New Baby.

"Baby Crying." Ceal loves to pretend her baby is crying and patting her on the back.

Good thing Ceal loves babies, because a new one is coming August 15th! This has been quite a ride. I found out I was pregnant in mid-December. Everything was great for a week. Ceal and I went home to Indy for a week before Danny was coming home for Christmas. Two days before Christmas, I thought I miscarried. Many friends have been through it and I was thankful it was early into the pregnancy. We carried on and had a blast during Christmas. My mom and on call Nurse Laura Blaase wanted me to go to the nearby hospital a couple days after Christmas to be sure, so I did and found out I really was pregnant! Blood counts were high, but the ultrasound showed no baby. Danny and I had to wait another week and get an ultrasound in Chicago to see if the baby was there. The day before New Years, I started getting really sick which is where I am today...Still Sick.

Sure enough the ultrasound a week later showed a little munchkin growing. Now I was sick with Ceal, but these past 8 weeks have been brutal. Two sinus infections and many more illnesses that come along with pregnancy. Gagging, throwing up, no energy, and naucious ALL day long. There was no let up. I couldn't stand up out of bed, so I started Zofran, a strong medication for nauciousness. It allowed me to move through life, but no smiling allowed. I started praying for every precious sole with cancer that has to endure constant sickness through Chemo just to save their life. Ceal had to bring me everything from books to her toys. My students allow me to stare off in hopes I don't puke everywhere. My fifth graders come to class with an iron fist if they see me in a bad place. They check in on certain children and give them things to do, when they find them in the hallway. Bless them.

So now I just hope that this sickness goes away in the next couple of weeks, because my smile needs to come back full-time. I don't want to hear about anyone's beautiful pregnancies and feeling fabulous, so if you are one of them I think it is precious, but don't want to hear your story just yet. At this point I tell people how I feel and roll my eyes when the woman in the dry cleaners tells me that things can't be that bad. Because in all honestly, I know this, but after 8 weeks of feeling like hell you can't be too positive. I was nice for two weeks, and then realized it took too much energy. Now for fun, I tell my students that if I don't gag or throw up they have more homework. This way we all look forward to my daily pukings. You should hear the excitement when I begin to gag. Reggie brought in more tissue and just when I was going to thank him, he told me he was hiding them from me because I keep blowing my nose and wiping my face when I get sick. And then that delicious boy brought one in for myself and placed it on my desk with a note. "Please get better."

I can't tell what the highlight of these past 8 weeks has been so I will let you decide. Walking with Ceal and puking on the sidewalk while the construction men watched and rooted me on and a mom walked by with her children telling them not to look as if I was hungover and raising my child as a convict. OR

The ER episode when my heart was beating out of my chest 2 months pregnant as I realized one of my more precious children broke all my pencils in an attempt to scare a student after one of my girls put her scrambled eggs in the desk of another girl's because she threw her lunch away. I thought the ER was not going to be remotely scary compared to my class but I was wrong. A mentally unstable woman was undressing and fighting herself while trying to sit next to me in the waiting room for 2 yes 2 hours. Doc wants me to take it easy. "Perfect, I will let Ceal and my class know I need special care."

I will end by saying I feel super blessed to be pregnant. I get it. I love being a mom, but I am over being pregnant and well it's a little early in the pregnancy for that.

A Precious Toddler You Are.

This is the outfit her Aunt Chris and Uncle Phil got her! (Nana's brother and sister) It is so cute! When I ask you to vacuum you run right over to get your vacuum and clean away. Notice, there is a mirror in front of you and you must look at yourself while at work. My little lady.

Now you are really pleased with yourself. Look at that face. Confident?

You have been an absolute joy the past couple of months. Now you have always been fun, but as you get older and I think I never want you to change, you get even cuter. When your dad and I are in the grocery or target you will go with one of us and when you see the other in an isle you scream, "Daddy!!" or "Mommy!!" It is as if you have not seen us the whole day. Your excitement makes our lives very bright. You Love you some Barney. I always laugh thinking not in a million years would I have sang the darn "I love you" song all day long and hug and kiss my baby, but I and your dad do on the regular.

Currently, you and I are sick! You have your first ear infection, (a double) and are up all night. It must be very painful.

You think everything is the color blue. You look at pictures and say everyone's name. You have not been in Indy in a month, but you can remember everyone from home. You say Pop and Nana's name to all their pictures. You say Marm and take her picture with you places.

I might as well write this down, because I can't imagine this lasting that long but your nap and sleep routine are perfection. When you drink your bottle of milk you say Night Night and you hop down from your chair, grab a passy from the bin and run to your crib. You love to go to sleep. When you wake up I have to watch you through the monitor, because you play and talk and never mind staying in your crib. I mean I couldn't get any luckier.

Sledding!

What a blast! We had so much fun sledding with you the past couple of weekends. Your dad went all over Chicago looking for a sled, because in a big city like this nothing can be found! Snow is all around. Your dad took you to the hill in front of our building, and let you go. I couldn't look. You smiled the whole way down! I took video, but I can't upload on this thing and need assistance of the tech savy Whitney. In the video, you are laughing and waving to the camera. We played today in the snow and had quite a blast. Your cheeks were a little too red, because it was 10 degrees so we came in after awhile.

Our Tree!

This is our Christmas Tree!

Ceal loves it!

Just kidding...That was our building's tree and this is our tree!

