The Dirt On Davis

Baseball

2012-02-10T10:36:00.000-05:00

We really wanted to try 'normal' baseball league with Davis and were extremely nervous about how it was going to go. He had his first practice on Tuesday night and it went really well. The coaches are awesome. They seemed really interested in learning about Davis' disability and let us know that they planned on treating him the same way they treat the rest of the boys. Some of the kids asked why he ran the way he did and one of the coaches quickly put an end to the questioning. He told us that he didn't want to leave any opportunity to put Davis on the spot and make him explain himself.

Once I left practice, I had a big fear. It wasn't that Davis can't run to first base as fast as the rest of the kids or that he can't throw, catch, or hit the ball as well as them. It was that the other parents and the coaches might wonder why we would put Davis in this league. And this came solely from my own insecurities.

One of Justin's concrete sales reps works for one of the coaches and when Justin called him about it, he had really comforting things to say. The coach told his employee that he was so pumped to have Davis on his team - that he felt like he was put on his team 'for a reason'. He said he went home and told his wife that he wished the other boys had half the heart that Davis has for the game. He thinks Davis is going to change people and really be a blessing for the whole league. How about them apples?!?!

I'll probably go through his entire life bearing the burden of fears like these. And that's ok. I know that Justin and I are doing the right thing. And we'll never keep him from experiencing the stuff boys should experience just because of his Cerebral Palsy. It's better to throw him out into the world, rather than hide him from it because he's a special boy and has a huge purpose!

Now, I'm confident in knowing that he has a right to be there and I look forward to the rest of the season!

Addition and Subtraction

2012-02-06T07:08:00.001-05:00

We got a new puppers yesterday! He's a two year old (really, he's 2...only my close pals will get that) sealed reverse brindle boxer and we lubbers him all the days and nights. I posted an ad on Craigslist Friday night, a man named Justin from Covington called me in response to it on Saturday afternoon, and we picked him up yesterday morning.

We've spent the last couple weeks looking for a boxer. For one reason or another, it wasn't working out...mostly, we were being very picky. Some of our veto reasons...it didn't have its tail docked, it was mixed with a pitbull, heartworm positive, too old, too young, too 'funny looking' (seriously. how vain are we???), etc. Last Wednesday, we met a 10 month old female sealed reverse brindle boxer and fell madly in love with her. She was beautiful. The people that came and looked at her after us brought their boxer and it was a done deal. We lost and were so bummed out. It also added to our 'must have' list. I was, after that, on a mission to find a sealed reverse brindle.

And the puppy fairy granted our overly unnecessary and ridiculously picky wishes with this perfect little boy, 'Tux' (his name was 'Tank', but we were out on that). He needs to be neutered, but through the SPOT Program, we can have that done for about $40 at most vets. He's also a little 'skiddish' and 'high anxiety', if you will. I know he's had a stressful couple months (moving from a home into an apartment, watching his 2 brothers get sent away, and then moving in with a whole new family. We're hoping he gets settled soon. :)

What's the subtraction, you ask?

Big Wooder Davis lost his very, first tooth yesterday! Such a big deal in the kid raising world! He came running out of his room this morning, holding 3 crisp $1 bills. He was so excited. "I didn't even see her because she's so small."

Happy Monday

2012-01-30T10:05:00.000-05:00

Davis wakes up between 6:30 and 7 every morning. He goes to the living room and turns on cartoons while the rest of the house gets another 30 minutes or so of sleep. I walk into the living room this morning as he's swallowing something...

Me: "What did you just eat?"
Him: "A cookie."
Me: "What?!? Davis, you can't eat cookies for breakfast. Don't ever do that again. You don't ever get cookies without asking first. How many did you eat?"
Him (with his 15 year old 'tude): "Ugh. I can't remember."

He ate 5 chocolate chip cookies this morning. I counted. Thank God it's a school day.

Happy Monday, everyone!

Got The Computer Back...

2012-01-26T20:55:00.000-05:00

...so I'll catch you up on the fun we've been having...

Down at the pits during Monster Jam...

Hanging out before the show (after the pits)...

Birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese...

Burning up a rainy Saturday at the bowling alley...

Every Dad needs a daughter...

This has become Boogs favorite new spot...

She even passes out in there...

Being a mess maker...

Brother got tickets to the UGA/UK Basketball Game for Christmas, so we headed up there on Tuesday...

The Etsy Store...

I've had 2 more people feature one of my items in their 'Treasury'. It hasn't generated any sales, but definitely traffic. So that's good.
Finally, someone that doesn't know me ordered something! All the way from Oregon! And this is what she had to say about her purchase...

"Love it! Plus, SUPER FAST SHIPPING. I ordered this two days ago, and it's already here in Oregon from Georgia. Thank you! I'm sure we'll be back."

As Promised...

2012-01-22T15:22:00.003-05:00

Giveaway available on my A.N. Knits Facebook page.

Since Then...

2012-01-21T08:51:00.001-05:00

My computer died on Tuesday. Since then, I've been unable to blog, upload items to my shop, work. It's been brutal. Yesterday, we took it to a computer doctor where it will be in recovery through the weekend. Right now, I'm using Justin's new laptop. That's right, folks, Justin's entering the cyber world.

Since then, though...

