I've Got This Problem

My child has crazy hair. It naturally does a mohawk. That might be cute on a baby boy, but not my baby girl. The picture to the right does not do justice for what is actually there. I took this picture right after she took her morning nap. I decided that I'd better change her diaper and put her in her clothes for the day before I start taking pictures. It is like putting a diaper and onesie on a monkey (hmmm, another monkey reference...). So, after all of the wrestling, her hair started sticking up around that big center curl that flows back and down her head. The second picture shows just how crazy that hair in the center is. Just one curl following another, heading towards her back. Then she has straight, flat hair that totally doesn't match up with what's going on at the top. There is one curl that isn't located at the top and it's on her left side, behind her ear. You can see it in that second picture. She'll be turning 6 months soon, and I am wanting to get some 6 months pictures taken. Any ideas what I should do with her hair? I have been putting gel on her hair, but now that her hair is longer, it just looks wet and crunchy. I also hope that I can get a picture of her
smiling. That last picture is the only I got of her smiling, and she looked down! Michael is off next week, so maybe I should do it then. She just lights up when he comes home from work. I do too. He's our favorite and we can't wait to celebrate Father's Day!

Audrey Laughing

As hard as some of us try to make Audrey laugh, her Daddy does it easily.

Take 5

1) Flip Flops: I just saw on the news that flip flops are horrible for your feet! This famous summer item is linked to ankle, lower leg, knee, and back pain. I ONLY wear flip flops in the summer. I like that they are comfy and that they keep me at 5'9" and not too much taller than my husband. They said that wearing them around the pool and around the house is fine. Well, I do that, but I've also been known to take walks in them too. I guess I'll have to wear my warm sneakers for that walk from now on.





2) Haircut: I had my hair cut Tuesday. I went in wanting a style that I found in a picture. I also wanted highlights. I came out with shorter hair that didn't look like the style I had in mind, and also a lot blonder than expected. Two of my worst haircuts have occured when I have brought in a picture. Why is that? I thought a picture is worth more than a thousand words. I guess I just get really disappointed when my hair fails to look like that of the one pictured. I'm learning to live with this head of hair and may even end up liking it after a while.

3) Cutting Coupons: I may start cutting coupons. I came across this website that seems to have a great strategy. Stores go through a 12 week (typically) cycle of putting certain things on sale. For instance, household cleaners will be on sale one week and canned veggies the next. You can get outstanding deals on certain items and stockpile those things. Pretty soon, you have stockpiled most of what you need and have saved big bucks. The site keeps track of everything. It tells you where to look, when to buy, and how to use the coupons. Have any of you used this? How did it go?

4) Red Wings: The Red Wings are Stanley Cup Champions. Did anyone catch this game?? Has to be the most exciting ending to a championship game that I've seen in a long time. The previous game built upon that excitement because you knew the Pens could make a comeback in the last few seconds of play. Osgood made the save and we saw the puck travel parallel to the goal line with just 0.01 second left. Wings celebrated and the Pens cried.

5) LOST: After the finale, I have a ton of questions. Here are a few:

• How does Christian (Jack's dad) play into all of this?
• Is Claire alive or dead? Was she unalive like Christian seems to be?
• Is Michael alive? Remember Hurley told Walt he was lying to protect those on the island, like his dad.
• Is Locke really dead? How come he's now Jeremy Bentham and off of the island?
• Where is the island now? Is it still an island?
• Will Sawyer and Juliette become an item since they believe Jack and Kate are dead?

Monkey See, Monkey Do

My parents found this video. They thought it resembled Audrey in how no matter how hard we try sometimes, Audrey will just not smile or laugh....especially in front of a camera! Just to clarify, they didn't think the monkey looked like Audrey, just acted like her! :)

Learning to be Thankful

Last night, we had Jill and Landon over to watch the LOST finale. I must begin by saying that it was a great show! But the names, oh the names! Sawyer is James, Kate is Monica, Freckles, and about half a dozen other names, Henry is Ben, and now John is JEREMY! Whoa. To read the significance of this latest name, go to Micheal's blog.

