Thursday, April 30, 2009

3 Words Thursday

Look who's sitting! :)

Monday, April 27, 2009

Monday MS Walk Update

Last week I decided to raise our team goal. We were at $630 last week and I wanted to raise $750 by May 16th in order to provide a portable wheelchair ramp for someone living with MS. Once again, I was shocked, floored and in awe of the generosity of others! We have, in one week, surpassed our goal and have now raised $775!!!! In the beginning-I thought $250 was a goal we could accomplish--never did I think that one month into this we'd have such a large amount! This week's superstar was Brett-Great job!! :)

As always, here is the link to our team page. Here you can join our team (it's NOT too late!!), donate or just learn more about Multiple Sclerosis and how we have this great opportunity to walk for those who can't! http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?team_id=164305&fr_id=9572&pg=team

I can't seem to say it enough! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Our weekend!

We definitely took advantage of the wonderful weather this weekend. I'm so glad that Dominic loves to be outside--because his mom & dad certainly do!





First time in a swing! Yay!

2nd time-he LOVES it! With his Boston Red Sox gear-thanks to his Great Uncle & Aunt!
Weee!!!
Flying through the air!
Dominic's first time feeling sand!
At the beach
Dominic & Mommy at the Tulip Bed
Up close-he looks so happy! lol
"Aww Mom, really? Flowers?"
The traditional Basket picture
Mom doesn't look so enthused because she doesn't understand why an Easter basket is up ALL year round!!!

Friday, April 24, 2009

Secret Mommy Club

Yesterday I took Dominic out to do a little retail therapy. (Hence the I love Target post from yesterday) Dominic slept the whole time which gave me some much needed "me" time to browse at any & everything I liked. I usually feel bad spending 10 minutes in the makeup aisle when I am with Louie-so I had a ball!! While perusing through the sunglasses I stopped and looked around...THIS is where all "Stay at Home Moms" go during the day!! Walking through the store, I saw mom after mom, with their car seats (I counted 5 of the same one we have) attached to the cart, strolling happily along. It was like we all knew each other & understood how fantastic a once meaningless trip to a store was. We'd smile at each other as we passed in the baby section--like a secret handshake in a club. It was nice to see that I wasn't alone--we were even all dressed similar--from the flip flops on our feet to the big bags under our eyes! :) Even though I didn't speak to anyone I felt like I socialized with adults for that couple hours!

In other news, I joined a mommies group! Two of my good friends are also in the group..I think it's going to be a lot of fun and good for Dominic to socialize too! They go on fun field trips to all sorts of places in Lorain & Cuyahoga county. I love to meet new people--I'm excited!! Next Friday, there is a "Mommies Night Out" at John Christ Winery to kinda meet & greet--I think I am going to go! That way I don't have to go to Target to make friends & get some adult time in! HAH!!

The weather is BEAUTIFUL today and will be for the next week! 80 degrees today! I bought lots of baby sunscreen yesterday and am planning on being outside as much as possible this weekend!! Today we are going on a walk with Leann and her son, Connor! :) I'm happy it's going to be so nice when Louie is home this weekend--although it's going to be hard to watch the NFL draft from outdoors!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

3 Words Thursday

I Love Target! :)

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Week 8 and FINAL PT Update!!

Today we took Dominic to his "check out" appointment. Ann Marie just wanted to make sure that he didn't regress in progress with his growth spurts. Dominic was happy to see her and all her fun toys! Dominic showed off by rolling, sitting, and reaching for things. She said he looked great-and impressive for his age. Then told us that we won't need to come back, but he may get tight muscles again around the time he starts crawling. If that should happen, we'll just have to go in so she can show us some new stretches. We thanked Ann Marie for all her help and said our goodbyes. I'm very glad that we caught this so early-Dominic is completely cured of any signs of torticollis and never had to wear a corrective helmet! :) Yay!

Monday, April 20, 2009

A heavy heart..

Many of the greatest friendships I had growing up were with softball teammates. One in particular, Kristin, was one of my best. We played ASA/NSA softball together for 4 years and shared so many laughs together. Tonight, I'm heartbroken to be sharing a heavy heart with her.

Kristin has three sons. Two years ago, her and her husband found out that her oldest son, Isaiah was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer. He battled for two years with the disease and tonight he passed away. I couldn't imagine how difficult it would be to lose your child. Earlier today, hospice came and told the family that Isaiah would most likely not make it through the week. I read her update on the facebook group for Isaiah and immediately looked over at my little boy--playing with his toys on his playmat. Right then and there I thanked God that I have him. He's breathing-thank you. He's growing-thank you. He's happy & laughing-thank you. He's healthy-THANK YOU. I will never take a minute of his life for granted. Everytime I am elbow deep in poopy diapers I will be thankful. I will be grateful when I hear him wake up 3x a night. I will consider my clothes stained with "spit up" as a medal of accomplishment. I wouldn't want it any other way.