Davis got his first loose tooth! It was SO EXCITING to discover! I really want to yank it out. So. Bad.
We went to Monster Jam last Saturday. It was lots of fun, of course. This year, we went early to walk around 'the pits'. It was neat being so close to all those HUGE monster trucks. Davis was in Heaven. All my pictures are locked on my laptop, though.
He spent his 100th day in Kindergarten yesterday. His class did lots of counting activities, ate some goodies, and made really cute paper hats. I love picking him up in the afternoons and seeing a homemade hat on his head!
We went to the North Cobb Christian School's Open House on Thursday morning. That school is amazing. I fell madly in love with it. I'm a little mad at the tuition, but everything else was perfect. We have a lot of conversations about Kindergarten vs First Grade and Private vs Public School in our near future.
I called around about enrolling Boogs into a MMO program. I'm ready to get her involved in a 'school' and (selfishly) have some free time. I know she's ready. I was going to wait until 18 months, but that'll be in March and she'd only attend for a month since most places follow the public school system. I think I found a good place that's close to our house. I know other children that go there. And it's affordable.
We signed Davis up for 'real, big boy' t-ball! Assessments were this morning, but it got rained out. He'll be playing with the Shetlands out of Acworth.

Etsy related...

I've been knitting lots and lots of goodies. Thanks for all the feedback! I quickly designed a cute cowl (the only thing I've been able to add to my shop this week), some coffee cozys, necklaces, and I'm in the middle of a smart phone cover.
Who else thinks it's funny that I take most of my item pictures in my spare bathroom?!?!
I sold two items yesterday!
I'm going to do another giveaway soon. This time, on my 'a.n. knits' Facebook page. Stay tuned!
I was featured in someone's Treasury list of 'upcycled items'! I don't know exactly what that means, but I was pumped!
I love getting Activity feeds that a stranger somewhere in the world has added one of my items to their 'Favorites'! BUT BUY THE DAMN THING! Jk.
I really want to add a craft room to our house. I feel like the more Justin and I talk about it, the chances of me waking up to a construction site attached to the back of my house become more likely. :)

Plug It In

2012-01-16T08:56:00.003-05:00

I'm sure most of you already know (either from being bombarded with photos on Facebook or looking at my dresser) that I've re-started my Etsy shop. It's a small section of my 2012 New Year's Resolution...Improve Me. Not broad at all, huh?!?
Anyway...here's some things you can do because you lubbers me all the days...

Check it out. I plan to post new items every day or so.
Write an entry about it on your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. I'll kiss your mouth the next time I see you as a 'thanks'.
Leave me feedback. Because I'm still in the unsure/insecure stages of it all.
If there's something you think I should be selling, please let me know!
If you're an Etsy user, give me some suggestions on how to increase my traffic and sales.

Thanks!!! Thanks!!! Thanks!!!

I also have a link for everything over there, to the right of the page. ------>

One Year Post-Op

2012-01-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

Wow! It's been a whole year since the Rhizotomy. Definitely the best, best, best decision we could have ever made for our little Wooder. It did, however, take many, many months of stress, no progress, and a lot of 'what have we done?' before we knew that we made the right decision. Now, I advocate for this procedure. I'm always eager to share my experience with SDR when meeting a new CP parent. That surgery changed the course of his life and here's the proof...

Boo-boo before...

Boo-boo after (the gash to the left is from falling off his stool while brushing his teeth the other night...he gets his clumsiness honestly)...

Running before...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVIdQ81Mcoc&list=UUkqXXt-Vi6p2Mo8KE5FfJTg&index=10&feature=plcp

Walking one year after...

Desk B & A

2012-01-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

$30 solid wood desk from antique store. Of course, I had already started priming by the time I thought to take photos. I explained my project plans to the Lowe's guy and he was kind enough to darken the primer for me since I planned on using black paint.

Before...

My poor Doc in the background...

After...

I painted the border of a cork board to match the knobs. And distressed the edges of the desk...

Materials...The primer (can on the right) has something in it that allows you to skip the sanding process! Introduced to me by Danielle. And the cabinet roller (also a great suggestion from the Lowe's guy) made this a super fast project!

The Aftermath

2012-01-06T19:00:00.000-05:00

Things are slowly returning back to normal around here. I'm still in shock that Doc's gone, though. I'm really trying to will that feeling out of me. I still walk into my room and expect to see him. Still wait to hear him shake his head from across the house. Still quickly wonder if Doc's gone potty before closing the garage at night. I can't bring myself to wash his bed or Boogs' pig pillow pet that he spent his last few days laying on. But, slowly, it's getting easier. And that's reassuring. I really apreciate the wonderful friends and family that have reached out to us this week. And to those that haven't...you suck. :)

Davis is having a hard time wrapping his 5 year old brain around Doc being gone. He's been really putting our mind-boggling question answering skills to the test. He mostly wants to know how he got in Heaven, what he looks like now, what part of the sky he's in, what he's doing up there, etc. And all the questions usually end with 'and Dadda better never cry like that again'. Justin's a boo-hooer. Big time.

Boogs just randomly says 'Doc, Doc' with huge excitement and runs to our room to find him. She's been carrying around a picture of him and 'hugs' it next to her face all the time.

And, in true Nunley fasion, our sweet Doc, Doc is buried in the backyard and Justin made this really nice cross to put at the site.

Doc, Doc

2012-01-03T21:00:00.000-05:00

I had an entire novel written out on here, explaining what we've been going through over the past couple months with Doc. I've decided, however, to leave the details out and just share the sad news that we had to send him to Heaven today. It's been an overwhelmingly emotional couple days for us here at the Nunley House...caring for an ailing pet, watching him suffer in pain, and breaking the news to Davis. I'm still in shock that he's gone, but relieved and at peace knowing that he isn't hurting anymore.

P.S. Why didn't anyone warn me about how hard this would be?!?!? Geez!

