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!

9 months

I cannot believe that Allison is 9 months old already.  We are just amazed everyday that we get to be her parents.  She is an amazing child.  I just love to sit and watch her as she learns new things.  She is changing so fast and I don't want to miss a minute.  I took some pictures tonight with the quilt that Allison's birthgrandmother made.  Alli got really tired of Mommy playing photographer, but she was a trooper. 

Yeah for Allison

Mom, I am so done with this!!!

Finally a smile

If I can just grab Mom's camera she can't take any more pictures.

Allison's 9 month check up is July 12th.  I can't wait to see how much she has grown.  I think she is getting so big.  It will be interesting to see how different her numbers are from her 6 month checkup.





Diaper Rash GO AWAY!!!

We noticed that Alli had little red bumps in her diaper area and had been treating it with the diaper rash cream our doctor recommend.  But after 7 days, it still wasn't any better.  I called the doctor to talk to the nurse.  I had been reading about a yeast infection diaper rash and was afraid that's what she had.  That's what the doctor thought too so she prescribed a cream and we started putting it on.  By Friday her diaper rash was SO bad.  I called the doctor and they told me a few other things to do which included two different creams, rinsing all the chemicals off the wipes we are using, and trying to keep her out of her diaper for as long as possible.  Really, that want me to keep my almost 9 month old daughter out of a diaper.  I didn't see this going well, but if it made her feel better, I was all for it.  So Saturday, Mike cut a garbage bad and laid it out on the floor, we put a blanket down over it, and then put a changing pod underneath. 

She played and was doing fine.  About 5 or so mintues in, I check her to make sure she hadn't potty yet when I notice her shirt was wet and big wet spot on the changing pad.  Mike was right there and started freaking out.  Not only had she peed, but she pooped too.  Now our daughter is not a quite pooper but of course this one time she would be.  Mike runs to the kitchen to get a paper towel.  I pick her up and he holds the paper towel underneather her tush so the poop doesn't fall to the floor when Alli decides she needs to poop again.  YIKES!!!!!  Mike doesn't handle dirty diapers well.  I was laughing so hard.  All I had going thru my head was the scene from Full House where Michelle had a dirty diaper and Uncle Jesse and Joey were home with her.  They ended up putting her in the kitchen sink and washing her with the hand held wand and wrapping her paper towels instead of a diaper.  She wasn't really all that messy and I cleaned her up.  But what a funny few mintues.  By Monday she was looking better, but today she is really red again.  But I am thinking we are getting teeth and that's not helping anything.

We had a photo session on Saturday with my Bosses daughter Beth Oswald who is studying photography at Hannibal LaGrange University.  Alli did pretty well.  I had three outfits for her and we only got to two, but that's okay.  We will save the other one for a little later.  Beth thinks she should have the pictures soon and I can't wait to see them.  Next up are her 1 year pictures.  Holy cow, where has the time gone.  I love her more and more each day and Mike and I are so blessed!

First 4wheeling trip and Mike's 1st Father's day

Last Thursday, we loaded up the camper with the ton of stuff for Allison, the 4wheeler, and all our other essentials and headed out to St. Joe's State Park in Missouri for our Annual 4wheeling trip.  After our last camping trip with Allison I was prepared for the no naps and not sleeping very well at night, but Allison loves outside so we were going to have fun.  We stopped at Hardees to eat before getting to the campground.  I get Allison out of her seat and realize that she has peed everywhere.  So Mike and I grab all her stuff and head into Hardees to order food and change her diaper.  I get into the bathroom only to notice that there is NO changing station.  REALLY!!!  Does Hardees not expect people to have kids and need to change their diaper?  So we head back out to the truck, which is not parked by the door mind you because we have a 25ft camper with it and it's hot, to change Alli's diaper and clothes.  I get her all set and we head back in to get food.  Alli was great while we ate!  Mike gets her out of the high chair and she has peed again all over her clothes.  It was mostly all over her pants, but I didn't have anything else in her diaper bag and I couldn't get to her clothes in the camper.  So i stripped her down to her onsie and back in her car seat she went.  We get to the campground and get the camper set up probably easier than ever.  Our friend Mona took Alli for a walk so she could fall asleep.  Alli took a good nap outside.  I went to take her over and change her and she had peed again in her stroller.  Her stroller was sopping wet so I had to put it in front of a fan to dry and change her clothes yet again.  I wasn't sure how this weekend was going to go after that.  I had quite the load of laundry and we hadn't even been there 4 hours.   There was a nice playground there and so Allison got to play on her very first playground.  They had two baby swings so we swang for awhile.  We took Allison's favorite toy, her jumperoo, and she had a blast playing in it outside. 

She is such a happy girl outside.  She got to visit with lots of friends.  She had a great time.  I can't believe how much she loves outside. 

There were a few times that it was hot so we went in to play.  She loves having her toys in her bag so she can play with all of them.



Allison had a rough night Friday night and was up from midnight to 6 am off and on.  But she was pretty good that day and slept ALL night Saturday night which was a first in the camper.  She really was a good girl and was so happy.  We have been blessed with such a happy baby.

Sunday was Mike's first father's day.  I would like to say that we made it super special by him not having to do any work and he got breakfast in bed, but that didn't happen.  Let's face it, I can't do much with the outside of the camper so he had to work a lot that day and then drive all the way home.  I did let him sneek in a little nap in his chair when we got home.  Sunday morning before we left the camp site, Allison and I gave Daddy his gifts.  Mommy got Daddy a Dad and Me camo picture frame for he and Allison's special times.  I got this especially for their first hunting trip together.  Yes I know it is a few years away yet, but it was just so fitting.  Allison got Daddy a gift certificate for Cabela's and lots of kisses.  I think he had a good day all and all.  I know he was really happy just having his baby with him.