Little Smarty Pants

Just wanted to post a quick blog to somewhat brag on the smartest baby in the world....Sophia Rose! Ha, ha. Well. I guess we are getting there. But I am amazed at all the things she is picking up on lately and how she can take commands and stuff like that. Real big girl stuff.
For example, today when I was making her lunch, she was hovering like usual and dragging some toy around the kitchen (directly under foot). I told her to go in her room and get a bib so we could have lunch. Her room is not at all far from the kitchen, as in, I can see into her room from it, so I wasn't worried about her going there alone, if she in fact would go. She did start to head that way, dragging her toy behind, slowly going in that direction. I kept repeating my instruction to get a bib and she kept going in the right direction to get one, slowly but surely. Normally when I am trying to put up laundry, she takes out all the bibs and towels and washcloths because they are easy access for her.....just in bins/baskets under her changing table. Not a big deal, just more for me to put away. Anyway, all of the sudden she is heading back to the kitchen....still has the toy but also has a bib!!! She got lots of big hugs and kisses and praises for listening to Mommy and being such a smart girl. She seemed pretty happy with herself.
Later we were playing on the floor (well, Sophia was doing more playing....Mommy was sitting on the floor with her paging through a Parenting magazine) and Sophia crawled over to the box of diapers we just had delivered. (Yes, we get diapers online. From Amazon. $30 for a box of 186 and free shipping, that's $12 cheaper than even Sam's club. We are awesome, I know.) On the box there is a teeny tiny Elmo in the bottom corner that she loves to look at and point to, so she had crawled over to check out Elmo and all the sudden she yells out "Elmo" or something that sounded really really close to that as she pointed to him. That got my attention for sure. I tried and tried to get her to say it again....but no go so far. She did smile so big when I said, "Sophia did you just say Elmo?" that I am pretty sure she did, in fact, say Elmo. Who knows what she'll say the next time I am reading a magazine? Probably something like, "Mommy, stop ignoring me and come play with me!"
This age is really fun. Even though most of the time I am not sure what she is saying, she babbles non-stop all day long. And while we were playing I found a new tooth that has broken through her gums....in the back on the top! I had no idea there was anything back there....I just thought she was kind of stalled with the two little middle teeth on the bottom in the front and the four top teeth in the front (and one just came in around her first birthday, it was an uneven three for the longest). She is really growing and changing and learning every day. :-)

Not Another Thing!

As if there wasn't enough on the internet (and my iPhone) to keep me from sleeping at night, I have finally come around to a slight addiction to Pinterest (yes, I know that I might be the last person to discover it...well, close to the last, I turned my sister on to it tonight!). In case you do not know what Pinterest is....um....well, I don't exactly know what it is either. But I do know that it is a site that lots of other people "pin" their interests and they are all collected in groups and you can see all these cool, creative things and all these yummy, delicious looking foods and get good ideas for yourself. Yeah. Something like that.
Michael actually asked me several months ago if I had heard about it or had checked it out. I said no and he tried to explain what he understood of it (not much) and I was not at all interested, I thought it sounded kind of ridiculous. I just didn't really understand the point of it, I guess. Now I still don't really understand the logistics of it, but I do understand the point....to see other people's really cool and creative ideas all in one place....and to take them and use them as my own!!
I haven't actually joined or whatever it is you do. I basically have been browsing and if I find something I like, I just make a note of the website or blog that it originated from and visit that site later. It has brought me to some very cool sites, some that have gotten me really excited about trying new recipes and also trying some crafty things with Sophia (who is not yet at an age to do crafty things.....guess I'll have to just make sure to remember them for when she is). Normally when Sophia takes her naps I will tackle various chores or sometimes nap myself or catch up on the Housewives....today I spent the time on Pinterest, with a notebook at my side jotting down the cool things I found. I don't know if that makes me more or less lame than watching the Housewives while my daughter takes a nap....better just keep those opinions to yourself!
Anyway, while I encourage you to check out Pinterest, I encourage with caution. It is very addictive! I even have an app for it on my iPhone so the past few nights I have been laying in bed till very late hours just looking at various things when I am sure I should be sleeping. Hey, it's that or Bejeweled. Or reading blogs. Ok, I probably wasn't going to be sleeping anyway. :-)

***Watch the blog for an upcoming overhaul...new background, pictures, everything....it's just time for a little change, a little blog refresher.....coming soon!!***