Any time we have company over, I become very thankful for our wedding gifts. Thanks for the china, dishes, silverware, glasses, crockpot, and linens! How could we have people over if you guys had not been so kind to us?! I'm also thankful for the dishwasher that can so easily clean all of those dishes!

I also have been reminded recently on how blessed we are to have Audrey. Just this week, God has shown me people that have gone through the following:

• Unable to conceive.
• Miscarrying early (over and over again).
• Miscarrying late.
• Delivering early.
• NICU
• Losing the child shortly after giving life to the child.
• Raising a child with severe problems.

I don't know why these things happen. I don't know why I was spared from these things. I know God loves each of us tremendously. We'll understand it all by and by. What I do know is that the child I saw yesterday that is living with severe problems is a unique child of God and a precious angel. I prayed for the young boy when he was born and it was a blessing for me to see him interact with Audrey. Two precious children.

Sometimes I get a little down when dealing with Audrey, my collicky (which has passed - whew!), allergic, and dificult tempered child. I know how easy-going some babies are and long for Audrey to be that way. I long to eat things that have milk and soy in them, like ice cream - yum! But I must remember that Audrey is perfect the way she is and I wouldn't have her any other way. I'm thankful that my dairy and soy free diet has kept most sweets away and makes it easier to lose the baby weight. And those smiles from Audrey mean even more!

Visiting Nana, Sasa, and Mimi

Last Friday, Audrey and I visited my grandmother, aunt, and mom. It was the perfect way to start the long weekend.

This is a four generations picture of Nana, Mimi, me and Audrey. Nana is just a hoot to be with.


This is a picture with my mom's sister, Sandra. We call her Sasa. She is basically another mom to me. She has given me much time and love.Here's Audrey having fun on Nana's floor. She just loved rolling around while we visited. Her fingers are almost always in her mouth these days.
So, we have been in search of this teether. It took me a loooong time to find someone that was actually carrying the teether. I finally found one at RightStart. Audrey LOVES it! It's her favorite item for the moment.

LOST

You may wonder what Michael and I do when Audrey goes to bed around 7:30 or so. How in the world do we occupy our time? We watch LOST. A lot of it. A couple of months ago, our friends, Jill and Landon, had us watch the pilot episode. We got hooked. Since then, we have flown through seasons 1, 2, 3, and almost 4. Can you believe it? We will watch the last show tonight and watch Season 4's finale with the rest of the world.

If you are a LOST watcher, do you have any theories? I would love to hear what you think is happening. Also, who is your favorite character? Have they always been your favorite?

Hurley is my favorite. I love the comic relief he brings. I would like to think that he would be my friend in real life - aside from the fact that he's in and out of the looney bin all of the time.

The Stanley Cup

I am so very proud to be a Dallas Stars fan right now. The team played their hearts out. Detroit was just the better team and deserve to be in the Finals. They have my respect.

Every hockey fan desperately wants to see their team lift the Cup. I've seen my team do it once. 1997: Stars lost Game 7 in round one. 1998: Dallas lost the Western Conference Finals to Detroit in Game 6. 1999: Stars won the Cup.------->2007: Stars lost Game 7 in round one. 2008: Dallas lost the Western Conference Finals to Detroit in Game 6. 2009????? :)

If you like hockey at all, you will love this commercial. Enjoy!

Why I Dislike Timer Warner Cable This Week

I've always had bad feelings towards TWC.

The two redeeming qualities it has are these: 1) stays on during storms...cable totally beats satellite when it comes to this 2) We're able to afford a sports package that includes the VS channel. It proved invaluable during the playoffs. We couldn't afford to have VS when we had satellite.

