Bailey has a birthday...and the terrible twos begin! ;-)

Oh my Goodness....I can't believe my baby is 2 today!!!!!
We are having a party for the b-day girl next Saturday, but we couldn't let the day go without a special celebration. We let big sissy skip school and spend the day with us too!

Bailey woke up really early this morning, so I let her come snuggle with me in my bed and she fell back fast to sleep in no time...I sure do love snuggling with my baby girl! I took this pic of her at exactly the minute she turned 2. Not too long afterward she woke up.
We had a little breakfast and hung around the house for a while. Before long, it was time to go to Dr. McCowan's office for a check up...
Daddy met us there and filled out the paperwork like he usually does for the girls' check ups!
Bailey had a big time playing in the well room and then they called us back. Notice she has a baby in her arms...this is a regular occurance...she is such a little mama!
The nurse weighed her and checked her height. Unlike her 18m check up, today she was very compliant. Miss bailey weighed in at 25lbs and was 32 inches tall...very average for her age.
Brooke at 2 was not so cooperative at her check up, but weighed in at 26 pounds and measured 33 3/4 inches tall. Here is a pic of Brooke on her 2nd birthday...so do you think they look alike?
After a short wait Dr. Mcown came in and gave her a check up...she was very cooperative which was great. Oh, and 2 year olds don't have to have any shots so that was a plus for her and us! Dr. McCown said it was one of the best 2 year old check ups ever! Oh and notice the paci in Bailey's mouth...Dr. McCown says, " It's GOT to go!"...now that's gonna be hard for Bailey to deal with (and everyone around her that has to hear her whines..especially her mama! Um yeah, I think I will give her a little bit longer to enjoy her guilty pleasure! ;-)
After the check up we waited around for the girls to get the flu mist...we waited longer than we wanted...we got silly and then impatient...Here are the girls doing their best "Alivia mad face" for the nurse that took so long!
We finally got the mist and then we were off...Brooke decided we should have a birthday dinner at "Cheesetown" which is known as Cheesecake Factory to everybody else.

Sounds like a good plan to me...you know I love that place, so I was ready...but daddy took a little more convincing. After we picked up the van from being serviced and a little stop at Walmart, we finally talked Daddy into the plan and then headed over to Cheesecake Factory. Bailey fell asleep on the way and woke up kinda grumpy, but before too long she started being her sweet self again!
We all stuffed our bellies with a super delicious entree and then waitress brought Bailey an ice cream sundae and sang "Happy Birthday" to her.
Of course we couldn't leave until we all chowed down on some cheesecake for dessert...YUM!
After the outstanding dinner and dessert, we sent daddy back to work for a bit and the girls and I did a some shopping at the Summit...the girls had a blast playing at Pottery Barn Kids and I actually bought a couple of little things.
Later that night, we presented Bailey with a few gifts! A new craft table with 2 chairs was her big gift...
She also got a new Dora doll (loved it) and a few other Dora goodies!
And what birthday girl celebration would be complete without Edgar's strawberry cake? Bailey's favorite thing in life thus far has been sugar, and now her favorite thing is sugar with candles on the top! She loved blowing out the candles and was so cute saying, "I blo cans, mama!"
The girls had several petit fours each and then just as their sugar high was about to reach maximum overdrive, I gave them a bath and sent them to bed!

It was a nice family day.

I am so thankful for the past 2 years with my baby girl! It is so amazing how God puts certain people together in certain families. I sure am glad he put me with Penn and gave us the 2 best little girlies in the whole wide wirlly!

My Bailey Grace really is a joy to be around, but you do have to beware of the temper tantrums becasuse they are sure to creep up on you at anytime and it is NOT pretty....she certainly is a handful...but I wouldn't trade her for a million bucks!

Bailey Grace Bullock

What a precious bundle of joy you are
Cute from head to toe
You melt my heart with your sweetness
Everywhere you go
You're a very special gift
Descended from heaven above
The most perfect little angel
Sent for your Mommy, Daddy, and Sissy to love.
With all our love and best wishes
On your 2nd birthday!

"May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you."
1 Thessalonians 3:12

Another Half Birthday!

Today is a big day....it's Bailey's one and a half birthday! You know me, I love all these milestones, so we couldn't let the day go without doing a little celebrating...
We woke up late, had breakfast, watched a little bit of Dora, and then headed out to Dr. McCowan's office for Bailey's 18 month check up! Daddy met us there just in time to fill out Bailey's paperwork. (with Brooke's help)
They called us back and Bailey was less than thrilled with the nurse assigned to her.

