Internet Down

To all my blogging followers... I haven't neglected to post, I've just been unable to. I won't point any fingers here, but when someone was moving our Internet from downstairs to upstairs the cord broke, so we finally have someone coming next week to hopefully get it fixed so we can be up and running again. So, for now, I'll just post from my parents house and update you with pictures next week.

We are doing a slight remodel at our house. We are turning our downstairs office into a bar. It is looking really nice. We opened up half of the wall that connected the office to the living room and it looks so much bigger down there now. Taylor laid the same wood floor down there as is in the kitchen and right now, the bar walls are up, the bottom level of counter top has been cut to the right size, the bar stools are put together and the flat screen TV has been hung. We have progress pictures of the whole process so far. It's about half way done I would say right now.

We have staining to do for the cabinets and as soon as we get it, the top level counter top, then painting and a little big of sheet rocking- and then all the fun stuff-- decorating, etc. It's going to be a work in progress. We are going to get the above mentioned done and then over time Taylor is going to work on building built-ins behind the bar, open face cabinets, wine/champagne glass rack, mirror, etc. It will look very nice once it's all done, I'm pretty excited as it just makes the basement look so much nicer and spacious and the office was becoming just a catch all for junk so we have now moved the computer upstairs to the kitchen, which I really enjoy and got ourselves a new flat screen computer monitor and installed a TV outlet into our hard drive so we can either use the monitor with the computer or have TV in the kitchen, perfect for watching and cooking with the Food Network, I say.

Besides the remodel, we've all finally survived the flu, I ended up getting it for the second time and Miley's officially lasted 8 days. My dad also got it again, but now we are all healthy and ready for spring!!!!

Miley has been growing leaps and bounds mentally lately. She is just so smart, doing things I never thought a 1 year old could do. She is an awesome stacker, she stacks everything that can stack. She is such a problem solver- she was caring cans out into the living room and for two trips she was caring one at a time, and then she decided that it would go faster if she started carrying them two at a time! She must get that problem solving from her mathematical Dad!! She is really starting to practice her words, she'll imitate the sounds of words that we say to her, but she knows Ball, Baby, Book, people (ex: mama,dada), Pat (she'll say it and pat her lap), Bang (when she bangs two things together) and Hot Dog- and dances, from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, they do the Hot Dog Dance. She is really good with her signs that we work on- Nurse, she'll now just ask for it when she is ready, I don't offer, except for the weekday mornings when we don't have much time, but in the evenings I just wait for her to ask me when she is ready. She knows when she wants More of something and can sign that, and when she is done eating- sometimes she starts to throw and we quickly stop her and ask her if she is All Done and she'll do the sign and say All Done. She amazes me daily!

Like I mentioned, I'll post remodel pictures and Bathtime pictures of Miley once we get up and running this week at home. Until then- hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and good start to your week.

Miley Has a Sense of Humor

Praying for a Better Week

This was quite an interesting weekend, with the flu going around and frigid cold temperatures, it was just all a bit too much. Both our cars ended up getting new batteries when it was 22 below... we couldn't get our cars started and once we did we took them to Cenex and both our batteries were shot, they got quite a pretty penny from us that day!

Miley passed the flu out to everyone- Landon, Grandma Pam, Grandpa Ken and Grandpa Steve are all suffering right now and Miley still hasn't kicked it! Tomorrow will be 1 week and I am hoping she will start to turn around. She threw up again this morning all over my pillow, of course, we had her in our bed because she was very restless and wouldn't settle down, and finally fell asleep again laying next to me so I didn't dare move her, but then at 6am- I got quite the wake up call- straight to the bathtub for her and sheets in the washer. I Lysoled the whole house so I am hoping things will start to turn around.

We did go and cook dinner for my mom today, It is her Birthday! :) We figure we infected everyone already, so we might as well hang out. Mom is hoping she doesn't get sick, she's been around it at work and with Miley, so she is hoping it will pass her. But she has every germ killing spray out at her house too.

Even though the week was rough, Miley still had some very cute moments:

This is her in her chair that she picked out at Toys-R-Us. She is apart of the Birthday Club, which I recommend you signing up your kids, She got a Birthday Card in the mail and $5 off $25 or more purchase and when we were there she got a Birthday Crown and Balloon for free.

Miley helping Daddy with his homework.

Getting into Mischief

Helping Mommy change the bedding



Saturday Night Miley was so tired but very restless, so I thought maybe if her and I laid in my bed and watched a movie she would finally give in and fall asleep. She crawled all over the pillows on my bed, over them, under them, between them and then all of a sudden she stopped moving, I peeked up to see if she was sleeping and this is how she was, she made her little nest and fell asleep, so cute!

Flu Update:

Miley is doing better today, but not quiet up to par yet. She had woken up at 8:30 last night and got sick in her bed, then we headed straight for the bathroom to clean her off and she got sick-EVERYWHERE in the bathroom, including all over me and my face! YUCK!!! We took off her PJ's and headed back into her room to get new ones, and again, all over her bedroom floor. What a MESS we had! But she sure felt better as she played and was acting goofy until 10:30 when she finally crashed in bed with us. I felt more comfortable with her sleeping with us, just in case she started to feel sick in the middle of the night, we would at least be right there to help her, with a towel in bed and another next to the bed for back up!

