I woke up (slept in!) and went to his parents' house, where we celebrated his mother's birthday early. What a fun day, perfect for a fun woman.

The decorations were cowb0y-themed, because as a kid, Brenda wanted to be Annie Oakley. We had red bandana plates, napkins, and tablecloth, with a sheriff's badge and gun for the guest of honor.

I love when creativity flows through my brain. We didn't have a Happy Birthday banner to hang from the windows as we usually do, so I cut up some bandana napkins, Faith wrote 'Happy Birthday Oma' on them, we taped them together, and Cary hung them up. We might have to do that again sometime. It was clever, and fit in with the theme perfectly!

The party was fun, with a couple of games, delicious hamburgers, and yummy chocolate cake with white icing for dessert. Brenda even got a few great gifts! Because this birthday was early (10 days!), we told her that she gets to celebrate for that entire time. Hopefully we can keep up!

Saturday evening was more relaxing at my parents' house. Pizza and a few games, as well as watching Wall-E for Brylee, who fell asleep quickly. She ended up staying the night at her T-Ma's and B-Pa's. Lucky girl!

Sunday took us to Live Oak Church to visit our friends, the Kenney family. This is the first time that Brad and Teresa have seen little Brylee since she was in the hospital, freshly birthed, and the first time their kids (who I used to babysit) have seen her. I still can't get over how beautiful the Kenney kids are. And talented!

The rest of Sunday was spent running errands and relaxing. For a relaxing weekend, we sure were busy!

Blog Of The Month: Nie Nie- Revised

I know I have blogged about this person before, but this lady (and her entire family) continues to impact my life.

Nie Nie's blog is so whimsical, so beautiful in every way. She has raised her 4 beautiful children to be creative, happy, and loving. And strong.

In August 2008, Nie Nie and her husband were in a private airplane crash and survived, but their friend did not. Months and months of therapy, ongoing surgeries, and adjusting to life with pain as a normal way of life. But inspiring. Oh how her writings touch my heart!

How does her blog affect me?

Most know that I am afraid of flying, but I refuse to let my life not be full of adventures, so I will step on the plane. With prayers, and holding tight to my loved ones. And every single adventure has been great, and I've never regretted it.

I did not come upon her blog until I read on another blog that posted about it. When I read about updates from her family, I couldn't help but want to know more about this person that had stolen so many hearts. So I went all the way back and started at the beginning. There I found a mom who loved to talk about her vegan diet, raising her children to play in the rain, and the big celebrations she had with her large Mormon family.

I now enjoy reading her updates and see how she is doing her best to raise her kids as a regular mom, even though she faces challenges that so many don't have to face daily. What a strong woman!

And a beautiful one as well.

For next month, I am reading Nie Nie's sister, cjane.

Happy reading!

LAAM Presents: Blog Of The Month Club

What am I doing up at 8 a.m. on a Saturday when our child is at her Oma and Opa's? Being inspired!

When I started writing my own blog, I would be between posts and want to read about other people's lives. So I started out with my cousin's blog and clicked on one of her friends, then clicked randomly on one of the blog links on the side of theirs, and either read that or continue the clicking onto blogs with catchy titles and so on.

If I really like the blog that I find and want to continue reading their story, I save them on my reading list and try to add it as a sidebar so that others will see it. But why not put in a word or two as well? Perhaps this can encourage people to branch out and find blogs they would like to read, as well as be inspired by, as I most definitely have been.

So, today, I want to introduce my version of Blog Of The Month Club. I will present a blog that I found and go back to the archives and read from the beginning, because it is so fun to get the full impact of them and their story. Then I will do a review, and hopefully if you find it interesting, you will check it out yourself. Or maybe introduce me to a few as well.

As a side note, I am not here to kick dirt at anyone else's blog. If I am doing a blog about one, it means it was enjoyable and significant to me. I will not speak ill of the blogs I do not relate to, because, like books and human nature in general, we are all different, and their lives are no less important or significant to them or me. I will simply click on another blog from their recommendation list and move on, not even revealing that there may have been one I did not read fully.

Just another task to add to my already busy life! Did I add the fact that I am already behind 1 week in my posting? Yep. About to add another weekend as well!

Happy reading!

The House That Grandpa Built (Or A Weekend Of Olympic-Sized Proportions Part II)

So now for the second part of a weekend that happened 2 weekends ago. With a twist.

For as long as I can remember, my grandfather owned some land out in Cedar Creek, right on the edge of the lake, and you can look out and see a golf course on the other side. On that land for a few years sat an old house on stilts. With stairs leading up that you had to watch your step. And I don't even want to think about the time mom found the scorpion in the bathtub...

I don't remember what year it was, or how old I was (if I knew my age, then I could easily calculate the year!) when Grandpa and Barbara built a beautiful house in it's place. Large rooms and closets, the kitchen makes me envious with the cabinets, countertops, stove, and island.

The yard was luscious and green, no worries about walking around barefoot and getting stickers or splinters. And a dock that housed a boat and jet skis. Oh the most glorious jet skis! That boat and those jet skis provided hours and hours of entertainment for the Jarvis clan. Christmas time was the only time we would go and not be distracted by them. Instead, it was the presents!

This weekend, though, we all gathered for another reason. No jet skis, no presents. Just time with our family. And going through Grandpa and Barbara's things.

