16 months old today and 5 Blessed months with Jailyn!

Wow I sit and marvel at Jailyn and tears come to my eyes she is 16 months old and has been with us now 5 months.  She is beautiful, happy, healthy and brings so much love and joy to our home.  It has been a few weeks since my last post.  I went out of town for 28 hours and it rocked Jailyn's world.  Daddy and Jailyn did great together however Jailyn regressed a bit with the fear she had lost her mommy and was clingy and always wanted to be held and was not lovey dovey for the first 24 hours when I returned .  It took three days and we are back to normal.  She does amazingly well with her sitter and family on the nights I work.  They love her like family and we could not be happier to be blessed with Colleen and her family helping us.  Mike and I are still adjusting as the life we knew with the freedoms and independence we had is no more.  It is all about Jailyn and we will slip a few dates in here and there.  I started reading a book about the connected child about bonding and attachment.  Jailyn is a sensitive child and very anxious (still hates having  her diaper changed) and I believe that stems from the neglect of being left in her cradle and who know why the diaper changing is such an issue.  We believe they may have started potty training her since she tends to sing when she pees and that is something the Chinese people do to train the babies to pee on command.    So we will see if singing on the potty will work for us.  I am enjoying the shopping for my baby girl everything is so cute and with the holidays coming Jailyn will be stylin and pretty darn cute.  Her personality bubbles over and is just a happy girl with the biggest smile that melts our hearts.  Looking forward to all the fun the holidays have instore for us and giving our child the best 1st Christmas ever.
Blessed and so thankful to be Jailyn's mommy,
Linette

Halloween and Fall Fun Fest Pumpkin carving

Jeremy(Alyssa's Dad)  with our little Chinese Princesses

Daddy and Jailyn with her first Pumpkin Daddy carved for her!

Our little Princess!

Lynelle (Alyssa's mommy) with the girls.

The family pumpkins!!!!

Trick or Treat in her stroller!

Jailyn with our silly neighbors Connie and Joe Cullen.

Mommy and Jailyn

Just so tired after Trick or Treat in my Sherpa Princess Chair!

After Trick or Treat she plopped in front of the TV.

Our little princess playing with her glowing wand!

Well as you can see my blog has a simple new look.  Unfortunately there was an error in my design elements and all the images went away.  It is what it is however all the contents from 2008 to now are stored and now we will go with this simple look.   As I continue to update our lives with Jailyn as she grows up and all the fun events we share in this life together.  Checkout our fun Halloween and Pumpkin carving photos!!!  Our first Halloween was special for Jailyn and Mommy.  She melted my heart and we video taped the process of getting ready and afterwards too.  She totally knew what she was about to do since she had watched Ni Hao Kai-lan trick or treat over and over on her Halloween Video.   She got so much candy from the neighbors and she blew kisses to everyone as we left each house.  We love it!

Happy Fall Y'all!
Linette

Zoo and 15 month Dr. appt!!!! Jailyn is growing like a weed!!!!

                                                                                  Holding hands at the zoo!

Photo opportunity in the Frisch's Pavilion.

Daddy's their baby girl!

Just a little princess picking up leaves.

I'm cute!

These girls are BFF's and just figuring it out!  Love this photo!!!!

Well my blog is having technical difficulties and hope to resolve this week.  Went to the doctors on Oct 17 and Jailyn is 30 inches tall (I swear her feet just grew an inch - had to get big girl shoes from Stride Rite) and almost weighs 20 lbs.  She is in the 5-10 percentile for weight, 50 percentile in height and 25 percentile for head size.  She got more shots, Prevnar, and the first dose of the flu shot that had her running a fever bit however it was just that night.  Her teeth are still breaking through her gums and she has crying fits a couple times a week.  She has 16 teeth just have to get them in completely and I think we are good until the 2 year molars.  She got her hair cut in a cute bob.   Colleen cut her hair and she looks darling.  She graduated from mom and me swimming and MOM is thrilled that is over.  A 15 month old is all over the place in the locker room and in the pool.  She had fun and learned to blow bubbles, reach for toys in the pool and go off the side of the pool.

We went to Hallow Zoo Ween with Lynelle, Jeremy and Alyssa and had fun with the girls.  Alyssa was Minnie Mouse and Jailyn was Princess Belle. See our pictures of the fun last Sunday.

Beautiful Day at the Pumpkin Patch

Wow We just love fall! We have had two fabulous weekends enjoying fall festivities with Jailyn. We went to Shaw Farms in Milford. They do a great job with a free festival and it was packed. Jailyn took in everything and got her first pumpkin (actually 2 little ones) and got to listen to a live band in a barn (and dance and clapped) and saw lots of farm animals. I have fun pictures from our windy day at the pumpkin farm festival.

You know it truly takes time to change and so much has happen in the past four months and I feel we are in new normal lifestyle with Jailyn. She does the cutest things and so active and ready to start running now that she is walking so much better. She is 15 months old and goes for her 15 month check up and will be interested to know how much she has grown.

