A Little Bit Of Christmas

Mason had a pre-k program Tuesday night at church so we all went.  Bailey and Mammaw got their picture made in front of the Christmas tree before we went.  Pappaw was here, but I guess he must have been talking or something since we left him out.  Opps!  Sorry!

I don't know why Bailey looks so tired here.  It was getting close to bedtime, but it wasn't right at bedtime or anything.  And she has been staying up a little longer, not much longer, maybe 15 minutes, but that's better than she was, and sleeping much better at night.  I don't know what the problem was the past few weeks but she was killing us. 

And last but not least, here's that little Mason bringing us some Christmas cheer!!

That's hime in the red striped shirt, among all the girls!

Just A Report

Not much of anything news worthy in the Whitehead household to report. 

Bailey got a great report at the pulmonologist last week.  I think he was a bit concerned that she had had pnumonia since the last time he saw her but she looked and sounded great and we will go back in two months.  I don't really know why we have to go back in two months and not just on an as needed basis but I think that might be because the pnumonia.  She sounds better now than she has bascially ever to though.

We went to Jackson to see Sid's grandparents on the Whitehead side and a good visit.  It's always a little sad for Sid to go since his grandfather's health is deteriating so.  It's just so sad. 
I'm having a hard time right now with all the sick babies I read about and all of our loved ones who have illnesses and are suffering.  I just can't wrap my mind around why there is all this suffering, but I'm so thankful for our health and Bailey's health.

I'm also having a hard time when I think back to this time last year.  I keep thinking, well, this was the last week of my pregnancy and was complete bed rest, not that I followed it, but I was supposed to be.  And the closer it gets to her birthday, the more emotional I get over it.  I can't hardly stand to let her out of my sight and I think about all the trouble we had with feeding to begin with and now it's time to take her off the bottle.  Time just flies by and I it's a little sad.  Happy, but sad.  Her birthday was the worst day of my entire life, well, the next morning when I finally got to see her was probably a close second.  With her laying there all hooked up to those machines and on mimimal sitmulation, not eating, couldn't cry, on the vent, couldn't be held.  Just so sad.

 I think back to Christmas Eve last year and how Sid and I spent it, alone, in our hospital room, with no baby to hold.  Sid went and got us Applebee's to go and we sat in the tiny hopital room and ate it, just it the two of us, with nothing really even that good on the TV to make the time go by.  On Christmas Day I was finally discharged an we came on home to get a good shower and some real rest before starting the journey of going to and from the NICU and sitting there and staring at our baby that we couldn't hold or feed.  I remember telling him to please tell his parents to not come over because I just couldn't handle being around others that day knowing my baby was back at the hospital alone and couldn't be held.  They did come by but just for a moment.  Sid and I were in bed asleep on Christmas Day before the sun went down.  Another week went by before we got to bring her home. 

And then I think to where we are now and I'm just blown away by how good God has been to us in regards to Bailey.  She has definatly had her fair share of sickness and hospitals and surgeries and such, but she has recovered from all of it and bless her little heart, really has not a chance in the world with me as her Mama and Sid as her daddy.  We are two of the hard headest people you will ever meet and we are already seeing that in her.  She threw her first real tantrum Saturday morning. I was holding her and making toast and after I got it on the griddle, we walked away from it.  She got down out of my arms and laid in the floor face down and just screamed her little heart out.  Wouldn't let me or Sid touch her, all because the toast had to cook.  When she gets into something and we tell her no no or tap her little booty, unless we tap her rather hard, she will turn and tap us back.  She's learned to elbow us to get away.  In a way it's kind of funny, but at the same time, we will both for sure be paying for our raising. 

We've got alot to do to prepare for the big 1st birthday party and finishing up Christmas shopping.  So I may not get to post much this week.  But I'm sure there will be lots of pictures of the party after the weekend.

HO HO HO! Who Wouldn't Go????

WHO IN THE HECK IS THIS MAN AND COULD YOU PLEASE GET HIM AWAY FROM ME.....NOW!!!!!

I happen to believe that is was the elf with a fake flying squirle trying to get her attention that actually scared the wits out of her.  So this is the best we could get.  Sid is bribing me with a trip to Bass Pro Shop tomorrow by saying we can try again without the flying stuffed animal, but we'll see. 

And can I just ask.....Who took my baby and left this little girl in her place???  It is just so sereal to think about this time last year and compare it to the now.  But we are loving every minute of it. 

