Crazy weekend ahead

Last week was the Macoupin County Fair.  Mike and I really haven't gone in the last couple of years so we figured we would get out with Alli for a bit and go grab something to eat.  Boy was it a hot one.  Thankful we were able to get a place to sit and eat our food in front of one of the big fans.  That was nice.  We stayed cool until we walked back to the car.  We went to Wal-Mart afterwards, because what is a trip to Carlinville without Wal-mart right.  It was so hot, Wal-Mart didn't even seem cool.  The heat must have taken everything out of Alli because she was asleep in the van before we even got all the groceries in.  I finally caught a picture of her sleeping.  She usually wakes up.  She always looks so peaceful.  I love to watch her sleep.

I noticed the other day that Alli had a 3rd tooth.  I didn't even know this one was coming in.  It was another bottom one.  I would have told you the next one she was going to get were the top two.  I think she is working on at least one if not more.  She is really pretty happy for cutting teeth.  Nothing like the ear infections.

Last night Allison had a really rough night.  For some reason all of the sudden she has started rolling over in her sleep and then waking up screaming because she hates to be on her stomach.  I was up at least 5 to 6 times last night.  She would not roll back over.  She had her blanket wadded up behind her and the side of the crib at the other so I dont' know if she felt like she couldn't roll or what.  Needless to say, I was one tired Mom today.  But seeing those little eyes and smile this morning made all of that fade.  I just love that little girl.  But her rough, sleepless night play havoc on her hair.  She woke up with the craziest hair I have seen her have yet.  It was much worse when I pick her up, but you can still tell below how funny it looked.

I don't know how to fix this picture.  Sorry!

This weekend is Girard Festival Days.  Mike has been busy setting up for the Food and Beer Tent.  Friday night "Leaving Ashland" is playing until 1am and Saturday "Sable" is playing until 1am.  It is a long, hot, but fun weekend.  Please come out and support your local fire, rescue, and dive squad so that they can buy equipment and pay for training to keep us all safe! 

Finger Foods/ 9 month well baby visit

Lately I have been having to fight Alli to get her to eat her supper at night.  She wants more and more to feed herself.  I wasn't sure exactly what I should or shouldn't be doing as far as finger foods for her.  So at her 9 month check up the other day, I talked with the doctor about it.  Dr. Cruz said to try giving them to her and that it was good for her to want to be picking up her food by herself.  So Monday night, Alli had her first big girl meal.  She ate chicken, green beans, and potatoes.  She loved it.  She ate quite a bit, I gave her a little of cereal (just to make sure she got enough to eat), and her bottle.  She did great!  This was not the case last night.  Nothing went well.  She cried, screamed, and slapped food out of my hands.  It was horrible.  I was upset, she was upset and it just made for a bad night.  She wouldn't eat ANYTHING except her bottle, so that's what I gave her.  She slept horrible.  I don't know if she was hungry or not, but I didn't want to give her a bottle because I don't want to have to do that every night again.  I just don't know what her deal is with eating.  I am sure it is just a phase, but man it wears me out.  But after being so frustrated and scared because she is not eating, she can give me her smile and laugh and it makes everything right in the world again. 

Alli's 9 month check up went great.  I thought she was going to have to have shots and was relieved when she didn't have to.  They did have to prick her finger to check her hemoglobin level.  It was so funny.  The nurse pricked her finger and Alli looked at her like "What did you just do?"  I wish I could have gotten a picture.  She made an "O" with her mouth and looked at me as if to say "Why did you let her do that"?  She cried for about 2 seconds and then calmed down.  But the nurse had a heck of a time getting the band aide on because Alli was bleeding to bad.  There was blood everywhere.  It was just running out of her.  Once we got it stopped, I had to hold her while the nurse cleaned off the bed.  Alli weighed 23 lbs 2 oz and was 31 1/2 in tall which put her in the 90th and 97th percentile on the growth chart respectively.  She is just getting so big.  Dr. Cruz said everything looked good.  I still can't believe my baby is already 9 months old.  It will be 10 months in a week.

Family Pictures

We got new family pictures done outside at my Grandpa's old barn and pond.  Beth Oswald took them and see did a great job!  She even got Alli to smile which is an accomplishment.  We are very happy with them.  Thought I would share them here.

Life is good!

I will put up a post in the next few days about Alli's first 4th of July and our annual family campout.  It's been such a hot one!

Today I have been really emotional.  A year ago today, I started my regimen of infertility medicines to begin our first invitro cycle.  I remember being so excited and nervous.  We have come so far from that day.  Our IVF cycle ended in failure in archiving a pregnancy of my own, but out of those dark days came our miracle child Allison Grace. The whole IVF process was overwhelming but one I would gladly go thru again if it meant that was the way we got to Allison.  I truly believe that we HAD to go thru the IVF process in order to get to Allison.  I am still not totally sure what lesson we were supposed to learn from it.   I have been sitting here today thinking about the Jason Aldean song "Laughed Until We Cried".  The song has a part in it that goes something like this, "Just the other night the baby was crying so I got out of bed and rocked her awhile and I held her tight and I told her it would be alright.  My mind went back to a few years ago when we tried so long we almost gave up hope and then I remember you coming in and giving me the news.  Oh man we were living, going crazy in the kitchen.  We danced and screamed and held each other tight.  We laughed until we cried".  Those lyrics really are how it was for us.  It sums it up so perfectly.  I couldn't have said it better myself.  I may never know why Alli's birth mother choose us, but I am so thankful that she did.  She is an amazing young woman, who I think of daily and will ALWAYS talk about with the utmost respect.  I don't think I can ever truly convey to her how much she really means to us and what her decision means to us.  It's so hard to believe where we have come in only one short year.  And that my wonderful miracle baby is sleeping soundly in the other room.  I am loving life and am so happy.  Life if great and God is good!