New Teeth Bring Fever

So, with all these new teeth and 2b more on the way, Leala has a fever.. It broke a little earlier, but she feels warm again.. So you can guess how she is acting now.. So, this is the end of today's blog. I have a hot, hurting baby to tend to.. and some rest to get (hopefully).

Happy New Year everyone!

Just an update

So, yesterday and today were "get stuff done" days. I cleaned a lot yesterday. Then, today we went to the Hong Kong market to get some things and order Kevin's mom's birthday cake for tomorrow. Then we did our normal grocery shopping.. We got to play a game of Scrabble after that, so that was nice. :)

While playing with Leala this evening, I put her down on the bed so I could take a better look at her two new pearly whites.... That's when I noticed it... The two beside those that just came in are soon to follow! You can see the white through the gums... So, by the way it looks, she will have gone from 2 teeth to 7 teeth in a month... So far, it has been 2 to 5 in 2 weeks. Poor baby. I feel so bad for her, but she has been handling it pretty well.

She is cranky and whiny and very clingy, but wouldn't you be too? I can't believe she is growing up so fast. I am so happy to see that she is growing, but I can't help but be a little scared.. I do still breastfeed, you know? haha.. Obviously this is my first time experiencing this, so we'll see how it goes. *hopeful thinking*

Besides that, not much is going on. I have been trying to get ready for Leala's birthday (in February). Not sure what her big gift will be yet. I'm still kinda playing around with a few things right now. Maybe that will be an upcoming post!

More pictures.. finally..

Okay, so finally I will post rest of the Christmas pictures. I'm sure you were all dying and waiting for them! I cut back the number if pictures in this one big time, since there's so many people in Kevin's family. If I showed a picture of each family member and all of my favorites, this post would never end. So these are just my favs of the pictures taken.

Serenity opening her presents.

Leala with her new piggy bank. She loves it (and so do we!) but she was done at this point..

Serenity loved everything she got!

Hang (my sister-in-law) laughing and Kim (her sister) touching the kicking baby.

Serenity was helping her daddy open his presents.

Kim loves her new pillow! I'm always happy to see people like the stuff I make in my shop. :)

Serenity playing with Leala. Aren't they cute?

Hang is happy to finally get some cookbooks!

Serenity was so curious with this toy that they had to open it on the spot!

Leala was distracted by the bows. (Within minutes after opening the presents, she was asleep).

I love Bath and Body Works!

Kevin got the movie he's been wanting for a long time.

Leala thought the pillow for Kevin's mom was so cool!

Donald and Hang were so happy to see that we got the "little one on the way" a present.

Leala playing after her nap.

She looks like such a big girl!

Silly girl!

She loves being center of attention.. She's always posing for pictures (even when a camera isn't around!)

The next day, after Daddy put together her learning house. She went crazy! She was screaming in excitement about it.

She kept turning the "porch light" on and off.

She finally crawled through the doorway. So very cute! Oh and that's fake mail by her hands, for her little mailbox!

This was taken today. This is what happens when Mommy lets Daddy watch Leala while she cleans... She has a monkey on her back!

She looks so cute though!

Change of plans..

So, I had planned blogging about Christmas with Kevin's family today (mainly posting pictures), but things have been hectic and I still don't have them on my laptop... so, I figured I might tell you why things have been hectic..

My little baby is teething... big time... And obviously, there's the after-Christmas clean-up too.. which isn't done quickly with a teething and needy baby..

Did mention we went from 2 teeth to 5 teeth in 2 weeks? Yeah, you can guess what these last 2 weeks have been like.. haha.

I did manage to get Leala's birthday party dress today. Well, at least I think it's the dress she'll wear for her birthday. We'll see though. I got a few more things bought for her birthday too.

Well, I need to put my baby to bed. She just fell asleep (for the second time), so we'll see how long she lasts in her crib this time.. Oh the joys of babies and new teeth..

Our Christmas Pictures

So, I finally have some time to write about our Christmas. It was great.

Christmas Eve, we did what we needed to do here (baking, packing, and such) and then we went over my parents' house. Our family tradition is to open the presents under the tree Christmas Eve night, but now since there's little ones, we did it pretty early. It was really great to see everyone together. It was my dad, my mom, my sister (Amber) and her husband, my other sister (Sarah) and her son (Sean), Kevin, Leala and I. Lots of people, but we had tons of fun.

Leala did pretty good while opening presents. She did have to eat, so we skipped her turn a few times, while I breastfed her. Then she fell asleep for about 10-15 minutes too. But after that, she was able to finish opening everything.

Sean, my nephew, did great this year too. He just turned 2 last month, so he knew more of what was going on and what he was supposed to be doing.

