Our First Goodbye

On Wednesday Ivy Jane had her last chiropractor and therapy appointments and it was a bit sad! Although we've only known these people since March, they have helped us SO VERY much! Sue, the angelic PT, has 34 years experience and it shows. The first time that she came to our home, Ivy Jane looked like she was "nailed to the floor" (that's the way Sue explained her in the initial report). She laid on the floor and did not roll over or kick her legs like a normal baby...now we know it probably hurt! Ivy Jane has gone from that little baby lying in the floor who was waking up screaming in the night every 3-4 hours to a baby crawling, rolling over, pulling up, standing, and now sleeping 11 hours each night! Hallelujah!!!! Not only is Ivy Jane like a new baby, I feel like a new woman because I'm getting my sleep...and anyone that knows me knows I desperately need my sleep!!!

Normally Sue comes while Georgia is napping, but on Wednesday she had an early cancellation and came before lunch. Georgia wanted to do everything Ivy Jane did. It's hard to believe Ivy Jane used to cry & get mad when Sue came. On Wednesday she couldn't get enough of her...and neither could Georgia!

So, do you think Georgia is comfortable around Sue?!?!?

At this point we are not going to continue therapy when we move to Louisiana, because I know all of the things to do with Ivy Jane. She has made SO much progress. She still has somewhat of a head tilt, but the muscle is not near as tight and her vertebrae are back in alignment! Thank you, Lord! We have been given the name of a pediatric chiropractor that we will probably use occasionally. I am so thankful for ECI, for Sue, and for Dr. Adams. God placed them in our lives to help heal Ivy Jane and she is such a happier baby now! I promised to keep in touch with Sue via email...she wants to know when she starts walking! I promised to stop in and see Dr. Adams when we're back in town and now I'm even facebook friends with his receptionist! The first of many goodbyes to come...

a great day

Saturday was an all around GREAT day! It was the first Saturday in several weeks that we didn't have something we had to do or somewhere we had to go. Instead, we were able to stay home and get lots done that we wanted to do! I went to the grocery store, Shelby & Dad completed the list of repairs, I made homemade cookies & I'd say the girls both thoroughly enjoyed them...

I paid the bills, we played in the sprinkler,

we had a picnic lunch, we had a nap, Shelby returned some things to Lowe's and got over $100 back! I got the carpet vacuumed & laundry done, & SHELBY & I HAD A DATE NIGHT! Mom & Dad babysat while we got to go to a REAL restaurant and then a little shopping after...it only last 2 1/2 hours but it was heavenly. I love my babies, but I also love my husband dearly and it had been four long weeks since we had a night out by ourselves. We reconnected and it was so great! We ended the day with everyone getting a great night's sleep and we are ready to face a new week! Bring it on!

Thank goodness...

Wow...thank goodness I'm not getting paid to blog! If blogging was my full-time job I'm sure I would have been fired a LONG time ago! Life as a momma with a 10 month old & a 2 year old has been eating my lunch the last few weeks. It has been CRAZY busy around our house! I've been on the phone with our listing agent with our current home, our closing agent with our new home, our loan processor, our relocation agent, etc. I'm on my 2nd round of antibiotics for the month, fighting a sore throat, fever, and all over achiness. Today is the first day that I have felt like doing any housework, and it SHOWS! Shelby works so hard (he's been traveling back and forth from Louisiana & is TIRED) and the last thing he wants to do is come home and clean, and I don't expect him to. So the floor gets stickier and the dust gets thicker and the carpet gets crumbier, but the girls don't seem to mind! This afternoon I mopped our kitchen floor TWICE...AFTER I scrubbed the really bad spots with a scrub brush...it was BAD people! Planning on tackling the dust and the crumbs tomorrow!

So much has happened since I last blogged...

Georgia has turned TWO! She loves to sit in her rocking chair and watch Elmo!

And she randomly decided to fill her stroller tonight with several shoes, the cap to our Magic Sizing, and her baby underneath it all!

Where have the past two years gone?! Her new favorite thing to say is, "Where'd Daddy go, beebee?" and then she goes through the list of everyone she can think of. She thinks it's so funny. Her language has really picked up...she says a LOT now and we love it. Tonight we were enjoying our night at home and Shelby told Georgia that we were going to relax this weekend--she looked at us and smiled and said, "Wewax!" LOVE IT! We went to Mimi & Granby's house last weekend for one more trip before we move. We went to the Ft. Worth Children's Museum on Saturday...what an AWESOME place! I had been once before when I taught kindergarten but I forgot just how FANTASTIC it is! We will definitely be going back when the girls get older. We could spend an entire day there! We thought it was only appropriate that we get our family picture taken with drilling rig at the "Energy Blast" exhibit...Georgia clearly wanted to be with Aunt Heather...or "Heth" as she calls her!

One of her favorite things to do was shopping at the grocery store...she put things in her shopping cart and then went to the cask register to check out! The giant Light Bright with Mimi was a hit...SOOO cool!
Stacking cups was very interesting...
Driving the ambulance with "Heth"...

Last Sunday we celebrated Shelby's THIRD Father's Day. I surprised him with tickets to the Dallas World Aquarium before we headed home. He loved it, I loved it, Ivy Jane loved it, and Georgia...well, let's just say Georgia was happy to stay in the stroller at a safe distance!