She cried really big while they did all the measurements! She weighed in at 24 pounds, was 32 inches long, and her head circumference was 19 inches. She is very tall for her age and has big brains! She is very average weight wise.

After the nurse left, the girls had a big time. They giggled and giggled as they went up and down the step ladder and then moved on to spinning around and around on Dr. McCowan stool. After a while Dr. Andy came in and gave Miss Bailey the look over. She was a perfect patient for him....I was so proud! He checked her from head to toe and gave us the thumbs up....impeccable!
Bailey did have to get a few immunizations, so the girls played some more while waiting on the shots! They pretended to call people on their fake cells and took turns applying pretend make up. My Bailey is getting so big. She growing and changing so much that I can hardly call her a baby anymore!

I just adore being with her and love seeing what new things she is going to get into on a daily basis!

Being outside is still one of her favorite pastimes. She begs to be outside and loves to play hard...she can hang with the best of them. She is very hands on, but just requests to be cleaned in between all the fun. I try to get her to embrace the dirt...go barefoot...get a little grass between the toes, but NO...shoes are a must for this girl!

Another thing she is into right now is BOOKS. She just can't seem to get enough...I am hoping all of the book "reading" she does will help increase her vocabulary. Dr. McCowan says she really needs to have a huge explosion in her speech development between now and age two. She really doesn't say much, maybe only 15-20 words, but understands it ALL!

She loves to go bye-bye and is ready at the drop of a hat. She can entertain herself quietly, be content playing with others, and is really fun to be around for the most part, but can certainly throw a ginormous fit if things don't go her way! Hmmm...I wonder where she gets that from? ;-)
Anyway, the nurses took forever, but did finally come back into administer the booster shots and Miss Bailey was surprisingly very compliant this time.

My sweet angel baby did not even cry, whine, or flinch. What a trooper! We decided to head to Jason's deli for lunch, cause this birthday girl needed a cupcake and some ice cream for being so darn tough.
We ordered our favorites and tried to share with Bailey, but she is still eating baby food for the most part. Now don't get me wrong, she will eat table food, but only if it is dessert! She loves love to feed herself and I let her sometimes if time or making a mess it not a concern. Today, since it was her 1/2 b-day, I let her.

She has watched Big Sister Brooke eat her ice cream cone with a spoon so much that today she insisted on getting a cone with a spoon too....such a little copy cat.

We had a great lunch with daddy on Lakeshore and then we headed to Babies R Us for a little shopping...you know since we were right there and all. I love to buy the girls matching clothes at Babies R Us, but my big girl Brooke has out grown most of their size 48 month clothes. I am so sad that she is too big for Babies R Us. Why can they stay little for longer?
I did manage to find a few outfits that the big girl could squeeze into in order to match her little sissy and then we decided to head home for a nap. Can you believe my 18 month old still naps in her aquarium bouncer?!

After our nap, we played outside on the porch while we were waiting for daddy to get home. Finally, he arrived home and Miss Bailey got her 1/2 birthday gift!
A new car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay...that girl LOVED it! She played in it for the longest time...we had to drag her out kicking and screaming for a bath at bedtime.
What a great day we had celebrating the fabulous 18 months that we have shared with Miss Bailey here on earth. How thankful I am for this time with my baby girl...thank you Father for my daughter Bailey Grace!

***Update, May 8*****
Today hubby opened the dishwasher and asked why all the dishes were PINK??? My Bailey girl is so busy and INTO EVERYTHING, so it didn't take me long to figure out that she put a pink crayon (had to be pink...that's our favorite color around here;) in the dishwasher.
Do not ever try this at home...it is NOT good!
All of the dishes turned pink!!!! Washed again and the glassware came clean, but the plastic dishes had a permanent pink waxy/dusty/film. They all had to be tossed...good thing I love that girl bunches! ;-)

