Helmet Bling

I decided to bling out Lucy's helmet. I couldn't deal with just how clinical the white helmet looked. It made it appear as though there was something "wrong" with Lucy and she's obviously just as perfect as can be! Ha! So, here's the front of her helmet:

The back of her helmet:

And, Lucy totally rockin' the finished product:

This helmet design is only temporary. There's an amazing shop in town called "The Wrap Shoppe" and they specialize in auto wraps. They offer an amazing service to all DOC Band babies and their families where they will create any custom design you can possibly dream up, they create a wrap and then they wrap the helmet....get this, for FREE!!!! They won't take cash of any kind. We have a wrap in the works and should have it installed within the next two weeks. I can't wait to see it!!!!

Helmets, poop, ice cream and friends!

I haven't blogged in over a year. I can't believe just how much has happened in this past year. The biggest change would have to be the addition of our sweet little LaLa! This little baby is just amazing. She loves her big brother, her daddy, music (especially Adele's "Don't You Remember"), bouncing, laughing, singing and FOOD. This chunky little monkey can put down some milk, oatmeal, fruits and veggies! Her big brother has gotten so much bigger, too! He's now in second grade and is seriously the smartest, sweetest, most lovable little boy I have ever met. I decided to start blogging again because we have so much going on right now and I want to make sure I always remember these times. I'm not going to be using "code names" for the kiddos, either. Little Dude is Travis Justin and LaLa is Lucy Julianne. Lucy currently has 2 minor medical conditions; Plagiocephaly (flat head w/facial asymmetries) and Torticollis (twisted/wry neck). She has been going to therapy once a week for the past two months and should be graduating soon. During these sessions she works through different holds and stretches while "playing" with her AMAZING therapist, Laura. I am seriously so sad that we won't be seeing her much after Lucy finishes her physcial therapy. Laura has been incredibly kind, patient and gentle. She truly has a gift and we have been blessed to have her work with our sweet little girl. In addition to therapy, Lucy will be wearing a cranial orthosis called a Doc Band...which is just a fancy way to say "helmet". This helmet will redirect the growth of Lucy's skull and correct her facial asymmetries. Lucy had her Doc Band put on today and she doesn't really seem to mind it too much. She keeps reaching up with her chubby little hands to pat it or tug on it. The car ride home from Cranial Technologies was VERY difficult to say the least as she cried the ENTIRE ride home. I don't think it's simply because of her helmet...she's also teething. Once we got home she had some teething tablets and a fantastic nap!!!

Look how adorable she is in her helmet!! After her nap it was time for her weekly therapy session. I drove to the hospital, was feeling super cool when I found a super close parking spot, got out of the car, got the stroller ready and started to unfasten the car seat straps when I noticed my hand was....wet. Lucy had pooped EVERYWHERE! It was ALL over my hand, her hands, her leg, the car seat and her clothes. Thank goodness I had a huge package of wet wipes and a clean change of clothes. I was able to change her in the back of the car while simultaneously wiping tears and sweat away. I was so tempted to just cancel her appt but I sucked it up and made the most of it. We pretty much bathed in hand sanitizer....but, we survived. I whined a little (a lot) on Facebook and I was absolutely spoiled by an amazing friend of mine. Ms. Maddy stopped by this evening with a chocolate peanut butter sundae for a treat AND brought me a box of Cap'n Crunch Berries to ensure that my morning would start off well, too. How thoughtful is she???? Sometimes it takes a rough moment for me to realize just how many blessings I truly have. I've always heard coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous. I truly believe this and I truly believe that he gave me some great friends to help make this journey just a little easier.

Beets

Meet "Beets". My awesome little sister.

She and I have a quite an age gap. There are 14 years between us. She's finally at an age where we really feel like "sisters". Don't get me wrong, I've always loved this little girl with all of my heart. I've always thought she was adorable, sweet, smart and ridiculously funny. Only now, I see her as a beautiful, kind, articulate, thoughtful, intelligent and ridiculously funny young woman. She has been through so much in her 15 1/2 years and always pulls through with a smile on her face. I am so proud to be her big sister.

