Wilson opening his gifts

so many fun things to play with :)

look at my pretty dress! 

Drew, Maw with Wilson & Amanda 

his delicious Mickey cake

Wilson and Amanda blowing out his candle

Yummy, cake :)

Lilliana's dessert, yogurt melts and puffs

Me and Lilliana

The Mefford family

Finally

Well, I think I am finally caught up here on my posts.  I am sorry it has taken me so long to do so but things have been crazy around here this summer and I just haven't had time to sit down and put my life into words.  Hopefully, I haven't been written off by too many people because of my long absence.  

Of course it has been an incredibly hot summer here in Memphis and we have tried to stay inside as much as possible.  I will say that the last week has been wonderful with highs in the low 90's.  I have recently started running again in the mornings, which is a first since before I got pregnant with Lilliana but I feel so much better getting out and doing something physical for myself in the mornings.  Clay and I are thinking about investing in a jogging stroller in the near future but we are still researching them and trying to figure out which one to purchase.  

Last Sunday, Lilliana was promoted in the church nursery into the 8-12 month old room and I can't believe it is time for that.  She did really well last Sunday and seemed to like her teachers, as did I, so hopefully we will have a good 4 month's with them.  

The Olympics are in full swing currently and I am completely addicted.  I have stayed up WAY too late in the last week and I have been paying for it come morning.  My favorite events have been swimming and gymnastics and so far we are doing pretty good.  I got a little frustrated last night with gymnastics but in the end I was glad that we pulled out a gold and silver medal in the women's all around finals.  

Lilliana is doing great although I had to take her into the doctor's office yesterday, because she had had a fever for almost 48 hours.  Well, come to find out she has another ear infection and we were prescribed another round of antibiotics.  She is doing much better this time around getting them down and hopefully this will make her feel better.  She has been fever free most of today so we are still planning to head over to Wilson's 2nd birthday party tomorrow.  He is having a MICKEY party and we wouldn't miss it for the world.  I know Clay acts all weird when Wilson starts loving on Lilly but Clay is actually the one he cares most about.  It is so funny.  Every time I see him he asks about Clay and wants to see him.  Amanda can't even tell him that we are coming over because he starts to drive her crazy asking where Clay is.

I promise to do a better job updating in the future.  I think I just let myself get way too behind this time and had trouble catching up.  :)

Continue to scroll down for more updates as there are a lot of them!

she loves to chew on her brush after fixing her

hair :)

she still doesn't have any teeth but she is 

always chewing on things!

so excited about Wilson's birthday party 

invite

Lot's of changes

Well last Thursday upon Clay returning home from work I learned that he had been laid off from his job.  This is not something that we saw coming and of course it is a huge blow to us considering he is is the breadwinner and I am only working a couple of nights a month.  Well, of course the only reasonable option was for me to go back to work more.  As much as I hate it, Clay has solely been supporting our family for over a year now and I think it is time I stepped up to the plate.  

Just before learning of this there was a job opportunity that had become available at work which is a very competitive position I was debating taking.  It was something that I had been praying about because it would require me to work 2 weekend nights a week but the pay is so worth it.  I guess, I got my answer pretty quickly, and realized that we were making the right and best decision for our family.  

I know that this is probably most difficult on Clay because he is just like most men who want to provide for his family the best way he knows how.  We actually see this as a blessing because Clay was and always has been loyal to his employer and he has worked much harder in the last year than ever before and the money was just now what we needed it to be.  We had actually been talking heavily about him searching for another job but I think he would of had a hard time leaving his current position.  So, we just feel like God did us a favor and has helped Clay get rid of some unnessesary baggage.  We actually have been blessed for him to already have gone on 1 interview and has spoken with a handful of employers that are willing to offer him a position working with them.  We are just trying to keep our options open at this point and not make any sort of rash decision.  We both want him to be truly happy at what he does and we are quickly realizing how many more opportunities are out there.     

If anyone knows someone who is looking for a good salesman, just let us know.  Clay previously worked in the Heating and Air Conditioning business as a territory manager so he has 7 years of sales experience.  He also has a degree in International Business so we are pretty open to jobs right now.  Just please keep us in your prayers as, he is really itching to find something soon. 

8 month's young!

