Avocados!!

So we decided to try avocados for dinner the other night and Aaron took this video for us to show everyone what Evan thought about them.  We tried them again last night and had the same reaction so we have decided to wait a few days and then we will be trying the sweet potatoes.  Evan is such a character.  Enjoy the video. :) 

PS.  Evan is officially 6 months old as of yesterday and today I discovered he has a tooth popping through.  My baby boy is growing up so fast!

Rolly Polly

Evan is rolling ALL over the place and I am loving EVERY minute of it. He is so fun to watch. He reaches for everything and loves getting into "trouble" as he tips over baskets.  He is so cute when he tips his toy basket and digs his toys out to play with. I am enjoying him at each and every step of his development.  On Monday Evan will be 6 months old and we are looking forward to starting him on solid foods. Monday for dinner we will be trying sweet potatoes and I can't wait to try out my new food mill. :)
We will be doing avocados too and then maybe bananas. Wish us luck. :)

PPCM Awareness Jewelry

So I finally have some bracelets made and listed in my shop.  I have had 3 sales so far and hope to have even more in the future.  The lovely ladies who purchased bracelets are some of my "Heart Sisters" and they very much like what they recieved.  I am so happy.  I plan on making and listing 10-15 more in the next month, if I am able.  Evan has been keeping me on my toes and so I really haven't had much time to do a whole lot.  He is rolling all over the place and enjoying every minute of it. :) 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SimplyMeJewelryByAmy?section_id=10346725


That's about all the new stuff that I have for now, someone is waking up as I type for a midnight feeding...I think we might be having a MAJOR growth spurt. :)

~Good Night
~Sleep Tight
~Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite. :)

So excited!

I am so excited!  I just printed out my application for the One Stop Shopping Night Craft and Etc. Sale in November.  I also just put in an order for some brand new jewelry making stuff at TWO different places.  I can't wait to get it in the mail so I can start working on my new jewelry collection.  This one is going to be called "Mothers With Heart".  It is dedicated to all the women out there who have been diagnosed with Peripartum/Postpartum Cardiomyopathy~My Heart Sisters. :)  It is a reminder of what we have gone through and what we go through every day.  I hope it will help bring more awareness to women (pregnant or not) who are of childbearing age of the dangers of this condition.  I will be the first person (I have searched and Googled and have come up with nobody thus far) to make beautiful jewelry to bring awareness to this illness.  It makes me feel good that I know first hand what other women are going through and that I may be able to help them to deal with PPCM in some way by providing awareness jewelry for them.  I am absolutely geeked to be the one who starts the trend and I hope that I am not the last. 

We don't have an official awareness color yet, but some of the ladies who were first diagnosed have used Mint Green as their color of choice since it is not currently being used for anything else.  I plan on using mint green beads, green crystals, with silver awareness ribbon charms or beads, silver spacer beads,  and a single red bead to signify our heart.  I plan on making a few different versions and I am beyond excited to start playing around with patterns. :)

 

 

Stay tuned for more information and for pictures of my new creations!

A Day to remember...

Yesterday we went to Domino Farms in Ann Arbor to meet with Evan's hand surgeon.  FINALLY!  It was a nice ride there but I was a bit anxious.  I tried to keep the conversation light, so Aaron and I talked about all kinds of things, the weather, work, possibly looking at buying a house in the spring, etc.  Before I knew it, we were there.  I'm not exactly sure what else they do there, but I saw all kinds of animals as we pulled into the parking lot.  There were long horned bulls, striped cows from Scotland, and even some alpacas.  It was neat see them all grazing all around the building.  I wish I had taken my camera, I definitely will next time we go there.  The wait wasn't too long.  We got some x-rays and then we waited a bit more.  When we went in to see the doctor, the nurse was super nice.  She took a look at Evan's hand and said, "Oh, that's not too bad."  She said that they see cases like Evan's at least once a month.  That made me less nervous just knowing that Evan wouldn't be a first for them.  The PA came in first and then went to get the doctor.  When Dr. Chung came in he was very serious looking.  He asked some questions and took a look at Evan's hand.  He said it wasn't too bad, but it WAS going to be tricky to fix due to the location of the bands.  He said that we will wait until Evan is a few months older before we do his first surgery, there will be more to come as he grows.  When we do, he will have the band on his left leg released, some of the bands on his hand, and also the band on his right big toe.  Then someone came in to take photographs of Evan's hand so the Dr. can take a look and figure out what exactly he will have to do to repair Evan's fingers.  I am NOT looking forward to ANY of these surgeries, but I know that they are necessary to keep Evan growing and developing the right way.  I am nervous and a bit scared of what the recovery will entail on my part. I am not sure what to expect as far as the healing process and what we will need to do to take care of Evan properly so he heals the best he can.  It will definitely be interesting to say the least.  I will update more as we get more information, right now it is just waiting for them to schedule the surgery, it should be in November or December.