Mike and I were able to have a dress up dinner 10th Anniversary date a Morton's Steakhouse while Katie and Billy watched Jailyn. They had a pizza night and played while we were out for a few hours. I love date night with my honey!!!!! Mike told me the past 10 years he has been the happiest ever and I ditto that! I told him let's go at least for another 40 years of happiness! It only gets better and I know the best is yet to come!

Next week we goto Happy Zoo ween and then a Pumpkin carving party with family and Halloween is here.

Happy Fall Y'all!

Fall O ween at Coney Island

Well time is passing quickly our baby girl has been with us 4 months and turning 15 months Oct 11! She has come so far however still realizing how behind she really is. Everything is so new and she is taking alot in as she explores her world. She is walking and still teething. It is pretty amazing the child who could barely roll over is crawling, walking, talking (alot of baby talk) and still bonding with us. She has recently been having some anxiety waking up screaming. We are not sure if it is those big ole molars breaking through or fears we will not be there for her. We went to the park and she is so afraid of new things and freaked out in a swing. In our mom and me swim classes so many of the younger babies are so much further than she which breaks my heart that no one worked with her the first 11 months except to take care of her basic needs. She is amazing how far she has come and we are letting her be a baby still and helping her learn and explore her world. We went to the Fall O Ween event at Coney Island this weekend and she took it all in and trick or treated for the first in her stroller with mom and dad and watched a Monster Mash show she loved all the music, singing and dancing and road the carousel with her mom. It was a special moment between Jailyn and me on the carousel to have my baby girl initially terrified and then was so happy and loved the up and down of the horse. It brought tears to my eyes to see her transform her fear to happiness and joy. She laughed and screamed and love it. All those things I have longed to do with my baby are becoming reality. She is a doll (not to mention the prettiest baby ever and in her Belle costume she melts your heart) and is such a good little girl and we are so happy to take her to all the fall events. We will be so blessed to have her here for the holidays when those times in the past have been terribly difficult during our wait over the years. All of that grief is gone and the love is filling our world though still a bit rocked as we are still transitioning from our independent lifestyle we had as just husband and wife and now as a family. We celebrated our 10th anniversary on a date without Jailyn for the first time away for 5 hours. We did a couples massage and dinner and could get used to that on a more regular basis (date night). However still staying close as the bond is getting stronger and we don't want to have set backs. See our pictures from Coney Island and Jailyn in her Belle Princess costume and enjoying her first lolly pop.

14 Month Photo Shoot - Jailyn & Mommy

Blessed to be Jailyn Mommy!

Wow how time has flown by and Jailyn is just so amazing to watch.......Ever had one of those turning point moments where the world stands still for a moment. So many times it happens while watching Jailyn and feeling the love, joy and happiness as the world stands still. I have been on my own with Mike traveling for a week for pleasure and work and staying busy with family and friends. However I have been in awe of Jailyn and thoroughly have enjoyed our time just the two of us together. I stop to marvel at Jailyn so many times and look at me and realize I am a mom after 8 long years and the 5 1/2 yr wait for Jailyn (which was so worth the wait). I am so blessed to be Jailyn's mommy. It has really sunk in I am finally a mom and yes it has been 14 weeks and the new reality has emotionally taken time and setting in and loving it. Getting her and transitioning and just being in survival mode was the norm for a while and it is living life now and getting into a routine and taking in every moment. Mike and I have had big changes and challenges making the change as our lives are completely different. We are now able to live (learning how to live again) and not be on hold and finding our way as new parents and our next adventure of building a house..... We are doing a great job as parents as it is shown all over Jailyn's face. She is so happy and to think we were picked to be her mom and dad. WOW it still blows my mind!!!! We serve an awesome God whose timing was so perfect.

Going back to work part time and finding the balance was such a challenge and then I had to really look at my priorities and has to be totally Mike and Jailyn and not so much work anymore. When you have been a workaholic as a survival mechanism it is like a drug withdrawal.....but letting go more and more and liking the balance. Mike and I need more time together and feel we will be able to take more time now for some date nights.....as she is thriving and does very well with family and her care giver watching her in the home. Mike and I celebrate our 10th anniversary Oct 7 and looking forward to some time alone with him just the two of us. I love him so much and so very proud of him. He is a wonderful man full of love and very talented and is celebrating 25 years with Quaker. I am so blessed to have an amazing husband who provides for us and I love so much and get to share life with.... More blessings I am so thankful for......

You know, YOU have to celebrate life and live in the present moment as if it was the last. Live fully present, love deeply, reach for your hopes and dreams to make them a reality, enjoy the journey, and love God with all your heart and share His love. Because life is so fleeting and in a blink of an eye can change.

See our beautiful happy baby girl pictures in her new comfy chair and playing at home in her cute new fall outfit. I love shopping and buying all the cutest little outfits for Jailyn. I love being a Wife, MOM and being ME!!!!

Just so blessed beyond my wildest dreams!!!!