Now, some pretty aggravating things have been occurring since Monday this week. Most channels have a pause or a mini-blackout every 30 seconds or so. You completely miss a portion of a news story, an interview, or a play in a win or go home hockey game. Also, they have completely blacked-out several channels at a time while trying to repair them.

Last night, we went to a going away party for one of Michael's coworkers. As usual, the DVR was set to record American Idol. This morning, I turn on the tv to see how this FINALE went last night. I get 62 minutes of an infomercial on chronic pain followed by QVC. Thanks, TWC.

I'll have to watch all of the singing on youtube.

5 Months, Already!

Audrey turns 5 months old today! I can finally say, where has the time gone? There's no way my little baby will be crawling soon! Right now, she's just a rolly-polly. She also is beginning to think that Mom and Dad are pretty funny. Other milestones - eating rice cereal and sitting, if just for a second. Audrey got to spend her 5 month birthday morning with her cousins while I went to a doctor's appt. Boy, I'm sure glad I can leave her for awhile now and that she LOVES her cousins!

Here's a pic of my two favorite people from a couple of Sundays ago. These guys crack me up!

This is Your Chance!

Are you one of the many people living in the Metroplex that doesn't get hockey? No hard feelings. I understand we live in Dallas, where football is king and you hear Spanglish while you eat your Tex-Mex. I wouldn't be surprised if futball overtook football here soon.

Thursday, at 11:00 AM, on FSN Southwest, the rebroadcasting of the magnificant Game 6 will occur. This won't be hours upon hours of hockey, but the Reader's Digest version of the most hard-faught periods of the greatest game on earth. Why not take a look on why the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in sports. It's worth just to see the save Nabokov makes on Richards. UN-B-LEEV-ABLE!

May Already?

Can you believe that May has arrived? May means NHL playoffs! The Stars had the chance to close out another series last night, but we'll have to wait a little bit longer. Sure looks like we'll be playing the Red Wings in the conference finals. Tuesday night's game may have been one of the best games I've ever watched. Both teams were playing their hearts out. There were hits (checks) being thrown everywhere, a short-handed goal, a penalty shot, and sudden death overtime. We came out on top. :)

I started thinking last night about that game and how it made me feel. I've heard so many times people wonder why people will cheer at a sporting event but not for God. I get this, but then I don't. The elements of the game that makes one cheer aren't usually present for me when I praise God.

I grew up going to church and reading the Bible. Although the Bible is the Living Word, I don't anticipate that I will read something that will make me jump off the couch with arms in the air. Maybe it would if I were reading the material for the first time. Growing up with it means that I gradually understood the Good News, and I definitely don't fully understand it. I am very thrilled, don't get me wrong, but John 3:16 is more of a mental thing than an emotional thing for me at this time.

I have decided that perhaps one way I will jump for joy will be if/when our children profess to be followers of Christ. If we discover this at home, you better believe I will shout out with joy. If it is at church and my child walks down to the front to be baptized, I'll be more subdued.

What are your thoughts on this? I know that sports truly don't mean anything and God is everything. But do you think I should be ridiculed for jumping up for joy when a goal is scored and not when a sermon is finished?

*** I felt I needed to add that singing may be my most emotional act of worship. I've cried, raised my hands, and done a small little jig while singing before. I'm referring more to the sudden and immense joy that can come from sports. I hope I am making sense and don't offend anyone in any way.

Feeling Blue

Yesterday, Audrey wore my favorite color, blue. I just love baby girls in this color! I really wanted to do her nursery in blue, but thought I might be taking it a little too far. I'm just not that into pink, so purple and green won. Below is Audrey in her Bumbo chair and also a video of her rolling onto her tummy this morning. I finally caught her doing it! I was thinking she was waiting for me to walk into the kitchen before she rolled!

I know you are wondering about my reactions to last night's hockey game...yeah right! Since I've already posted twice today and the Stars play again tonight, I will wait until tomorrow to post on how proud I am to be a Stars fan!

The Truth Comes Out!

