My Semi-Annual blog post :)

Okay! I really need to play catch-up on my blog post. A lot has changed in the past six months. First and foremost, I am pregnant with a baby boy!! Yeah, approximately 23 weeks tomorrow pregnant! We found out in early September that I was once again with child. We are going to name our baby boy, "Eli." We are so excited!! I will have to change the title to The Adventures of Laramy and Eli. :O).

We are also somewhat remodeling Zac's grandmother's house, which sits in front of our own. I was hoping that we would be in there and settling in by now, but we are not. However, good things come to those who wait right. I keep telling that to myself!! Pregnancy hormones mixed with a combination of nesting instincts and current crowded living conditions make the light at the end of the paintbrush a Little hard to see at times. Thus far, I have had a model pregnancy. I am just hoping that I don't swell in the coming months.

Below are a collection of photos over the past six months. I will just caption them as we go.

Christmas Day morning 2010 in AL

Laramy's first snow

Laramy checking out what Santa brought her!

Christmas with Cousin Chenequa and the girls

Santa came by for an early visit at Nana and Papa's

Laramy and Daddy enjoying dunking cookies in milk

My two sugar ants!!

Eskimo!! Country girls just have to do barn details.

The view from my enlarging belly.

All dressed up and no where to go!
Actually she was modeling her girlie clothes for Daddy

Our sweet little ladybug on Halloween
She sure loves her Smarties and Chocolate

Laramy at the Pumpkin Patch

Which one do I pick???

Cousin Sydney and Laramy at the Pumpkin Patch

The girls

October pic from our portrait session with all the Downs grandchildren
We were exhausted after all that cheesing

Laramy and Sydney riding double
Two peas in a pod
You can't tell Laramy she isn't 4 years old!!

The afterward pic of Laramy's 1st haircut by her Mimi

The beginning pic of her hair appointment
I think the cape scared her

Laramy and her dog, Sophie, enjoying the sprinkler she got for her birthday
And they say Dobermans are vicious!

Enjoying the summer evening
and her ability to walk

Girls just want??
Ice cream

Laramy's 1st Birthday Party!!

Laramy's 1st Birthday was so much fun!! It is so hard to believe that our baby is 1 year old! Just when I thought that the infant stage would last forever; it just up and disappeared. Laramy was not walking at the time of her party, but she decided to wow us with walking on her own the day after her birthday!! Zac and I were so excited! Below are a few pictures from her party! Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate with us!

Live your life

Wow it has been a really long time since I updated my blog!! I guess we have been so busy living life that I haven't found time to blog about it. So, I am going to play a little bit of catch up and then lots of photos. My dad had to have surgery to remove his gallbladder. He has since recovered and is feeling great. We finally made it through foaling season with the mares. My mare had a sweet little filly colt. Laramy has four teeth now, two on the top and two on the bottom. I am planning my little one's 1st birthday party. Yay!! I am super excited about my baby's birthday. It's hard to believe that she will soon be one year old. Time has flown by.

Laramy feeding herself with the spoon somewhat. Messy makes perfect!
This is my new filly colt. Her nickname is Ruby.
Luckily she turned out to be a bay roan.

Laramy and I met my cousin Chenequa and her little girl, Hannah, at Spring Park.
We are riding the train around the park. Laramy seemed to enjoy the ride.

We stopped swinging long enough to take a quick picture.
She really was loving swinging. :O)

See the thrill in that smile.

My favorite photo from her 9 month old photo shoot.

Laramy and her purple hot rod with flames!
VrOOOM!

Before she found out that the horn honks.

Laramy and Zac riding the lawn mower.
Now she has a fit to ride it. I think Zac has created a monster.

Laramy on my old barrel horse, Squirrel.
Taking her first horse ride.

Ruby and her mom the day she was born.
My mare is actually a half sister to my gelding Squirrel.

Laramy finding her first Easter Egg.
She was so proud.

Laramy sporting her new sunhat that the Easter bunny brought to her Lelo's.

Showing off in her Easter dress.

She just can not believe that the Easter bunny brought her a basket of goodies.

Wow! Aren't we just excited Zac.
LoL. We always take such good pictures. NOT!

Just chillin in our monkey girl pj's.

