MIA

I've been MIA this week due to the absolute worst stomach bug I've ever had.  I've always been the Mom/Wife that's still up taking care of the house and everyone else even when I'm sick...but this thing did.me.in.  The only thing we can figure out is that Peyton gave it to everyone (yes, everyone).  Peyton had 3 huge diaper blow-outs between early Tuesday morning and Tuesday afternoon, but I assumed it was teething related since she was drooling so bad.  She had no fever, was in a super mood, never acted like she was sick. 
My Mom called me around lunch on Tuesday and said she wasn't feeling well and had just thrown up so I should come get Peyton.  I left work to get her and was in their house for literally 5 mins.  We had a great day together, then around 2am Wednesday morning I woke up just not feeling "right".  I started throwing up around 2:15am and didn't stop until 3pm.  When I say "didn't stop", that's exactly what I mean.  I ended up on the bathroom floor until about 7am.  By 7am I was able to go about 45 mins between vomiting spells, so I moved to the bed.  I finally stopped throwing up around 3pm, but then the 103 degree fever hit and I STILL couldn't sleep.  I was too weak to walk and tried twice but passed out both times, it was really scary by that point.  Soooo by 8pm my fever finally broke and I was able to get some sleep, thank goodness!
The hardest part was not being able to be with Peyton, that absolutely killed me.  Edwin took care of her until he got sick on Wednesday, then my Mom took her until Wednesday evening.  Since she wasn't 100% yet, we called Edwin's parents for back up because we literally couldn't take care of her on our own.  They came over and kept her for the 1 1/2 hrs before bedtime and stayed the night just in case.  Edwin woke up feeling good this morning so he kept her until she woke from her first nap and then sent her over to my Mom's for this afternoon so he could rest a little.  I was SO happy when he could finally bring her in to see me this morning, gosh I missed her.  It was so hard listening to her beat on the bedroom door and cry "Mama, Mama" yesterday and not be able to do a thing about it.  It made me want to cry. 
So that's my past 48 hrs.  I look awful (like seriously awful), but am feeling a little better.  I'm even going to attempt a shower in a little while and had my first bite of solid food in 2 days just a few mins ago...baby steps! 

Uh Uh!

Peyton has started shaking her head "No" lately.  It's probably not something we should have encouraged quite so much, but it's so darn cute.  Sometimes she says "Uh Uh" when she shakes her head.  Here's a little taste!

Pretty Boring...and That's OK!

I really don't have too much to talk about this week.  My boys are officially out of the NCAA tourney, which I'm super bummed about.  I went to our church's 1st Women's Ministry meeting last night, it was a lot of fun.  We did a "meet and greet" and played some games...just got to know each other better.  It was really nice to get out of the house without the baby and hang out with some other women.  I rarely do anything without Peyton by my side because of Edwin's schedule.  I'm really happy to be back from my church hiatus (due to napping issues) and involved again.  It's so important to me that the whole family go together.  I was raised going to church every Sunday.  I participated in pretty much everything our church did...youth, bible school, choir, kept the nursery, variety shows, plays, etc...  My church family was an extension of my real family and I loved being there.  I really want Peyton to feel the same way when she gets older. 

I've been planning my munchkin's birthday party a lot this week.  I'm turning in to a blubbering idiot every time I think about her turning 1.  It seems so unreal.  I can't grasp the concept that in 5 1/2 weeks I'll have a 1 year old and in 6 weeks she'll have her very first birthday party.  I've been getting things together for the party for a month or 2 now so I wouldn't be so rushed as the deadline drew closer.  We're doing a Minnie Mouse theme with hot pink and zebra striped Minnie decor.  Thankfully my Mom is really in to "Stamp it Up" and she can create some amazing stuff.  She's making all the invitations for me and Etsy.com has been my best friend over the past few weeks!  I wanted to have a really small party, but just our family alone is a crowd.  So since it should be pretty warm (fingers crossed) by the beginning of May we're planning on an outdoor party (and garage) to better accomodate the large group we may have. That's all I'm going to say about the party for now because I'm tearing up just thinking about it!

Here's a pic of my precious girl when she was eating playing with sidewalk chalk the other day!

Stroller Comparison

 I stumbled upon this first picture when I was looking back through the hundreds of pictures on my phone.  This was back right before Halloween (obviously) when I was trying Peyton out in an umbrella stroller at Babies R Us.  I was picking one out to put on our Christmas list.  She was 5 months old here.....

And HERE she is 2 weeks ago at the park.  She's 10 1/2 months in this picture.  It's so crazy how unbelievably fast they change!

I'm holding on as tight as possible, but it doesn't seem to keep her from growing up.  I think I'm going to be a blubbering idiot for the next few weeks leading up to her 1st birthday!

Weekend Recap

We had a nice and pretty uneventful weekend this past weekend.  The hubby unfortunately had to work, but it will just make this coming week and weekend that much sweeter. 


Saturday morning Peyton and I did our usual shopping and out to breakfast routine (we do that every weekend Edwin works).  She played and finally went down around 11:30am* at which point Edwin and I sat outside for the entire 2 hours she was asleep.  It was wonderful to sit out and enjoy the 80 degree weather, I even got some sun and awesome tank top lines. 


