Bring Us a Baby

2 Year old checkup

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:09:00 +0000

Claire had her 2 year check up on Tuesday, hard to believe my baby is going to be two!!! I love our pediatrician- he is SO wonderful with the kids and you can tell that he loves what he does. Claire's height and weight are right about to 30%- which for her is normal, he head on the other hand is in the 65%! Which our doctor assured me is totally normal. He estimates that she will be around 5'2/5'3 as an adult, and that she will be petite. She is doing wonderful with her milestones, she has far exceed those for 24 months, and her vocabulary has just exploded- she says at least 100 words, and will repeat anything you say! This has become a problem for mommy and daddy- we have to watch everything we say now!

Just to make things difficult we have started to have issues with her ears again, her right tube fell out last month and there is some nasty fluid sitting in her eustation tube, she is acting fine, but we don't want that fluid to stay there. So after the first of the year we are headed back to the ENT for what will most likely be her second set of tubes. They were working so well, if only that right one had stayed put and not fallen out, but overall a great checkup- her health is the most important thing to us, as long as we are all healthy that is all we can ask for, I thank God everyday for blessing us with such a beautiful, wonderful, healthy child, she has truly given our lives new meaning.

Claire officially turns two tomorrow on Christmas eve, and she is nothing short of our Christmas miracle- we will celebrate her birthday by attending mass at our church then dinner with the family, then let the festivities continue on Christmas day, we have lots planned and lots of great presents for Claire I can't wait to see her face when she sees them!

Merry Christmas to all, may you all enjoy time with family and loved ones!

Happy 2nd Birthday Claire!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:14:00 +0000

Well, she's not quite 2, but we always celebrate 2 weeks before her birthday as to try to avoid the holiday rush. People seem to like taking a break from the holiday shopping to come over for dinner and celebrate with our little lovie.

This year we did a ladybug theme and it turned out really cute. I pride myself in the small details at parties, this year my wonderful sister in law made all the food, and it was wonderful. Guests also snacked on fruit kabobs and veggie cups. We also had chocolate covered antenne's (pretzel rods) and chocolate covered ladybug spots (oreos) as well as a wonderful cake from Caked Las Vegas, her white cake it to die for! I never skimp on the cake, it's the center of the party and I just can't get into the boring grocery store cakes. Claire had blast and only had one breakdown during the whole party. My mom flew in from South Carolina for the occasion and we loved having her in town, so did Claire- Nana is the center of Claire's world when she's around! Claire is loving all her presents, her favorites seem to be her hot pink Cozy Coupe car, the Aqua Doodle doodle pad, Rockin Elmo with accessories, and a baby doll complete with bottle. I think this party was actually harder for me, I am not too proud to admit that I cried when she blew out her candles, she is getting so big so fast, it's amazing!

We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family who love Claire so much, without them we couldn't have great parties, and we love to throw a good party! I will admit it's a bit of a let down I plan these parties months and months in advance so now to have it behind me is depressing. Although I already have next years theme and lots of ideas already in my head!

Ladies and Gentlemen we have a Holiday Card!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 21:35:00 +0000

After hours spent out at Lake Las Vegas last weekend and many hours spent surfing the web for the perfect holiday card my photographer and I came up with one! THANK GOODNESS!

It is so stress full getting holiday photos done, you have to have coordinating, not matching there is a difference, outfits- then you have to have to have the right shot- God forbid you have a great vertical photo, but the card calls for a horizontal photo, because that will never do! Then you have to make sure the card coordinates with your clothes and your background- it's just very stressful, trust me. My husband always says that if all I have to stress over is a holiday card then I'm doing pretty good, so maybe he's right- but the right holiday card is just one of those important things in life, okay maybe not in every one's life, but definitely in my life!

I don't want to reveal the entire card, as to keep it a surprise for those who will actually be getting a card in the mail, but here is a sneak peak of the front of our card, pretty darn cute if I do say so myself!

Crazy random thoughts from the mind of Shannon!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 04:23:00 +0000

Since I was been totally MIA for way too long and this poor blog has been neglected I am going to just give you guys an update of what's been going in our crazy lives and some random thoughts from me.

