Valentine's Day

I am finally getting around to posting about our Valentine's Day! The girls got lots of fun little gifts to enjoy. Emmie, of course, loved the wrapping paper, ribbon and chewing on the cards more than the gifts themselves! :) We are so very blessed to have such special little girls to love.

Of course, I am also blessed beyond measure with such a wonderful husband who loves me and treats me so well! He was so sweet to me this Valentine's Day as he made me breakfast in bed, bought me tulips, cards, and a precious picture frame that will hold a picture of our girls. Love you, Justin!

Emmie on her 1st Valentine's Day

Mommy's Love Bug

Lainie Bug opening a Valentine from Gramma and Grampi

Sealing it with a kiss

Opening their Valentines from Mommy and Daddy


And, of course, we could not forget our sweet Riley on Valentine's Day! She always looks for her special treat whenever the girls get one. She opened her Valentine all by herself! :)

A Visit from Granna and Pops

Granna and Pops came into town the week of Valentine's Day to spend some time with Erin, Mick and our family. Unfortunately, Emmie got sick the weekend they were here so she was not herself at all. We were able to visit, go to the park, and get ice cream before the actual fever and RSV started. They were very sweet to get Lainie a rocking chair of her very own to put on the front porch. I know she will enjoy it so much as the weather warms up. Thanks for the visit, Granna and Pops!

Lainie enjoying the swings with Granna and Aunt Ooey (Erin)

Eating her "chocolate ice cream with sprinkles" as she requested

Hanging out at the park

Weeeeee!!!!!!

Two Bottom Teeth

I can only have those pitiful pictures of my little pumpkin as the first post for so long. I just can't stand to see how sick she was. She is such a happy baby and is always so sweet. Last week, she just was not herself (as you can imagine) and I hated every second of it. I kept telling her nurses that I was so ready to see her smile again. So, in honor of her precious smiles and those two adorable bottom teeth that she is sporting right now, I present these.....

Pitiful, Precious Pumpkin

As many of you know, sweet baby Emmie has been pretty sick with RSV this past week. She started running fever last Saturday night and progressively got worse over the weekend. We went to the doctor Monday and they ran tests to see if she had RSV and diagnosed her with a double ear infection. They gave her a breathing treatment and sent us home with an antibiotic prescription for her ears. They asked to see us again on Tuesday to check her breathing. We went in on Tuesday and they said she did, indeed, have RSV and tried another breathing treatment. They ended up giving her a shot of Rocefin and we were sent home with more breathing treatments.

Wednesday afternoon, she seemed to be having trouble breathing, was very lethargic and would not eat or drink anything. She really had not had more than 4 ounces of milk the previous day, so I knew she must be getting dehydrated. I called her doctor and they said to head to the ER. Once we got there, they said that she was extremely dehydrated and her oxygen levels were at 89%.....automatic admission! They started an IV and oxygen. We had a couple of rough days, but Emmie finally turned a corner on Friday morning. We came home Friday afternoon and she seems to be doing much better now. Thanks to everyone for all of the prayers! I was so touched by all of the phone calls, emails, text messages, visits and notes. Justin and I are so blessed with many special friends and family members!

Not sure who was more tired....Emmie or Mommy!

Look at that pitiful baby girl

A Small Comparison

I know this will probably guarantee that I will no longer be eligible for the "Mom of the Year" award, but I am going to write a small comparison post on my two girls. It truly is amazing to me how I can have two girls who are such different little beings! Love them both more than anything, but they are so different! For instance:

*Lainie never spit up....never!! I did feed her too much one time when she was very little and she threw up the milk, but as far as "spitting up"...never happened! Emmie....ummmm, can we say reflux?!

*Lainie never, ever threw up or had a blow out in her crib....NEVER! I never had to change her sheets and bedding due to a massive accident. Come to think of it, I never had to change her clothes due to a blowout. Emmie.....ummmmm, not so much! Let's just say the Omnicef didn't agree with her tummy. As far as changing clothes goes, we went through more outfits when she was a newborn than I thought was possible!

*Lainie rarely drooled. I never had to change her clothes or put a bib on her because she was drooling all over her clothes. Emmie.....well, bibs are definitely a great investment for us these days! Sometimes I wonder if she is drooling or if I gave birth to a small water fountain.

*Lainie took medicine like a champ. I stuck the syringe in her mouth and she drank the stuff like it was candy. Emmie....tolerates medicine, but is also known to spit it out at any given moment.

*Lainie LOVED rice cereal, oatmeal, etc. from the first day I stuck the spoon in her mouth. She ate that stuff, fruit or no fruit, for breakfast from the time she was 4 months old until she was 18 months old. Emmie.....HATING the stuff is an understatement for her.

*Lainie never, ever, ever spit her food at her mommy while feeding her. She ate it up and would never waste an ounce of baby food on spitting. Emmie.....well, I will let the pictures speak for themselves! :)

Big, Bubbly Bath Fun

Lainie and Emmie were finally able to take their first bath together the other night. I am still not completely comfortable with Emmie sitting up in the bathtub without me being right there. By right there, I mean RIGHT there ready with my hand behind her back! I just don't want her to fall back and smack her head on the tub. They had such a great time and Emmie loved sitting up and splashing in the water.

Uncle Mick's Birthday

We went out last week with Mick and Erin to celebrate Mick's birthday. He wanted some seafood, so we went to Joe's Crab Shack in downtown Nashville. It was fun hanging out with them! We went early so Justin and I could get home to get the kids in bed. I think there was one other couple in the restaurant! :) Poor Mick and Erin....they have to live like they have kids when they are with us even though they have all the freedom in the world! Happy Birthday to Mick!

Happy 7 Months to Emmie!

7 months??? REALLY?? I cannot believe our baby is 7 months old. Just when we don't think we could possibly love her anymore, she does something else that is adorable! Love, love, love you baby girl!

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

Lainie and Kade are such great friends and truly get along so well. Whenever we get them together to play, they always have so much fun! I think there might be a little crush going on between the two of them. Because Valentine's Day is coming up, I thought I would post these pictures of Lainie with her first Valentine!

Fun at the Aquarium

Justin called me last week and asked if I would be interested in taking the girls to the Aquarium in Chattanooga. I thought it would be super fun for Lainie, and I am always looking for things to do with the girls while it is cold outside. Heath and Calie came with their boys as well as Paige, Maddie Grace and Hudson. We had such a great time! We ate lunch at Sticky Fingers, went to see the fish and then grabbed some ice cream that afternoon before we came back home. It was a great day with great friends!