We're going to miss our Doc-Doc so much (slobber and all)...

No title - slideshow with music

Saying 'goodbye'...

Sending kiss-filled balloons to Heaven for him...

Goals

2012-01-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

Goals for Davis this year:

Learn how to ride his bicycle.

My wonderful, patient husband has already been working on this.

Learn how to swim.
By March, have a decision made about school next year...private? public? repeat kindergarten?

Repeat kindergarten--only because he's one of the youngest kids in his class, having turned 5 last June. He could use another year of maturing, etc. Plus, he's a boy. Plus, that would make him and Reese only 3 grades apart, instead of 4. Plus, with the new elementary school opening up next to our house next year, he'd be switching schools no matter what we decide.
Open House for North Cobb Christian School is on the 14th of this month.
I've heard of some really great public schools in Cobb that keep their class sizes really small.

Apply for the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (SB10)...can't make any decisions on the above bullet without this. As a Georgia resident and parent of a child with an IEP who's already tried one year of public school, I can decide where he goes to school...as long as the preferred school participates in the program and I provide transportation to and from.
Join organized sports team with normal developing peers.
Have his room completely decorated.

We painted last summer and that's about as far as we've gone in there. I just purchased a desk from the antique store, refinished it, and will show it off soon.

Learn how to tie his shoes.
Perfect the 'r' sound.

He just mastered the 'sh' sound.

Continue to strengthen his handwriting and reading skills.
I'm making it a personal goal to read to him every, single night. I'm ashamed to admit that this only happens about 4 out of 7 nights a week.
Participate in some for of intensive therapy this summer...suit therapy, hippotherapy, etc...

Reviewing Twenty Eleven

2011-12-31T11:35:00.001-05:00

This has been an amazing year for Davis. 2011, for him, was one of those years that we'll look back on and remember as a turning point.

In January, after over a year of research and discussion, he underwent a life changing operation to remove the spasticity in his legs. It was an extremely invasive procedure and a long, stressful road to recovery followed. But with high risk comes high reward...

His monster truck addiction really went into full force in January when he went to his first Monster Jam show at the Georgia Dome...

We FINALLY succeeded in potty training our little man in February. If you're facing this obstacle any time soon, I highly recommend this program. It was the ONLY thing that worked for Davis.

Caught his first fish in April...

He participated in 4 weeks of Conductive Education in Orlando; 2 in April and 2 in July.

Saw Shamu at Sea World for the first time in April...

Went to the beach a couple times and conquered his fear of the sand and ocean...

and saw the Blue Angels while there in July...

Davis turned 5 in June...

and started Elementary School in August...

Went to a Braves' game in September...

and the zoo, too...

Watched Boogs turn 1 in September...

Then she stood and starting walking in October, really giving him a live-in playmate...

First field trip in October...

and first camping trip...

Went to the Ga Aquarium in November...

Conquered another fear and rode a horse for the first time in November...

He started Music Therapy in August and participated in his first piano recital in December.

Christmas was really fun this year because Davis seemed extra excited about everything...decorating the tree, Santa, etc...

I can't wait to see what 2012 brings! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Giveaway Winner

2011-12-31T08:02:00.001-05:00

Mrs. Lindsey Rhodes!

Congrats! I'll put it in D's backpack on Tuesday. Hope you like it!

My Handmade Christmas Gifts

2011-12-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today's the last day to enter my giveaway!

I was feeling very ambitious this year when it came to Christmas gifts for the family. Almost everyone received a handmade, knitted item...

A 4' x 5' throw for Mom and Jay. I wasn't there to witness it, because I was barfing in the bathroom, but she cried when she opened it. It's so soft and comfy, but took me FOREVER to make. I just order GIGANTIC needles (size US36...for those who know what I'm talking about) and plan to make a blanket for our home next...

Bible cover for Denise, Justin's step-mom. I used organic cotton, so it's really sturdy. It locks with the button and has a storage pocket on the back...

And one for Erin, Justin's step-sister (a big UGA fan)...

Wool, felted oven mitt and pot holders for Justin's grandmother...

And fingerless mitts and matching scarf for his other grandmother...

I don't have a picture of it, but I also 'made' (ordered on Snapfish) a photo book for Justin's mom. It was filled with pictures and wonderful memories from the past few years. I really recommend putting one of these together as a gift. I think it really meant the world to her (she cried like a baby). And I had so much fun reminiscing while creating it.

Speaking of crafts...I never got around to making that ornament wreath. Well, I actually DID put it together, but realized quickly that I needed to hot glue all the ornament ball tops in place to keep them from falling off the wire hanger and that's when I gave up. It, surprisingly, took about 50 ornaments to fill the circle! Maybe next year!

"I Think I Heard Santa Come."

2011-12-28T21:42:00.001-05:00

Our wonderful Christmas...

Baking Santa's cookies (and eating raw cookie dough)...

We always host Christmas Eve dinner at our house and change the food theme every year. This time it was a homemade Chinese food feast. I must say, Justin and I did a really great job! The food was so yummy.

I made place cards for everyone with their name written in Chinese...

We enjoyed lots of family fun and present opening...

I've never been a 'matchy-matchy' kind of Mom with my kids, but these pj's were a must have...

Once everyone left and we put the kids to bed, it was time to get the house ready for Santa's arrival. We told Davis that he needed to come get us out of bed when he woke up in the morning and we'd all go see what Santa brought together. About 15 minutes later, Justin and I were just 'hanging out around the Christmas tree' when we hear Davis' bedroom door open. We panic, drop what's in our hands, and run to his room before he can get his toes over the threshold. He says, "I think I heard Santa come." It was the cutest thing ever. He was so pumped. We did a little damage control and reminded him of the whole 'He knows when you're awake' thing. He understood and went to sleep. For real, this time.

