A Girl's Girl

Sophie has been cracking me up lately. Her new thing is purses... what woman's thing isn't purses. Right? :) Whenever I say, "Ok, it's time to go" she will find a purse, put it up on her shoulder, and head for the door. Hilarious! The purse can be as big as her, she doesn't care, that doesn't stop her. And she wants to take it to the car... just like mommy, I guess. She is too funny!

Speed Walker

Sophie has been walking well over a month now, but I remembered that none of our family in Corpus as seen her do it yet. She is all over the place and she is so fast. So, this is for you guys! Miss y'all!

14 Months

Happy 14 month Birthday, my sweet baby girl!!

Too Cute For Words

We took the kids to get their pictures taken on Wednesday. Let me just tell you, these photographers had their work cut out for them. At first, Sophie didn't want anything to do with sitting still for any kind of picture. So, Bryan (our photographer) thinks that starting with Zachary will be a good idea. He can show little sister how it is done...yeah right. Zach would sit still, but he would not smile for anything!! Bryan had to call in more help from another photographer to get Zach to finally smile. Then it was like he didn't want to stop smiling. And Sophie finally wanted to join in. They just needed to get used to their surroundings and these strangers taking pictures of them. :)
All in all, they took some really good pictures. I think we definitely bought too many pictures. But the ones we got are definitely keepers. The one posted at the top of the blog I got in black and white....PRECIOUS!!!!! I LOVE IT!
See, they ARE sweet with each other. :)

Baby Gage

We finally met Baby Gage (my great nephew)!! He is A-DOR-A-BLE. Ashleigh and Daniel were able to make the trip down from Oklahoma for everyone to get to meet him. He turned three months old today. We celebrated with some fajitas and homemade chocolate cupcakes, made with love by you know who. :) Sophie showed him a little love by touching his hand and then his head, but we had to remind her to be gentle. Thanks to her brother, she has to be reminded of this every now and then. It was so good to meet you, Baby Gage! Can't wait to see you again!

Laid Back

I was busy cleaning/organizing my bedroom and noticed that Sophie had disappeared out of the room. When I went looking for her, I found her kicked back in her old car seat just relaxing. She is such a funny girl.

TaYlOr SwIfT!!!!!

I can't believe that I almost forgot to blog about this! Oh my gosh... I saw Taylor Swift at the Rodeo! Usually Rodeo concerts are just okay, but this concert was awesome! This was the first time that I had been to the rodeo since 2004! I really lucked out with the ticket. My sister and her husband invited me. He got tickets through work and ended up with an extra one... so I got to go! :) We sat in the company's suite and as you will probably be able to tell, this was my first time to ever sit in a suite. I mean, this is the way to go! There was all this food, drinks, ice cream, great seats, and the bathroom... "The bathroom was as big as the blue banana!" (quote from Pretty Woman). Very nice. At one point in the concert, Taylor (because we are on a first name basis :) ) asked the crowd to hold up their cell phones while she was singing. How cool was this? With over 70,000 people attending, the seats were lit up! After the concert, we went outside to enjoy a few rides. Needless to say, I didn't get home till after 1 am! Whew! I hadn't been out that late in a long time. But I was very thankful for my night out. Thanks Martin Family!

Another Rash Update

As of today, I would say the rash is about 99% gone. Yea!! It only took 11 days!! Little stinker, I can't get her to look at the camera with open eyes anymore. Hope next week's pictures go better than mine. :)

My Medieval Monkeys

I came across an old Halloween costume of Gabe's and the kids had some fun with it. Too funny!

Rash Update

I took Sophie in to see her 'regular' doctor on Thursday. This appointment was to follow up on her ear infection, but of course now, we had to follow up on her rash also. It has cleared up a lot since Monday. Here is what we found out from Dr. Patel...
Ear infection is gone. Yea! Rash could be caused from 3 things: 1. Virus, 2. Reaction to the MMR vaccine that she had gotten two weeks ago, or 3. Allergic reaction to the Amoxycillin she was taking for the ear infection. It is hard to really pinpoint what it was since she just had the vaccine and she just started the medicine on the same day. To be on the safe side, we are saying that she IS allergic to Amoxycillin until we can test her for it when she is 5 or 6ish.