-Claire is doing great, she contines to wow us everyday. Her vocabulary has increased by leaps and bounds and she pretty much repeats everything we say, which is scary- we really have to watch what we say now!

-I am going out of my mind getting ready for Claire's 2nd birthday party, as many of you know I'm the insane party planner who worries about things like straws, food labels, and personalized favor tags for parties. The party is in about a month so I need to get my butt in gear! photos to come after the party- but I'll give you a hint the colors are red and black polka dot- any ideas what her party theme is?

-I have a serious obsession with smocked dresses and monogrammed clothing for Claire- it's very scary. John just shakes his head as he sees package after package arrive at our house, he just doesn't understand how cute girl clothes are and I just can't say no.

-We are getting ready for our annual family photo shoot for our Holiday card, and this is a total stresser in my life- I have our coordinating outfits all ready, now I just have to pick the perfect card- do you have any idea how hard that is??

-I am LOVING the new show Revenge- it's my new guilty pleasure, if you don't tune in Wednesday nights, you must start- it's the best new show of the fall.

I will do my best to keep the blog updated in the coming months, I am working on giving it a face lift- it's time to move on to new bigger and better things, so stayed tuned!

Happy Fall y'all!!
-

It's the year of FUN!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 03:40:00 +0000

If you are realty TV junkie like me that you know that Bill and Guiliana Ransic are back on The Style Network. The new season premiered on Monday night at 8pm, and it was a great episode. We join the couple trying to move on with life after 2 failed IVF cycles. They decided to have a " Year of Fun" and to table having a baby for a year and then revisit the issue. I think this is a great idea, I think so many times you get caught up in trying to have a baby that you loose sight of life. I know that happened to John and I, and we are still working to repair the damage that it did to our relationship, I don't think people realize the stress that infertility puts on a couple.

So if you watched the Ransic's last season you know that Bill built this AHH-MAZING home for his family in the burbs of Chicago, let me tell you that house was just perfect, but he decides to sell the house and move to LA to be closer to Guiliana, since that is where she is based because of her job with E! Network.

The show ends with Bill saying that even though he doesn't know anyone in LA and it's very scary to sell your home and move to a new city, that he will do it because life is an adventure, and as long as he has the love of his life he can live anywhere. Can I tell you how much I love Bill- I think he is great!

If you are a consistent reader of my blog then you know that I constantly compare John and I to Bill and Guiliana, because I feel out lives parallel each other in so many ways, and this episode was not any different.

To give you some insight into our lives John and I currently live in Las Vegas, John has been here pretty much his entire life, and I am going on 7 years, and that is about 6 years too long for me, I am ready to jump ship and go back to the South- where my family is. Now that we have Claire this urge to "jump ship" is even stronger. I just do not want to raise my daughter in Las Vegas. Well, just like Bill, John would be moving somewhere where he doesn't know anyone and doesn't know the areas, but because he loves me and for his daughters best interest he's willing to give it a shot. So, eventually we will be moving to North Carolina- we have many things to get into place, but it will happen sooner than later. I had to have John watch the part of "Bill and Guiliana," where Bill was talking about life being an adventure, he just shakes his head and says "see we are so much alike". Now if we could just be friends with them, I wonder if I can make that happen!?

Okay, I am off to watch Sesame Street with Claire- this is our new nightly routine. Next up photos from out latest family vacation!

18 month stats

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:17:00 +0000

My baby is growing up so fast, I cannot believe she is 18 months old. We just had our 18 month well check and she is healthy as a horse! The pediatrician and I discussed her vocabulary and her eating habits- he said keep pushing the veggies, Claire is not a fan- she would much rather eat cheese or chicken! She continues to be on the petite side, but she has had a growth spurt- jumping up into the 50 th percentile for her height, I thought she looked taller. Our pediatrician said she is very well proportioned and said she is just perfect, I have to agree.
I had to laugh when they came in with her shots she looked at the tray and said UHH OHH!! Poor thing, she knew what was coming!