Fast forward to 7 a.m.

This little muffin worked her magic on Justin at around 2 in the morning and ended up in our bed...

And Davis couldn't wait to see what Santa left for him...

She was shocked that Santa didn't finish his plate...

Wooder racked up this year. Some of the bigger presents...

And tickets to Monster Jam...

Boogs got lots of books...

And her very own baby...

Justin and I didn't exchange gifts this year. We're, instead, upgrading to a King-sized bed. And, we're probably going to be forking out a ton of money on this fury, four-legged child of ours over the next couple months. (I'll save all that for another post, though.)

We did, however, really enjoy opening the gifts that Davis got us from the holiday store at school...

After showers and lots of coffee, it was time to hit the road for the rest of the day. First up was Ellijay with the Nunleys. We ate delicious homemade Chicago beef, watched Finding Nemo, and played Pictionary...

Miss Sass Uh Frass...

Next up, Pa's for steaks, Bloody Mary's, secret handshakes ("Bam. Bam. DIFFERENT!"), and pool...

Then home and bed.

It was a wonderful holiday, as always. Busy. Stressful. But wonderful. Now I'm in 'get the house super, duper organized for 2012' mode. I should also save that psycho stuff for another entry.

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-23T15:51:00.000-05:00

Christmas Music

2011-12-22T08:31:00.001-05:00

You've gotta include this album to your holidays...

A Very Special Christmas, Vol. 1

Released in 1987, it inlcudes covers by U2, Run DMC, Madonna, Bruce Springstein, etc. It's awesome and reminds me of all the Wagner Christmas pasts...

Seriously. Download it. You'll thank me!

Christmas With The Ards (Minus Yours Truly)

2011-12-20T10:23:00.001-05:00

***Another Giveaway reminder (Look over there, to the right)***

We always celebrate the holidays with my mom, stepdad, and his two kids (Ryan and Tara) the weekend before. Tara lives in Tampa, so it's a way for us all to be together and Justin and I love it most because it really lightens our travel load on the actual day. I wasn't feeling too hot all Saturday morning, but thought I was well enough to push through. Nope. Wrong thought. Almost as soon as we got to their house, around 3:30, I was down for the count. I spent the entire time either curled up in my parents' bed, fighting cold chills and heat waves, or barfing in the bathroom. It was miserable. I missed everything...the food, the gift opening, the expensive wine drinking, the chatting...everything. After about 4 hours of this, I made Justin take us home. It took until about Monday afternoon for me to feel normal again. Poor Boogs is fighting it off, now.

Justin did a pretty good job of taking photos for me, though...

Boogs was obsessed with this puppy I bought for Sparks, Ev and Elle's dog...

Loves her some stuffed animals

I missed the first time she's ever opened a present :(

Oh wait! There I am! Death Becomes Her...

They're probably all talking about what a lame time they're having without me :)

Since I wouldn't miss this for anything in the world, we went to Davis' first Christmas Piano Recital on Sunday. I called ahead to warn them of my illness...he went second, immediately got his trophy, and we bolted.

Christmas Spirit This Week

2011-12-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

***There's a link, to the right, so you can still enter my giveaway!***

Sunday: Photo shoot for Christmas cards. Seriously, top 10 most stressful activities to date. Guess what movie is on the TV in the background!!!

Monday night: Drove around looking at Christmas lights displays

Tuesday: Knitted this cute little holiday clutch

Thursday: Christmas party at school

"My Dadda's haircut looks so funny."

Dadda's haircut

Friday: Polar Express and PJ day at school. He HAD to wear his Blue Thunder pj's.

Ladies' Man

"Give It Away. Give It Away, Now."

2011-12-16T07:00:00.013-05:00

SANTA'S IN THE HIZ-OUS!

I'm doing my very first giveaway. It is the season of giving, you know.

It's a hand-knit cowl. Perfect accessory. And perfect post-holidays gift (because that's normal, right?) for yourself or a loved one. I'm actually having a hard time parting with it. Just kidding. No I'm not. Yes I am. I'll make another one and we can be same-same!

Wear it like this...

...or like this...

'Tis the season, right?

Just leave a comment and include your email address. And since I can probably count the number of people who read this on one hand, your chances of winning are huge! I'll select a winner on December 31st (to end the year with a bang!) using random.org. Good luck!

War Wounds

2011-12-15T09:29:00.001-05:00

Davis got his worst school related injury yesterday. He greets me after school, all excited that he's wearing a band-aid on his finger.

Davis: "Momma. Look. My band-aid has trucks on it."
Me: "Cool. What happened?"
Para-Pro: "Him and some other boys were rough housing on the field."
Davis: "Yeah. Sean pushed Christian. And Christian just fell on top of my finger."
Para-Pro: "They were just playing."
Me: (just in my head) 'And you slapped a band-aid over it? A band-aid? Really? His finger is black and blue. He can't bend it. It's swollen to match my middle finger. A band-aid? Let's hope it's not BROKEN! But I love that he was 'rough housing' with boys at school! He's fitting in so well. I wonder if he cried. I'm not going to even ask. I'll just assume he didn't. Because if he did, that would kind of ruin this whole thing. Why does she wear so much perfume? It's hurting my nose. Seriously, though, I hope his finger isn't broken....' :)

This is what it shrunk down to by about 7 p.m. after ice...

Fast forward to therapy, in the lobby...