Alpacas~Taken with my phone

When we left the building and walked to our car, this is what we saw.  The alpacas had made their way to our side of the building and were grazing on the hill right in front of where we were parked.  It was kinda cool. :)

Love is...

I stood there in a tanktop and pajama shorts that had been worn for one too many days with spit-up dripping from my shoulder to my backside.  I hadn't showered in days.  We swayed back and forth, dancing to the soft melodies that came from the CD player.  A memorable song from my own childhood was playing, "True Colors" by Phil Collins in the form of a quiet lullaby just soothing enough to lull my little one to sleep.  I looked down at his round sweet face and whispered in his ear, "You are perfect",  "You are wonderful."  I make sure to tell him this every chance I get.  I kiss the top of his head and feel his fluffy blonde hair on my lips.   I remembered back to just 4 short months before when I first laid eyes on him and I began to weep.  His hair was darker and fuzzier.  He was so small and fragile and dependent upon me for everything he would ever need.  I never knew it would become something so much more than just being a mommy.  I never expected to feel this way.  I never expected to be so overcome with emotions, some new, some old.    I had finally figured out exactly what unconditional love really is.  To me it means that I would walk to the ends of the Earth for this sweet boy.  I have been to Heaven and Hell for him already and would do it again in a heartbeat.  When I met my husband I understood love, but I never thought I would ever feel THIS type of love for another human being.  It is more different than any other feeling I have ever had.  It is an all encompassing feeling that takes over my entire being.  I feel beyond blessed to be able to experience all of this and to have Evan in my life.

When I tell him I love him

it is more than just words,

it is my life,

my heart,

my soul.

He's off and Rolling!!!

Yesterday morning Evan and I were hanging out just like we always do.  It was a normal day pretty much like any other.  He was hanging out  on his activity gym enjoying the rings and rattling things that were dangling above his head while I was doing some much needed emailing and catching up after being away from home for a week.  I decided that it was time for me to eat breakfast and take my meds while he was content and not really needing my undivided attention.  I walked into the kitchen to make a bagel and grab some juice.  While my bagel was toasting, I peeked back into the living room to see the most AMAZING thing before my very eyes.


When I left him this is what he was doing...

But when I returned, THIS is what I found...

After Evan showed me his wonderful new trick, he proceeded to spit-up all over himself because he had eaten a short while before rolling onto his tummy.  When Evan was all cleaned up he decided that he would let me record his new fun trick, in case he wouldn't do it on command when his daddy got home from work.  I didn't really need to.  He has been off and rolling ever since yesterday morning.  It's kinda funny how he used to HATE it when I put him on his belly for tummy time, but now he can't get enough of it. :)   He even tries to roll while he's buckled into his bouncy seat. Lol. 

  I am so excited that he is advancing developmentally pretty much right on schedule, but I am sad that he is growing up way too fast.  I am definitely enjoying watching him grow and learn new things and I am making sure to document each and every move he makes. :)

Echo Update...

So technically the Echo tech's couldn't "tell" me anything about my Ejection Fraction, and I was really disappointed.  I REALLY didn't want to wait until August 16th for my cardiologist to tell me whats up.  But...the technicians were super sweet and they said, "Well, we can't tell you NOT to look at the screen, and if per chance we 'accidentally' leave some numbers up for a minute, we can't do anything about it."  So, it looks like they are putting it in my records as being 40%. (Up from 25% at the end of March when I was diagnosed.) YAY!!!  It is such a relief to know that what I am doing is working and helping me to get better.  I am hoping that when I go for my 6 month echo, I get even better news.  :)  I am so happy that I finally have some answers.  Now I can go about my life and keep doing what I am doing knowing that it is all ok. :)

Today is the day...