So far today, nothing has come up. She has had some messy diapers and has hardly ate anything, and didn't feel like drinking too much for Grandma either. But as soon as we walked into the door at home she headed straight for her favorite Pink Cabela's mug and drank a full glass of water, a little bit of juice, and nursed. So, she is getting re hydrated now. I am assuming the appetite will come back in a few days.

12 Month Stats

Miley's 12 month doctor appointment went well. Everything checked out perfectly like always. 29 inches long-- which went down to the 75% percentile from the 90th last time, but they also got a new measuring device that is more accurate, so that could be why it has gone down he said. And I also think that she is about to go through a growing spurt- she's been acting like she typically does before she shoots up. She weighed 25.9 pounds, which is the 95% percentile, he said that she should probably start to level off here now and that her appetite might start to go down and that is perfectly normal. He also said that he would assume that by her 15 month appointment that her height will shoot up but her weight should be pretty steady.

She got three shots, MMR, Hep A and the 1st of 2 chicken pox shots. I was very happy to hear that he was getting her Chicken Pox shot now because of how awful mine was when I was 3. He said it is cases like mine that they now give that shot. In case you don't know, I ended up with a bone infection and in the hospital and home care for a few weeks with an IV around the clock. That experience was my first memory, and a pretty traumatic one.

He also said that her canines should be coming in soon, then we'll have a break from teething until it is time for those 2 year molars to come in. She has been drooling a lot now and has a runny nose, so I'm thinking they should be popping through within the next month or so.

So- now, today, I have been home with Miley, she has gotten a case of the flu bug somehow. On our way out to Pam's she starting coughing and then got pretty quiet- and of course, I'm driving in the dark, in the country, on icy roads and can't look back and see what's going on without getting in an accident and I can't just stop on a dime in the snow, so I was trying not to freak out and calmly slow down and pull over and once I did I looked back and she had thrown up- Everywhere! I didn't know what to do exactly, as this is the first time she has ever thrown up and she was just sitting there, in shock. I had thought it was maybe because she gagged on her mucus so we finished our drive out to Pam's, got in and stripped her down and she went into the bath tub right away. I told Pam to call if she threw up again and sure enough, I had just gotten back to town and filled up with gas and she had thrown up twice already! I headed back out there and we went home and cuddled all day. She threw up once more for me at home and then had a pretty good afternoon and ate a little and drank a lot, which was good. And then around supper time we went through 7 diapers in 30 minutes!! That was quite the marathon! She ate a little cream of wheat because she was hungry and then fell asleep at 6:45 and is in bed all snuggly. So, hopefully we will have a good night so she can get some much needed rest and we'll be back to normal by tomorrow. I'll keep my fingers crossed anyway.

Here are some photos from Miley's birthday night, we had supper just the three of us and a cupcake for dessert.







She just LOVES her Joey!

She wouldn't go to bed last night. I was very tired and couldn't keep my eyes open so Taylor stayed up with her in our bed until she fell asleep, and he had to document this- this is how she FINALLY fell asleep, sitting straight up, leaning against me.

Today, Miley with the flu, playing with her kitchen.

Miley's First BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

I honestly can't believe that I am already writing this post! But we celebrated Miley's First Birthday on Saturday night. It was a wonderful time! She ate a really good supper so I felt good about giving her a whole cupcake to dig in to! When we set it on her tray she looked at me like- Are you really giving me this whole thing!?! And then she picked the whole thing up and squished it between her fingers and basically demolished it before she dug into it. She's a really good eater and doesn't really make too much of a mess so it didn't surprise me that we didn't have frosting EVERY where. It was still a mess- but not as bad as some might have been thinking. She got some great gifts and did a really good job opening them up all by herself. Although, with such an audience, she didn't want to leave my lap while opening.

I always write so much in my posts... I think I'll let these pictures do the talking...





















Her actual birthday is January 5, the same as Grandma Pam's. So I am sure they will have a fun day together since Mommy and Daddy have to go back to work. :( (We have been enjoying our time off with Miley) But we will still have a special supper and another cupcake- just for the fun of it, just the three of us.

And- a fun note for me and Miley... since we have had 10 days off together, we have started dropping a few nursings. Lately, it's been me asking her to nurse and when she is offered she will always take it, so this week I decided to wait until she was ready. We have only had to do it 3 times a day now. Morning, between 4-5 and before bed. She likes that evening one the most- that's because that is the time we get home from work and daycare and she misses her mommy- so that one might be a toughy to drop. But I am perfectly fine with where we are right now. I would prefer her to self-ween if all possible, and why would I take away something that is so good for her at this point in time if it doesn't bother me at all- ya know! :) But we did offer milk now and she loved it, didn't even have to mix half and half or anything, so she gets that with her lunch to make sure she is getting plenty of calcium and vitamins.

Her 1 year check up is on Friday- so I'll update with stats over the weekend.