Celebrations.

We took Ady to Build a Bear last week on Joseph's day off so that Ady could use some of her money from Tatay and Biggie to make a special "Tatay" bear.


We had so much fun with her. She LOVED watching the lady make it. She just talked and talked to her :)


Here is "Maggie":


Ady is growing more every day. She is very much into her hands. She loves to touch them and put them together. She's really grabbing at her dollys and loves them. And she LOVES patty cake! So precious.



She had her 4 month check up last week and the poor baby was sick, sick, sick! She weighs 13 lbs 11 oz and is 24.1 inches long. She's growing, but still a petite little lady :) She did enter this world at 6 lb 4 oz, so she's got some catching up to do. Her shots were horrible, she had a terrible cold, AND cut her first tooth. We had some rough, rough days. She slept on mommy most of the time. So precious:

But, then she came back to her happy self :)



I celebrated my 25th birthday on Sunday and it was perfect. Look at my sweet little princess :)



We were going to go to Furlong's to celebrate the day, but it didn't quite turn out as expected. (All of you parents reading aren't surprised). Ady needed her bottle, but since she can not be placed in her car seat after a feeding, I had to wait to feed her once we got to the restaurant. I thought I must have passed it, but then realized it was no longer called Furlong's. In a state of panic I rushed to the first place I could think of getting to, El Mariachi. It was really all for Caden anyways. He wanted me to wear a sombraro, so what Caden wants, Caden gets:


And guess what? Furlong's does still exist. It's just been renamed to Onizim's Furlongs and "Onizim's" was in very large font. "Furlong's" was below it. Did I mention I turned 25? My eyes are no longer my friend. I used to pride myself in having perfect eyesight. No more. Oh well, it was fun. Moral of the story: Ady needed to eat. Fast. So, we ate wherever we could get to the quickest.

Joseph surprised me with a new Rachael Ray knife, 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Volume 2' (I got Volume 1 for Christmas), and a one hour massage at a salon. Yes! :) My mom and dad got me the new nook. I'm having a hard time figuring it out since my time is a little limited :) I'm hoping to get to Barnes and Noble this weekend and have someone really explain it well to me!


Rachel and I are going to see NKOTB and BSB in June in Nashville. I can NOT wait!


I remember last year's birthday so vividly. I just wanted to cry all day. Well, actually I did just cry all day. It wasn't exciting. But, there was a little girl already growing inside me, defying all odds and I wasn't aware yet. THIS year on my birthday, there was a true smile with me in front of my cake, instead of a fake one from before.

Ady was "supposed" to start cereal last Wednesday. She was SO SO SO sick that the doctor suggested waiting until she was back to normal. Well. We did. She's not too sure about it. But, one thing is for sure. She is like feeding an octupus :) I thought I did lots of laundry before. I wash every two days, no joke. Now, well....let's just say we don't need a hamper anymore. All items will just go straight to the washing machine.


There are many things I am grateful for this year. I am so thankful for another year, another "chance" at life. I am growing and learning more each day. I have accepted the challenges and cards that have been dealt and feel that in the past 4 months alone I have grown 25 years. I don't feel like quite the little girl I once was before. I am thankful for the struggle to have Ady. I appreciate her more each day. It was the best thing that could have happened to my marriage. Joseph and I learned how to lean on each other together and grow in our faith as we anticipated the goodness of God.

I know what it's like to truly work and long for something so desperately. And, thankfully, the Lord granted me the desire of my heart. I am thankful for my family that made my birthday special, as they always have. This year, I think (aside from Ady herself), I am most thankful for the chance to stay home with her. I am thankful for my hard working husband who allows me to do this. I have taken a lot of grief over this decision. It's very hard to compute and make sense of. I know that I did what was best for Joseph, myself, but most importantly a little girl named Ady. If that makes me unsuccessful in the eyes of others, then that is the greatest compliment I could ever receive. Because....at the end of the day, all that matters is one little miracle.