So my precious Lilliana is 8 month's young!  I just still can't believe it.  She is growing up so quickly and I just love her more and more each day.  She just gets more and more fun each day.  Since our trip to Nashville she has finally taken to eating baby food a lot better than she had been.  She still would probably just nurse, but I know she needs the calories so we are feeding her breakfast, lunch and dinner combined with nursing about every 4 hours.  

Things she loves to eat are; sweet potatoes, sweet peas, carrots, mixed vegetables (which was green beans, carrots, corn and sweet peas), and broccoli.  She also enjoys her share of bananas, apples and pears and of course her oatmeal.  There is not nearly the selection of organic baby food out there so that is another positive to me making most of her food.  I still buy some baby food because it is a lot more convenient when we go out to eat or head over to a friend's house.  She eats both just as easily, but it is definitely a lot cheaper when I make it.    

Another thing we are working on is  baby sign language.  We try to do the sign for 'more' before each bite we give her but since she is not incredibly interested she doesn't really seem to care one way or the other.  She does love her some puffs and yogurt melts and this is where the sign language works the best.  She likes to fuss when she is out of them and so this is what we are working on.  I also try to use the sign for Momma and Dada when speaking about Clay and I, along with 'eat' and 'cup'.   These are actually the only one's I know so I am going to have to brush up on some more in the coming month's.

Speaking of cup Lilliana is doing such a great job with her sippy.  I purchased some of the Born Free sippys that are BPA free and she is amazing me with how well she is adapting to it.  I guess we started giving her a sippy around 6 month's after many month's of struggling with the bottle.  I had spoken with a lactation consultant and she was the one that suggested me trying a sippy.  She said that if by that point she wasn't taking a bottle, then there was no need to continue to press the issue.  I started by just putting some water in her cup because most of it would come back out of her mouth and she just liked to chew on the spout.  In the last few weeks though I have been putting some breastmilk that I had in the freezer in her cup and so far so good.    

We still struggle at times with naps during the day but most days (when we stay home) she still gets in three.  I guess she will let me know when she is ready to drop one of those naps and I have a feeling it will be her evening one when it comes time to do so.  

Luckily, we don't have a scheduled appointment with Dr. K. this month and we don't have to go back until she is 9 month's old, and that appointment will be an immunization free one.  I still have such a hard time watching her get so upset after she gets her shots so hopefully her next appointment will be a pleasant one.  :) 

Wordless Wednesday!

First love :)

I love it, Wilson just can't get enough of Lilliana and Clay just can't stand that he is always kissing on her :)  It's just puppy love Clay and ya know he is a cute kid, so I approve!

Trip to Nashville

This past weekend Clay and I headed to Nashville for a softball tournament that Clay was participating in.  We left on Friday afternoon and stayed with his cousin's in Lebanon, TN which is just outside of Nashville.  For some reason I have this bad feeling that Lilliana was going to give us a hard time in the car and did she ever!  We weren't even outside of Memphis before she started screaming.  I don't mean a little fuss or whimper.  I mean a full out scream!  It was horrible.  Actually there are no words to describe how difficult the car ride there was.  We tried EVERYTHING, to get her to stop crying and the only thing that worked was getting her out of the car.  We stopped in Jackson to get a bite to eat and then we stopped just outside of Nashville to feed her but besides that we just kept on trucking.  I tried sitting in the back with her, reading her books, turning on her CD's, pulling out every toy I brought with me, trying anything and everything to make her laugh but she was not having any of it.  She literally did not stop until we arrived at the Burchette's and then she acted like a little angel.  You would never have know she had been that angry.  She did sleep like a champ that night considering she refused to  fall asleep in the car and wore herself out crying.  

The next morning we woke up at the crack of dawn to drive Clay to the softball fields for batting practice and then headed back to the house so that we could get ready for the full day ahead.  Of course it ended up being a sweltering hot weekend so Lilly and I only headed back to watch 1 game.  She continued to dislike the car throughout the weekend so we tried to stay out of it as much as possible. :)  

Lilliana and I stayed around the house for the rest of the day and were able to have a great time playing with Clark and Heather.  Clark is 15 month's old and sadly this is the first time we have been able to meet him.  He is just precious and Lilliana had so much fun getting to know him.  