Here are some 18 month stats:

Weight: 22.5 lbs- 30th percentile
Height: 31 inches- 50th percentile
Wearing 12-18 month clothes
Wearing Size 4 diaper
Continues to love "puppy" who goes everywhere with us

LOVES Elmo and Sesame Street
Saying about 15 words- which include: Mama, Dada, Elmo, Daisy, Baby, Money

Claire is such a happy and sweet kid- she loves to give kisses and hugs, but still remains very serious and guarded around people she doesn't know- she always looks like she is just taking in all her surrounds and processing it.

Just Breathe. . .

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 20:07:00 +0000

When we are 10 years old and playing house with our friends we fantasize what our lives will be like when we grow up. We say we will marry Prince Charming and live in a big white house with blue shutters, a red door, and a tire swing in the front yard. No one stops to tell you that that is not reality.

We grow up a little more and realize around the age of 21 that Prince Charming does not exist and that just maybe we won't have 2.5 children and a white picket fence. We realize that money does not grow on trees and that at some point you have to pull yourself together and go to work.

At some point you get married and after about 2 years the honeymoon phase ends, and then the realty of mortgages, jobs, and responsibility sets in. Then in the blink of an eye you have a baby, and you get hit by a ton of bricks. Whoever thought you could be SO tired? How can a 8 pound meatloaf push you over the edge? Well at 4am when you haven't slept in 3 days you find out just how close to that edge you can get. You realize that sex is the last thing on your mind, the bed is for sleeping now, and sleeping only! You now do not own anything that is not covered in spit up or vomit, and your memory- well forget that, oh wait you already did, and where the hell are my damn keys!!??

If you have not experienced any of these blessed events, just hold on because one day you will and you realize that everything I have just said is oh so true. Now I sit here as a 30 year old working mom and wife. There is nothing I would change about my life, and I do not regret any of the decisions I have made, for those decisions have made me the person I am today, but damn life is hard work!

I feel like I have 10 balls in the air at all times, and I do just about everything I can to keep them all up in the air. My mind, or what is left of it, is constantly thinking of what I have to do 2 weeks in advance, because I need to coordinate it. There is no more going out at the last minute, you need to schedule a baby sitter, there is no time for anything to go wrong- everything must run like a well oiled machine.

There is ALWAYS laundry to be done, meals to be planned, dry cleaning to be picked up or dropped off, groceries to be bought, phone calls to be returned, a house to be cleaned, dinners to be cooked, dishwashers to be loaded/unloaded, a dog to be walked- and the list goes on and on and this is just the daily household things. That is not including what I do during the 8 hours that I am at work.

Then add on taking care of a 18 month old and trying to maintain a healthy relationship with my husband there are days where this mountain seems almost to big to even try to climb. Somehow I manage to chip away piece by piece, but I never feel like I get enough done- there are always things that get left undone, and I feel like a failure pretty much on a daily basis. Now this is partially my fault, as I am perfectionist so I like things done my way and a certain way, but most days I feel like I am failing as a mother and as a wife.

My husband tells me that I need a hobby, and I think when do I have time for a hobby? I wish I had time- I wish I knew what I would like to do, because in this time of my life I almost feel robotic. I try to be proactive in certain situations as to avoid an issue down the road and sometimes it just blows up in my face, because I cannot accept that not everyone is like me. I try to plan things out months in advance and then I spend months obsessing, which is using energy that I really don't have to spare.

I feel like I need to just take a step back and breathe, I need to live in the moment and realize that if something doesn't get done the world will not end, I feel like I am missing my daughters most precious time, because I am more concerned that she stay on her schedule.

This is not meant as a bitch session, but mearly away for me to hopefully go back and read this and change things in my life as to make it better and better for those around me.

I got the right "stuff" baby!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:22:00 +0000

In a time where so much is going wrong in the world and so many Americans are dealing with tough times we continue to be blessed and thankful for all we have. Although there are days where that gets hard for me, a few weeks back it felt like everything was going wrong, everything we touched broke or blew up, and I am not kidding. In the matter of a week our microwave died, our laptop blew up, our DVR stopped working, and my sunroof in my car started to leak. I was literally at the end of the rope. It took a few weeks but we managed to get everything, except my sunroof (which has been an ongoing issue) repaired or replaced. We now have a new DVR, a new laptop, and a working microwave, life is good again!

