Holiday and B-day pics

Yesterday we went to Portrait Innovations to get some holiday and 1 year photos of Jordyn taken. They are really great - and affordable, and the best part is they print your photos right then and there. No waiting 3 weeks like at other studios. Since we were all sick the past 2 weeks we were really slacking on getting our holiday cards out. Thankfully, we had them printed yesterday and sent them off in the mail by the end of the day. Before we went I had also decided to get some b-day pics of Jordyn since she was sick on her birthday. At her party she didn't want to eat a cupcake, so I brought a cake to the photo shoot hoping we'd get some good pics with frosting on her face. She didn't really want to eat it but we did get some good pics. Here are the 7 poses we picked out of 89. It was really hard to cut them down!

Birthday Girl

My sweet baby girl turned 1 year old yesterday. I simply cannot believe a whole year has gone by. It was everything I dreamed it would be and more. She is so amazing and definitely the best thing that has happened to me. She gives us all so much joy and we am so very grateful to have her in our lives.

To celebrate her birthday, both her grandmas and her Aunt Erin came to visit from NY. We went to the zoo and out to dinner to celebrate yesterday. It was her first trip to the zoo and she really liked seeing the animals - especially the monkeys. They are her favorite lately and she likes to imitate their sounds. Its pretty funny hearing a 1 year old saying "ooh ooh ooh". She got to pet some of the animals at the petting corale - I thought she would be scared but she really liked it. Here is a pic of her petting a goat.

Afterwards at the restaurant, we got her an ice cream sundae. She loved putting her hands in it, mushing it all over her face and the table like fingerpaint. Here is a photo of her just getting her hands in it...

Then we went home and opened her presents. We bought her the Anywhere Chair from Pottery Barn Kids and one of her grandmas got her the Elmo Live doll. This thing is amazing. She got tons of other toys and gifts - and Christmas is just around the corner!

Today we had a party for her at the house with some friends and family. Jordyn was a little cranky this morning so I put her down for an early nap. I woke her after 2 hours to get her dressed for her party. By then some people started to arrive. She became very clingy and wouldn't let me put her down or go to anyone - not even her daddy. At first I thought all the people freaked her out, but that usually doesn't bother her. Then her triplet friends arrived and she didn't even want to play with them. I thought she might be hungry so I fed her lunch. She seemed a little better but still didn't let me leave her. Then it was cupcake time. I put her in her high chair and we all sang to her, and daddy and I helped blow out her candle. She didn't want to eat her cupcake, much less touch it. She was not interested at all. So I was bummed that we didn't get a photo with frosting on her face. She then seemed even more cranky so I put her down for a nap. Over 2 hours later I went to get her and she had 102.5 fever. Her first fever ever in her life and it had to be for her birthday party. Poor thing. So I spent the rest of the day taking care of a sick baby. Her fever broke a little while ago but I am expecting it to spike during the night. I have a feeling I won't be getting much sleep :-(

So since I was dealing with Cranky McFever Pants, I didn't get any pictures of her from her party. I know others took some so I have to wait to get those. For now, here's a few more from her b-day yesterday.

Much to be Thankful For

This year I have much to be thankful for. I am thankful for my health, my husband, my family, my job (even though I hate it but in this economy I am happy to have it), my house, my dogs, and I am especially thankful for my sweet baby girl. This time last year she was in my belly, kicking away, 2 weeks from being born. And this year she was eating turkey and is getting ready to turn 1 year old!

We had a nice Thanksgiving. Our good friend came over and brought a fried turkey from a local restaurant here in town. This is the 3rd year we've done it and its become sort of a tradition. We look forward to that delicious turkey every year. I made all the sides and dessert - even though I didn't cook the turkey I was still cooking and prepping for 2 1/2 days! And then we eat and its all over in 10 minutes. Now I am relaxing on the couch, watching the Texas Longhorns game on TV while my husband and his friend are at the game. I am awesome because I got them the tickets.

Our meal was so good, I thought I'd share some photos. I don't have the best camera for food images, but you get the idea. I am getting hungry again looking at these!

yummy fried turkey from Hoover's in Austin. I must say, I did a fine job carving it and plating it!

squash casserole - I opted for this instead of the green bean casserole. It was really yummy - the top crust is crushed ritz crackers and cheddar cheese!

cornbread and sausage stuffing

The spread - this photo has my favorite sweet potato with toasted marshmallow

Jordyn enjoying her first Thanksgiving meal

Sorry no pictures of the dessert - spiced pecan bars. By the time we ate it I had put away the camera and it didnt occur to me to take it out again. Just trust me when I say they were fabulous! Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Wow, how did it already become mid-November? Wasn't it just Halloween? This month has been busy - I celebrated my 33rd birthday - my first one with Jordyn. All those years blowing out the candles and making wishes and she was finally there with me celebrating. It was the best present I could have received. I did get a new Coach bag, which was a pretty cool gift! Its purple - my favorite color!

This week Jordyn started daycare. We struggled with sending her for awhile but we finally had to give in. Our nanny found a full time position, and we couldn't afford her full time, so we had to come up with an alternative plan. Luckily we were able to find a center near the house that offered part-time programs for infants. She will go on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Tuesday went better than I expected. Jordyn is so adaptable and loves playing with other kids, and thats exactly what she did all day. Her teacher said she refused her lunch, and only napped for an hour and 15 minutes, but was happy all day. She said it will take her some time to adjust to the new schedule and new surroundings but overall she did great. I am trying to change her schedule at home too so everything can be a little more streamlined. Today I gave her a sippy cup with milk along with her lunch around 1145. She used to get a bottle of formula at 1130 and then her lunch at 1230. But she's almost a year and we are transitioning from formula since she is getting all her nutrition from food. She did well with the change, so we'll see how it continues to go. I think she is getting great care there so I am happy about that. And I didn't even cry when I dropped her off. Yay for me!

The big birthday is coming up soon - on 12/6. We are having a party on the 7th at the house - I am really looking forward to it. I still cannot believe she is going to be 1!!

Happy Halloween

Jordyn had a great first Halloween. Its hard to believe this time last year she was still in my belly! Where has this year gone??

5 years

Today I am celebrating 5 years since my kidney transplant. I can't believe its been this long already. Sometimes I feel like it was just yesterday and other times it feels like a lifetime ago. Thankfully everything is great - all my lab work checked out fine and everything is within normal range. I feel great, and have my sweet baby girl, wonderful husband and family - life is good!!

Wordless Wednesday - Livestrong Challenge

This past Saturday we participated in the Livestrong Challenge 5k. Here's a family pic in front of the state capitol after we finished the race.