We stayed the night at my parents' house that night to make things easier. Christmas Day morning we woke up and Leala got to do her stocking. We had lots of fun that day. Everyone else came back over too, to eat Christmas dinner (around 11 am). After that, most of everyone had another family to go see, so we all parted ways.

Kevin, Leala and I went to see his family, and we all got to sit and open our presents together there too. This was the first year that we were able to do that, so it was really special. Leala had fun, but she was getting tired and really needed a nap. She does well with people, but of course, she was getting overstimulated.

Overall, it was great and we all had a good time. Leala got tons of clothes and toys, even a new princess piggy bank! She loves it all. We even have to trick her to get her away from her toys.. haha.

Okay, so no more waiting. Here's the pictures you've been waiting for! Some family members might stop by my blog and look at the pictures, so I apologize if there's too many here.. haha..

For now, I will only post pictures from my parents' house.. Tomorrow I will post some with Kevin's family. I still haven't been able to transfer those to my laptop yet.

Sean giving Leala a hug, before we open presents.

Leala with Daddy.

Mommy and Daddy helping Leala open her first Christmas present.

Sean and the shirt I made for him in my shop.

He loved his boots from MeMaw.

Leala was eating and hugging her baby.

I love the look on her face in this picture!

Haha! Love it!

Sean loved his truck.

He was trying to open his presents with his wrench.. How cute!

Amber loved the coasters I made for her in my shop.

Leala fell asleep eating, but didn't sleep for long!

I made my own present! haha.. I love the travel mug I made. Kevin bought it for me. :)

She loves her snow boots!

I love this picture. Sarah says all he does now is bounce!

She was so excited to open the big one!

She loved the box, and now that we've opened it up and put it together, she is in love with the toy too! She went crazy over it when she got to play with it. I have to try to post one of the videos sometime.

Christmas Picture Highlights!

I can't write a real post, so I will just have to post a few good pictures, until tomorrow. Enjoy.

Merry Christmas!

I have approved all comments, but don't have time to read everyone's blogs tonight. It has been a very busy and hectic 2 days. I loved it though! Leala had a great Christmas. Everyone did.

I will be back tomorrow to catch up and post pictures!

Christmas Eve

We are almost out the door now.. I'm just posting this real quick to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I will moderate comments tomorrow and try to look at everyone's blogs tomorrow too. Have a great day and enjoy it!

My body aches...

Today has been the longest day since Leala was born! haha.. I got so much done today. I am so happy, but oh so very tired. Everything is set for tomorrow and Christmas Day. I won't be online much, obviously and since I'm running out of time, I won't be able to visit each of your blogs and wish you a Merry Christmas, so I will do it here. Merry Christmas everyone! Have a great and safe season. Stay out of trouble and stay close to family. Merry Christmas.

I'll leave you with something my husband made for me. Hope you like it.

A sweet act of kindness..

Today, Leala and I ventured out to find one last present for Leala for Christmas (didn't think we had quite enough!) and look for some birthday presents for her, while we were out. I found a cute book set for Christmas and a bunch of books and a puzzle for her birthday.

Well, when we were checking out, the cashier was talking to Leala a lot, and Leala kept saying, "Hieeee" back to her and waving. It was so cute. While talking to Leala, the cashier forgot to ring up the last book. I had already paid and hadn't noticed until the woman behind me (who had been part of our conversation and was talking to Leala) told me that we forgot my last book. I asked if she minded if we went ahead and rang it up. She said not to worry about it and that it would be her little treat for such a cutie.. This stranger bought my baby a book. I thought it was so nice and sweet of her. I couldn't believe she did that. We wished each other a Merry Christmas and went on our way.


I am glad to see that there are still some really nice people who go out of their way to be nice to others. :)

Leala's First Haircut!

So, we finally did it. We got Leala's hair cut. She had this weird thing going on in the back, where the sides were growing out long, but since a lot of the hair in the middle had broke and fallen out, it was pretty short.. So, we just got things trimmed up a bit, to make it blend in more. It was nothing major, at all, but still.. That was her baby hair.. That was the hair she has when she was born. The perfectly highlighted baby hair.. So, yes, I cried a little. Leala did great. I did great, until I saw my mom putting the hair in an envelope for me.

My sister is a beautician, so it wasn't that big of a deal. My husband and I (and Leala) went over to my parents house, where my sister was going to cut my dad's hair after work. We all went ahead and got our hair cut. I am so happy that Leala did so good. She's such a big girl. :)

Now, for what you have been waiting for.. the pictures. Here's a few. Enjoy.