During this time when I felt like my life was a mess, all because of a microwave, a DVR, a laptop, and a sunroof I was quickly brought back to reality when talking to my mom and sister. My sweet 17 month old nephew, Drennan, was diagnosed with cancer 6 months ago in December 2010 ~ a rhabdomyosarcoma in his pelvis (a soft tissue mass - not in the actual bone). He has been undergoing weeks and weeks of chemo and radiation, and he had a major surgery several weeks ago to remove his tumor. Now when talking to my family about my nephew all our broken "stuff" doesn't really seem that important, it's just "stuff". The "stuff" that my sister and nephew have to deal with is the important "stuff" it's not electronics, it's life, and life is so precious and fragile and in a second it can change and it may never be the same.

Two days ago, I was buried up to eye balls at work and in a bad mood- I was stressed out and overworked, life was looking pretty bleak for me, I was just all around in a bad mood. I logged onto my favorite message board (The Nest) to see what was going on, and hope to be distracted enough to try to clam down. Much to my dismay I was hit with the news that one of my fellow "nesties" 9 month old daughter was diagnosed with a very very raregenetic disorder, for which she will need a bone marrow transplant to be cured. Yet again, all my work "stuff" isn't important, here, yet again, is another precious life that is changed in the blink of an eye. You just never know. I have added a Pray for Kate button in the upper left hand corner of my blog- please click it, feel free to add it to your blog and pray for Kate, her mom Lindsey and dad Alex.

John and I are like every other married couple we argue and disagree over things, and sometimes we even get into heated discussions, but at the end of the day we love each other and are committed parents to Claire, but its moment's like these that make us appreciate what is really important in life. So hug your kids a little tighter tonight, and tell your husband, your mom, your dad, your best friend, whoever is closest to you in your life that you love them, and remember they are the "stuff" that matters. Also please keep Drennan and Kate in your prayers.

Say my name, say my name!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 May 2011 16:57:00 +0000

As I type the title of this blog post I can't help but be transported back to my college days at Bowling Green State University. Before Beyonce was a solo singer she was a member in a little band called Destiny's Child, and they had a hit song called "Say My Name". My friends and I loved that song, we could not help but roll all the windows in the car and belt out the lyrics when it was on the radio.

Now as an adult that song's title has a entirely new meaning, now that Claire's adopiton is final we have to take a bunch of steps to get her name offically changed. The first step was getting her certified adoption decree, which we just recieved, then we have to wait for her new certified birth certificate, which will have John and mine names listed as her parents- I am really looking forward to recieving that! After we get that I head off to the social security office to request a new number and change her name. Then it's all about changing her passport, and getting all her shot records and medical records switched.

It seems like an exhausting daunting process, but I'm sure it will all be fine- to ease the stress I may have to dig out my old Destiney's Child CD have a sing along!

We are official!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 17 May 2011 21:37:00 +0000

It's official- Claire's adoption is complete, it was finalized this morning. I really did not think I would be stressed out, but last night I was super nervous and this morning I couldn't get to the courthouse fast enough. Once once I got to the courtroom and saw all our family and friends who had come to celebrate with us and our little girl I couldn't help but get chocked up. I made it all the way through hearing until the last second then the tears starting to flow, but I had to get it together so I could go take pictures with the judge.

It was an amazing morning, Claire has been ours since the first day we held her, but now she's legally ours, and no one can take her away. We are in heaven!

16 months

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 May 2011 22:24:00 +0000

I can sum up this age in 3 words: SHE NEVER STOPS! This is has to be the most exhausting age. Every minute on every day Claire is moving, running, jumping or climbing, you name it she's doing it and it's all day long. By the time she goes to bed I am collapsed in a heap on the couch. We are going to start her in gymnastics class next month, it's a mommy and me class (now that should be interesting!) that is once a week for 45 minutes- they get to jump on trampolines and play in the foam pit- should be fun for her- this will be her first group activity, other then daycare.