This Is Not My Norm

If you know me well and love me lots, you know I love to blog and I LOVE to read other people's blogs.  I love to read anything really, but more recently I've loved the blog thing.  So, it just so happens that not one, not two, but FIVE bloggers that I read have been given HP Touchsmart computers to try out and have also been given one EACH to give away to a blog reader.  I have recently been asked to join this blogger community called BlogHer, which is basically just networking for bloggers, and apparently there is some money in blogging if you do it and do it well.  I don't really know, yet, because my codes to put the money making stuff on my blog haven't arrived yet.  But as part of this network, I might also get to try things from time to time from sponsers and give something this grand away.  Maybe...but I doubt it. 

Anyway, two of the bloggers are offering extra entries into the give away if you blog about it and link back to their blogs.  See, they want you to leave my blog and go check out their blog because they get money for every hit to their blog from BlogHer for advertising space on the blog.  Does that make sense?  I didn't think so.  Just so I can get my two extra entries, because this computer is a cool looking bad-boy, here are the two links and a link to the entire article from BlogHer with all the blogs doing the give away.  Maybe you should enter to win!  I mean, there are only 100 million people trying for 5 of these puppies, so surely between my 5 entries and  your 5 entries we can win one, can't we?  What's that?  I have better odds by going down the road to the casino with a $20 bill in hand, you are probably right, but those are odds I'd rather skip on for now. 

Speaking of skipping, skip on over the see MckMama at My Charming Kids and Kelly at Kelly's Korner.  Don't forget to visit BlogHer.   Here's another link for you.

Bailey goes back for a re-check at the pulminologist tomorrow afternoon and she might just get to visit Santa for the first time.  We'll see if she's up for it.  I don't expect anything major to have to report after we see the doctor tomorrow.  I think everything is finally under control, but shhhh!  Don't tell Bailey that, she'll find something to get into!

Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town

But he left Miss Claus at our house for the time being.  haha!  This little dress/outfit is so darn cute I can just barely stand it. 

This is the sweet dress that Bailey got in the mail lasat week from Pap-paw.  Do you know how hard it is to convince an 11 1/2 month old to keep the santa hat on for just one cute picture?  Judging by the looks of the only two I got with the hat on at all, it is pretty hard!  She has learned to wrestle and twist and turn to get her way. 

I think this one is cute.  It looks like she is about to leap out at me.  But Sid was acually trying to hold her still and she wrestled free from him and this is how she "landed". 

MISCHIEVOUS!  MISCHIEVOUS!  MISCHIEVOUS!

I thought maybe her stocking would be a distraction enough to leave the tree alone, leave the hat on, be still, look at the camera and smile.  But, alas, that's an awful lot to ask from a nearly 1 year old. 

So......this is the best I could get today!

Hopefully when it's not pouring down rain outside we can go out in the brisk sunshine and get a few more, and maybe the breeze will be enough to make her leave her hat on.

Bailey wants to say thank you so much to her Pap-paw Self for getting her this dress and sending it all the way to Mississippi.  She also wants to say thank you for sending something that makes her mama want to kiss her a million and ten times....because she likes kisses....and hugs too!

First Weekend in December

Well, the holiday's have begun now that December is here.  I have been practicing with the choir at church since about August so that I could participate in the Christmas music, which was this weekend on Saturday and Sunday night.  To start the weekend off, I had practice for a few hours Friday night and had to miss the Pilot Club Christmas Party.  Sid and Bailey hung out together at home.

Look who showed up at our house late Saturday morning!  Mimi and Poppy T came to hear the Christmas music and see Miss Bailey Boo!  Bay and I were outside putting the new camera to use and she was so excited when their car stopped at our house and they got out. 

Jerry's side of his extended family always gets together at the Holiday's and that happened to be this weekend, too, on Saturday.  For some reason, Friday night Bay did not sleep well at all!  I was up with her til about 2:00 a.m. and Sid had to get up with her before 6 on Saturday morning.  He wanted to leave around 10 and Bailey was in desperate need of a nap, so she and I didn't make it this year.  I'm sad we didn't get to go, and she could have forgone the nap if it wasn't going to be an extra long day for her on top of no sleep the night before. 

(She wore this to church Sunday.)  Saturday night everyone came to the Christmas music, including Bailey, even though it started at her bedtime.  I couldn't really see her that well, just her bow every now and then.  But they said she had the best time listening and even helped direct the music.  I don't doubt that because she puts that pointer finger to some pretty good use most of the time.  Her cough is finally gone but she has the cruddiest nose I've ever seen, which is probably either from just the bad cold or all those darn teeth that are coming in.  I think the snotty nose is what's keeping her from sleeping so well, but we are using the saline spray and suction bulb, it's just so far up in her head and there's just so much of it.  Anyway, other than that, she is just her happy, smiling self!