Neuro News

The day after Sophia had her one year check-up, I had my doctor's appointment with the neurologist. As it turned out, the doctor was in the same building that my Obgyn had been in before they moved....so very easy to find! Too bad my appointment was scheduled right during the worst part of rush hour. Oh well. Luckily, traffic wasn't too bad and I got there with about ten minutes to spare. I had filled out all the paperwork before my appointment so all I had to do was show my license, insurance card and hand over the paperwork and then wait. And wait. And wait. My appointment time was 9:20am. By 9:40 I was seriously annoyed. By 9:50, I was seriously ticked off. Oh, and it wasn't like the waiting room was packed, I was the only one in there, with the exception of one other patient, who walked in about ten minutes after me. I was finally called back by a nurse who weighed me and put me in a room to take my blood pressure, ask me a few questions and then leave me to wait for the doctor. I actually had seen the doctor I was going to be seeing walk in to the office as I sat in the waiting room right around my actual appointment time (McDreamy he was not.....oh well....real neurologists probably don't really ever look like that anyway). So I figured I was probably his first patient. And that he was in no hurry to actually see me. I would say it was probably 10 or so by the time he came into the room.
He asked some questions about my migraines (when I started having them, was there a history of them....glad I spent time filling out all that paperwork....guess reading it is NOT what he was doing while I was in the waiting room), looked in my eyes, ears, mouth, checked my reflexes like a regular doctor.
Generally I do not like to go to the doctor. I don't go unless I really have to. The fact that I was even at this doctor meant that my migraines have gotten to a point that something needs to happen. That being said, when I am at any doctor (or dentist, hate going there too), I try to joke a bit to make the mood light. Just imagine all the comedy when I was pregnant and going to the doctor every couple of weeks. Ugh. Anyway, there was NO joking whatsoever at this appointment. When I felt like answering a question with a bit of humor, I just choked it back and said nothing extra at all. This doctor just didn't seem to have even a touch of a sense of humor. At one point, he asked me what I do for work. A LOT of funny responses came to mind, but instead I just said, 'nothing, I'm a stay at home mom'. He said (in a very dry monotone), 'well, that can be a lot of work'. If there was a neurological diagnosis of brain exploding due to holding back funny/sarcastic comments, well, the migraine thing would've had to have taken a back burner. When I was telling Michael about this later, he pointed out that I probably didn't really want a jokester dealing with my brain. He has a good point, brain issues are nothing to joke about. But there are a lot of people who are uncomfortable with going to the doctor and the doctor should try to make the patient feel comfortable. You definitely don't have to be a comedian, but geez, crack a smile at least!!
We did not chat for very long. He asked if I had even been given any daily medication for prevention of migraines. Um, what? No, I certainly have not. And if I have been, it surely would not be working very well, seeing that I am here for terrible migraines, right?? Some scribbling on a pad, grabbing of some migraine relief pill samples, directions to keep a migraine diary, instructions to return in a month and we are done. The whole thing was between ten and fifteen minutes. And I waited like forty. Oh, and something else I found out after the fact....since that was a specialist the co-pay was FIFTY dollars!!!!!!
Anyway, tomorrow will be one week that I have been taking something called Topomax, a preventative medicine for migraines. Actually, it is often used to prevent seizures, but is very effective in adults against migraines. I take one pill a night and we will see how that works for the next month. Oddly, the only migraine I have had so far (although it has been less than a full week) occurred on the night of my doc appointment. I took one of the samples and within about an hour, my headache actually went away. A few side effects of the Topomax may be decreased appetite (is this supposed to be a negative??) and decreased sweating (again, am I supposed to complain about that?) and possible kidney stones after prolonged use (ok, finally...I do not want kidney stones)....but the doctor really doesn't want me to have to use it for a long time so hopefully that one won't be an issue. I am optimistic that preventative medicine is a good way to keep my migraines in check...and if they do happen every now and then I can at least have a prescription that actually works to get rid of them. That is all I ask!!

More One Year Stuff

I shall catch up on my blogging one day. Anyway, at Sophia's 12 month check-up we found out she weighs 21 pounds and 13 oz and is 29.25 inches long....50th percentile for both. At her last check-up (9 month) she was in the 75th percentile for weight (and I think 90th at six months) and has pretty much always been 50th for height (and probably always will, sorry Soph!). She really only gained a couple pounds over the few months and Michael and I were a little worried we weren't feeding her enough....but her pediatrician said that she is doing great and is just perfect. Just not really as much of a chunky-monkey girl anymore! Now we can start to give her whole milk. Yay! No more formula! Well, we are kinda doing it gradually, but in a couple weeks we will be formula free in this house. It will be like a small raise, haha. Sophia did have to get a few shots but she did pretty well....she lays still for the nurse and then just screams her head off. It's pretty sad to watch. But she doesn't really thrash around too much or anything. Yet. Also at this point she is still ok with the examination the doctor does. She thinks the stethoscope is funny and tries to grab it. She isn't a fan of when the doctor looks in her mouth....she really clamps her teeth shut, haha. Every time we are there the doctor says that next time Sophia will remember and start to not like being there....so far it hasn't happened. She especially loves seeing the other kids in the waiting room. I know at some point I am going to pull in to the parking lot and she is going to freak, but for now I am going to enjoy the somewhat easy doctor visits. I am sure it will turn ugly eventually and then my posts concerning doc appointments will be far more entertaining.