Waiting patiently for Aunt Sarah to cut her hair..

So happy to be getting a hair cut!

What is this?!

What a cutie! She did so good!

And here's a picture of Leala asleep the other night.. She pushed her blanket away and slept like this.. haha.. silly baby!

Random Christmas Thoughts

I can't believe Christmas is coming up so soon. I am so happy! It will be nice to have the whole family together and enjoy each other. I wonder how Leala is going to do with the presents. Either way, I know she'll like the toys and stuff (whether she acts that way or not when she opens them, we'll see...). I am excited though!

We have most of Christmas eve and Christmas Day planned out.

On Christmas Eve Eve (yes, Christmas Eve Eve), I need to bake the chocolate cake needed to make the Chocolate Trifle I wrote about before. Christmas Eve morning, I will finish making the Chocolate Trifle, make 2 cherry cream pies, and 4 batches of cookies. The trifle is for my side of the family, and the cookies and pies is for Kevin's side. His family had the trifle 10 days ago, when I made it the first time. :)

After that is done, we'll get ready and go to my parents' house. Everyone (meaning both sisters with their significant others and Sean, my nephew) will be there, along with my parents of course. We will hang out all afternoon, and that evening, we will open the presents under the tree.

We plan to spend the night over there (it's not far from our house or anything, but it will make things easier). Then we wake up, get ready, do Leala's stocking and if there's any left over presents that she didn't open. Eat Christmas dinner (early, like around 11 or noon), which is pretty much like Thanksgiving dinner in our family.

Then this year, around 1 or 1:30, we're going to go and spend time with Kevin's family. He's is Vietnamese and Buddhist, as is his family, but the kids celebrate Christmas (as in spending time with the family and buying presents when possible).

Well, this year we were actually able to shop for things for his family, so we didn't do gift cards like we usually do. You have to remember that most of the time, Kevin was in Japan and came home right before Christmas.. And most of the time, right before he came home, he was on a deployment.. so yeah, everyone on his side just got gift cards. But not this year! We got to get them all stuff we think they'll love. I am so excited!

Oh, and this year, we are all going to get together and actually sit down and open the presents. Most years they don't do this, since they don't formally celebrate Christmas. But I insisted that we do open all the presents in front of each other, and they loved the idea. I am so happy about this. I can't wait.

I always set budgets and tell myself what I will and will not do and so on, each holiday season.. And each holiday season, I go back on it.. lol.. I don't think I did too bad this year, but we did go out today and buy one last thing for his family... my idea too! haha.. Oh well, I love to give. I really really do.

Now, for after Christmas.. I think we are going to go to a few places to try to get some toys on sale for Leala's birthday. It's February 2nd, so it's long from now.. We'll see though. I don't even know for sure what I really want to be getting her for her birthday. I thought about it a bit tonight, and I think since she is getting all the electronic type stuff for Christmas (stuff that sings and lights up and all that), that I might go back to the basics for her birthday. Stuff like puzzles, books, maybe blocks (if they have some I like for her age group), and maybe a tent type thing. And then some clothes for the new season. We'll see.. It's all a work in progress.. I should also start to think about the decorations I want to get too.. I had a list of everything we would "need" and it came to a total of $83.. just decorations.. no cake or presents.. haha.. so yeah, obviously there will be some revising done to the list. :)

My Answers To Your Questions!

Thank you everyone who asked me a question. I think this is a really fun thing to do, and if you have more questions, or weren't able to ask a question but want to, you can anytime. I am trying to be a very open person and would love to share my life with you.

Kelly from Our Family's Ramblings asked, "Where did you meet your hubby?"
My answer to that has actually already been posted on my blog, but that was when I was really new to this, and none of you were following my blog... so, I will copy and paste here!

So.. how it all started.. I was 12 years old and at a friend's house.. bored out of our minds with nothing to do. What else would we do besides pick up the phone and start prank calling people, right? (Come on, we were stupid young girls.. haha). After a few calls, my friend dialed a number, and threw the phone to me, telling me I would have to marry whoever answered the phone.. After lots of rings, a male's voice said "Hello". I acted as if I knew him and replied with a "Hey, whatcha doing?". We talked for a while, and I insisted that I knew him, and he insisted that he didn't know me, but we continued to flirt. After a while, I told him that my friend David had given me his number. (At the time, I didn't even know a David. It just sounded good). He said okay, and we continued talking for a total of 4 hours that night.

We talked on the phone every single day after that. (Later I found out that he had asked his friend David about me, and of course he said he had no idea who I was, but Kevin continued to talk to me everyday). After 3 years of talking on the phone, I finally told him that I loved him and he said he loved me too. So, the next day, we met in person. Our hearts have been inseparable ever since.