****Another Update, May 21st**** Had to call poison control again! This time it was Juniper Breeze~Bath and Body Works~Body Splash...Bailey took it off the table and she was pretending to spray it. The top was on and so I figured that would be fine. I thought she looked cute walking around pretending to spray it on her like her Momma does. Next thing you know, I look over and she has it in her mouth....top off...sucking on it like a sippy cup...seemed to like it too! I grabbed it from her and it was pouring out...her breath had a very strong Juniper Breeze scent....it about knocked me over. I quickly called poison control. The lady that answered was very high strung for a poison control operator. (not at all what I usually get when I call;-)She got really worked up and did not try to calm me whatsoever...thankfully I wasn't a first time offender, so I was pretty confident that my baby would be ok and so I didn't freak out too much. After going back and forth with her, she made me say that I was sure that Bailey drank less than a teaspoon. If I didn't say it she would have made us go to the ER. We watched for signs of alcohol poisoning and after an hour of being her silly, giggly self, the poison control lady called back and assured us that she must be fine!

Whew...I am hoping this was the last call!!!!!!!

The End of an Era and Check up time!

This has been hanging on my Brookie's door for the past 4 years. At first, it housed diapers from teeny little newborn to size 4 for about 2 1/2 years. Then we filled it with pull ups. She wore them for a while and eventually only at night. She wore a size 4 and after a while needed to move up to 5's. We really wanted to stop buying those expensive things, but she seldom had a dry night and frequently filled her pull up so much that it soaked the bed. I have probably said before that I wet the bed for many years and had to take medicine to strengthen my bladder, so I was sure the Cookster would have the same problem, but in December my girl started having dry pull ups!!! And now...we have graduated to panties 24/7....WOO HOO! It has been about 2 months now and we are still accident free. She is so excited and feels so big now that she gets to sleep in panties...as for the diaper stacker, I guess I will have put it up with the matching bumper pad in the old linen closet. I have to admit, I am a teensy bit sad to see it go...the end of an era...so many first turning to lasts! ;-(
The girls had their check ups today and it went pretty well. Actually...it went exceptional well considering that daddy just couldn't get off of work to be there! He has been to EVERY one of their check ups before, so we were all sad that he missed this one. I could have rescheduled, but I really wanted to get them over with.
Brooke went first....
The 4 year old well visit consist of a weight check, (gained 6 pounds and is now 36 pounds) a height measurement, (grew 3 inches and is now 41 inches) and a vision screening. This was her first vision screening and unfortunately, my girl was having a little trouble seeing the chart with her left eye. She kept straining and and moving the spoon off of her other eye and scooting up to get a little closer. Poor thing...I hope she didn't inherit bad vision from her daddy! The lady marked her as 20/40. I guess time will tell. They also wanted a urine sample, but my big girl couldn't even squeeze out a drop, so we had to scratch that part of the exam. Dr. McCowan gave her the look over and said she was perfect! She even performed for him a few tricks... like spelling her first, middle, and last name, saying her area code and phone number, and reciting her address (zip code and all)...The doctor was pleased! ;-) Brookie and Doc have a special little bond....it's really cute. He said, "Bailey sure does have a hard act to follow!" He was on his way and then it was time for the dreaded shots! The nurse made us wait forever and a day and that built up some major anxiety for my love...so we played and took some pics of ourselves as a diversion...and then FINALLY the nurses came in with the 3 shots! Brookie put on the water works and let out a few LOUD screams.
And wouldn't you know, about a second later she was totally fine and was actually a little embarrassed that she had over reacted so much. The nurses were sweet, though and thanked her for being so brave.

Now Baywee (as Brooke calls her)...
Baywee is 15 months today! Since her birthday, in October, she has gained a little over a pound and grew an entire inch. Today she weighed in at 21 1/2 pounds and was 31 inches long...quite tall for her age and actually not very heavy for someone of her height. She is already taller than an 18 month old and Dr. McCowan says she will probably grow a couple more inches and gain about 4 more pounds throughout the next year! I do hope she slows down a little, though...I desperately want her to stay my hip baby for as long as possible. ;-)
Doctor McCowan said Bailey looked perfect as well. She is more of a mama's girl and wasn't all that thrilled about the ole check up!
She had 2 shots, but did quite well...since daddy wasn't there I had to hold her down and couldn't get a shot, shot for the scrapbook. It's just as well considering that according to her scrapbook she has JUST been born...oh how I do want to catch up on my scrap booking...just need to take the time!!