The Rash

Saturday, after the party, we took Sophie to the doctor. Gabe was changing her diaper that morning and noticed a rash on her belly and chest area. According to the doctor, it is a virus that causes this rash. A fever also occurs with the virus (which the only time she has really had a fever was when we were at the doctor's office). It is contagious while it is still in the "fever" stage, but the doctor acted like we didn't have to worry about Zach getting it. This only happens to the younger ones. Weird. He also stated that it will probably last about a week and will definitely get worse before it gets better. Well, he wasn't kidding. The next day (Sunday), it was definitely worse. My poor baby. She had spots from head to toe! I couldn't believe it. But I guess it isn't painful. She is still running around like nothing is wrong. She didn't sleep well Sunday night, but other than that, she has been acting normal. I did give her some Benadryl to see if it would help with the irritation. She started scratching at a couple of spots yesterday. I feel so helpless. She looks pitiful. Even Zach has been loving on her more. We have a follow up appointment on Thursday. I will leave an update then.

More Birthdays

Cole and Emma had a combined family party on Saturday. Cole turned 9 on March 4th and Emma turned 7 on Saturday, the 14th. We enjoyed some Carl's BBQ, garlic mashed potatoes, beans, sausage, and of course Estelle's famous cake.
A balcony seat to watch the present opening.
Sophie enjoying a ride in a "baby" stroller. Hilarious.
The yummy cake.
The birthday boy & girl.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear daddy, happy birthday to you!!!!!! March 12th was Gabe's 29th birthday. We surprised him with his favorite... yellow cake with chocolate icing. Yum! Yes, I made it myself. :) And we bought him a new toy... Rockband 2. Okay, it might be a present for me too. :)

Happy Birthday, Honey. I love you with all of my heart. xoxoxoxo

La Mesa Nueva

Aunt Becky bought Sophie a picnic/crafts table for her birthday. The store just now got them in, so she brought it by. The kids started using it right away. Don't worry Aunt Becky, I will move it outside! :)

Road Trip

Friday, March 6th was another special day. It was Gage's (Jarmon (I now have two Gage's in my life)) first birthday!!! His party was in Dallas on the following day. Since our husbands had some school work to catch up on, Jayne and I decided to go by ourselves with the kids. Brave, right?

We took off on Friday at 10:45am. We made it two streets down and Sophie was already crying for her pacifier that she chunked to the floor. So, at 10:48am we were officially on the road again! :) The drive there was long and difficult. None of the kids were cooperating. Zach was in the very back watching movies. He was actually not that bad. Once he learned how to work the DVD player, he was okay. But at first, I was having to crawl from the front to the middle to help him out. The babies on the other hand, were very cranky and over tired. Once they fell asleep, it was a decent trip, but then they woke up and were ready for some food. We stopped in Ennis to eat some good 'ol McDonald's. We took our time eating to give the kids some time to stretch their legs, eat, get diapers changed, and have some dessert. Then it was back on the road!

We got to hang out on Friday night at Tabitha's house. It was good to see everyone (including the kids). Finally, after a long day, we retired to the hotel to get some rest. But the babies had another idea. Not being in their own beds was a difficult situation. Sophie ended up in bed with me and Zach. And then we were all up, bright and early at 6am!! Nice.

Saturday was the party. Tabitha had a full house! I wish I had a free hand to take some pictures. The house was decorated so cute, and the cake was precious. The kids wouldn't leave my side at first, so I didn't really get a chance to take any pictures. Gage was a little cutie pie and I think really enjoyed his mini-alligator cake.

We took off to head back home at 3pm. The trip home was MUCH better! The kids probably slept the majority of the ride home. It was nice. And we only made one stop and that was for me and Zach to use the potty. Once we got home, Sophie was all smiles. You would have thought that we had been gone for a week. She stayed content with her toys until it was bedtime. It gave me a much needed little break.

When is the next road trip??? Hmmm, not for a while. This one was pretty rough without the help of daddy. Thanks for your help, Jayne. I really couldn't have done it without you! :)

13 Months

Okay, I am way behind... sorry to all of my fans! :) This post should really be dated: Friday, March 6th... Sophie's 13 month birthday!!

