moving, painting and... B12

what a week!

to start... went to the doc a few weeks ago for major joint pain in my arms... they took blood, ran some tests and come to find out... I have arthritis and am in dire need of B12.

learned something new - B12 range is 200-1200 and doctors don't like to see anything below 400.  well, mine was at 228 so B12 shots for the next 6 months.  oh, and did I mention, you get the option to give them to yourself?!?  first shot, no thank you!  today was my second shot and as I sat there with needle in hand and the nurse giving me words of encouragement... hesitation and then wham - I stuck myself in the arm!  since I don't have a doc in Houston yet we thought it was best for me to give them to myself - I'm sure I'll be a pro in no time!!!

arthritis is another story - gotta go see a rheumatologist before I leave town... wow, so much to do!!

moving and painting... we loaded up the largest uhaul truck we could get last thursday with the help of Dray's dad and my mom and dad... and we were off to Houston late thursday to sign on the new house Friday morning.  we are officially new home owners in spring, tx!  friday was spent unloading the uhaul and making multiple trips to home depot for paint.  saturday morning began our painting journey.  after painting 3 bedrooms that was enough for me!!  

master bedroom before and after paint...

nursery before and after paint...

yea - we decided to change everything and go w/ purple/lavender color!!

the other bedroom we painted a deep tan(ish) color and the last bedroom we left as is due to we already loved the paint and... it's a suede faux finish which we thought would be too hard to paint over!!!

I've already instructed the hubby that when it comes to painting the rest of the house... oh, we WILL hire painters!!!  :)

here are just a few pics I took right after closing...

kitchen, family room and study

outdoor patio w/ coy pond

and now... the infamous 'shop'...

and there ya have it!  can't wait to get everything in order and make this a home!!!  we got a long ways to go!!

now my little girl...

this past weekend was the FIRST time I've been away from her for more than a few hours.  not gonna lie - it was hard - but I knew she was in great hands!!  thank you nana and g'pa for taking care of miss B over the weekend!!  I know she had a great time!!

I tried to download a few of the pics nana sent me while we were away... but for whatever reason it wouldn't let me save and share :(  so here's a pic of grandpa taking a pic of bryn the night before we started packing up...

she is getting so big!!  her bottom teeth are almost fully in and I think she's starting to get her top teeth!  nope, not crawling yet... she's got the skills but just no desire right now.  she's starting to wave - we'll wave hi and bye and she moves her little hand... it's so cute!  we are about 5 weeks into the band and the changes are wonderful!!  she's just a growing every day... we're thinking about getting her a 'walker' so she can 'run' all over the house but haven't really found one we like!  I have a feeling she'll start doing everything all at once... guess we better invest in some baby proofing soon!!!

here's to moving, painting and YEA for B12!!!!

I'll be sure to post updated pics once we get everything settled... I just hope it's before her first birthday!!!!!  I'll leave you with one of my fav pics...

the packing...

how's the packing going???  it's going!

like I said - the more we do the more we look around and wonder if this packing thing will ever get done!!  ya never know how much crap stuff you have till it's packing time!!

so here's our progress so far...

our formal has become the 'hot' spot for boxes...

guess it took moving to utilize the game room :)

our use-to-be dining room is now the 'packing' area

as you know - we're TV-on-the-wall type peeps... well, the buyers... not so much!  so yes, we had to fill in, patch and paint over where all the flat screens were on the wall!  Thanks to our realtor who referred us to Marcos who is wonderful and did it all in under an hour!!!

and the infamous 'green' room... seeing as how this was custom paint and of course,  no longer have... what to do??!!  BUT - doesn't it look great with no holes :)

good thing - the buyer came by this morning to look at the house and was VERY pleased with all the wall 'fixes' and was A-OK with the two-toned room :)

there it is in a nutshell!!  I know right... doesn't look like we've done much... well... WE HAVE!!!

see... the butlers pantry is completely empty...

so... with dray out of town till late Friday - we have decided to take a breather!!!

now I find myself going through all of Bryn's clothes/toys and packing all the stuff we use/don't use... who knew a little one would outgrow so many things so quickly!!!!

now for the fun part... my baby girl!

three weeks in the band and all is going great.  oh what a difference it truly makes!  it's amazing to see the difference each and every day!  I can't express how grateful/pleased/relived that we have such a wonderful specialist w/ cranial tech... shout out to cindy for all her comforting!!