On the actually day of Sophia's birthday (Wed, Sept 7, in case you forgot), Michael and I decorated our house Minnie Mouse style. Minnie is Sophia's favorite. She goes crazy pretty much whenever she sees Minnie. In fact, I was in Party City with my Mom and had planned to go with a baby animal theme and she saw the baby Minnie stuff and was really freaking out, trying to grab it, nearly jumping out of my arms for it. So I caved and went baby Minnie themed. Guess I'll just let her pick her birthday theme every year, haha.
When she woke up from her nap we brought her out to see all the decorations and she was just so excited, pointing to every Minnie all over. We taught her how to tell us how old she is (How old is Sophia??)....it's a lot like pointing, but she throws up one finger every time so we think she gets it....!!
We had even more presents for her to open, just from us, and she had a good time with that. And then I made some cupcakes, with a special one just for her. We gave that to her at exactly 8:30 pm (after she had a veggie for dinner, of course), the time she was born. She loved it. And loved the Minnie plate that I put it on. It was nice celebrating her birthday with just the three of us after the fun and excitement of the big party the previous weekend. I feel like I am still in disbelief that we already have a one year old!!

Here are some pictures of her actual birthday....our little birthday cutie-pie!! Happy Birthday, Sophia!!

Will Never Forget

I am a few days late on posting this blog (we were out of town with Michael's family over the weekend...a very nice time in the North GA mountains) but I feel like I definitely need to write on the topic that is probably on so many people in our country's mind right now...the ten year anniversary of 9/11.
Pretty much everyone I know can remember exactly what they were doing, where they were, how they felt, that day. No matter where you live in the country, the events that unfolded on that day affected everyone in some way. It is one of those moments in history that stays with you forever.
I was actually at work, at Associated Credit Union, at my desk on September 11, 2001. A radio always played softly in the background as we worked, but today the music seemed to stop and there was all talking. A girl in our department was training a new employee and was talking so loudly that we could barely hear the radio, but most of us could tell it was something very important that had happened. Finally I told her to just shut up, clearly something more pressing than her teaching the new girl how to order debit cards was going on in the world and I wanted to hear what it was. I felt confused about what I heard (although probably the information was sketchy with those early reports), how could a plane not see that huge giant tower and plow into it? It seemed quite clear though after a second plane hit the second tower that we did not just have two random accidents, that something quite scary was going on.
I know I completely stopped working at that point. I just sat and listened to the radio and wondered what in the world was going on in New York. Then I heard something that made me a lot more scared on this strange day. A plane had also flown into the Pentagon in Washington DC.
Now, if you know me, you know that I am NOT a fan of flying. I am also not a fan of those I love flying often, and unfortunately, my Dad travels a lot. On planes. Ever since I was quite young, I would beg him not to go on his trips and he would tell me that actually flying is safer than driving. I guess I see his logic, somewhat. I know that car accidents happen a lot more frequently than plane crashes. However, if you are on a plane and it goes down, you are very likely to not survive. Hence my desire for him (or me, or anyone I care about) to just not be in one.
Back to 9/11. I knew that my Dad had a business trip to Washington DC that week and that he was supposed to be flying into DC that very day. You can probably see where my head was going at that time. Sure, probably a million flights fly into DC each day, from a hundred different places. Not having the most confidence in flying in general, I jumped to the worst possible scenario and my common logic took a back seat. I very nearly freaked out. I first called my Dad's cell phone. No answer. Then I called my parents' house. No answer. Dad's cell again. No answer. Finally I decided to, even though I knew he was supposed to be out of town, call his office. When the receptionist answered I didn't even know exactly what to say (ask for my Dad when I know he isn't there? ask if he was on the plane that just crashed? ) so I just said something stupid like, 'Hi, this is Nicki' (after 4 years of calling my Dad at work from college, along with my Dad being the boss, the receptionist knew me pretty well, haha). She said, 'Hi, Nicki, your Dad is right here walking through the lobby, hold on a sec'. Talk about relief. When he got on the phone I probably yelled at him for not answering his cell, but I was never so happy to hear his voice. He said that his trip was cancelled, given the events of the day.
The credit union closed at 3 that day and I was glued to the television for the rest of the night, watching the horror that occurred in our country. Since that day I have read so many books and watched so many different shows that tell about this tragedy. Even seeing the same images over and over again still make me cringe and feel so sad for everyone who lost someone on that day. I am not someone that lost a family member in the 9/11 attacks, but for about 5 minutes on that morning, I didn't know that for sure. While that was a scary moment for me, it was nothing compared to what so many people went through on that day. However, as you can probably imagine, I am still not a fan of flying.
Each year since, I have always spent the time watching different documentaries (even the same ones over and over) about the tragic day. I feel like hearing the details of the day and the stories of loss and the stories of heroism each year help me to remember and help me to be thankful for everyone and everything I have. Last year, I wasn't able to pay as much attention to the anniversary....it was my first full day home from the hospital with my newborn baby girl. This year, a decade after the attacks, my DVR is overflowing with any and everything about the day. I would love to go and visit the new memorial and see the new World Trade Center some day. I know I am going to remember that day, those images, those stories, for many decades to come.