More big news, our finalization hearing is NEXT TUESDAY, in less then a week she will be our forever daughter, we are thrilled and next Tuesday cannot come fast enough. So I will update with photos from court when that is complete.

In closing here are some basic facts about our little monkey!

Size 4 diaper
Wearing size 12-18 month clothes
Loves to dance, especially to the Batman theme song- thank you daddy!
Loves Elmo
Just discovered her ride on toys- she has been afraid of them since Christmas
Wearing a size 3 shoe
Loves her sippy cup and milk
Can eat with a fork and spoon, she actually prefers it this way!

Happy Mother's Day- a little late!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 09 May 2011 21:18:00 +0000

Well, in true mom's fashion I am a day late in wishing all the mom's out there a Happy Mother's Day! You know I always have to be fashionably late!!

We had a great mother's day, it started with Claire sleeping through the night, WOO HOOT! Daddy got up with her in the morning and let me sleep in until 10am! We pretty much just relaxed around the house all day, and went to dinner around 7pm. It was just the kind of day I like- relaxing at home watching movies.

I will admit that being a mom is the hardest job I have ever had, because it's 24 hours a day 7 days a week, when you are sick and when you aren't you have to work. But at the end of the day it's the most rewarding. There were so many Mother's Day's that I thought I would never get to be a mother and experience all the stuff that mom's do, so it's even more special to me. I really wanted to be a mom, because I have such a great one. Don't get me wrong my mom and I have had our ups and downs, but at the end of the day she is my best friend. People laugh when I say we talk or text at least once a day. She has taught me so much and when she tells me that I'm a good mom that means the world to me, because there are days where I feel like I am doing nothing right.

When I picked Claire up at school on Friday she was clutching this little green thing, I didn't know what it was- when I was finally able to wrestle it out of her little fingers I realized it was her hand print. Her teacher told me "she has not put that thing down since the paint dried!" It's the cutest thing, I love it and I will keep it forever!

So to all the mom's out there Happy Mother's Day! To those who are still fighting to be a mom, I've been there I know it's rough, but believe me it's all worth it at the end of the day!

Sleep is WAY overrated!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 04 May 2011 23:12:00 +0000

As many of you know babies and toddlers are all over the place with their sleep patterns, and Miss Claire is no exception to this rule. We are experiencing the dreaded "sleep regression" in our house right now, and I am just about at the end of my rope. It's amazing how much sleep you can actually function on- I have calculated that I am probably getting about 4-5 good hours of sleep a night, and amazingly I am functioning almost at 100%! HAHA!

We did the cry it out method when Claire was younger and it worked like a charm, that doesn't seem to be the case now days. She wakes up screaming bloody murder at 2am, just about every night, and then this morning she was up at 5AM, luckily we were able to get her to go back to sleep until 630AM. Both John and I are not fans of co sleeping, I just don't know why people think it's a good idea to sleep with their child, I mean the kid has to learn to sleep in their own bed eventually, why delay the inevitable?!

After consulting Google I have found that this seems to be a common problem in toddlers around this age, there is so much going on developmentally that sleep is just the last thing these kids want to do. I am still juggling with the idea that it's something to do with her allergies, she always seems so congested, but not much we can do there, she already takes a small dose of Claritan. I have also thought maybe it's more teeth, but I don't seem to see any new ones, so who knows!

I really struggle with being upset about her getting up at night, I love the extra time with her, just rocking her back to sleep, but another side of me just wants to go to bed, I have actually considered sleeping on her floor, however I have never actually done this! She seems to like me in her room, even if she's in her crib.

All this sleep drama has lead me once again to another online search- I am thinking ordering some sleep books online- gotta love Amazon- so we will see- I will keep you all updated to our sleep issues, until then nighty night!

Where does the time go!?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 23:02:00 +0000

Lately I feel like someone hit the fast forward button on my DVR of life! I cannot believe April is half way over, and we are already making plans for summer 2011! I feel like Claire was just 3 months old and I was counting down the months to her first birthday party, now here we are she is 15 months old and I am hoping to slow down time, because I cannot believe she is on her way to 2!!