Davis and Reese were playing with the big school bus, as they do every Wednesday. This super, duper wild, bouncing off the walls 8 year old comes blazing through the doors, as he does every Wednesday. He hides behind one of the school bus walls, jumps out, pushes Reese down, and screams, "No baby!" She looks up at me, with complete terror in her eyes and I tell him, "No pushing. Ok?" Meanwhile, Davis is just staring him down, pissed. He starts shaking his head and I'm thinking he's about to lay down the law with this kid. No. Not what happened. Davis, still shaking his head, says, "Her name. Is Reese. Not. Baby." He was more upset that he didn't call her by her name than he was about her being physically abused. That's so Davis. Gotta love him.

Slow Cooker Recipe

2011-12-14T12:59:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things about cold weather is my crockpot. I LOVE the ease. I LOVE the tasty results. I LOVE everything about it.

On Monday night, I made pot roast.

How To:

Trim fat (not all) from bone-in pork shoulder roast and place in slow cooker (about 10 hours before you plan to eat)
Cover with dried basil, ground black pepper, and Lawry's salt.
Add...

2 inch pieces of potato, onion, and carrot
(1) 10.5 oz can of cream of mushroom soup
(1) 4 oz can of sliced mushrooms
2 cups of water

Cook on Low heat for about 10 hours, turning roast every couple hours
Put in your belly and enjoy

This Answers A Lot of 'Why' Questions...

2011-12-12T13:30:00.002-05:00

NYC

2011-12-08T10:34:00.000-05:00

Every year, Coke plans a family trip to New York for their customer, Hess. Jay, my stepdad, runs the U.S. for convenience store sales and invited his daughter, Tara, and I. Wow. Wow. Wow. What a trip. We had the most fun, ever.

Recap...

Friday: Arrived around lunchtime. Driver (I've never had a car pick me up from ANYWHERE!) and Tara (who flew in from Tampa) waiting for us. Checked in to our suite at the Waldorf Astoria. Drooled over said suite.

Walked to the Stage Deli for a Brooklyn lager and HUGE sandwich. Here's us in front of their 'famous visitors' wall.

Walked around and took pics.

Saw the tree.

Stood in the middle of Times Square.

Took a cab to Ground Zero. Realized you needed a ticket to get inside. Then realized tickets were sold out.

Walked around the corner to find a museum. Toured that.

It was really neat, but still a 'work in progress'. It'll be amazing once it's finished. It was filled with recovered pieces from the site, excerpts from people affected, tributes to lives lost, and an origami exhibit. I was most moved by the silence inside. I know people are generally quiet in museums, but no one made a sound. It was like we all wanted to experience the emotions and be affected. It really takes you back to that day.

Then, we headed back to the hotel. Got ready. The whole Coke/Hess crew hopped on a bus (saw a full, fledged fist fight on the streets) and headed to dinner at Carmine's, which is a family-style Italian restaurant. And by 'family', they're obviously referring to a 'village'. I couldn't believe all the food they brought us. And then wasted because we barely put a dent in any of it. I was actually disgusted by that. What we ate (all brought out in HUGE bowls and platters)...First, different kinds of bread. Then, fried calamari. Then, caesar salad. Then, sampler platter with oysters, sausages, spaghetti bake, stuffed peppers, etc. Then, cold pasta. Then, steak. Then, chicken. Then, fish of the day. Then, sampler dessert platter with cheesecake, bread pudding, cannolis, ice cream, etc. I thought it was a joke. I've never seen so much food in my life. I was just imagining Justin trying to figure out how we could box it all up and bring it back to Georgia with us. He hates wasting food. That night, Tara, 2 other grown kids, and myself headed to the Comedy Cellar. Aziz Ansari was scheduled to do a stand-up routine that night, so we were really pumped! Well, we didn't have reservations, stood in line only to find out there was no more room inside, waited for the next show at their upstairs bar, sat about 5 feet away from him while he waited to go on, watched him walk out of the bar after that show, realized he wasn't performing during the next show, closed out our bar tab, and left. What a bummer.

The only picture from Friday night.

Saturday: Shopped. Hopped on another bus and headed to Foxwoods Theatre to see Spiderman on Broadway. Holy amazing. It was the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life. So, so well done. I couldn't believe it.

Headed back to the hotel. Got ready. Walked to dinner at Smith and Wollensky's Steakhouse.

Then, mom, Jay, Tara, and I went to Whiskey Blue to find Justin a bar t-shirt. They didn't have any. Turned to leave. Jay spotted Joe Buck, so we went back in and hung out there. Then hung out at the Waldorf's bar for a while. Called it a night around 1 a.m.

Sunday: Got ready. Packed. Brunch buffet in the Waldorf Astoria's lobby. OMG. It had to cost $100 a person to eat there. Click here to see the spread of food. They served everything...sushi, omelet bar, crape bar, lobster, desserts, etc. It was incredible. Again, I was wishing Justin was there to experience that.

Huge, beautiful clock in the lobby.

Then we headed back to reality...

Santa, Baby

2011-12-07T07:00:00.013-05:00

Santa flew in from the North Pole yesterday and hung out at Town Center Mall in Kennesaw to chat with kids and take pictures. So, I took my littles up there to sit on his lap...

Davis hopped right up and let Santa know exactly what he'd like to see under our Christmas tree. And a certain somebody wasn't really into the jolly old man...

Look how pissed she looks. And I have the most stud-liest son in the world. Just tellin' the truth.

Traditions

2011-12-06T11:34:00.000-05:00

Family traditions are an important part of what makes the holidays so special, right?!? It definitely is for us.