Both of my sweet angel girls are so much fun.
They interact as sisters so well. You know, daddy and I could just sit and observe them all day long! It is such a sweet site to see our girls playing together and loving on each other so much. They both are big singers and dancers, but even better than watching them in action...we relish watching them sleep. They are both such good sleepers....thank heavens. Both girls sleep about 11 or 12 hours at night and take a daily nap too. Actually, in my opinion, there is nothing better than a sleepin' girly fresh out the bath and smellin' like a rose...AKA pink baby lotion!
"4" looks like it may prove itself to be a tough age. My girl is at the stage where she wants to do EVERYTHING for herself even when not age appropriate and especially when we are in a time crunch. Ahhh....We will see!
Brooke is soaking up so much around her...IT'S TOTALLY AMAZING! I really do have to watch what I say in front of her though, she is listening to everything that is said even if she doesn't look like she is. Often, she will bust out a conversation that I had on the phone the week before....repeating it verbatim!
She has memorized several books and can "read" them to you. She knows all of her letters and sounds and is even starting a little bit of pre-reading on the computer. Starfall continues to be one of her favorite websites and she is now addicted to her v-smile pocket that she received from Mimi for her birthday. Oh and the Leap Frog Tag reader that Poppy bought her for Christmas is another HUGE hit!
She can count to 30 and recognize 0-10, but is not into numbers as much. Hopefully she will get more interested in the next couple of months. I certainly don't want her behind in Math this early in life.
She continues to amaze me with the stuff that comes out of her mouth. She is so grown up. For instance, this evening she told me, "Mommy, Teddy is being very difficult! What are we gonna do with him?" I love it when she talks big, but I love it even more when she mispronounces words and phrases. It is such a sweet reminder that she really is still a baby and that she has so much sweetness and innocence left in her.
Her favorite group/show right now is the Imagination Movers. She loves Rich, Scott, Dave, and "Spinach" (Smitty is really his name, but she hears spinach and pronounces it spinach!) This summer we may even get a "warehouse mouse" for a pet!
She also continues to love school, church, playing with friends, and anything girly or princess. Oh, but don't get me wrong~she loves to hang out with the boys as well. She can play sweet or rough...loves balls, trucks, and dinos too! Today she said, "I miss my brother Jackson. I love him so much. I can't wait until we get married!" ({sigh})

Bailey, my sweet Bailey, is growing and learning so much every day as well!
She's is so smart and understands EVERYTHING that you tell her. She is pretty obedient, but can give out a heck of a disagreeable look before complying. I am sure she will be an excellent eye roller when we hit the teen years! ;-) She is into everything. She is always on the go and such a little stinker pot...my stinker pot! (I call her that cause she poops a lot)
She is pretty independent, but also loves to be held and snuggled too. She is particular about who can hold her, but gives out hugs to anybody that ask.
To keep my girl content, all she needs is a baby doll, a new purse, and some chocolate candy and she is happy for days at a time!;-)
But eventually, she gets tired and needs her beloved paci. She is completely off of the bottle, so that's good, but she still dines on quite an assortment of stage 2 baby food. You may have noticed her orange tint in the pictures...that's from eating so many carrots and sweet potatoes. Ha! We are able to get her to eat a few other things besides veges and chocolate, but she HATES anything cheesy...even goldfish! What on earth? I have never heard of a toddler that doesn't eat goldfish! She has 7 teeth and I am not afraid to let her use them. If you know of anything that I could add to her diet with a little substance and texture, please do tell...inquiring mamas want to know?
Anyway, I love that baby girl to pieces and I cannot wait until she starts talking! I NEED to find out what is really going on behind those bright shinin' hazel eyes with the thick, long lashes...it is sure to be no good! ;-)

Well...Daddy felt bad for missing the appointment today, so guess what?
He took us out to Jim N' Nicks for supper tonight. Yes ma'am, we all had some delicious BBQ and/or cheese biscuits and we told him all about our big day!
Thank you Jesus for this special day and the great, great check up for my sweet angel babies! I just pray that I can cherish every day as it comes cause I know the years ahead will go by even faster than the last 4 years and 15 months!

Bailey's 1st Birthday Baa-sh!

