Easter 2015

For Easter this year, we headed up to South Bend, as usual. This year, though, we started off at my mom's house, where she had huge Easter baskets for the kids and eggs hidden all over the yard for them to hunt. They had a blast collecting eggs, although Georgia wasn't really sure what the whole thing was about. Oliver loved every minute of it!

Afterwards, we headed over to Don's parent's house for a lovely meal and another Easter egg hunt! The kids have more candy than they'll be able to eat in a lifetime!

Georgia is not real sure about the eggs.

Oliver had no problem collecting her share!

A girl and her Daddy

She wasn't really interested in a 2nd egg hunt!

She found one egg and was content.

My sweet family on this special day.

Spring Break in Chicago

Over spring break in March, Don and I decided to take a little weekend getaway to Chicago. The kids stayed with their Pawpaw and had a blast. Since I knew my summer was going to be CRAZY, we figured we better take advantage of our two free nights at the Hyatt and a free babysitter! We had a fabulous time walking the city, doing a little shopping and eating at some amazing restaurants. It was so nice to get away for a few days in the peace and quiet!

Hands down the nicest hotel room I've ever stayed in!

I wanted to bring the bed home with me!

Our view was amazing!

I love the architecture of the buildings in Chicago!

The Skyline

Chilly walk along the water

The Park Hyatt Chicago

If only it were warm enough to swim in!

Georgia's Winter Onederland Party

How is this girl 1 year old already? This has been the longest and fastest year of our lives! While there have been MANY ups and downs this year, we couldn't be more blessed to have this sweet girl in our family.

My pretty birthday girl

We celebrated Georgia's first birthday with a Winter Wonderland party! My mom came down for the weekend to help me make treats of all kinds. We had a fun-filled party with family and friends, even though the birthday girl wasn't in much of a partying kind of mood. Luckily, her big brother had no problem at all opening her presents while she napped. Ha! We had a blast celebrating this sweet girl!

All set up and ready!

Lots of treats...yum!

Daddy and his girl

Pawpaw and Georgia Kate, enjoying cupcakes on her actual birthday!

Oliver is a big fan of the cupcake tradition :)

Georgia's smash cake

My sweet girl, all dressed up for her party

It's cake time!

She wanted absolutely nothing to do with the cake. She cried and cried until I got her out of her high chair. 3 minutes later, she was asleep in her crib. Oliver and his friends LOVED the smash cake! ;)

Gigi, Aunt Fay and the birthday girl

Mama, Daddy and Georgia

Georgia Kate is 1 Year Old!

This has been both the longest and shortest year of my life, and by far, one of the most difficult. This girl has challenged me in ways I didn't know possible. Despite all of that, though, she brings me such joy on a daily basis. I love watching her grow and interact with her big brother. I can't wait to see what this year has in store for this sweet angel.

Weight: 20 lbs 5 oz

Height: 30 inches

What she's wearing: Size 3 diaper, 9-12 month clothes

Sleeping: 7:00 pm - 6:00 am...she is still a great sleeper! She takes two naps a day...a short one in the morning and a longer one in the afternoon.

Eating: Girl still only has 4 teeth! Despite that fact, however, she knows how to eat! She will eat pretty much any food you put in front of her. Some of her current favorites include bananas, waffles, meat, yogurt and Kashi bars.

Special Tricks: Georgia is walking everywhere these days. She is also babbling a lot. She says "mama," "dada," "baba" (brother), "dog" and "hi." She will also say other words randomly.

Activities: Georgia loves to play Peek-a-Boo and Pat-a-Cake...she cannot get enough of either. She loves music and is really into mimicking people these days.

Happy News!

Well, the journey that began last August (truthfully, before that even) finally came to an end this month. We were praying this would be the last time we would have to go in for Georgia's monthly scan, and our prayers were answered.

When we began this process back in August, Georgia had a difference of 10.5 mm which was still fairly severe despite all the repositioning and physical therapy we were doing. The goal was to get the difference down below 5 mm. This month, after 5 1/2 months, her scan showed a difference of only 4.9 mm. We just barely made it! It was such a great feeling to walk out of the office carrying her helmet and a cute headband in her hair (yes, I had one in my purse, just in case!). She has quickly adjusted to being helmet-free, although, she is not a big fan of bumping her head on things. I have to admit...the helmet really came in handy when it came to keeping her noggin safe from bumps and falls! So thankful for all the people that helped us navigate this process. We couldn't have had a better experience!

Georgia's first scan in August 2014...10.5 mm difference

Her first official picture with her new accessory...not a happy girl.

She quickly adjusted, and it became so normal for us.

Monthly scans with Seth

December 2014 scan...6.7 mm difference...no change from the previous month :(

Pretty girl...the helmet suits her :)

Hanging out at church in Oliver's Sunday School classroom

Rockin' her accessory...we got lots of compliments on it over the months!

January 2015 scan...her last one!

4.9 mm difference...yay!!!

January 8, 2015...before and after her very last scan!

Georgia Kate is 11 Months Old!

I'm 11 months old!

Weight: somewhere around 19 pounds

Height: 29ish inches...she's very long!

What she's wearing: Size 3 diaper, 9-12 month clothes

Eating: Well, the 4 teeth she was working on last month still haven't come in fully. I guess she's taking her sweet time! It has become a little easier for her to chew things, though, so that's a plus! For breakfast, Georgia loves Kashi bars, cereal, toast, pancakes and waffles. For lunch and dinner, she eats anything we eat. She loves grapes, applesauce, pasta, bread and meat. She is not a big fan of salmon or broccoli. Overall, the girl knows how to eat, though, and she does a lot of it! Sleeping: 7:00 pm - 6:00ish am...she goes down easily and wakes up happy! You can't beat that!

Special Tricks: Georgia has begun to cruise around furniture this month, but her preferred method of travel is still crawling. :) She is babbling a lot more and is beginning to understand a lot of what we say to her. She will also sing and dance when she hears music...it's too funny!

Activities: Georgia has become very interested in "playing" lately. It's been a lot of fun to watch her and Oliver. Of course, with this come some typical "big brother" behaviors. He does not like when she plays with his toys or takes his things. Of course, he LOVES to play with all of her toys, though...better than his a lot of times!

Oliver and Georgia have become great friends lately. It's fun to watch them playing together. I can't wait to watch them grow up together!