I had a tree just about the height of the one in our atrium and Dan said there was absolutely NO WAY it was going to fit in our place. I didn't believe him, and sure enough we got home, and the little one we bought was touching the ceiling. Ceal, be glad you have a level headed dad. Your mom is nuts.

You must always press the elevator button when we leave our place.

Look at my little pumpkin eating our keys...

Cruz Christian Hayes.

Ceal and I came to visit Aunt Aisha before Cruz was born and what do you know? Aladdin came to visit too. (Seriously, Mackenzie ditch the vest.)

Aladdin kissing Aisha's big belly.

Look at Uncle Kyle. He is so proud. Look at that head full of hair!

Have you even seen a cuter baby? No. You have not.

My precious nephew and Ceal's cousin was born on November 16, 2010. Ceal and I traveled to Indy when Auntie Aisha was having some complications the weekend before the 16th. As soon as we arrived home, Mackenzie called to tell us that Aisha was going in for a c-section on Tuesday. Figures right? I was flipping out, because of course I needed to be home for the arrival of my first nephew, not at all worried that my older sister was having major surgery. Ceal and I drove up real early on Tuesday morning from Chicago. Ceal ran around the hospital, LOVED the cafeteria and played with Uncle Andy, Grandpam and Marm for hours.

I couldn't take my eyes off this beautiful baby who looked nothing like Ceal. Dark hair, skin, lucious little lips...a face to die for. He is so yummy. Ceal does not like me to old her little cousin. We had to be careful, because we never knew when Ceal would actually go from patting him to knocking him out. When we wanted pictures of Cruz and Ceal, she would push him away. "You are not expecting me to hold a real baby right?"

This baby is so precious, you wonder how he came from my eldest sister...jk. Uncle Kyle was so excited, he took one million pictures. I love having a nephew, but this doesn't take away my anxiety I have with a new baby. I thought, "This will be great, a new baby and although pretty much mine, not really mine, so I can have fun." NOO. I flipped out. He started chocking with me and I lost it. I called in the nurse who told me to pat his back, and I took her arm and said, "Listen Lady, I have lots of strengths in life, but with those come my weaknesses and one of them is ANXIETY, so please help me with this baby. I can't leave him with my sister, cause I can't tell my sister he chocked and I can't leave the hospital without knowing he will NEVER choke again." Needless to say, the nurse was super excited that I was the sister and not her actual patient.

Soccer Season.

We had a soccer party at our place to celebrate the season. You know how you hate being held? Well...All the girls fought over who got to hold you! Yea! No, you hated it. They picked you up, danced with you, and tried to play with you. You held your own though. Rachel took over your chair and you sure pushed your way through.

We had a blast. We went to the top of our building and to the zoo.

My girls were believed in, and through this proved their ability to accomplish an amazing soccer season. They have never played with a soccer ball before and beat every other team in the AYSO league. Imagine how many other kids should be given a change to play organized sports. We laughed, cried, yelled, high-fived, encouraged, hugged, uplifted, smacked, ran over, and congratulated each other throughout the season. We laughed when Ashlee would maul a girl for thinking she could kick the ball on the field, or when she told the ref what was really going to happen. We cried when Mrs. Larner, Mills, and Randolph made us run too much which led to throwing up or lack of air supply. We yelled at each other when practice got a little ugly, and we were at our wits end. We high-fived every time we ran laps. We encouraged each teammate to keep going. We hugged each other every practice and game. We uplifted each other when we made a wrong move. We smacked each other when we had to much energy which led to being chased around the field. We were thrown in garbage cans by our coaches when we ran our mouths, mostly about their age. We ran over the poor girls who played against us, to prove our lack of fear. We congratulated each other when we needed it.

I will never forget this season. I love this girls so much. I am so blessed to have met, taught, been taught by, and coached these girls. They come into my room each morning and never leave the day without wanting food, candy, or just a hug. Every morning they will ask, "How is Cealy Mrs. Larner?" and they are 11. It is amazing that they are so mature. I sudo adopted many of them and they call me mom. My dream is to adopt brothers and sisters for you Ceal. It is a dream that I pray will come true.

15 Months.

Ceal is making us work around here 24-7. She is a wild woman. She likes to climb on everything. This includes chairs, the couch, her cart, the walls...pretty much everything. She loves to watch football and show touchdown. She waves to everyone

we pass and you will wave back or she will show you her mean eyes, which are scary.

Ceal says no-no to most everything, because she knows she shouldn't be doing most things. She throws her food and while in motion she says, "No No No No!" Super. She knows where her ears, mouth, nose, hair, and eyes are. In the morning, she will sign milk and food to you the second you walk in her room. Just in case you thought you could get away with something else before she got to eat. She loves reading more than anything in the world. She won't watch TV for anything. If I am cleaning, she will open her books and read until I get done. We have certain books that go to music on my computer. When I play the music, she will find the books and run them over to me. Anyone who visits gets to read to her the WHOLE time. See below.

Mandy is super fun! She always looks amazing, which makes me get out of my sweats before she comes over. UGG. She brings me wine and I make her tacos. I have never cooked anything else for her, and I am pretty sure she thinks this is all I can cook! We love love her, because she is funny, normal, watches the same TV we do, likes to play with you, and is a part of the family. She is your Aunt Courtney's sister in law, which makes her my sister in law, just ask anyone who I run into that she knows...

This is our favorite bridge to walk under.

Why do you feel the need to climb this at the park? Shame on the fool who built this thing anyway. Death trap.

You now like to swing while looking up at the trees and pointing at the planes.