We do have some big news to share, Claire's adoption should be finalized in the next 30 days, WOO HOOT!! We are thrilled. We meet with our attorney next week and will hopefully get our court date for finalization. It's been a long road, but definitely well worth it!

I mentioned that we are making plans for summer- we are once again headed off the the beach for 4th of July- Myrtle Beach that is- to spend a week with Grandma, or "ga ga" as Claire affectionately calls her and Papa. I can't wait I love the beach at 4th of July, the 4th is a really big deal in the South- so this is the perfect excuse to make sure Claire is decked out in a special patriotic outfit, can we say big bows and monograms- come on it's what the south is known for!!

I have been a bit of a slacker when it comes to uploading pictures, but thanks to my mom here is a family shot from our vacation last month to Los Cabos, we had a fantastic time, can't wait to go back!

Hope everyone is having a great spring, and getting ready for The Easter Bunny- who is coming soon. I usually host Easter dinner at our house, but this year we are thinking we will be going out with my dad and his family, sounds good to me, reservations were always my speciality!

15 months already!!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 21:24:00 +0000

We had our 15 months appointment today with our pediatrician. I cannot believe my baby is 15 months old, wow time really does fly. She is doing great, hitting all her developmental milestones, some are even ahead of schedule, that's my girl- we know she's gifted! HAHA!

She is still measuring on the small side, which is no surprise being that her birth mother is petite, she is about 21 lbs and 30 inches long. Our doctor is estimating that she will be about 5'2 or 5'3 when she is an adult. Which is just fine with me, there are way worse things in life then being petite. We are going to enroll her in gymnastics when she is 18 months, it's a mommy and me class once a week for 45 minutes. She loves to jump and flip around on the couch (I can thank her grandpa for teaching her this trick!), so hopefully she will love playing on the trampolines and mats and if she's going to be small, she may just be the perfect little gymnast when she's older.

We are looking forward to spring and warm weather, we just got back from Cabo and had a fantastic time, and Claire was so good. She was perfectly content sitting at the pool playing with her toys, she even took 3 hours naps on the beach chair under the umbrella- I guess vacation is hard work! I am now counting down the days until our next vacation, which will be Myrtle Beach for 4th of July. We will be visiting with friends and family and also celebrating Claire's adoption, which should all be final by then, my mom is planning a big party- that is what we do best in our family!

Here are some 15 month stats:
- size 4 diaper
- still wearing mostly 12 month clothes, some 12-18 months depending on the brand
- LOVES chicken, hates veggies!
- No more bottle or pacifier (YAY!!!)
- still loves Puppy and now George (stuffed monkey)
- sleeping 10-12 hours a night without waking
- is a total daddy's girl, John leaves the room and we have tears!

I am just in shock that she is getting so big so fast, she will be 2 in a the blink of an eye, but we know that means- another party to plan. I have some great ideas for her 2nd birthday, but y'all will just have to stay tuned for those.

Spring has Sprung

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 22:48:00 +0000

Finally we are experiencing some normal Vegas weather, it's 70 degrees today and just beautiful out. As we approach spring I am always brought back to 2 springs ago when we were just starting our first IVF cycle. I cannot believe it's been almost two years since all of that, it seems just like yesterday, but yet it seems so far in the past. That was the lowest point of my life and now I feel like I am on top of the world. There are days that I cannot believe I get to be Claire's mom, like seriously God chose me, and he chose John to be her parents, that just blows my mind.

On the adoption front things are moving forward nicely and we should have everything wrapped up and finalized by early summer, now if I can just convince John to have a party to officially welcome Claire to our family- we all know I will take any excuse to have a blow out party- I am seeing a pink lemonade party with shades of light pink and pale yellow accented with her monogram- since the party is all about her- we have to incorporate her new name!!

In other family news we are getting ready to take our first big family vacation, to the sunny Mexico- we can't wait! So stay tuned for lots of fun family photos!

Our second Valentine's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 20:16:00 +0000

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!
I love this holiday- not because of the cliche flowers and candy, I just think it's a fun holiday, and now it's even more fun with a little girl to dress up, today Claire wore a pink top with red and pink crystal hearts on it, with a pink bow in her hair- all bought special for the occasion. Last year our little monkey was barely 6 weeks old, and this year she is a thriving 13 month old, wow how time flies!