My One Year Old, Sophia Rose

Happy First Birthday to my Sophia Rose!!
I can hardly believe that just one short year ago we were in the hospital, anxiously awaiting your arrival. At exactly 8:30pm on September 7, 2010 you entered the world and made our little family complete. I have never been more excited to meet someone and every single day you make me happy and smile. Your Daddy and I had no idea that we could love you SO much and we love you more and more each and every single day.

You really have been the best girl during your first year. You started sleeping through the night by eight weeks. You've only been sick one time. You eat really well and have liked most of the new foods we have introduced. You have five (sharp) little teeth...and another one on the way. You really are a very happy baby. You are very adaptable too....if your schedule changes you don't get crabby or grumpy. You love to sleep in late with Mommy and are very cuddly when you get tired. You can definitely throw a tantrum when you don't get your way, but they end quick and you move on to something else. You have such an infectious giggle that we will do anything (even the most ridiculous things) to make you laugh. You are an outgoing baby, you'll point at anyone, smile at anyone and strangers say you are so cute all the time. You can be independent....you will sit on your chair and read all by yourself....or go after what you want even when Mommy said No. You give the sweetest hugs and we love to get kissies from you. You seem to 'talk' more each day and mimic the things we say and do....pretty soon we'll understand everything you try to communicate. You are starting to have 'favorites'....Minnie or Mickey Mouse, Curious George, Barney, Elmo....you point them out excitedly whenever you see them. You are walking better every day....I see you let go and take steps all by yourself when you think no one is watching. You are loved so much by all your family and friends....and you love them too.

Things have changed, for the better, since you came into our lives. Mommy and Daddy (especially Daddy) were so nervous when we first met you. You were SO tiny and we didn't want to break you. Now Daddy throws you around during play time and makes Mommy very nervous! But you love it. In the beginning, we were slow at changing diapers, making bottles, cleaning up spit up....now we can do those things in the dark, in any place or situation or circumstance....and quickly too....which is good because you won't stay still for a second! The things that we thought were important changed too.....because you became the single most important thing in our lives. Keeping you safe and happy and protected is our most important job.

Sophia Rose, we love you SO much and are so amazed to see how much you have grown in this past year. We are proud of you for all the things you have learned so far and look forward to all the exciting new things you will learn in this next year and the years ahead. Mommy and Daddy love you, sweet girl!

Pirate/Mermaid Party

Saturday was the perfect day for a Pirate/Mermaid pool party for Cooper and Sophia. While I still can't believe that it is already time for Sophia to have a first birthday party, the planning for this double party (my sister and I did a ton of prep work along with my mom, since the party was held at her house....she has the pool after all!) went well and it seemed to be a big success. Almost everyone we invited showed up and everyone had a great time swimming and eating and celebrating the birthday girl and boy.Here are some of the pictures that turned out cute...of course we took a ton and some video as well....Sophia might not remember this wonderful day, but we will for sure, and we will definitely show her the pictures and video once she is old enough. (Also, here is the blog my sister did about the day....more pictures to enjoy!!)

It was a perfect wonderful day to celebrate one year of life for Sophia and four years of life for Cooper....happy birthday, Soph and Coop...we love you!

Sneak Peak

Tomorrow is the day for a Pirate/Mermaid Birthday party to celebrate Cooper and Sophia!!
Even though Sophia won't technically be one year old until Wednesday, we went and had her one year pictures taken....here is a sneak peak, I think they turned out so cute!!


























Our adorable girl is getting so big!! I can't believe her first birthday is so close....how did that year fly by so quickly? I know I keep saying it, but really, it seems so crazy! We love, love, LOVE our sweet Sophia Rose!