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Where did Time go?

I never understood when I was younger, what adults meant by "kids grow up to fast", "time flies", and "how did I get this old?". I UNDERSTAND NOW. Ever since Adelynn was born, I feel like time disappears before I even know what's happened. I'm having a hard time believing that in a couple short months, I will have a two-year-old. What happened???

This said, I'm going to try and remember what has happened in the last two months.

First, Adelynn had a visit to the UNC Children's Dermatology unit for her supposed hemangioma. The doctor we saw is supposed to be "the best of the best" in this area, and I really found him quite comforting and knowledgeable. Jonathan wasn't able to go with because he had class, but the doctor made sure to send me home with notes he wrote down, personally, along with his personal office number in case I should get concerned. The verdict he came to, was he doesn't believe it's a hemangioma, after all. He thinks it is a venus malformation, which is not a life-threatening condition, and the only time it seems to present a problem can be during puberty. It's a cluster of blood vessels and veins that didn't form properly before birth, and presented itself shortly after birth. It will continue to grow with Adelynn as she grows, and we just have to keep an eye on it should it change in any way. When she's a little older, he said an ultrasound or MRI may be necessary to see how deep it goes, and should we choose, we can take steps to have it reduced or removed. So nothing to be super worried about and he put my mind at ease while taking a weight off my shoulders. :)

I've been watching a steady 3 children all week, every week, from 7:30am to 6:30 pm. By that time, I'm feeding my family and then getting a small amount of quality time in before we head to bed to do it all over again the following day. I told Jonathan the other day, I think this job is far more exhausting than any other job I've had in the restaurant. I feel like I pass away for a while at night, only to be revived when Adelynn wakes up or my alarm goes off in the morning. HA. I've also offered services for parents attending Christmas parties and such to earn a little extra money. Things have gotten very tight around here due to unexpected expenses that keep popping up here and there, so I'm doing all I can to boost my income. Jonathan is picking up extra shifts next week to try and earn a little more, too.

On that note, we leave for Florida December 15 or 16 to spend a week at Disney with The Ehlers'/Hendricks' family. We have been saving our pennies for this trip since Adelynn was only a couple months old...and we are STOKED! The kids (Preston and Adelynn) haven't seen each other since they were six months and four months old, so this will be exciting for them now that they can walk, talk, and play together! The pictures will be priceless. :)

Jonathan is still trucking along with school. I'm so proud of him, getting all A's and B's, maintaining a 3.8 gpa, working, and being a great dad. It gets him a little burnt out sometimes, but he keeps going, and it's inspiring! If only I could get back into school... but the darn government says I don't qualify for tuition help... dang. Someday!

We did manage to get our Christmas decor out and up (all but a tree, of course) so the we can enjoy it since we'll be gone for a week of Christmas season. I enjoy them, and I love watching Adelynn's face with all the lights and music. Makes me want to increase our collection of Christmas decorations just to see her little eyes light up...

There wasn't as much to fill in on, but every day is about the same around here lately- BUSY. Hahaha.

Christmas post to follow...

Crazy Busy...

It's taking me way too long in between posts...but that's because we've been crazy busy! Between Jonathan's work, school, and Army, my Thirty-One stuff and daycare, and Adelynn's various appointments and playdates---HOLY MOLY.

I guess this is good; although, it wouldn't upset me to have a day that I said , "I'm bored." I have had Abbie in the daycare full-time (>10 hours/day, 5 days/week), and I just had two parents send two new contracts for part-time children. One will be 12 weeks old when he starts, and the other is a 13-month old who will be here 3 days/week. This will be good for our checking account! I might not have any hair left on my head after a few weeks, but there will be money in the bank and I won't have to stress quite so much. Whew!

We've still managed to put a few dollars here and there toward our Disney trip, and I think I'm more excited than anyone else that is going! With Adelynn saying "Ninnie" for Minnie and "Da-dold" for Donald, I get more excited for her to see them in person!

Adelynn says more words every day... Her latest is "no way." Hahaha, if I ask her if she wants a banana at breakfast, she says, "No way!" In reality, she loves bananas and just wants to say the new phrase. She loves to pretend everything is a phone and say "Bye!" on them. She doesn't usually say "hi" first, just jumps right to the end! She's also a pro at climbing the stairs and wants to go right back down, but she is NOT good at turning around to get down them, so a gate is still very necessary at the top of the stairs. Once she's been helped around, she slides down on her belly, backwards. As with most toddlers, she gets her fair share of scrapes, cuts, and bruises... but she only whimpers for a second if she notices she got hurt, but then she's off and running again! This child can't really be slowed down, and she MUST have her "outside time" every day or we have one very unhappy girl. :)

Well, I suppose I better get ready for Abbie to arrive and get Adelynn more than a banana for breakfast. "NO WAY!" hahahahaha.

VACATION...

Well, I think we have it all planned out... I just have to verify with daycare parents that it won't be a problem that we leave for Michigan on July 28 or 29 in the evening. We are hoping to do some sight-seeing on the way up to MI, so we are going to take our time driving. Not to mention, I know Adelynn will have to get out and run around a bit! I keep asking my mom if she's sure she is ready for this little tornado to invade! I love this munchkin more than life, but my house looks like a tornado ripped it apart every day...and I pick it up every night after her bedtime, knowing that in the morning it will look like I never touched it. HAHAHAHA. We plan on being there about a week, and have a couple things we would like to do while there. Going to the lake is top of the list! I am excited to let Adelynn go in the water and not worry about a jellyfish lurking under water waiting to sting her! (or sharks!) I love the ocean, but those things terrify me! Anyway, I'm excited after the five years since Jonathan and I have been there together. Most of the family hasn't even seen him since the wedding... How time flies!

Let's see...

Adelynn says more words every day. Not that most people would understand, but she's pretty good about pointing to what she's talking about, making it a little more clear what she's referring to. Her latest is something Jonathan taught her. He'd say, "Adelynn......... I love you." Now she says, "Momma........... I nee-nee." And she'll give me a hug. Hahaha. She LOVES bananas, and if I don't have one (Heaven forbid), she doesn't stop asking for one at breakfast. She will sit in her chair and say "NANA" over and over. If we pass by them in Target or somewhere, she lets the whole store know she knows what those are! She says "more", "what's that?", "ju" (for juice), and likes to try and repeat whatever we say. Just now, she asked what that was on the counter. I told her it was a watermelon, so she responded with "Num". :)

Not much else is going on. I didn't have any daycare kids this week, as Abbie was in the mountains with her grandparents. I got a lot of yardwork done yesterday morning. It's too stinking hot in the afternoon to do it, so Adelynn got her outside play time while I mowed, pulled weeds, sprayed for giant spiders and cleaned the garage. Today I need to spread new mulch in the front yard before it rains. This is the crappy part about Jonathan having a broken knee. I have to do the hard work now... BUT it is a good workout!!

Anywho.... I have to go wrestle munchkin and change her... I will try and post a few more pictures later! (during naptime?) HA!

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