One thing we do every year is drive to Lowery's Christmas Tree Farm, located in Talking Rock, and cut down our own tree.

This year, we picked a beautiful Carolina Saphire. They don't have any needles and have the strongest 'Christmas tree' aroma...two must-haves for me this year. They also have this really unique 'bluish/greyish tint.

Boogs was pretty impressed, anyway.

Boogs was exhausted and cranky, so she went to bed instead of helping decorate.

This was the first year that Davis was really pumped about helping us decorate.

But he never really got the hang of 'try to space them apart'.

So far, Boogs has shattered only one ornament, but she's been pulling them off every chance she gets.

What holiday traditions are important to you and your family?

"Oh. I Love A Parade..."

2011-12-04T20:20:00.001-05:00

Stacy...take it away...

We went to the Christmas parade in Cartersville last Thursday. It was a nice way to spend the last few hours I had with Justin and the kids before going to New York for the weekend.

The Nunley's met up with us, also.

Charlotte and Isla

Music Therapy

2011-12-01T07:00:00.001-05:00

Davis has been taking Music Therapy every week since his new therapy schedule started in August. I mainly piled it on him because of a 30 minute gap that fell between Speech and OT, but it's actually turned out to be really helpful for him.

What's the benefit of Music Therapy, you ask? Well, I'll tell you...by stealing an explanation from the therapists' email...

"When you think about it, playing the piano really is a very challenging task. Not only is he having to sustain attention for a long duration of time, visually track the score, identify the letters and numbers, but he then has to transfer that information to the piano in finding the right letters on the piano, identifying the right finger number, and controlling his impulses enough to play only one key. It's a lot to ask, but embedded in this task are a ton of functional outcomes - in life we have to be able to multi-task, control our impulses, identify familiar objects, and sustain attention."

I don't know about y'all, but she sold me.

Anway, Davis will be performing in a Christmas Recital in a couple weeks, playing 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' on the piano. I sat in today to see how he's progressing and was pretty disappointed. I don't know if it was exhaustion or nervousness, but he was acting out, not listening, and could barely play the song. And I obviously haven't completely rid myself of the 'show your feelings all over your face' flaw because the therapist took time out of her afternoon to email me and assure me that today was not at all indicative of his ability to play the song and that he pulled himself together once I left.

I guess we'll see what happens. I'm excited for it, either way.

DIY By Myself

2011-11-30T07:00:00.015-05:00

For Justin's 30th birthday, I worked REALLY hard (seriously...so hard) to 'spruce up' the basement for him as a gift. He wasn't allowed in the basement for over a month while I worked my magic. I was going for the 'rustic, antique' look and, in the process, became completely addicted to antique stores and DIYing. I'll NEVER buy new furniture again.

The vendor selling this primitive bookcase had his entire booth marked down 20%, so this bad boy only cost me $87. It probably weighs about 100 lbs and I had to pull it out of my car (ever so gently), drag it through the yard, around the house, and into the basement...SOLO. It resides at the foot of the stairs. And I love how masculine it looks.

I found this in a booth with a bunch of billiard decor and alcohol signs for $25. I thought I'd use it to display our shotglass collection. I'm still trying to decide if this is too juvenile? Thoughts? Anyway, for now it's staying because it's covering the huge hole that accesses our water shut off thingy.

Over the years, Justin has found a ton of old glass bottles on job sites. And, being a hoarder, he keeps them all. I wanted to display them in a creative way and stumbled across this idea during my searches. I found the four sides to a radio flyer wagon at an antique store in Canton for $30 and thought it would serve as a perfect backing. And secured the bottles in place with dryer vent clamps.

Finally hung our guitar and banjo. I've had the hardware to do this for about 2 years now. So lazy.

Got this really cute blue, rusted toolbox just to add some color. $10.

Hung all of his UGA stuff using pieces of lumber from Home Depot and thick, metal 'L' brackets. It was a super cheap way to add shelving and fill this HUGE wall. Total cost, about $25.

I found this Cal Warlick autographed original at the checkout counter and had to have it. Apparently, he goes to the antique store in Canton sometimes and drops these off to sell. $18 marked down from $23.

Our basement ceiling is made of reclaimed tin from an old barn. You can see a little of it in this picture. Anyway, Justin found this mirror in the barn and made a frame for it as a Valentine's Day gift a few years back. We never hung it. It was an orangish-woodish color and lacquered to death. So, I sanded it, primed it, painted it red, and distressed it. I love it and am so proud of myself. P.S. I hate sanding.

Standing under the mirror is this BEAUTY. While the fam was taking an afternoon nap one Saturday, I drove over to the Woodstock Antique Store. As luck would have it, their semi-annual sidewalk sale was that day. The first booth I walked up to had this table standing there, screaming my name. The man says, "$40." I say, "Load it up." This thing also weighs a ton and I had to drag it through the yard and into the basement, all by my lonesome. It's my most favorite thing in my house right now.

That same vendor gave me this lamp for $1. That's right. A dollar!

This wood crate was storing wood pieces over in the corner, by our fireplace. I turned it into the coffee table. FREE! WINNING!

After finding out how much a custom piece of glass was going to cost for the top of the coffee table, I started brainstorming alternatives and found this little door for $25. I sanded/peeled the paint off of it and stained it a dark wood color. I'm pretty certain I released toxic levels of lead throughout my home during this project, but whatever. We're all still kicking. Again...I. Hate. Sanding.

When it came to the playroom, I decided I was done spending money. I really want to eventually fill these poster frames with vintage Mickey Mouse prints, but for now this construction paper artwork will do. FREE! And I think they turned out pretty cute.