A year and a half later he proposed. A year and 4 months after that, we got married. Yes, I was very young. I actually graduated from high school early in February of 2005, then turned 18 in March, then got married in April. Three and a half years later, we're still going strong, with a beautiful daughter.

So obviously my friend was right, when she said I'd marry whoever answered the phone.. :)

Lori from Teacher Turned Mommy asked, "What do you want to be 'when you grow up'?"
Well, I used to want to be a teacher myself. I wasn't sure which grade.. Either Kinder or 1st or high school math. I wasn't sure, but oh well. It didn't happen, and it probably won't ever. For now, I want to be just what I am - a SAHM. After that, I'm not sure. I am thinking about getting a degree from home, and going into accounting or some type of business thing (mainly because that's what my husband does, and then we can work together and stuff). I guess if I skip all this mumbo jumbo, the real answer is, I don't know.

Lori from Teacher Turned Mommy also asked, "How many kids do you plan on having?"
At this point, we're thinking 3. I almost had twins with Leala, but the other egg didn't develop, so I am scared that if we go for number 4, it might be 4 and 5! I can just not handle 5 kids.. 4 would be pushing it. Right now, I'm wondering how 2 will work! haha.. Hopefully there will be a boy in the first 3, and then we'll leave it that. If there's not, I think we might still leave it at 3, but of course there will be the temptation to try for number 4. And yes, we have names picked out already. We have for years.

Lori from Teacher Turned Mommy also asked, "What is your favorite thing to do when you are not with your kiddo?"
Well, I haven't been without Leala more than twice since she's been born.. Once to get my hair done, and once to go to the store real quick (like 25 minutes).. But later, I would love to be able to go on dates with the hubby.. Go to the movies, go out to eat, go to park for a walk.. just me and him..

Daphine from Just Stuff asked, "How long have you been married?"
We got married April 17th, 2005 (two months after I graduated early from high school early, and a month after I turned 18). So, we've been married for 3 years, 8 months and 2 days... :)

Daphine from Just Stuff also asked, "Where did you meet your husband?"
I'm copying and pasting this from a previous question. My answer to that has actually already been posted on my blog, but that was when I was really new to this, and none of you were following my blog... so, I will copy and paste here!

So.. how it all started.. I was 12 years old and at a friend's house.. bored out of our minds with nothing to do. What else would we do besides pick up the phone and start prank calling people, right? (Come on, we were stupid young girls.. haha). After a few calls, my friend dialed a number, and threw the phone to me, telling me I would have to marry whoever answered the phone.. After lots of rings, a male's voice said "Hello". I acted as if I knew him and replied with a "Hey, whatcha doing?". We talked for a while, and I insisted that I knew him, and he insisted that he didn't know me, but we continued to flirt. After a while, I told him that my friend David had given me his number. (At the time, I didn't even know a David. It just sounded good). He said okay, and we continued talking for a total of 4 hours that night.

We talked on the phone every single day after that. (Later I found out that he had asked his friend David about me, and of course he said he had no idea who I was, but Kevin continued to talk to me everyday). After 3 years of talking on the phone, I finally told him that I loved him and he said he loved me too. So, the next day, we met in person. Our hearts have been inseparable ever since.

A year and a half later he proposed. A year and 4 months after that, we got married. Yes, I was very young. I actually graduated from high school early in February of 2005, then turned 18 in March, then got married in April. Three and a half years later, we're still going strong, with a beautiful daughter.

So obviously my friend was right, when she said I'd marry whoever answered the phone.. :)

MiMi from He & Me + 3 asked, "What camera do you shoot with?"
It's a FinePix s7000. A great camera my husband picked up in Hong Kong while on a deployment. I love it. It does really great quality and catches anything, even while moving.

MiMi from He & Me + 3 also asked, "How many kids do you eventually want?"
I'm copying and pasting here too.. At this point, we're thinking 3. I almost had twins with Leala, but the other egg didn't develop, so I am scared that if we go for number 4, it might be 4 and 5! I can just not handle 5 kids.. 4 would be pushing it. Right now, I'm wondering how 2 will work! haha.. Hopefully there will be a boy in the first 3, and then we'll leave it that. If there's not, I think we might still leave it at 3, but of course there will be the temptation to try for number 4. And yes, we have names picked out already. We have for years.