They were having a party at her day care. How crazy is that- a party for 1 year olds! I made cute Valentine cupcakes, which I'm sure will be mostly for the teachers, and made special Valentine presents for her classmates, I'm sure she will have a fun day at school today.

Update on my favorite celeb couple!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 23:21:00 +0000

As many of you know I cannot get enough of Bill and Guiliana Rancic. They have been so brave and have been so open and honest in the media about thier struggles to get pregnant. They are featured on the celebrity baby blog discussing their next steps to building a family.

http://celebritybabies.people.com/2011/02/09/bill-and-giuliana-rancic-taking-a-break-from-babies/#comment-387752

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:05:00 +0000

Happy Birthday monkey!! About a month ago we had a blow out party for monkey's first birthday. It was so fun decorating and planning for the party- it was a monkey theme and everything was hot pink and lime green, I'm sure we went over the top, but oh well! How many one year old's have a 3 tiered birthday cake? Well, ours did! She definitely liked her little smash cake- she went to town on it and had a blast doing it.

Our closest friends and family came and she was definitely spoiled in terms of presents. Everyone munched on kid friendly food, chicken fingers and grilled cheese sandwiches, thanks to some local restaurants, sorry people, but I don't cook for parties! I cannot believe how big she is getting, she is walking all over the place and into just about anything she can get her little paws on. We are enjoying her so much, and she brings so much joy to our lives, yes even at 4am when she wakes up in the middle of the night!

It's been a weekend of firsts!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:36:00 +0000

I am a bit behind in blogging, and I apologize- but there was some drama that erupted on my blog- so I had to take a break, but hopefully the trolls are gone and we can get back to blogging as usual.

It was a quite a weekend at our house- we had planned our first trip to Disneyland with our little monkey. My husband and I are big Disney fans and we try to go at least once a year, it's only a 4 hour drive for us so we can do it over a long weekend. Monkey did GREAT! She loved the kiddie rides, and was a trooper- she did not fuss or cry once! She took her naps on schedule, which gave mommy and daddy a chance to ride some big people rides. Can I say how much I LOVE the ride switch pass. One parents gets to ride the ride, then when they are done they give their pass to the other parent, who walks right on the ride, with no waiting! It's genius!

Monkey even slept in the hotel crib all night, which was a relief to me- being that we will be spending a week in Cabo soon- so at least I know she will go down in a hotel crib- I am not lugging a pack and play to Mexico!

The other big news is that our little girl is WALKING! She started walking on Thursday night- and was walking up a storm in our big open hotel room. I was crying I was so happy- I cannot believe what a little lady she is becoming!

I will share the Disney photos just as soon as I have decide to upload them, along with some Christmas and her first birthday party photos! I am a bit behind in my photo uploading!

Bill and Guiliana IVF take 2!!

noreply@blogger.com (John Sholtz) — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 05:07:00 +0000

The Rancic's were on tonight and the episode starts with them starting their shots for their second IVF. I have to say that having been through the IVF process twice myself I think Guiliana is a BIG baby. I love her, don't get me wrong, but come on- those needles are TINY!! I did all my shots myself and never once did I cry. She was freaking out over the teeny tiny little needles. My husband just looked at me and said "you never complained once during IVF." WOW- it only took him a year and a half later to realize this.

As Guiliana was breaking down on the table before her egg retrieval all the emotions came flooding back- I remember that like it was yesterday. You are so full of hope, and it's such a roller coaster.

Guiliana also hosted her best friend and managers baby shower in this episode, I have to admit I teared up during that- she really put on a brave face and planned the baby shower, that was something I could never have done. Baby showers were evil for me- I avoided them like the plague when we were trying to get pregnant. So good for you G, that is so tough!!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 23:05:00 +0000

Bill and Guiliana moving forwards!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 06:19:00 +0000

Every week my husband and I tune into Bill and Guiliana on The Style Network, and this week as usual did not disappoint. I have said it so many times, but I just LOVE them! They are so cute together and are just a great couple.