Today I woke up early (if you call 8:30 early).  I am by myself enjoing the quiet, it is weird though, having "me time".  I can hear Evan starting to stir in his sleep...I wonder if he can tell when I am awake...In the quiet hours of the morning I am trying to ready myself for the events of the day.  I wanted to sleep in, but have too much on my mind for that. So, I am up and awake and ready for the day...

We leave for Houghton Lake for a week on Saturday morning and I couldn't be more excited.  We will be spending it with my mom and dad~like we do every year...but next year I think we will get our own cabin-we are outgrowing theirs :) We have needed a vacation...Aaron has needed a vacation and is extremely deserving of it for all of his hard work in the past 4 months.  We are going to be out and about getting last minute things ready for our travels and time away from home.  Most importantly, FISHING LICENCES!!! It is pretty much the only time of year that I fish, but it is a great way for me to spend time with my dad, and I am pretty good at if I do say so myself~pictures to come later of my big catch.  :)

I am so nervous.  I could hardly sleep last night and when I finally did fall asleep, I woke up every few hours, WIDE awake.  Today is also the day of my 3 month echocardiogram, even though it is closer to 4 months after my diagnosis.  I won't see my cardiologist to discuss the results until the middle of next month.  I am hoping that the echo tech will be able to let me know at least what my ejection fraction is`how well my heart is pumping.  I have been doing extremely good at following my diet and fluid restrictions, and I ALWAYS remember to take my medication.  I know that I am feeling good, and that SHOULD be all that matters...BUT I really want physical proof that I am doing well and on my way to recovery.  The only way for me to know that for sure is to see it for myself on the echo and for the tech to tell me what my EF is.  We shall see.  I will post an update later.  For now, I will just try to relax, maybe do a puzzle on Jigzone, and wait for my Dad to arrive to watch Evan while Aaron and I head off to Sparrow. 

Wish me Luck! :)

Off to Dream Land...

I have always been one of those people who looked at other parents and said, "When I have kids I'm not gonna do that."  I will never again say that.  I HAVE done that...I have done all the things that I said I wouldn't do when I became a parent.  I think that it is easy for people who have never had children to judge or decide to do things differently.  Until you have the experience of bringing life into this world, you have NO idea what you will or will not do.  I always said that I wouldn't hold my baby all day long, yet I find that my arms ache when Evan is not in them.  I always said that my baby would NEVER sleep in my bed because it would interfere with the intimacy of my marriage, yet I wake up in the middle of the night just waiting for Evan to cry so I can run to him and bring him back to bed with me.  He has had a rough time sleeping, pretty much since he was born, and we have had to make some adjustments to our thoughts and feelings of how we had wanted his sleep habits to work.  From 0-3 months old, Evan had an infant startle reflex that would cause him to wake himself up if his arms were loose.  He would only sleep in his bed if he were swaddled and napped in my arms during the day.  When he grew too big for the sleep-sac with the swaddle wrap, we referred to our midwives who make GIANT swaddle blankets...They saved our sanity.  When he outgrew those, or it was too hot to swaddle, I would bring him to bed with me and we would fall asleep together.  Then I would wake up and put him in his own bed for the night.  My body ached from sleeping so stiffly while he was in our bed.  Thankfully, that didn't last very long.  Recently, Evan has begun sleeping by himself, in his own bed, WITHOUT being swaddled.  He is of course still rocked/held until he falls asleep, but he stays asleep in bed ALL night long! Yay!  I am so excited because now he can wear all of his cute sleepers and sleep-sacks.  He has a TON and now we can actually use them. :)  Here are a few pictures of our little guy in his sleepwear and on his way to dreamland...

Mommy wanted to snuggle in her bed!

Sleeping soundly...

Getting ready for bed...but I'm WIDE awake!

Look at me sleeping so peacefully in my cute sleep gown!
(I think I'm going to be a side sleeper when I get older.)