I recently saw a news show with past Idol contestant (and Dallas Stars Anthem singer), Celina Rae. She spoke of how the show tries to get certain singers voted off. She showed the news host how the band's music was too loud when Carly was singing. She pointed out how it was frustrating Carly as she sang. Just one of the many ways American Idol tries to sway the vote.

Now, you probably know what happened last night on American Idol. If not, go here. Paula "Where's My Brain" Abdul couldn't follow the new format of judging. They had to hold their judgement until everyone sang one song and then quickly dole it out. She critiqued TWO of Jason Castro's songs when he only sang ONE. She said she looked at David Cook's notes, but she did not. She blasted the faux second song of Jason's. That would have been the criticism for David, but she said David was her favorite. ??? Could the judges or producers write out what they are going to say even before the song is sung? Is this just another way to sway the vote? What do you think? BTW, I thought Jason did a fantastic job! His and Syesha's were my favorites last night. I'm sure one of them will leave this week.

Pictures

My blonde baby. Becky, she loves the exersaucer!

When Audrey bites on her lower lip like this, Michael says she looks like an old man. What do you think?I just had to get a picture of her sleeping now that she has figured out how to take a nap again!
Audrey with cousins Maddie and Macie.Audrey just leaning back and enjoying the day.

Finally!

Since I have made it known that little Miss Audrey hasn't been sleeping well lately, I should also let you know about the good stuff. Audrey slept for 9 1/2 hours straight last night!!! Can you hear what I hear? It's the choir singing Hallelujah!! Finally!

The Dallas Stars made it to the second round of the playoffs. We haven't done this in years! So now we are set up to play San Jose. Friday night is the first game and it starts at 10 pm. UGH! I don't like playing west coast teams! We should just play all of the games in Dallas. I sure wish I was at the last game. The Stars came from behind in the 3rd period and blew away the Ducks. American Airlines Center was rockin! I heard on the radio the next day that it was the best sporting event that the AAC has ever hosted. It was the first time a Dallas sports team ended a series there. Finally!

4 Months Old!

We've made it to four months! My baby girl definitely does not act like a newborn anymore. She is a very opinionated young lady. She determines how she should be held, she cries any time something doesn't go her way, and she will let you know when she will or will not sleep! It hasn't been the easiest four months, but they still have been fun. We went to the doctor today for her checkup and Audrey got 4 shots and an oral. She still proves to be a skinny baby (25%) but isn't so tall anymore (70%). The doctor agrees with what seems like everyone says, she's an alert baby. He also says that all of this fussiness may just be her disposition. Although I'm VERY thankful that she is healthy, I sure wish there was something we could do to make her happy. Since we went to the doctor today, I don't have a 4 month picture yet. Here are a couple from the last week though - courtesy of Jill and Mom. This is the, "Don't mess with me" look.

I bought Audrey a Bumbo chair and a Baby Bjorn carrier last week. She loves both! I already had two carriers that were a different brand that she did not like. I noticed that every baby I saw in a carrier was in a Baby Bjorn and not my kind. For you new moms or about to be new moms out there, Baby Bjorn is the way to go! We've used it so much already!

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Okay, on to things not about Audrey. Yesterday was the 3 year mark of when Michael proposed. It has been a great three years!! Yes, he proposed on tax day and it sure makes it easy to remember! Yesterday, my babe went to the doctor because he is sick. He bought me a card while he was getting his meds and wrote the sweetest things for me. He's even thoughtful when he's sick! He was sick on Valentines too. So much for trying to be romantic on special days. We just try to survive!

I'm losing my hair. A whole stinkin lot of hair! I am so thankful that the reason why I'm losing all of this hair is because I was blessed with a beautiful baby. The reason could be so much worse. Chemo, stress, or simple genetics would be worse. I read somewhere that if you don't want to lose it in clumps, to let your hair air-dry. I tried that yesterday. No thank you! Instead of getting rid all of the loose hair at the beginning of the day, I spent the day with the feeling of just having walked through a spiderweb. You know the feeling - little strings all over you that you can't see to take off. Audrey seemed to always have my hair in her hands or mouth.