Rather than spend money on an area rug, I laid these foam alphabet puzzles down. I don't know where I accumulated so many of these, but I'm glad I never got rid of them! Can you find Davis' name??? I also spelled out Boogs, but you can only see the 'Boo' in the pic. And filled the walls with Davis' artwork.

I brought my DIY skills upstairs and made this wall hanging coat rack out of 5 pieces of wood (from the basement pile). I wood-glued it all together and screwed old snuff cans to it. $16.

What's next on my DIY list? This. Stay tuned.

The Sh*t He Says

2011-11-29T07:00:00.003-05:00

During Thanksgiving lunch at the Nunley's...

Justin (in a stern, Dadda-ish kind of way): "Davis. You better stop that. Right. Now. Understand?"

About 6 seconds go by...

Davis (interrupting whatever conversation's started back up and in a very mocking, teenager-ish kind of way): "Dadda. You better get your BUTT out of your UNDERWEAR. Understand?"

I could have died. Justin's grandma just starts laughing. Justin, of course, didn't even hear it. I was completely frozen with shock. Not that he used the word 'butt' or 'underwear'. He's all about the bathroom words, these days, so that wasn't surprising. I just couldn't believe how he fired back with such an attitude. It scared me. I saw my 16 year old self in his face. And it completely. Terrified. Me.

Now, though, it cracks me up. He was so angry with Justin and the worst thing he could blurt out was, "You better get your butt out of your underwear." Gotta love him.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-28T11:18:00.000-05:00

My dad's cousin, Tag, and his family came down from Nashville for the week so we all went to the Georgia Aquarium together on Monday...

We broke tradition this year and, instead of spending Thanksgiving in Kentucky with my family, we celebrated the holiday here in Georgia.

With the Ards on Sunday night...

With the Nunleys...

With the Wagners...

Davis' part in a play at school. He did a little improv at the end of his line and got lots of laughs from his classmates.

Get Caught Up

2011-10-24T09:26:00.001-04:00

Things have been pretty hectic around the Nunley front these days. To bring you up to speed...

Davis is doing a million times better. He's right back to his normal self again, which has been such a relief to us. A big thanks to all of our wonderful family and friends for showing such concern for our precious Wooder.
I've been filling a lot of fairly large knitting orders...crib mobile, football hats, stuffed giraffe...

Justin's turning 30 in a couple weeks and I've been working my tail off on some really special things for him. He hasn't been allowed in the basement for about a month and that's all the details I'm giving away for now.
We had a fun cookout at Cooper's Furnace in Cartersville yesterday with some other families. It was nice to enjoy the beautiful weather while watch the kiddos run around together. And something super special happened while we were there. See bottom of post to find out...

We went to a wedding on Saturday night. They had a really cute photo booth set up with really fun props. I thought it was a super cute idea.

My 29th birthday celebrations started at Bahama Breeze with family. Booger was extremely fussy and the food was shot out, but my mom gave me the 'R' to go along with my 'D'...

I love getting her all dressed up for special occasions...

My actual birthday started with homemade breakfast, thanks to Justin and Davis. He woke him up really early, got him ready for the day, and took him to school for me. Then, he watched Boogs for 3 hours while I took Davis to Cartersville for therapy. This was, seriously, the best gift ever! Three whole hours of wandering around an antique store (my new addiction) with no kids = Paradise.

Friday night, we met up with friends at Henry's Upstairs where we danced and listened to a really great band.

Last night, Justin took Davis to Wal-Mart, where he filled the cart with 'goodies' for me...yarn, headbands, shampoo, etc. It was really random, but Davis was SO STINKIN' EXCITED to pick out birthday gifts for me, scan them himself, wrap it all, and give it to me. It was a really cute gesture. And I had a great, week-long birthday.

We've been preparing for Halloween, also. Cookie Monster and Iron Man are looking very forward to trick-or-treating next week.

And now for the big reveal!!! Enjoy!

The Four-One-One

2011-10-15T08:49:00.001-04:00

It all started about 3 weeks ago.

Everyday, we'd notice Davis' walking patterns changing. It was such a slow progression, that we didn't really think too much of it.

One day at school, a teacher would say, "He's been a little wobbly today."

One day, he tripped over his left foot. And that hasn't happened in months.

One day, he had a really hard time getting down a short hill.

We thought that maybe his AFO's needed to be adjusted because we noticed some small sores on his feet. The orthotist added some padding and sent us on our way. His walking got so much worse after that appointment. This was last Tuesday.

The next day, at therapy, we all sat around the PT room trying to figure out what was wrong with him. He was turning his left foot in. Scissoring. Dragging his toes, Swinging his hips.

Maybe a growth spurt? Maybe the orthotist added too much padding?

We went back to the clinic on Thursday to have the orthotist, her assistant, and Davis' PT stare at him for another hour and a half. She did some adjusting to his AFO's, but we came to the conclusion that his problems were starting much higher, around his hips.

By this past Sunday, Davis could barely walk. He was falling all over the place. Panic immediately sets in and I start thinking the worst. What if there was some glitch from the surgery and he's losing control of his legs, slowly. What if this is permanent? It was so devastating to watch him struggle to walk when we've spent SO MUCH time, energy, effort to get him walking so well. Not to mention, that he had all of a sudden become so unsafe. There was no way I could send him to school.

On Monday, I was ready to take him to the emergency room. His physical therapist and a nurse at the neurosurgeon's office talked me off that ledge, though. He couldn't even stand up. Now, he was finally complaining of pain in his left groin area. I'd try to physically straighten up his body and he'd immediately collapse. He crawled to get around the house. It was so sad. I couldn't stop freaking out.