I know we still have a ways to go but after all the stress/heartache/worries/etc. I can now finally say I am super happy we decided to do this!!!

here we are playing before our stretches... and after stretches as momma tries to keep the smile going :)

just a growin' every day!!!  she makes me laugh each and every day... from her sounds, to her facial expressions, to her laughter to just being herself!  she has brought so much joy to us and I thank God every day for our little girl!  this is such a fun age... 7 1/2  months... we feel she'll get up and crawl any day now (she's been practicing :) ) and it's so fun to watch her roll from tummy to back and vice versa.  I won't go into all the questions I ask myself / google / do research on... that's a whole other post!!  I also won't go into the 'comparing phase' which is where I am right now.  she's perfect just as she is and I'm proud of her no matter what!!!

with that... I'll leave you with the best pic ever... and thanks to nana for 'spiffin' it up...

c'mon... who doesn't love a naked baby!!!!! 

DOC Band... two weeks

here we are - two weeks in!

I have to say - you can really tell a difference with her head - which totally excites us!!

it still doesn't bother her, which is good, and it's funny... when we take it off it's like 'where's my hat mommy???'  she is a trooper for sure!!!

we finally decided to decorate it.  we went to hobby lobby and bought stickers - I was excited to get my creative juices flowing!  well - you know there's a difference between a ford vs cadillac... well... it was all about the ford!!  creative juices weren't as sweet as one would think!  so we ordered decals from bling your band and they arrived yesterday!

before & after

and here's my little cutie with her new 'bling'

what a difference it makes!!

it might not be the 'cadillac' but it sure beats the dreary white!!

what's new?  she's been sitting on her own for almost a month now and LOVES it!

she's finally figured out how to pick up a cheerio and put it in her mouth - but she still doesn't understand why when she picks up her sippy cup nothing comes out... hopefully she'll figure out she has to raise it up soon =)  still loves her fruits and veggies... we introduced meats... chicken noodle, turkey and gravy... seems to love that as well!

crawling - poor girl!  she already hates tummy time... well, not that she hates it but she's lazy.  when she's tired she'll just lay her head down on the floor and chill.  her little legs are on the right track - she can get them up on her knees and kick but her arms just don't cooperate.  it's like she doesn't have the strength in her arms to start moving.  so... we've been trying to build her strength!  she loves her bouncer - enough to where when she's in it she bounces like no other - I was scared the other day that she would bounce herself right out of it!!!  so no worries with the strength of her legs!!

all the updates I can think of for Miss B.

yes, we are still packing.  I've managed to pack 8 boxes and yet it still feels like I haven't even put a dent into anything!  hopefully I'll start seeing some progress soon cause it can really be discouraging!!!  happy packing!!!

Emotions...

here we are - 6 days into the band.

why emotions?  after we got her band last Thursday they tell you to take it off every 2-3 hours to check for redness - if it doesn't go away after an hour then stop use.

well - we noticed a red spot on her right side above her ear that just wouldn't go away.

of course, it was over the weekend but I called first thing Monday morning and they told me to come in.  sure enough (thankful I called) they told us to leave it off until the spot goes away.

this was Monday afternoon.  it was off on Monday night, all day Tuesday, Tuesday night and this morning.  after her morning nap I thought it looked great so decided to go ahead and put it back on tonight... so... she's upstairs, sleeping like the baby she is and I'm down here praying there's no red spot in the morning!!!

why emotions?  a part of me was like put the band on for the longer she stays out of it the longer she'll have to be in it... the other part of me was like my poor baby's head is red and I don't ever want to put the band back on again.  

I'm not going to lie - I greatly enjoyed her out of it the last few days.

what I enjoy most is her hugs, her rubbing her head on my shoulder and face when she's tired... feeling the plastic helmet in my face isn't the most comforting!  so believe me, I've gotten in all the hugs and cuddling I could before putting it back on!

why emotions?  am I doing the right thing?  am I putting it on right?  am I hurting her head more? does it fit properly? the last thing I want to do is shape her head the wrong way and we're in this thing for the next 6 months!!!  I guess I'll have to believe that all will be okay - that faith will lead us in the right direction - that I'm a good mommy for correcting this now - I pray for strength each and every night and I pray for my beautiful little girl to get through this... (and her mommy!)

here she is on the couch - she woke up early from her nap so we came downstairs to sit for a bit before feeding.

here she is playing and mommy trying to get a picture of her TWO teefies!!

and here we are last night before bed - we were so happy!!

... and sleepy!!

here's to emotions... and getting better!!