Bah, Quack, Oink, Moo
We are inviting you...
Our Little Piggy is turning one,
so saddle up and mosey on over
for some farm fresh fun!
Bailey's 1st Birthday Baa-sh

October 18,2008
@ Mimi's Farm

A couple of months ago, I found a cute pastel 1st birthday pattern with a farm theme and I was hooked. We decided as a family that it would be fun to have the farm party at Mimi's house in Baton Rouge. So, I bought all kinds of party decorations, started planning farm-type activities, and decided that Bailey needed a special 1st birthday party dress. I used to collect pigs and have always loved them, so I decided that the dress must have a pig on it. Besides, pigs and farms go hand in hand, and pigs are pink, and pink is girly.
After many hours of browsing store aisles and the Internet, I FINALLY found one that could be custom made to my specifications! The seamstress lady and I exchanged lots of emails and lots of different fabric samples,(it had to be the perfect shade of pastel blue) and finally agreed on how it was to be finished. The dress was made and arrived just in time to the Bullock household via UPS on the day before her birthday. Isn't is darlin'?

Brooke and I wrapped it up and gave it to Bailey on Wed. with a few other gifts. We couldn't wait to see it on her at the birthday baa-sh on Saturday. Too bad, that it didn't even make it into the suitcase to Baton Rouge!!!! It's not like forgetting a tooth brush that can be replaced at the nearest drug store. I guess that's what happens when you pack at the last minute~you forget the custon made non returnable birthday party dress! I was a little upset, but I tried to go with the flow, so I just had to let her wear an alternate outfit! After the dress catastrophe, we were good to go. No more bumps in the road. Bailey and everybody on the guest list was feeling well and that's all that matters, right?

It was time to party...Mimi bought a bunch of bales of hay and balloons to decorate the "barn." AND, my bestest friend in the world made some super cute little signs to hang all around the party. (THANKS MIMI & ANDREA!) I had my crew help me with all the last minute cleaning and then we arranged everything. We completed it all with like one minute to spare! Bailey ran out to greet the guests......while mommy took a few (hundred) pics for the scrapbook.

The dessert table had 2 types of mini cookies that daddy baked and of course the birthday cake. Mimi picked out the cake and made sure it was really big! It was precious and tasted oh so yummy...Bailey's birthday grub included lots of kid friendly snacks, and a fruit and vege tray (Bailey's Garden) for starters. And then, we ate hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, and chips and dip for supper. We also had a good supply of Capri Sun and soft drinks, but had to make a run for more beer midway through the party. Who knew 1 year olds could drink so much beer! ;-) Along with too much food, we had tons of fun stuff for the kids to do! Here is the "duck pond"...a few of the kids even got into the water to sit with the ducks. The "pig pen" corralled all of the kids at some point or another, but it was especially great for big Ted. This way he could join the party without getting lost or run over by the hay ride! The "cow hide ride" was definitely tons of fun. And everybody got a chance to ride or pull it a couple of times throughout the day. And no party is complete without making a craft, so we did that too. But I must say, MY favorite part was the "needle in the haystack game" The kids hid their eyes behind the trees while I buried tons of candy and goodies under the straw. Even Bailey found a few good treasures!
Here is a pic of one of the many hayrides that we went on. This time was particularly fun because it was getting dark and we were able to bust open the glow sticks that the kids found in the needle in the haystack game. We also sang farm songs like BINGO and Old McDonald...sooo much fun! Another great part of the party was the guests, of course! It was so great to see family and friends from Louisiana that wouldn't have been able to come if we would have had the party in Alabama.

Thank you Uncle Brian and Pey Pey for helping us get everything ready for the par~tay....love you!Here's a pic of mommy and daddy being silly after one of the hay rides. (And for the record, we didn't even have any beer!) Mimi and her girls...
Paw Paw with Bailey and Brooke...
The Bullock Gang...
And now it was time for presents....
She's in hog heaven. Lovin' every minute of the party and being such a sweet guest of honor.
Let's sing Happy Birthday to Bailey!And on to the good stuff...
It is soooooooooooooooooo delicious! The face says it allllll!
After the cake, we had one more hay ride and then the party started winding down. Brooke and Paw Paw colored....

And then Brooke, Peyton, and Bailey had a bath (she had lots of cake up her nose) while the guys finished watching LSU beat South Carolina. Geaux Tigers!
After the game, we said goodnight.
Bailey even passed out kisses to everyone.It was a super fun party! I can honestly say a great time was had by ALLLLLL. But most importantly, I am thankful for the reason we had the party...to celebrate an entire year of having our precious angel baby girl! To God be the glory. How thankful am I that God gave her to us?

Sooooo thankful! (Nana and Grandpa can you name that book?)

Bailey's Birth verse

Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10:15

Looking forward to what God has in store for us this year...I love you baby girl!