Tuesday, October 30, 2007

We're Back!

Good Morning,
We made it home safely last night and this morning we are very off from the time change. Maddie is still sleeping and it's almost 8:30am (which has never happened before). We will take it easy today and hopefully make it to Gymbo. I need to upload the pic's of the trip and then I'll put them up on the blog. If you're wondering about the flight, it was stressful. Gabe and I tried to keep a good attitude and Maddie wasn't being bad, she was just really frustrated and at a certain point, just really sick of being on a plane (I can't blame her, I was feeling the same way). We are already worried about our flight at Christmas-but what can you do? More to come later...

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Gabe is on his way :)

Hello All,
We are having a great time. I just got done baking the Elmo cake for her party on Sat. I'm going to frost it in a day or so, but so far so good. The cake is chocolate and looks pretty cute. Went out to lunch at my favorite sushi restaurant here today and my sister's good friend AZ was our waitress. Small town. Maddie did not have sushi-she ate grapes, cheese and some pasta we brought from home. They seated us in front of the aquarium and she loved looking at the fish. My mom and I are taking her to a park this afternoon. I'll take lots of pic's. I just tracked Gabe's flight and he's flying over Wyoming right now. Only 2 and a half hours til he lands. Can't wait.
So, we're having a blast, and feeling that it will be very hard for me to leave California this time...

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Day 5

Good Morning,
Maddie and I made it as you can see and we finally adjusted to the time change :) Yeah. We've been pretty busy since we got here, but today is going to be more like normal, with errands to run and food to eat. I've taken some pic's here, and I will try to upload them soon. We're busy today getting party things together for her birthday party on Saturday-Elmo themed. Alexa sent me the pic's from Maddie's 1st party in Virginia, so if you'd like to see them, then click on the link below. Have a great Tuesday...

http://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q63/newstart20/Maddie%20Birthday/

Thursday, October 18, 2007

California or Bust!

Well, it's about time for me to go to bed because I'm getting up at 3am! Our flight leaves at 6:30am out of Dulles and I want to leave plenty of time. This time tomorrow night, I'll be in CA. So excited, but nervous about flying with Ms. Squirmy Pants. Think of me early in the morning as I'm making my way across the country. And if you pray, pray for us :) I'll blog and hopefully post pic's of our trip as it's happening. See ya in 10 days VA...

Monday, October 15, 2007

Clothes, Books and Rocking Horses-Oh My...






Hello,
Maddie had her birthday party on Saturday and I think I've finally recovered :) It was A LOT of work-but Gabe and I really wanted to make it special-even though she'll never remember it! WE had about 20 people here in our small living room, but it was a blast. Maddie was napping as people were arriving, but she woke in time for her daddy's excellent BBQ chicken and baked mac & cheese (made from scratch). I made her 2 butterfly cakes (1 of which is still in the kitchen). I forgot to take a picture of the one we all ate, so the picture you see is of the 2nd cake. They turned out really well-I was determined. We opened presents and Maddie got a lot of warm clothes (we really needed), some toys, a book and a very special rocking horse named Velvet from her Aunt Janie and Aunt Patrice. She likes to pet his mane and she likes to ride him, but she needs help because her feet can't touch the ground yet! Tucker was pretty interested in Velvet too...I think he thinks we got another dog :) We tried to put her party hat on her, but she really hates to wear things on her head. Also, other people took pic's because I was so busy, so the pictures I have are few. Alexa is supposed to send me the ones she got online soon and then I'll post those.
We leave for California in 4 days and I'm excited, but also a bit nervous for the flight. We leave really early in the morning, so I'm hoping she feels tired and can rest. She has her new car seat now (thanks Nonni) and she'll be able to ride facing forward on the plane, so hopefully I can keep her occupied :) Gabe will meet us there about 6 days after we leave and then fly back home with us on the 29th. Just in time for Halloween. Maddie's costume came in the mail the other day and it's so cute. She's going to be a pumpkin (but the costume is a silky material) and it's really nice. I'm excited for her to dress up. I think that night we will be trick-or-treating with Siobhan, Aibha and Greg. Aibha will be a ladybug this year. I'm sure we'll have lot's of pictures from that.
So, we have a busy week ahead of us. Lot's to do to get ready to leave and I even want to try and fit in a pumpkin patch excursion :)