*We seem to be having some nap time adjustments going on these days.  She's going down later and later and fighting that 2nd nap more and more.  I feel like it's just too early for 1 nap a day, so for now I fight for a 2nd nap.  Some days we get one, some days we don't.  Granted she's also going to bed a little later and sleeping a little later since daylight savings time.  We'll see what happens. 


Right as she woke up I got ready and went to a friends house for her La Boutique for Kids party.  I had been to another one of these parties when I was preggers, and they're so nice.  I got a few cute things for Peyton for this summer, then headed back home. 


Sunday Peyton and I made it to church for yet another week, we're on a streak!  I was proud of myself for getting up and getting us both ready and out the door for church on my own.  We missed church for several months after she was born due to napping issues.  She just wasn't at the point where she could last in the nursery without a melt down due to being exhausted.  But over the past few weeks, she suddenly can hang!  It's been so nice to be back at church and involved again.  I was nervous about the nursery, but she's done great every week.  She seems to slowly be getting better with her separation anxiety.  They say it usually peaks at 12-18 months, but I think we just had it earlier!  She gets a little upset and clingy when I drop her off (I send Edwin to drop her off when he doesn't work), but as I was leaving she saw a toy she wanted and I could hear her just babbling away.  The workers have said she's been great every week, except she did try to escape this past Sunday...leave it up to my wild one!


We watched a super cute video at church, and I just have to share it.  Check it out!
The Marshmallow Experiment


Sunday evening we went for a nice long walk with my friend Meghan and her son (Peyton's boyfriend).  We ended up walking way longer than we had planned so it was 8pm by the time we got home.  Peyton couldn't get to her crib fast enough, she skipped right over any type of bedtime routine and didn't move the entire night. 


It was a nice, peaceful, and calm weekend....I'm ready for another one!

Strolling

Could this weather be any more perfect...I think not!!!!  This is my favorite kind of weather...nice breeze...75-80 degrees...sunny...light until 8pm...I LOVE it!  This weather also makes it harder when the hubby has to work though.  The winter isn't so bad because everyone is inside and it gets dark early.  But once spring/summer hits and everyone is outside cooking out, walking, enjoying the weather...it gets a little more difficult to be without him.  BUT I'm not writing to whine.


Peyton has FINALLY cut 2 of those 4 teeth she's been working on.  This makes a grand total of 6 pearly whites!  She had about 2 weeks of total misery a while back, I'm assuming that was when the teeth were moving the most (like I have any idea).  But the past 2 weeks they haven't seemed to bother her much at all.  Edwin just happened to catch a glimpse of them when she was laughing this morning.  Crazy how there's so much build up and then they just pop through in a matter of hours...at least that's how it seems to go with us.  The bottom ones "should" be very close behind, I can see them right under the gums. 


I already knew a nice long walk was in our future as soon as I saw the weather forecast.  I'm so excited to get back to our evening walks like we did all last summer and fall.  Peyton LOVES to be outside, I could probably walk for hours and she'd love every second.  We didn't walk for hours, but we did walk for about 1 hour and got a good 3 miles in.  Thankfully Nonnie walked with us so we didn't have to go alone.  I need an adult walking companion when Edwin can't go with me.  Peyton spent the entire walk pointing at every single thing, saying "kitty kitty" every time she saw a cat, and "woof woof" every time she saw a dog.  She loves to turn around, flash me a heart melting grin, and wave (and wave and wave and wave) every now and then before going back to her pointing and babbling.  When we got back to the car she sat in the stroller with a look on her face that said "ummm why exactly are we stopping Mommy".  She crashed hard about 10 mins after we walked in the door...after all, riding in stroller is hard work! 

73 Days...and Counting!

We have 73 days until our vacation in Ocracoke.

(there will be a lot of these posts over the next 73 days by the way)

We can't wait for a week full of relaxation, beaching it, eating good food, and spending time with good friends.  This will be our friends first time going to Ocracoke, and I'm so excited for them to experience it.

If you've never been to Ocracoke Island, I really encourage you to experience it at least once.  People either absolutely love it or completely hate it. 

Afterall, it wasn't ranked the "#5 Best Beach in the World" AND "Best Beach in the US" for nothing! 

 Edwin took me for the first time back when we were dating, and needless to say I fell in love with it.  We spent our honeymoon there and go back just about every year.  

It's a very small fishing village, there are no fast food joints, no Wings or Bert's Surf Shops, no putt putt, no boardwalk...nothing like that.  You go to Ocracoke Island to RELAX and enjoy the simplicity.  There are lots of stores but they're all unique and different, lots of hand crafted stuff.  The restaurants are all wonderful, and I love that most of them are partially outdoors.  There's no "real" grocery store, but there are 2 grocery market type stores.  You'll pay an arm and a leg for most things, so we always hit up Sam's or BJ's before any trip!

You pretty much walk or bike everywhere, with the exception of a few places.  You have drive out on the beach, so if you don't have a 4wd vehicle you can forget about it.  But all of these things are what make it so special.  It's untouched by commercialism and I love that.   The people that live on Ocracoke don't care about fancy cars, name brand clothes, or making the big bucks.  You're secluded from the rest of the world, the only way off the island is by ferry or plane.

So I'll anxiously patiently continue my countdown for the next 72 days!