On the way home we decided to stop by a couple of stores and just make it a leisure drive. We ate an early dinner at The Cheesecake Factory and then headed back to Memphis.  Lilliana did much better on the drive home, secondary to the fact that I spent the whole drive home in the back seat!  I didn't mind as long as she wasn't screaming :)  

Even though we had a difficult trip with Lilly, we can't wait to go back.  We had such an amazing time with Chris, Heather and Clark and they were such great host's.  

check out pics here :)

Jenn's wedding

This past weekend another one of LSON nursing girls got married.  This time it was Jennifer's turn and she of course looked amazing.  The wedding took place in Covington, TN which is about an hours drive from here so the girl's from Alabama came in to stay with us for the weekend so that we could all go to the wedding together.  It really was such a great time and again we enjoyed the time we had to spend together for the second weekend in the last month.  Clay and Lilliana met us at the reception for a little while until it got past her bedtime and then Clay decided to head home with her.  

Jenn and Ben have just moved to Baton Rouge for Ben to start his practice in plastic surgery and Jenn is still trying to get paperwork complete to get her nursing license there so that she can get to work herself.  It is crazy all the leaps and bounds that are required to get a nursing license in another state!  

We really had a great weekend and were able to enjoy lunch at the Rendezvous here in downtown Memphis on Saturday and bagels from Bogey's each morning.  

check out pics here :)

(we got a new computer and I had to download all of my pics to snapfish and they are no longer on my computer so I am having trouble uploading pics, if the link doesn't work try this)

7 month's young!

Today my little girl is 7 month's young. I still can't believe how quickly the time has flown. She is so much fun and I am enjoying every minute I am given with her.  There have been quite a few changes in her this month and I am beginning to have a difficult time keeping up with her if you know what I mean :)  She is sitting like a champ and has finally taken to eating something other than breast milk.  We are still nursing, which is continuing to go great but she is also now receiving some oatmeal and a fruit for breakfast and oatmeal and a vegetable for dinner.  I have actually made most of her baby food and I have really enjoyed it.  I purchase a lot of her fruits, because I don't like when they turn brown in the freezer but I have purchased some bananas and blueberries fresh to mash up for her.  We are also trying to feed her mostly organic.  I know it is more expensive, but I want to try and give her the best start possible so I just figure it is a sacrifice that we are willing to make.  I purchase her the Earth's Best Oatmeal and have just bought and steamed fresh and frozen organic veggies.  I then place them in ice-cube trays and freeze them before placing them in freezer Ziploc bags.  It is really nice because one bag of frozen veggies makes a ton of baby food and I also am able to puree it to my liking.  I am hoping that it is going to help her with possible texture issues later in life.  It is also so much cheaper than buying baby food, and it has helped Clay and I to eat a little bit healthier since I have more fresh fruits and vegetables around the house these days.  

I feel like her growth has really slowed down a lot lately.  When we went in a month ago for her 6 month check-up she was in the 10 - 25% and I am already a little worried about where she will be when we go back.  We don't have another scheduled appointment until September which will be her 9 month check-up.  I am hoping that in the next month or 2 after some more baby food that she will at least stay on her growth curve and keep this worried momma happy :)  

Adrienne's baby shower

Today at playgroup we threw a baby shower for Angie and her precious daughter Adrienne.  They are such a special family and have been through so much in the last year.  You see, last December Angie gave birth to a daughter named Poppy Joy that had been diagnosed with Trisomy 18 around her 20th week of pregnancy.  Angie and her husband Nathan made the decision that God is the only one who takes life away and she chose to carry precious Poppy as long as the Lord had deemed.  She actually was able to carry her until December 1st when she went into labor and delivered her 2nd daughter.  Even though sweet Poppy only lived about 3 hours, she touched so many lives before she even entered this world.  

I remember when Clay and I met the Luce's and felt that from the start they were an amazing family.  It was shortly after that we learned of Poppy's diagnosis and since we had also been through the death of a child our Sunday School teacher asked us to speak with them.  This wasn't something anyone would have needed to ask me to do as it is just one of those clubs that willing or not we were forced into.  They have truly been an inspiration to Clay and I and are such an amazing Christian family.  

The shower we threw today was for their newly adopted daughter Adrienne Christine.  She is truly a gift from God and I know that her big sister Poppy is smiling down on her parent's and so glad that her big sister Marianna is overjoyed with this new arrival.  