Friday, October 12, 2007

Big Scare :(


Hello All,
I'll start by telling you that Maddie is fine, but yesterday we did have a big scare. Gabe's Mom, Sandy, and I took Maddie to her 1 year appointment for a check-up and shots. Well, I already knew it would be a hard day because it's really hard to see and hear your baby cry (especially when they cry like that). The check-up was great. Maddie is now 18lbs 9oz, and 28" long. She's still in the 10th percentile (she's miniature). But, she's met every milestone and has even exceeded some, so the doctor was pleased. At her 1 year appt. she is supposed to have her finger pricked for the first time to look at her blood. That was pretty terrible. She flipped out and hated the woman who was doing it. So, the visit was over and we left and went on with our day.
Maddie and I were shopping for her new car seat when I got the call. It was the doctor from the morning saying that the number for Maddie's white blood cell count was really low and she needed us to come back so they could take her blood again and re-check it. Okay, "breathe" I thought. I seriously had a moment where it felt like a dream/nightmare; "this isn't happening." I asked her what "low white blood cells could mean", and she said "the first thing is to retest, and if that produces the same results then we need to find out why her bone marrow isn't making enough white blood cells." I told the doctor I would rush there with Maddie and I called Gabe to leave work and meet me.
The drive to the doctor was unlike anything I've ever felt. The worst ran through my head-"does she have cancer? is it because I've heated her bottles in the microwave? how will I be able to handle this?" I started to cry and pray "please let her be okay...she needs to be okay...please let her be okay...she has to be okay..." I felt like I was going to throw up and to be honest have NEVER been so scared in my whole life. She's so healthy and watching her get shots that morning had been incredibly stressful; I couldn't imagine watching a child go through any kind of medical treatment for a disease.
Maddie and I got to the doctor's quickly and they saw us right away. The doctor kept saying she was sorry to worry me and that Maddie seems so healthy, so it's probably nothing, but we need to retest to be sure. So, off we went to get her finger pricked again. That was a nightmare. As soon as Maddie saw the woman who pricked her finger earlier, she started to scream. She already knew what was going to happen. They took the blood and Maddie and I waited in the waiting room for the results and for Gabe. Gabe got there, and we waited for 15 minutes while Maddie played with another baby who shared her birthday. We made small talk with other parents, but I couldn't get my mind off of the results we were waiting for. I continued to pray in my head "she has to be okay..."
The doctor came out of the lab room and she gave us the thumbs up! "thank you, Lord," was my first thought. She came and told us that the number was totally normal and that it must have been a lab problem (like her blood clotted too soon in the tube before it was tested). She said the number is exactly what it should be and there's no need to retest in the future or follow up with anything. She's completely healthy.
I think facing that yesterday should remind us of several realities. I think we all take our health and the health of our children for granted, that life is truly fragile, and that the outcome of things is out of our hands. I'm so thankful today that she is a healthy little girl.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Pictures from last night's celebration...


Hello All, sorry no video from last night because we used our video camera instead and I think that's too long to upload, but I can take a look later. We went to Sandy and Carlos' last night for dinner, presents, a bath, and cake. It was fun. She liked looking at the candle when it was lit, and then she went straight for those raspberries; in fact, she ate them all! She liked them better than the cake itself :) What can I say, she loves fruit... We are getting ready right now to go to the Pediatrician's office for her shots :( It's scheduled around the time she get's tired, so I'm hoping she falls asleep on the ride home and wakes up happy so that we can go to Open Gym and see Aibha and Siobhan. We have lots to do to get ready for her party on Saturday, so I'm sure that will fill our next 2 days. Have a great Thursday!


Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Madeline is 1 Today


Maddie & Mommy 6:00am (just woke up!)