I'll write more later, when Audrey is not requiring my attention. :)

Rolling Over

I've only seen Audrey roll over from tummy to back, but I know she has done the other way twice. I was able to get her rolling on camera. It was pretty easy since she does not like to be on her tummy!

One Year Ago Today

We found out we were pregnant. I was curious if I was, but did not want to waste a test. I had felt some pain in my side and was suddenly having bleeding gums and nose bleeds. I asked Michael if I could take the test in the morning and he said sure and that he would get up with me. So, on April 11, 2007, I woke up and told Michael I was going to do the test...and he stayed in bed! I looked and announced we were pregnant and I think it took awhile for it to sink in for Michael. He sat up and we hugged. That was it. Nothing cute or fancy, but still very special.

My Stars won their first playoff game last night, 4-0 BABY! I have to DVR the games and watch them during the day. Michael and I usually are watching a Season 1 LOST show after Audrey goes down at night. I spent the day with friends and a made sure that no one told me the results of last night's game. I was actually anxious all day just wondering how the game went.

Last night, Michael and I had our first date night! Ma and Poppy came over to keep Audrey while we tried out a new resaurant, Firefly. I loved the ambiance, but disliked the food and the price. Even Michael didn't like the food. I think we're accustomed to American-Asian food and maybe this was authentic Asian food. Very different - and I had salmon. We weren't there for very long, so we went for dessert at Nestle's. We didn't want to appear to not trust Michael's parents with Audrey! She did great! She slept for the two hours we were gone. BTW, she is catching up on her sleep that she has missed out all week long! I am not as tired as I should be. God has really taken care of me!

After the wind and the rain...

...we made it! Last night I got up to check on Audrey at 3 am. She was wide awake and cooing! (even though she has refused to nap all week!) I knew she should be hungry so I began to nurse her. The rain began and I became scared. I usually don't freak out with storms, but I could tell it was really bad out there. I did not want to lay her back down in the crib next to the window. The power went out and since Audrey's noise machine went off, I could hear the tornado siren. I went back into our bedroom and woke up Michael and we took cover in our closet. He had his blackberry and we read that there was a tornado (or what could have been a tornado trying to form) headed towards Farmers Branch. I think we were in the closet until 4:30. Audrey didn't go back to sleep until 5:30. I laid in bed, listening to the sirens, wondering how bad it got out there. I took a walk this morning and there is quite a bit of damage on our street. Our power came back on not long ago and Audrey is taking her first nap of the week!

More Pictures

We took the picture of the grandkids at Ma's house and it went fairly smoothly. Whew!

Rock N' Roll

Audrey rolled over today! I know most of you don't really care, but there are some of you out there that do. I was in the kitchen and I heard her begin to become unhappy. I walked into the den, where I had laid her on her back and she was on her tummy. She does not like tummy-time. Actually, she hates it. We did a better job today than ever when I did give her tummy-time. She was able to keep her head up over 1 minute without any fussiness. So let's hope this continues.

So, I think she's teething already. Drooling, fussiness, low fever, gnawing on everything, and her sleep is so inconsistent. Please let that tooth or teeth come in soon!

On other things that are not all about Audrey, Michael and I are now a fan of another TV show. It probably was a good thing that 24 did not start up this January since we needed to take care of a newborn. As things have settled down some, we may be in need of that one really good show. Jill and Landon have been trying to get us hooked on LOST for awhile. We had dinner with them Sunday night and they really, really wanted us to rent the pilot and watch it with us. I do believe I'm hooked. We've got the first season in our queue at blockboster.com. Please don't tell me anything about this show since I'm not very far into it yet!

Last Friday night, we had one of Michael's best friends from high school and her husband over for dinner. We had so much fun! I hope we get to see Liz and Hunter often. I'm so glad they moved to Texas!