I have to say kudos to Bill for that ring he got Guiliana, it was amazing! I told John I expect that at our next anniversary!

In this episode Guiliana and Bill have decided to move forward and do a second round of IVF, and she also had to break to news of her miscarriage to the public. As I was watching this episode I was holding my perfect 11 month old daughter in my arms, and I could not help but tear up.

IVF and infertility is so hard to go through in private, I cannot imagine going through it in the public eye- my heart just goes out to them as we have been there done that. Guiliana was telling Bill how going through this has made them a closer couple and that God has a plan and this is all happening for a reason.

I told myself that for years, but I remember sitting in my bed praying that I would get pregnant and for God to bless us with a child, then I would cry and cry and ask God, why was this happening to us, what had we done that was so bad that we deserved all this heartache? Now looking back it all makes sense. Nothing was meant to work, because we had to wait for our little angel to be born and to come into our lives. Even writing this I am fighting back the tears, because now I know she was meant to be ours, we just had to wait for her, and it was all worth it- every tear, every heart break, every minute was worth it.

We are ready to party!!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 19:46:00 +0000

With monkey's first birthday party just around the corner, 10 days, but who's counting?! I am in full psycho stressed out mode! I am also dealing with getting everything ready for the holidays, and we have a jam packed schedule the next few weeks. I managed to get everything done and ordered- so now I have a few odds and ends to tie up for the party- but other then that we are ready to rock and roll.

I know we went overboard with this party- but honestly I don't care- we have waited so long to be able to celebrate our child's birthday and we are doing it in a big way. There were so many days that I thought I would never get to experience any of this- so I am treasuring each and every minute of it.

As if having a first birthday party, the holidays and preparing for my parents arrival to Vegas was not enough for this month- add in two court dates for our adoption, like we don't have enough going on. But these are BIG court dates- it's our TPR (termination of parental rights) hearing. That's right folks- we are very confident as is our case worker, that all parental ties to monkey's birth parents will be severed in less then 2 weeks, and then she is unofficially ours- we still have to finalize her adoption. So keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we are hoping to have even more to celebrate this Christmas.

Loving the Rancic's this season!

noreply@blogger.com (John Sholtz) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 18:14:00 +0000

Bill and Guiliana Rancic's third season debuted last week with a very emotional episode which walks us through their first round of IVF- in the end it was successful, but as we know sadly her pregnancy will end around 9 weeks. The second episode of this season follows the Rancic's on the quest to find the perfect "family" house in Chicago suburbs.

It was a great episode, they are just so cute together. I have to admit after watching 2 seasons of them on their show the more and more I think Bill is John's long lost brother. They are SO much a like- both Croatian, both love real estate and finance, and both are somewhat conservative.
They also both have the same taste in women- I relate so well to Guiliana- she is outgoing, energetic, loves celebrity gossip (she works for E! News and has my dream job, by the way!) and is a total shopaholic.

This episode also follows the Rancic's while they are dealing with getting their estate planning in order, forming a trust and a living will. This is all stuff that John and I did about 2 years ago, and it's hard- you have to make some tough decisions about what happens to your things, and your children in the event of your death. Bill decided this was a good time to bring up the dreaded word to Guiliana "BUDGET". Guiliana did not take it so well, she said "budget,what's that?" I was laughing so hard at this point, because that's John in a financial conversation with me, I'm like "what budget, there is no budget". Gulinana then went on to say how her new leather jacket was a necessity- I know I have said that exact sentence to John at some point. John and I were laughing so hard- and John was just shaking his head going "see I told you!"

Bill went into how it's important to save and be financially secure for your children, but Guiliana was more worried about how she looks in her new leather jacket that she is modeling for Bill. In the end she agreed to the budget, which is where I am at with then entire thing- I just fold and will give in. I know John is right, and it's all for our future- but come on how can you pass up a sale!?

Overall it was a great episode, it really hit home for me, not only with the infertility and the IVF and all that stuff, but the other "daily" stuff that happens in a marriage and all the hurdles that you have to overcome to be a successful couple in life and in your marriage. Don't forgot to tune in next Monday Style Network 8pm.