I wanted to take some pictures of her with the Christmas tree when we got home from church this afternoon.  As you can see, she wanted to inspect the ornaments.  I don't have wrapped Christmas presents under the tree right now for this very reason. 

Mom and Dad visited this morning before they left to head back home.  Too bad they missed seeing this guy in the feild across from our house......

and too bad for Sid we live in the city limits where it's illegal for him to shoot Bambi.  I would die if he EVER shot a poor deer in front of me or my sweet girl, espeically in our front yard!

Bailey was so worn out from yesterday and this morning that she slept right through church this morning, ate her some lunch at the Mexican resturant with Uncle Ben, Aunt Kylie, Mason and Brady, and then came home and took another two hour nap.  I had to be back at the church early tonight before the music for pictures, so Sid and NeNe brought her later and during the music tonight, in a crowded santuary, I heard "mama" and I knew immediatly that was my baby girl.  It struck a chord to know that out of over a hundred people, I could know that sweet voice anywhere, calling me mama!  How could this sweet thing not strike a chord in your heart no matter what she is doing?

I just can't get enough of her.  She crashed out shortly after we got home!  And finally, we did mangage to get a picture of all of us in front the tree before church this morning.

I'm hoping sometime next week we can go

 see santa and do some final Christmas shopping. 

You know I mentioned earlier that I got two books for me and Sid to read during this Christmas season and I'm not liking either one of them.  As a matter of fact, I haven't even reminded Sid that we have them.  I'm trying to muddle through at least one of them.  But whatever is going on this Christmas season, where ever you are in your life, I just encourage you to slow down and remember the true meaning of Christmas.  Remember that it's not about me, me, me and presents and how much we can rack up under the Christmas tree.  But it's about that sweet baby boy, born in a stable, with a manger for his bed, that came to save the world, to save us from ourselves.  We are far from perfect, any of us, but that sweet baby boy grew to be a man, a man who so unselfishly gave his life, was forsaken and we were forgiven.  Don't forget that this busy holiday season, as it is so easily done.  You know, now that I am a Mom, I think sometimes about God and the gift of His son that He gave us.  And it is so hard to wrap my mind around the love that He has for us, to give His son's life.  As a mother, I don't know how you ever just give up your child, especially as a sacrifice, knowing what was going to happen.  But God knew the end result and I just encourage you not to let that ultimate sacrifice go to waste.  I'm usually not one to get all preachy, but this is the season of Glad Tidings and Good News.  Don't miss out on or forget the Good News.  The Good News that Jesus was born, died, and rose again, all for us, for me and for you so that we may have life and life eternal.  I'm so thankful for that at this point in my life and I hope you are, too!

Be on the lookout tomorrow for that special picture of our girl in her special Christmas outfit that she got in the mail last week!  It's gonna be a cute one!

The Elf on the Shelf

So, Mom got Bailey her Elf and today we opened it and played with it.  I had already read Sid the story and I guess we are lucky that he doesn't think we are crazy.  Bailey has no idea what this elf thing is nor does she understand that her elf is reporting to Santa each night rather or not she bit someone during the day.  But anyway, part of the instructions is to name our elf, a name that our family elf will have forever and ever amen.  I intended to come up with a few names and let Bailey just randomly pick one.  But Sid decided he wanted to name this elf.  He said we could call it "Jeff the F" which made no sense at all.  I said, " Sid, it's an elf not a F, so Jeff the Elf doesn't make sense if you are wanting it to rhyme or something."  So he says, "ok, Jeffery the Elf," which still doesn't rhyme, but I had to explain that this would be our family elf's name and I think Bailey's elf is a girl, to which he replies that it looks like a boy. 

We finally decided that our elf is indeed a girl, and I just saw we can buy her a skirt to make her look more like a girl if need be.  And her name?  Her name is Jesse.  Jesse is now our first family tradition and hopefully next year Jesse won't have to report to Santa that Bailey is biting like she's having to do this year. 

On another Christmas note, Bailey got a special package in the mail today from her great grandfather Pap-Paw Self.  It was the neatest little dress for Christmas, like a santa suit, complete with the hat, but it's a dress.  I guess that would be Mrs. Claus's dress.  But it is too cute and I've already washed it so we can get to wearing it.  Be sure to look for a picture of our little santa clause with her new friend named Jesse!