Tim, Little Dude and I were lucky enough to have her join us on our family vacation to San Diego. I don't think Little Dude would have enjoyed San Diego as much without his Aunt Brittney.
She helped him build sand castles:

She sat by him at dinner:

She went body boarding with him:

Posed for silly pictures:

Helped bury Tim in the sand:

And selflessly shared a bed with my crazy little sleeper:
.

Beets, thank you for coming to CA with us. You're an amazing sister and I love with you all of my heart.

Why would you guys do this to me??

Little Dude is 6. He loves; Super Mario Bros., mac and cheese, golden (caffeine free) Pepsi, happy meals, legos, kickball, his Wii and his family. He does not love; the dark, the fact that he has to sleep alone (he really can't wrap his mind around why Tim and I get to sleep in the same bed, especially because we are "grown ups" and he is "just a little kid"), the smell of mushrooms being sauteed or wearing clothes. Seriously, as soon he walks in the door after school he starts removing articles of clothing. He refuses to sleep in his pajamas and insists on wearing nothing but his underwear. His favorite Sunday morning activity is sitting on the arm of the couch while playing any of his Wii video games while wearing nothing but his underwear, bed head and a smile. That's exactly what he was doing this morning when there was a knock on the door. The adorable little girl from next door (she's 7 and I lovingly refer to her as Punky Brewster) wanted to come inside to play with Little Dude. My sister let her in without warning Little Dude. It was at this time that I received a phone call from Tim since I'm at work. He was laughing as he explained to me the string of events unfolding in our household. Little Dude hollered at both Tim and my sister and asked, "Why would you guys do this to me???" all while trying to burrow under the couch pillows. Punky thought it was great and couldn't stop giggling. Little Dude begged her to go into a different room. Luckily, she did and Tim was nice enough to run outside and grab a pool towel so Little Dude could cover up make a mad dash to his room and his clothes. After he got wrapped up in the towel he ran through the living room, down the hallway and towards his room. He was moving pretty quickly but apparently he wasn't fast enough. Punky decided to take advantage of Little Dude's predicament and chose to have fun with the situation by yelling in her sing-song voice, "Hey, I can still see your underwear!!!!". Maybe Little Dude will re-think this whole wearing clothes thing. But, I doubt it.

(notice his lack of clothing in this picture and the Wii screen in the background. LOL!)

29.....or 7???

How old am I?! I recently turned (gulp) 29. It's the last year of my 20's and I made a promise to myself....I'm going to be more sophisticated. I'm going to take more pride in my appearance. I'm going to be chic. I'm going to be the woman that everyone notices. First on my list...a wonderful lip color. Something that makes me want to smile more. Something that makes my lips buttery soft. Something with the perfect sheen, the perfect color. So, what did I reach for? Chanel? Clinique? Mac? Bobbi Brown? Nars? Close. I reached for a blast from my past. Ye old faithful....Bonne Bell's Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker.

It sounds so silly, but it really is the perfect thing for my lips. It adds just the right amount of color without the weight of a lipstick and without the stickiness of a gloss. And, it brings me back to 2nd grade in California, when my cousin, Cori, and I would jam out to "Kokomo" by the Beach Boys, slather on Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker and drool over Fred Savage in her older sister, Treana's, Tiger Beat magazines. *sigh* Love it!

Best Birthday Present...ever.

Tim bought me a supersonic jewelry cleaner for my birthday. I was super excited when I opened it...however, I was even MORE excited the night before last when Little Dude puked and I attempted to "catch" said puke with my hands. My ring is now puke free and sparkly clean. It's the little things in life that make me smile.

Unsolved mysteries...according to a 5 year old.

Little Dude: "Mom, do girls poop??"
Me: "Yes, everyone poops. Why?"
Little Dude: "Because, I never hear the toilet water splash when you're in the bathroom and girls NEVER talk about poop!"

It is SO hard not to laugh when he asks me these questions! I don't ever want to laugh though because I don't ever want him to be afraid to ask me a question. He is ridiculously funny!