Ivy Jane is now 10 1/2 months old...really hard to believe that I'll be planning a birthday party for a one-year-old soon! She's a sweetheart and definitely a momma's girl.

I'm beginning to think she may be a bit strong-willed...

She & I had a showdown today at nap time. She was EXHAUSTED and I knew she needed a nap. After rocking her to sleep, I put her in her bed, she woke up, stood up and started crying...a mad cry...no tears, just plain ol' mad! After going in to her room every 10 minutes for an hour to lay her back down, she finally gave it up and went to sleep! YESSS...one point for Momma!

We're scheduled to close on our new home on July 8th and will probably be moving the next week! Here is one of the latest pictures. It's supposed to be completely finished on Tuesday...

I'm afraid I'm about to get a WHOLE lot busier!

Georgia Claire's Kitchen

My little almost-two year old has become quite the domestic queen! Shelby & I bought her a kitchen for her birthday and she has been busy the last couple of days cooking, baking, serving, washing, cleaning, ironing, etc. She LOVES her kitchen! I LOVE her kitchen! It really excites me to watch her playing with it because I used to LOVE playing "kitchen". I told Shelby that I don't know who's more excited about it--Georgia or me! I'm really looking forward to seeing Georgia & Ivy Jane playing and playing and playing together!

I ordered it online and it was delivered in a box-all 75 lbs of it-on Monday evening. Shelby started assembling it at 7:15, I pitched in about 8:30, and we were finishing at 9:15! Whew! There were a LOT of pieces and having two baby girls "helping" didn't exactly help with the time thing!

Georgia was so excited when Shelby started...

I gave the girls a bath and got them ready for bed, and Georgia probably wet her diaper when we came back in the living room and saw the progress Shelby had made. She was running in place she was so excited!!!
She had to TOUCH everything!!!
It was a late night, but we HAD to let her play with it once we got it in her room. She said, "Thank you, Daddy! Thank you, Momma!" She would not quit smiling...and Ivy Jane was trying her best to get in on it, too!
Serving the food she had cooked...
She finally crashed and burned around 10 PM, but we were right back at it yesterday and today! She will randomly look at me and say, "COOK!" and run to her room. This picture cracks me up...she was baking cookies and SO excited about it!
And here we are busy decorating cookies...
SO happy!

PARTY TIME

We decided at the last minute to have Georgia's 2 year birthday party this past Friday evening. It looks like we will be moving (or at least the movers will be here packing) on her actual birthday, and I wanted to make sure that we had a family party before heading to Louisiana! It worked out that Shelby's parents, as well as his sister Heather & her fiance Julian could come, too! Grandma, Paw Paw, Andy, Kathy, Luke, Mary Katherine & Caroline were all guests. Georgia LOVES it when they all get to come to our house, and so do we! The party was very low key-hamburgers, hot dogs, and all the fixins, and cupcakes & ice cream for dessert! Georgia opened presents and after cupcakes & ice cream we headed outside to play with her favorite thing right now...BUBBLES! It is SO HOT outside right now...we were going to have a cook-out & play outside, but I decided that NO ONE would enjoy that. It was much more enjoyable inside in the A/C!

I cannot believe our big girl is SO BIG! She will be two on June 17th..wow. In the past few weeks, she is saying everything and is a happy happy little girl. Some of our favorite things she now says are, "Idee Nane" for Ivy Jane, "where Daddy go?" (or any other name), "essit, Momma" (or any other name) when she wants you to sit, and our absolute favorite thing is her reading. She will sit and "read" books saying, "momma happy evweeday" over and over and over. It made me tear up the first time I heard her say it. I have no idea why she says it, but I think it is the sweetest thing ever!

Here are some pics from the party!

The best picture of our family of 4...

You'll notice that in most of the pictures Georgia is not smiling! I think she had a good time! Something I've realized is that she gets really quiet in large groups, even when it's family! Maybe she is going to be shy? She is the most comfortable and the craziest when it's just us at our house. Here she is opening one of her gifts...
A pink broom and dust pan from Aunt Heather and future Uncle Julian! She walks around sweeping things and makes a "shussing" sound.
Multi-tasking...she's going to be a great Momma one day!

Sitting with her cupcake tower, a little overwhelmed..."Why is everyone looking at me & singing?"
Shelby & Ivy Jane...
Georgia (and her cupcake) & me!
and we finished the party with BUBBLES!

Georgia's First Haircut!

This morning we went to run a couple errands before I got the girls ready for the day and before Georgia's FIRST haircut! After I unbuckle her from her carseat she wants to hang out with Ivy Jane while I unload the car. I thought this was so funny I ran to get the camera...legs crossed, just chatting with her little sister! OK, so notice her hair in this picture...kind of "straggly" looking...I can never seem to keep it cute. SO, my hairdresser cut it today for us!

BEFORE...

AND AFTER!
She did SOOOO good! She sat in a booster seat with her penguin cape and did PERFECTLY! When she was done, she got down & did a twirl...all the ladies oohed and aahed. It was TOO CUTE! I just love how it makes her cheeks look even chubbier than they really are! She keeps putting her hands in it. I think it probably feels SO weird to her! With today only being June 2nd and the temperatures reaching 100 degrees, I figure this haircut will be very welcome this summer!
I think she's HAPPY! =)