Now, I noticed that this looks worse than it is. We went through their stuff because that house on Cedar Creek Lake is going up for sale. As depressing as that is for us, I see a very good thing as well: Grandpa and Barbara are moving closer to us. This means that we will be able to see them more often!

This house needs a far better, more emotionally tied post to it, and there will be one. I need to dig through pictures to help tell the story better.

For now, though, since this post is so far past due, I will leave it with this weekend recap. On top of the trip out to the house that Grandpa built, a GPS that we are determined is out to get us, and Barbara meeting little Brylee for the first time, we went home that night for me to suddenly get sick (the 'big' surprise). I left poor Cary to care for Brylee and get ready for the work week.

A couple of days later, all 3 of us stayed home from work and daycare. Brylee was the best out of all of us, only spitting up her food occasionally. The whole week was plagued with illness and exhaustion. Hence the way late post.

I promise to write more about this wonderful house that hosted so many gatherings, celebrations, holidays, and more. Though the house may not be Grandpa's much longer, the memories will be, and I want to make sure Brylee can grow up understanding just how great this place is. It is far more than just a house.

Amazing Pictures!

A family friend of ours is a photographer who took our pictures at our wedding. She understood what we wanted and I can see from her gallery on her website that she knows how to capture the moments so beautifully.

And now she is expanding her portfolio to children. She was brave enough to work with our little one, and the pictures turned out BEAUTIFUL! Here are a couple of my favorites:



Please go check out her website to check out more of the pictures. Give her a call today for your family or kid portraits!

Some Pics of Brylee That Make Me Smile

This hat we bought before we knew what we were having. I can't wait to get a better, less fuzzy picture of her in it!

Love the ears attached to this hat that is from my cousin!

This is the hat she came home in. Let's just say that her head has grown slightly since then!

A Weekend Of Olympic-Sized Proportions Part I

What a weekend! So much so, that I am just now getting to it 1 week later. I do hope it was enjoyable for Cary, as it was full of birthday celebrations and even a few surprises...well, one big one. And it was not a fun surprise.

The weekend started out on Friday afternoon, around 4:30 when I got off of work. Cary and I packed up the necessary items, including the dog, went to pick up Brylee, and drove to his parents' house, where we had dinner.

Mouth-watering dinner.

Steak, sweet potatoes, yams (did you know that there IS a difference? Not me), black-eyed peas, rolls....I'm hungry now just thinking about it. And don't forget the dessert--chocolate cake with Gary's special hard chocolate icing on top--delightful!

Poor Brad, Faith, and Helen were not able to join us because they were feeling under the weather, but we were able to make the most of it with the 5 of us. Don't worry--I had enough cake for all 3 of them. Thanks for sharing guys, and I hope you feel better!

We went home that night, full, satisfied, and hopefully Cary feeling spoiled.

The next morning, I woke up early and started breakfast for Cary--our home favorite: waffles. After that, we spent the morning relaxing and enjoying the peace. Lunch was Indian buffet--my request for stepping back into the exotic food life. I love the buffet at Our Place--they always have food that resembles fried onions and Chicken Tikka Masala....easily in my top favorites. And naan....oh how I have missed you old friend!!

After lunch, I got to do something rare these days: take a nap. And how it was so wonderful!!! It lasted about 2 hours, but of course, Cary heard me say a couple of times that it was not long enough!

After we woke up from the nap, we sent our little one to her Oma and Opa's, and then headed to my parents' house to celebrate Cary's birthday again. Dinner was at 7 Salsas, and while eating, I came up with a brilliant (yet very cheesy) idea to celebrate Cary's night: Olympic style.

So with a 'quick' stop at Party City for medals, we headed home for our events. What was originally going to be a game of Kerchunk (or Throw It And Duck) turned into several board games because the darkness still comes early. Yahtzee, Uno, and a new game, Left Center Right, was played to determine who's country would be the best of the best. And gifts for Cary, as well as cherry pie, mom's first (and delicious) attempt at making this culinary dessert!

The outcome?

McJennyia won the Bronze, a.k.a, a cowbell attached to gold beads
Freedonia (dad's country) walked away with the silver
And Untied States of Carydom and Chesterville tied for the gold.

Everyone seemed to have a great time, until I insisted on the picture at the end where we all stood on our appropriate platforms, displaying our proud medals, and having a picture taken. At least I didn't buy bouquets of flowers for them to wave to our imaginary, yet loyal, fans.

Tired, the president of Untied States of Carydom and the Prime Minister of McJennyia drove to our neutral territory and fell asleep in our very comfortable shared bed.

I am proud to say that no war had broken out due to conflicts during our Olympics. 3 out of 4 countries remain allies. The 4th is on its own.

**More pictures to be added soon, as well as Part II!

Today...

I made a new friend! Well, aquaintance for now. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I don't want to scare her off with a stalker-like personality (which I DON'T have, BTW...)

I introduced myself by slipping a little note between our cubicles. There is a tall wall between us (actually on 3 out of 4 of my sides) and I can't see anything exept the person across the aisle from me, who continuously has ear buds in for listening to music.

I miss my old row. We were rowdy between calls. This row is...well, too quiet. So I decided to make the most of what I can do well--meet people.

I thought it was clever. She seemed to like it. Hopefully it made her day.

It made mine.