Click here on Tracy's blog for pic's :)  I am having trouble getting them to download for some reason.

Oh blog world

Ok, ok I know I am way behind on blogging but thing have been extremely busy here so I will leave you with a few old entries I just plugged in and I promise to finish updating soon :)

First Ear Infection

Father's Day

6 month STATS

stay tuned for more!

4th of July

This year for the 4th we headed over to our churches annual celebration which takes place at Buckhead Creek in Arlington. We arrived around 6:30 pm and enjoyed a nice picnic dinner with many of our friends and allowed the kids to play before the fireworks started at 9:00 pm. It was a great show and we all really enjoyed ourselves. I was afraid that Lilliana was going to be startled my them but she did really well. She just stared up into the sky and was mesmerized by all the lights. It really was a great evening and the weather really cooperated, I think the high was in the 80's which is very mild compared to what it had been earlier that week. After the fireworks were complete we stayed around for a while to allow the traffic to die down and allow the kids to play a little more. It was really getting late my this point, so since Lilliana had bug spray on her (because the mosquito's are horrendous this year) I decided that I needed to bathe her right there in the park. With Sarah's help; some huggies bath wipes and a little Dasani water we got the job done. Lilliana and I got a lot of slack for doing this but those of you who know me personally or have been following my blog can attest to how germaphobic / anally clean I am especially when it comes to Missy Prissy! I just hated to put her in her jammies without bathing that deet off of her from the bug repellent. To be honest from the minute I sprayed it on her, it consumed my thoughts I couldn't wait till I could get it off of her. I am just such a worrisome mother, but I am going to blame most of that on my PICU nurse background. :)

Perdido Key

Well after Melissa's wedding weekend in Jackson, we decided to head down to the beach for a couple of days for some sun and relaxation. The weather was beautiful and we really enjoyed ourselves. The last time we headed down to the beach was when I had just found out that we were expecting Lilliana so it was a much needed trip. Lilliana was great on the drive down there, but her impression of the beach was another story. We arrived around 5:00 on Sunday and we went straight out to the beach. The first thing Clay did was take her down near the water so she could see the ocean. She did not like this at all and started crying almost immediately. I then took her and she calmed down quickly but I think she was just in sensory overload. Then we decided to see what she thought of the sand and she let us know pretty quickly her impression of that also. She was so pitiful. It just broke my heart to see her get so upset. For a minute there I got worried that we had driven all the way down to the beach and that we weren't even going to be able to go down there but she quickly got used to the noise.



The following morning we decided to try the beach again and this time we decided to not even try and introduce Missy Prissy to the sand again. We brought our neat sheet, cabanna, princess seat (AKA bumbo), baby pool and almost everything imaginable down to the beach and we had a wonderful day! After being down there about 45 minutes she started to get fussy but I knew it was about naptime so I layed her in the cabanna and low and behold she fell asleep. I guess she did like the sound of the waves afterall :) We were able to stay at the beach most of the 3rd day and went up to the pool around 3:00. We were having a great time until I realized the real reason her swim diaper was leaking ............ we'd had a massive explosion and Clay and I agreed it was probably time to head back upstairs. That evening we ate at The Crab Trap and then headed back to the hotel to back and get ready tohead back to Memphis the following morning.

Overall it was a wonderful trip and I think Lilliana thoroughly enjoyed it afterall!

Beach Pics

Mommy and Lilliana when we arrived at the beach


Daddy and Lilliana


first steps on the sand


getting ready for the beach day 2


feet in sand take #2 ( she still hated it)

look at that face, again she did not like the sand


prissy pot, so sad she just wan't having it


that's better, in the pool


at Peg Leg Pete's with Mom


now with Daddy

family pic at Peg Leg Pete's


getting ready for more sun day 3


Lilliana and Mommy


fast asleep on the beach, man I bet the sound of
real waves was pretty relaxing considering she is
used to listening to the fake one's on her
sound machine


playing in the pool

chillin next to Daddy


I love this pic, she looks superimposed!


Mommy and Lilliana


chillin in her princess seat AKA bumbo


with Daddy at "The Crab Trap"

Mommy and Lilliana at "The Crab Trap"


family pic at "The Crab Trap"


last day, breakfast on the balcony


one of the many stops on the way home :)


she is starting young

Wordless Wednesday!