Kasey from Simply Crazy Life asked me to tell you "something strange, almost embarrassing about yourself!! Some kind of strange fact.. something odd you do.. some secret single behavior type thing!"
My husband says I talk in my sleep.. haha.. The other night, I said, "It's running away. The bed. It's running away." haha.. I had to ask my husband for help on this one, and he said when I'm around my parents, I talk in a quieter voice.. like child like. :)

Kasey from Simply Crazy Life also asked, "What is your most embarrassing moment.. as a parent?"
I asked my husband for help on this one too.. I can't think of anything after Leala was born, but while I was pregnant, I had a few.. haha.

Once, I threw up in the chip aisle of Wal-Mart because a woman smelled like urine.. It made me sick to my stomach, and I threw up right there.

I also almost passed out in Wal-Mart because my sugar got too low. I was standing in line ( for 35 minutes) and couldn't see anymore.. I moved to the side and sat down. I was so very embarrassed.

I ate 5 strawberry cupcakes in one sitting..

Shauna from Our Little Corner asked, "If you could have any kind of career (excluding mommyhood) say you have no children...what would you do?"
I think I would have become a teacher. Or accountant.. Depends. On what? I'm not sure. Ialways wanted to be a teacher, but now, being a mother, I just don't think I could do it. I think I would be a great accountant though.. And I'm pretty sure I'd love it.. I'm a nerd, I know. haha.

I think this is all the questions. If you asked something and I didn't answer, let me know. :)

Thursday Highlights

* We took Leala to the doctor today.

* She is fine. Her chest is clear. Her ears are clear.

* We had to up her medications (because she weighs more now).

* She can now take motrin.

* She weighs 21 pounds 2 ounces now and is 10.5 months old.

* She took a very long nap today (with me!) and is feeling somewhat better.

* Since we have upped her medications, she hasn't coughed as much and her drainage seems to be going away too.

* I was able to talk to her doctor (who was my doctor since I was 6 weeks old!) about all the other things that I have been wondering about.

* No meats or milk for her til 12 months.

* Skip bottles and continue trying with sippy cup.

* After she is 12 months old, we'll start trying to wean.

* She is fine with the solids that she is eating. No reason to push it too much.

* I am glad I was able to talk to her doctor about this stuff. I have been casually talking to other people about how I want to handle things with Leala, and most people have pushed the bottle in my face over and over.. But, none of these people (no one I know, actually) has breastfed for this long, so bottles are all they know. Anyway, I'm glad I brought things up to the doctor and got things figured out.

* I got over my whole fear of being talked about or given weird looks.. No one has yet, but I thought they would talk about me for not having Leala weaned at 12 months, like I had mentioned I might.. Now I know, that I should be waiting, and have been wanting to wait to wean her, but was scared that people would look down on me. (Like I said, no one I know has breastfed.. They don't look down on it, but I'm looked at as a hippie type girl now, b/c of it, and I didn't want them to think I'd be breastfeeding her til she's 5...) Anyway, I'm over it, and I don't care. I will do as I wish and if someone doesn't like it, they can deal with it, or get out of my life.. lol.. seriously though.

* Leala has her third tooth! I think that has been her problem this whole time.. The reason why she's been waking up so much and acting so needy.. I barely saw it very far under the gums 2 or 3 days ago, and today it has already popped out! She is getting to be a very big girl! She has 3 teeth on bottom now and none on top!

* It's been a long day, but the hubby was able to relax with me and watch a movie tonight, so that was fun. Off to bed for me now!

* I haven't forgotten about the questions and answers. I will be doing that soon!

Wednesday Thoughts

* I feel better today. I'm not 100%, but better at least. Thank you everyone for all your kind words. It really means a lot to me.

* We are taking Leala to the doctor in the morning. Her appointment is at 8:30. She hasn't gotten worse, but I want her checked out and better by Christmas. It's mainly just for ease of mind.

* We got Kevin's disability money from the VA for the past 4 months today! Whoohoo! Just fyi, he wasn't discharged because of any disability (he had a honorable discharge), but he's getting paid for a few things that happened while in the Navy. Can't argue with that!

* Canceled our plans to get hair-cuts for all of us tomorrow. My sister does our hair, but since we're going to the doctor, I don't think we'll be going to her salon to do that.. Oh well, she works every day until Christmas Eve, so we can get it done a different day. (Yes, we are going to cut Leala's hair.. just the back of it, to even it up.. Right now, she has two longer pieces on each side.. haha).

* We lowered the height of Leala's mattress in her crib today. With her standing up and playing in her crib now, she seemed too tall in it. I felt like she could lean over the edge and fall, so I had Kevin lower it. She is such a big girl now.. I can't believe it.

* I am looking forward to Christmas, very much so.. I can't wait to see how Leala reacts to everything. I am just really happy that it's coming up so fast. :)

* I will be answering your questions soon... so if you haven't asked me something yet, click here and do so!