DOC Band and teething...

day 5 with the DOC Band.

funny thing - it definitely bothers me more than it bothers her!

certain times of the day are worse - not really crying - more of a whimper and I'm

thinking it's about the teething and not the 'hat' she's wearing.  I'm trying my hardest not to take it off and make sure she wears it for the full 23 hours... but man, it's hard!!!

the one red spot is still there - don't like it - so we've been putting cortisone cream on the spot when we take it off to see if it's heat related - the last thing I want to do is hurt her skin!  I'm definitely going to call our specialist today to see if I should come in to have them look at it or just wait till our scheduled appt on Thursday.  I have a feeling they may get sick of me calling :)

our routine is pretty much still the same.

4 hour schedule with a little nap in the evening.

as soon as she wakes up in the morning I take it off to feed her - let her head get some air and to do her stretches - then it's right back on.  I haven't decorated it yet - we did go buy some stickers and mod podge to do it but I haven't felt the creative itch just yet!

of course, every time I take it off I examine her head to see if I can see ANY changes... I think I do... for example, I'll look at her from the right side and it doesn't look as flat... but she's still got a few 'lumps' on the back so I'm only hoping that just the band beginning to work.  

I'm not gonna lie - I did so much research before we got it - all stories were positive - and yes, I know our outcome will be positive - but what I didn't read is how the parents are really coping with this change.  am I the only newbie who feels this way???  wondering if it fits right, if I'm doing the right thing, if I'm cleaning it right and making sure not to get any lotion on it or get it wet.  

the one message I wish I could get out to all the parents who are going or will go through this is TRUST YOUR INSTINCT!!!  as I mentioned, our ped won't refer until 6 months BUT the specialist at Cranial Technologies said the best time to start this is around 4 months... do they just not talk to each other???  I know, I need to get past this but for whatever reason I just can't.  maybe I should become a spokesperson and go around to all the ped's offices and say REFER at the first signs of plagiocephaly and/or torticollis!!!

so... here we are taking it day by day.

am I stressed - to say the least!!

we have a DOC band

we are teething

we will be moving at the end of February

we have to pack

funny really - I remember (back in 2006) everyone told me I must be crazy to...

get a new job

get engaged

get married

build a house

ALL in one year!!!

it feels like 2006 all over again...

6 mo old in DOC Band

selling a house

buying a house

packing

moving...

who does all this at ONE time... oh yea, ME!!!

hey - what doesn't kill us makes us stronger (well then, I must be a super hero!! :) )

no pics this time (sorry) but promise I will post some of her soon!!

my little girl is growing up and I will say - (even though I know babies are resilient) - I hope that she handles everything thrown at her in life as well as she's handled this change!!!

xoxoxoxo

the DOC Band arrival

our journey has begun:

she seemed to do okay yesterday - she was a bit cranky last night but... is it the fact she has a new 'hat' she has to wear 23 hours a day or... the fact she is now cutting TWO teeth???

guess only time will tell!  she slept through the night last night which mommy and daddy were very thankful for - I was already prepared for a night of running up and down the stairs to soothe her.

so - all early signs point to... we're okay!!

actually - she looks pretty cute in her new bling.  can't wait to put stickers and decorate it!

I will say - I cried on the way home yesterday.  I kept looking in the rear view mirror - my baby with her little white helmet - she just looked like she couldn't get comfy and for that reason alone, it broke my heart!!!  

she grabs at it sometimes - she's so use to rubbing her head and now all she feels is a hard surface - yes, I know she'll get use to it.  but will mommy??!!??

so here we are... today will be our first full day... I'm preparing myself!

my hope is this time will pass quickly and we (mainly I) will be able to look back and say 'now, that wasn't so bad - and now look at our beautiful babies head!'

time will tell...

We have a tooth...

last Thursday - started like all days do

I did notice she was a bit cranky which isn't like her

and oh my... the drool... she's gotta be dehydrated!

we played like normal - momma, of course, doing everything she could

to soothe her - and we were just waiting till daddy came home that evening from

being gone all week... as we're sitting on the couch playing with some toys... 

she took my finger and started sucking on it... yes, she's done this before... but... never had she

bit down and something hard caught my attention pretty quick.  of course she wouldn't

let me open her mouth so I did what any mother would do... I took her in the bedroom to roll

around on the bed to distract her and whatdya know... there was the tip of a tooth...

ok, not the most clear pic but momma had to hurry up and take the picture!!!

so I welcome myself to the wonderful world of teething... OH MY... when does this end???

I'm sure it could be worse - she is more cranky but I can still get her to laugh!

I can't wait to see what she'll look like with her toothies!!!!!