Sick again!!

Well my sweet little girl is sick again!! Laramy was diagnosed with a double ear infection last Thursday . Thankfully she does not have RSV! We have been very concerned about the fluid that has been leaking from her ears. We have made four doctors office visits in the last eight days, which resulted in 10 days of antibiotics, 7 days of antibiotic/anti-inflammatory ear drops, and a decongestant combo. As a retired nurse friend of mine put it, "Sounds like an ENT in our future." But, Today was much better than any day since last Thursday; so, I am hoping that finally we might have a hold on all this inner ear trouble. My poor little baby has been so sick. It has been ruff on all of us. The only way she has been able to get situated is by propping up on a pillow to sleep. Because we are afraid she might roll over in her sleep if propped up in her crib; she has been bunking in the bed with us for the last few days. I can't sleep sound with her in our bed. We have been putting her in her crib, but she winds up in ours. Tonight she woke up screaming and I just took that pillow and put it in her crib and propped her up. I wanted to see if it was me or the pillow she wanted. She wants the dern pillow!!! On one hand this is great, but on the other it is not. I can't leave a 7 month old unattended on a pillow. And yes we already have a crib wedge installed!! She quit screeming went back to sleep without a hitch once I propped her up on that pillow. Now I must take away her pillow.

Diva??

Yesterday, we went for the second time to have our family photos and mainly Laramy's 6 month old pics taken. Hayden Strickland Photography shot our photos. They are very nice to work with. Our first session was a complete disaster! Laramy melted down like a chocolate bar on a hot summer day; so, we opted to reschedule the session for another date. Luckily, my prayers were answered during our second session. Laramy did great! I mean I was so thankful and mostly surprised. Of course, she is used to Zac and I taking pics of her at home, but she never gets into it. She always kind of looks and squints in the photos. After she figured out that all the attention and fuss was over her yesterday, she really hammed it up to the camera. It was like a mini-diva unfolded. She laughed and squawked at the photographers. I was in awe! She even sported her diaper cover shot with much composure. We took pictures for probably around an hour. She got a little teary eyed at the end, but got over it and was again talking to everyone. I am beginning to see more of her very unique personality come out. I am super excited to have some pics of my baby and us. Zac was as surprised as I was about her attitude. I will post the pics as soon as possible.

Lots going on.

Wow it has been a long time since I updated my blog. Well here goes. First, my Pops has an enlarged liver, and this is supposedly the culprit that is causing him such grief. His doctor says that he can control the size of it with a low fat diet. Who knows? He has been having episodes again of upset stomach.

Next, who put something in the water?? My sister-in-law, Heather Lee, is expecting another baby, and my cousin, Chenequa Clayton called the day after my birthday and said that she is pregnant again. Chenequa's baby, Hannah, is only a few days younger than Laramy. Congratulations to both of you. As I was retiring some of Laramy's outgrown clothes into the storage box, I must admit that I got a little misty eyed, but then I looked at my feet. Yes, my feet! Reason being that I had to wear hot pink and lime green Croc flip flops for the third trimester of my pregnancy even to work. The bottoms of those things are slick. They were the only thing that stretched out enough to fit my swollen feet. I even wore them to work with my business attire. Ooh la la! Anyway to the point, I had severe swollen feet and legs even after I gave birth to Laramy, which produced a horrible case of ingrown toenails. It took about two and a half weeks for all 50 lbs or so of fluid to start coming off my body. These messed up toenails have prevented me from wearing closed toed shoes for over 6 months. So as I looked at my new New Balance Running Shoes that I was sporting, I quickly dried up the tears. Yeap, I begin to pitch those little clothes into the big blue box like no body's business. I still want more children, but later on. I will probably be the next to report that someone has tampered my water too. That would be too ironic.