If you are on facebook-you can connect with their group page...http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1408623500&ref=nf#/group.php?gid=37754324885&ref=mf or visit their page here: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fisaiahcrawford.com%2FHome.html&h=b092ef91c64cb727db06369d41a928e5

I don't mean to post such a somber post--but I hope within this post it encourages you to take the time out of your day and thank God for what you have. Those little things that you might not ordinarily be grateful for, but know that your life would not be complete without. I'm sending all my prayers & strength to the Crawford family tonight. I just couldn't imagine. My heart aches.

I am so thankful.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Monday MS Walk Update

Good morning! I'm back with the weekly update on team "Daly Miracles" progress. Last week we were up to $555 and as of today we have raised $630!!! What a great job!! Pete had a really great week getting donations! Thanks Pete-you keep some very generous company!! :)



$750 will provide a portable wheelchair ramp for someone living with MS. I decided to set that new goal. I know-with a little less than a month left before the walk that we CAN do it!




Louie & I brainstormed ideas for our team T-shirts that we will wear for the walk. We have a great idea and will be working on getting those ideas out of our heads and onto our backs soon!



Again, here's the website to our team's page! We'd love your support and thank everyone who has helped--it truly means the World to me!



http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?team_id=164305&fr_id=9572&pg=team

Cabin fever CURED!

It was GORGEOUS this weekend--So we soaked up as much sunshine as we could!

Dominic in his stroller like a big boy

I got brave & took DT to see the lake by myself-I love his little Browns jacket

I made a little play area for us to play in out on the deck-TJ even brought out his toy to play!

We got Dominic some sunglasses-he's one coooool dude!
Just relaxing on the deck!

Daddy & Dom

We walked the mile long pier-it was so nice out!

I LOVE this picture of the two of them with the lighthouse in the background! :)
My Family!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

3 Words Thursday

"How YOU doin'?"

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

MS Walk Update-a day late!

I know I usually post on Mondays-but 5 month old Dominic took up my posting energy yesterday!


Again, I am just floored at the generosity of others! Last week we were at $470 and as of today we have raised $555!! Which means we have now raised enough money to provide a wheelchair for an individual with MS. We ARE making a difference!! Thank you to everyone who has donated, joined our walk, or took the time to go to our team page & learn a little more about Multiple Sclerosis.
If you'd like to donate, join our awesome team, or learn more about MS & the Cleveland MS Walk go here:



Monday, April 13, 2009

Five Months Old!!

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Scary Sadie Situation!

First off, I always feel awful that we aren't giving our fur-babies (dogs) as much attention. They are amazing with Dominic-letting him grab at them and pet them like it's no big deal. Today we had a REALLY scary thing happen...here's the story..

I got up from the dinner table to grab something and glanced down at Sadie. She had one paw really high up by her face and was leaning against the wall. I thought "oh no,her dew claws are stuck in her collar" and then immediately thought "wait, she's not wearing her collar". I kneeled down and she just started going nutso. She tried to walk and couldn't. Her legs just didn't seem to work properly. *If you've ever seen a dog try to walk in socks or shoes it was like that* Then she started urinating-uncontrollably. I got scared. Louie & I were trying everything as she shook violently. I kneeled next to her and pet her, she didn't even look at me-her eyes were bugging out of her head. Louie was on the phone with the Pet ER and was planning on taking her in. Just then, like someone snapped her out of it, she was normal. She pounced around like nothing had ever happened...like our kitchen wasn't filled with pee puddles or my face wasn't streamed with tears. We called the ER back and they pretty much confirmed what I thought had happened..a seizure. She's been fine all day/night since. But we are giving her lots of extra hugs & kisses tonight. I thought for sure she was going to drop dead right there on our floor. I also realized that in a panic stricken situation--Louie is MUCH better dealing with it than I am!!! An unrecognizable voice came out of me this afternoon as I squealed "Oh my God! My dog is going to die!!"

We plan to take Sadie to the vet ASAP which will most likely be Monday. She is a dachshund/beagle mix-both of these breeds are susceptible to epilepsy. I just never want to go through that again!! Eeek!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Crib night 3

They say it takes 3 nights to get used to the crib---here we go! Sidenote: Dom napped for a total of 4 hours today..eek! I hope he sleeps well tonight!

9:00 pm..asleep-he didn't even wake up when I carried him upstairs! yay!

10:30 pm..not a peep yet!

10:45 pm..spoke too soon-he's up.

11:05 pm...back asleep thanks to his Daddy and his swift running up the stairs armed with a pacifier!