It has already been a month since her first birthday! Time is STILL flyin' by. It is hard to believe that I have been home (not working) for more than a year now. I recently saw an old co-worker of mine and she actually thought that Sophie was my first born! She said, "This is the first one, right?" I laughed and said, "No, this is #2. Zach is over there (with my sister)." I used to work with her in 2005... just goes to show you, time is passing us all by. When I sometimes get frustrated with the kids (mainly Zach right now), I have to remind myself to cherish these moments (yeah right, when I'm mad it's hard to think this way), that they won't be this size/age forever.
Wow... what a side note! This is supposed to be about Sophie's 13 months! Hahahaha. :)

Sophie's recent schedule:
Wakes around 7:30 (if it's a really good day, 8)
Eats breakfast
We watch cartoons with brother (or The View with mom)
Playtime
Lunchtime
Naptime (usually naps from ~1-4)
Wakes up & is ready for a snack
More playtime
Hangs with mom while she makes dinner
Eats dinner
Bath
Bedtime 8ish

So, we are pretty much down to one nap/day now. I sometimes wish she still took two, but this also gives me a chance to run errands/get stuff done without worrying about her missing a nap. And I think she is adjusting well also.

She also is walking non-stop now. A week after her birthday, I posted a video of her walking. Well, I must have jinxed it. She stopped walking!!!!! But now for a week, she is back to it. I will have to get another video of her. She is too cute!

Check Up

Today we had Sophie's check-up with the doctor. I was a little bit nervous about taking her, because I knew she wasn't going to like it! Boy, do I know my child, or what?
First, let me preface the story with that she has had a runny nose off and on now for like a month, or maybe even longer. It has been crazy.
So, the nurse goes first. Takes her temperature, measures her length, measures her head, takes her weight, and my favorite part: asks me all of the developmental questions. For example: does she say "mama or dada," does she stoop and recover by standing on her own, does she turn pages of a book, does she imitate your actions, etc. I don't know why this is my favorite part, but it is.
Then the doctor comes in to do his part. This is when the fun begins. She didn't like him touching her one bit! She even pushed the stethoscope away. Funny girl.
He did discover that she has (her first) ear infection in her left ear. Hence the runny nose. Poor baby... but I consider it lucky that this is the first one and she is already over a year old. If I remember correctly, Zach had a few by this age. Dr. Patel prescribed some good 'ol antibiotics for it and we get to go back in two weeks to make sure it has cleared up.
Then the dreaded part... THE SHOTS! Oh, how I hate this part. I have to stand there and help hold my poor baby down, while she crys and screams her lungs out. She is so strong though. The nurse had to keep pinning her legs down, while commenting that she was very strong.
Sophie recovered soon after and we were on our way home to take a much needed nap!

Oh, I almost forgot...
Her weight now: 19lbs. 15.6oz. Still a tall and skinny girl!!!!!! :)

More Pics From Our Weekend

Zach playing with the wind chimes

Hangin' on the couch

Child Prodigy #1

Child Prodigy #2

Using the stroller as a "walker"

Taking a break on campus

"Grandma, do you have any gum?"

Sophie Mae (I call her this sometimes)

Baylor Visit

On Friday, me, the kids, and grandma drove to Waco to visit Danni at school. I had been planning on visiting her for a while now, and finally got the chance to go see her. We hung out in her dorm, walked the campus, saw the bears (sic 'em), visited the bookstore, looked at her new apartments for next year, and enjoyed some Olive Garden. That's all of the good things that we got to do. Here's the bad... on the way to Waco, Sophie got sick and threw up in the car all over herself. Nice smell to enjoy for the rest of the trip. She seemed okay after that, but still wasn't eating quite right. After buying her a new shirt and visiting the campus she seemed better. We go to dinner and while waiting for a table, she gets sick again, but this time it is on the both of us! Nice. Dinner was not really fun for me. She didn't want to sit in her highchair, she didn't want to eat, she didn't want to drink. Then she poops (diarrhea). Ahhhh, can this day get any worse? Needless to say, I didn't get to enjoy my meal. I took most of it home. By the time we made it back to grandma's she was a little better. I guess she just had some kind of bug or something. Luckily, Zach has been okay- because that is one thing that I can barely handle... throw up. The joys of motherhood, right? :)
Thanks for showing us around, Danni. I'm glad that we got to come see you!

Hootie Who! This was hanging across the hall from Danni's dorm room. Go Chi-O's!!!!!! :)

Looking at the bears

One of the bears... I can't remember their names.

Danni took some pictures too. I will have to post them later.

Sleeping Beauty

Someone must have slept hard during her nap. She woke up and I couldn't believe how "tore up" she looked. :) I was laughing hysterically and took quite a few pictures (from all angles) because it was so funny. Sophie had some major bed head! LOL