Laramy is now 7 months old, or she was on Jan 24. She is going through the mommy is leaving me anxiety. It is getting better, but I could not go to the bathroom without her having a complete meltdown. I mean she had to see me at all times. The sound of my voice from another room didn't comfort her. She has fell in love with one of the decorative pillows that is on my bed. Laramy can say "Momma." Which I am really loving. :O) I mopped the floor Monday and completed a lot of household chores. I didn't realize that I was not talking as much as usual to her, but every time I would pick her up she would just cling to me and bury her head into my chest and neck. She went down for a nap with her favorite pillow on the big bed and slept for almost 2 hours gripping my hand with both of hers. Pitiful. Today she got to have her first ride around the house in the clothes basket. Tonight she finally started having a lot more to do with Zac. She has been all about me lately, but I was very happy that she and Zac were able to play again for awhile without a meltdown. Below are some pics of her.

Zac and Laramy playing with her baby dogie and sock monkey!

Notice the pacifier and John Deere Rattle.

I took this one after she rolled off of her favorite pillow.

The toy that she has her hand on has become one of her favorites to play with.

Just a few things going on!

Just a few things for the New Year. For starters my dad has been going through a lot of gastrointestinal issues lately and peripheral nerve problems. He has been in and out of the Hospital for the past two weeks. His drug therapy program seems to be working; however, it has taken three trips to the ER and finally being admitted to the hospital, followed by another trip to the ER before the doctor finally got it right. He goes to see his Neurologist tomorrow. Yay!! Seriously, It is pretty pathetic that you have to beg to get medical attention. He has insurance; yet, it seems like the ER only wants to prescribe narcotics to crack heads. Hello, he is a heart patient and has suffered a stroke. He doesn't want anything to slow him down. No drugs! Just answers. Long story shorter. Dr. O'Keeffe in the ER finally had the balls to call Dad's Neurologist and demand that his appointment be moved up and prescribed meds for Pops' nerve damage. Why didn't they give him something for the nerve damage when he was an inpatient in the hospital or better yet all the times he has went for the doctor office visits complaining of chest and arm pain associated with his stroke.

The word, "Frustrated," is an understatement. Hopefully, now this new year is looking toward a more positive tone. Now on to a few other things. :O) My little girl is growing up so fast. I continually have to keep retiring her outgrown articles of clothing. She is now in 12mth clothes. She can still were some things in a smaller size; only if they are made big. Her 9mth outfits are too short in the sleeves, legs, and feet. Her 12mth clothes have a little bit of room in them, but they are not too big.

At Laramy's 6th month checkup, she weighed 16lbs 11 1/2 ounces, 26 1/2 inches long, and her head circumference was 44cm. Dr. Meadows said that she is in the 75% on weight, 80 % on height, and 90% on head circumference. If she keeps this up, she might actually be taller than me. Great!! I don't want her to be some kind of giant, but a little taller than me would be fine. I figure she will be average height, but who knows. We asked Dr. Meadows what she thought and she said that it would difficult to tell right now, because I am short and Zac is fairly tall. Toss a coin and really who gives a rats behind. We just hope that she remains healthy.

I am making my list of New Years Resolutions a little late, but I want to set more realistic goals for this year. Most of the time I set my sights way too high and then get a little testy when I don't get the desired result. Lets face it! Everyone needs to have something to work towards, especially in a world that loves instant gratification. Also, I think that most of us forget to count the blessings that we have already received. Even though I am now a stay-at-home mom, which is the greatest job in the whole world, I still need to have some goals just for me to focus on and work towards. Last year I was in the work force having to obtain weekly and monthly insurance sales quotas. It seems like I have been gone from there for 10 years. LOL. I have only been out of the insurance business for about 7 months. Vickie gingerly asked me about coming back to work the other day, but I quickly declined. I wouldn't trade watching Laramy grow up for anything. At one point, Zac and I had discussed me working a couple of days per week, but it just wouldn't be worth it. We would have to put Laramy in day care, and we are just not into that. The following are some updated pics of Laramy and one of my niece Sydney.

Laramy sporting her new monkey pj's. I held up three pair and she picked out this set.


Instant gratification. She fell asleep eating and just leaned over. :O)



Showing how she likes to get her lunch on.
She thinks that she is hot stuff with this sippy bottle.
She also loves to grab the spoon and put it in her mouth with the food on it.
Messy, but we are hoping that it will help her continue to develop her coordination.

Sippy queen!!

My sweet little niece, Sydney, during her 4th birthday party.

Zac and Papa took some pics of her.

I couldn't go, because I had the crud.

I hate that I had to miss it.