11:13 pm..awake again

11:19 pm...back asleep

11:21pm....back awake

He was awake again throughout the night because the pacifier was out of his mouth. We discussed that he is sleeping very similar to the way he was in the bassinet. The good news is that he's staying asleep when we put him in the crib and he's not crying like he was that first night. :) We'll keep working on it!

3 Words Thursday

Cutest.Bunny.Ever

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Crib Night #2

Just a note: Dominic woke up at his usual 7:30 am after falling asleep at 11:30 pm last night..so he didn't get much sleep. He only napped a total of an hour and 20 minutes today--so I KNOW he's tired.

8:59..Dominic is in his crib, we put him in the "incline to sleep" pad and swaddled him so his arms are pinned down. This is how we put him to sleep in the bassinet so we're hoping this helps him sleep a bit sounder...as of 9:08 he's still asleep..

9:59....NOT A PEEP!!! He's still asleep and I'm knocking on every piece of wood in the house!

10:59...I can't believe it---he hasn't woke up yet. It made for a very nice night of watching our DVR'd shows. I'm hoping tomorrow is as nice. I know he was SUPER sleepy so he needed it--but I'm smiling ear to ear right now!!

12:30-1:30....up talking with Daddy in his crib.

3:00 am...up, I go in there and rock him back & forth with my hand. Back asleep

4:15...up, he gets changed, fed and to sleep with us until 7:30!

Last night went MUCH better. It may be because he was so tired--I guess we'll find out tonight!!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Crib night #1 update...

As of 10:20 pm.....this sucks. He's super upset & I'm pretty sure he's beautiful little blueberry eyes are going to be super swollen tomorrow...:(

10:26..I'm kicking myself. WHY didn't I put him in his crib from the beginning? Would it have been easier on ALL of us? Louie's up with him now. He's been crying/screaming since 9:15. He has to be exhausted. I feel awful. It's only going to get easier....right?

10:32..Louie gave him a bottle....silence. Let's hope it sticks. Tonight is going to be rough!

11:00..he's up, crying. Back upstairs to try and soothe him to sleep. I'm trying to stay downstairs because he associates me with food and he can't possibly be hungry. Plus, I can't stand to see him upset and would be too tempted to pick him up--waking him more. We had barely enough time to watch a bit of "Biggest Loser" and take the dogs out for the night. We know this is for the best--but feel like we have traveled back in time to week #1 with him.

11:05...back asleep

11:15....fussing..we're attempting to ignore it. Man, this is hard.

11:25....back asleep..I'm literally praying for the sweet relief of sleep for all of us.

11:32...we're going to attempt to go to bed. I'll post tomorrow & let you know how the rest of night #1 went. :(

G'night!!

3:00 am...Dominic's up. After a feeding, change he comes to bed with me. (another habit I'll have to break)

7:25 am...Two little hands are touching my face. I open my eyes and two beautiful blueberry eyes are staring me in the eyes! After a night like that--it was wonderful to see him smiling!

Onto night #2!!!

Crib notes...

Dear Dominic,
You are nearly 5 months old. It is time that you and I put aside our differences and be friends. I don't know what you have against me...I'm much bigger than the bassinet you are sleeping in now, there's a fun mirror so you don't feel alone, and a musical mobile to help you sleep!
I know it might be scary tonight when Mommy & Daddy put you in there-but remember they aren't far away. It's going to be different so I won't take it personally when you cry. I promise to keep you safe and sound so you can get a good nights rest.
You are growing so fast and big boys need to sleep in big boy beds! I hope that we can play nice tonight and become good friends!


Love,
Your Crib

April SNOW showers..

better still bring May flowers! (And Mayflowers bring Pilgrims! teehee! I couldn't help myself!) Just as I was getting used to taking Dominic out for walks around the neighborhood-it snows. Gotta love the weather in Ohio! :)

Monday, April 6, 2009

Monday MS walk update


First of all, I just want to thank everyone who has donated & volunteered to walk with us on May 16th. We had set a goal of $250-and in ONE WEEK we have raised $470!! We are hoping to keep it up all the way until the 16th! Here is the impact that our team can make:
$25-provides a reacher from someone w/MS
$60-provides a shower chair with a back for one individual
$150-provides a cooling vest kit for an individual
$240-provides a day of respite care for a family affected by MS
$500-provides a manual wheelchair for one individual w/MS
$750-provides a portable ramp for one individual

It's neat to see how your generosity is being put to use! We truly are helping someone who is in need! EVERY dollar we raise helps to find research and provide local programs & services for the 18,000 Ohioians living with MS.


If you'd like to donate or join our team, you can do so here:http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?team_id=164305&fr_id=9572&pg=team

Thursday, April 2, 2009

3 Words Thursday

Future's so bright...