Good Morning to Everyone! Well, it's finally here. Maddie turned 1 this morning at 2:16am. Wow, how fast a year has flown by. I have to admit that last night I was SUPER emotional about today. I remember being in the hospital like it was yesterday and I'm sure I'll say that every time she has a birthday, even when she's turning 30 :) I was crying last night because I was feeling like she's no longer a baby-sort of like grieving her babyhood. I called my mom and she reminded me that even though Maddie is 1 now, she still needs me for a lot and has a lot of growing up to do. But, it's that whole blink of an eye thing that keeps getting me. We are only here for such a short time in the grand scheme of things. It's hard to see it fly by so quickly because it reminds me that as she gets older, I too am getting older. I mean, I have wanted to be a mom ALL my life, and the fact that I'm living that right now is wonderful, amazing, hard at times, etc. I guess I'm feeling like her and I were made for each other and what happens when she's grown up? I know, I know, you're thinking, "Sarah, she's only 1; get a grip." Well, here she is. This little person I had a part in creating. It's pretty amazing to have her in our lives and it's also hard to remember a life without her. I really believe that she is the best thing that's ever happened to me; without a doubt. She fills my days, makes me laugh, brightens my world, reduces me to tears and pushes my buttons.
For those of you that love her, thank you. Thank you for caring about her-I couldn't ask for anything more.
Happy 1st Birthday, Madeline Elisabeth...It's going to be a great year.

Friday, October 5, 2007

The Weekend is here...

Good Friday Morning to you! I'm here at the computer while Maddie is upstairs trying to fall asleep for her morning nap-wait, there's silence :) I think she fell asleep (yeah). We had a busy week. We've taken walks, been to Target (a million times), went to the grocery store, played at Gymboree twice, walked around the mall with Siobhan and Aibha, picked up my wedding ring (so pretty and now the wedding band is soldered to the engagement ring-much better), talked on the phone to Grammy Sandy in the hospital, went to doctor and discovered I have strep-throat, had sofa and chair steam cleaned, and many other things I'm sure I'm forgetting. In case you're reading this and don't know, Gabe's mom, Sandy, had knee replacement surgery on Wednesday and she gets out of the hospital today (finger's crossed). It went well, and she's there recovering, but they have her on a lot of drugs, so she's feeling pretty out of it. Gabe's been going to see her each day, but because I have strep and the baby isn't 12 years old (rules at the hospital) we aren't allowed to go see her. We plan to see her at the house tomorrow and keep her company for a while. Gabe's been really busy at work. Early mornings and later evenings than we're used to. Tomorrow he'll work and I need to figure out a cake recipe for Maddie's b-day next week. Cannot believe she's almost one. I'm going to save the sappy stuff for her actual day, but I've been going over it in my head. Sunday, Gabe is off to the Redskins game with his buddy Alex. Maddie and I are on our own. We are probably going to see Alexa and Ella once we decide what we want to do together. So, not much going on for us. We'll be around. There's only 5 days til' her birthday, and only 14 days til' we're back in California!!!!

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Short Video



Only 8 days til' she's ONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!





Monday, October 1, 2007

Chilli, Cookies and Cornbread

Good Morning,
It's Monday and Maddie has decided to sleep in a bit (Yeah). It's 7:22am and not a peep, yet... Saturday was nice. Gabe was gone the whole day (sad)-he had to work and then to dog show and then back to work to bathe the show dog, and then home. Maddie and I got up early and went to the Farmer's Market in Old Town. We bought one large tomato, two apples, a loaf of sandwich bread, a mini blueberry bread, and a basket of brussel sprouts. I know, none of the items seem to go together, but that's sort of how the farmer's market is. Plus, it was fun to see how the selections have changed now that it's supposedly fall here. I say supposedly because even though the calendar says it's fall, sometimes the temperature says summer. Anyways, Maddie and I came home and hung out and then went on a nice long walk in the afternoon. It was a nice day. On Sunday, I woke up early and went to church. It was a good service and once again I was thankful that I could get there. I say that because often on Sundays, something will come up that will make it impossible for me to get to church-dog show, out of town, etc. I decided later in the day to make chili. I made it in the slow cooker and also made some cornbread to go along with it. Then I still had time and Maddie was napping and Gabe wasn't home, so I decided to make Halloween sugar cookies-and then decorate them with frosting and sprinkles. We took the food over to Gabe's parents house and fed everyone and they were saying that I had been "very domestic" that day. I said, "yeah, that and I was trying to fill my day..." Have a great week!