So, we went to Scottish Rite to see his neurosurgeon on Thursday. He had been out of school all week, but was actually slowly getting better every day. By Thursday, he could walk but it was still really wobbly. And he didn't want to stand up straight and put pressure on that left leg. The doctor didn't seem too concerned. He shot down my urging for an MRI and told me he'd be 'fine'. He did some simple testing to make sure there was feeling in his legs and assured me that, if there's was something neurological going on, he'd be showing many other signs. He still wants us to come in next Wednesday and see his whole team in the Spasticity Clinic.

So, at this point, we still don't know what's going on. Maybe he pulled his groin? Maybe he just went through a growth spurt? Maybe he wants to see what I look like with wrinkles and bald spots on my head?

The Sh*t He Says

2011-09-29T09:15:00.000-04:00

"Momma. I think we should call you the greatest Momma in our house because you are uh uh uh uh uh uh (to the beat of a song) uh uh uh uh genius. You are such a genius."

What prompted this comment, you ask?

Well, I had Curious George fruit snacks waiting for him in the car after school yesterday. Men. They're so easy to please.

Happy Birthday, My Big Boogs!

2011-09-27T10:33:00.001-04:00

Today, our big girl turns one! I can't believe how fast time is flying. I can vividly remember this day, one year ago. I remember feeling so much overwhelming joy and love. I hope to never lose that memory. To have this perfect, healthy baby in our arms was something we longed for, more than words can express.

Boogs, you've completed our family (You hear that, friends? COMPLETED!) and filled our hearts to the tippy top. I love...your sweet, sweet smile...the bond you and your big brother already share...how content and happy you are...it when you bury your face next to mine when you're tired or being shy...how much you and your Dadda love each other...your dance moves...how you'll eat ANYTHING...playing dress-up with you...how you HATE playing dress-up with me...how you pull on your eyelashes while I rock you before bed...your big ol' belly...how you discover a new screeching sound and repeat it over and over again. Every single thing about you is perfect to me.

And I can't wait to see how the coming years shape and mold you.

Happy Birthday, Reese!!!

The Zee Double-O

2011-09-22T21:11:00.003-04:00

On a whim, we hit up the Atlanta Zoo today.

The first thing you see when you walk in...

We were nervous because Davis was TERRIFIED of the flamingos at Sea World, but he was cool with these light pink, non-threatening guys.

The birds were so pretty. Especially the teal ones and the white ones. There were some 'hoodlums' trying to grab them while we were in the cage so they put on quite a fun 'flying all around' show for us.

The wart hogs were the one thing Davis didn't want any part of. Can you blame him? Look at this train wreck of an animal...

I was bummed that we never got a really good look at the elephants.

This was just too funny not to share...

Probably my favorite animal of the day. They're so HUGE and pretty.

These are the scariest things on the planet. I felt like, at any moment, they were going to get crazy enough to break the glass separating us and claw my face off.

It's fascinating to watch gorillas. They, seriously, have so many of the same mannerisms as we do. Here, the mom just sat back while her two kids wrestled with each other. It reminded me of Davis and Reese playing in the living room. At one point, the baby almost fell off the rock and she instinctively reached down and grabbed it before it hit the ground.

These boys were mad at each other. Probably the most action we saw all day.

Holy tongue.

Sleeping panda.

And sleeping kangaroo.

Yucky aligator.

Time to go home!

The Sh*t He Says

2011-09-20T12:00:00.001-04:00

"Momma, my belly button has never been this clean."

So random. Especially since this was said at 9 o'clock in the morning. And he hadn't bathed since the prior evening.

Weekend Review WITH REVISION

2011-09-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

We played outside A TON. Lovin' this beautiful weather...

Doc is getting so old and lazy. :(

Justin and Matt fished in their big tournament on Friday and Saturday night. Check out the HUGE catfish that Matt caught...IN LAKE ALLATOONA, people! Yucky.

While he was bonding with his boyfriend, I knitted my life away...

Top left: fingerless mitts. Below that: cowl. To the right of those: scarf. In the middle of it: coffee mug koozie. On the far right: earwarmer/headband thingy.

...had dinner with Uncle Bro (found this hilarious pic on his fb page)...

And watched Hall Pass. They're in Johnny's Hideaway during one of the scenes! It was crazy to be, like, "Wow! I've stood in that very same spot before!"

Justin and Davis ran errands together on Saturday afternoon and brought these home for me...

Boogs had her first slice of pizza...

Played my first tennis match in over 2 years with this best pal of mine on Sunday. (Another funny pic I snagged from fb.)

Hope everyone else had a great weekend!

Davis Walking 8 Months Post-Op

2011-09-18T19:09:00.000-04:00

I'm just amazed at how much progress he's made, and continues to make. That surgery and all the intensive therapy has been the best thing we could have done for him!

See for yourself!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAD00O2pmCs

Time Away

2011-09-12T07:43:00.001-04:00

Our wonderful trip...

Friday: After dropping the kids off with my parents, we headed south for Pensacola. Sat in traffic for about 45 minutes. Got to P'cola around 2:00 p.m. Filled the cooler and headed to the beach until about 6:00 p.m. Then rode Mom and Jay's bicycles 2 miles for dinner and drinks and live music at Peg Leg Pete's. The bike riding was quite a sight. Justin looked hilarious and one of the petals fell off mine. I hate that I don't have any pics. We were in bed by 10:00 p.m.

Saturday: Woke up around 7:00 a.m. (Seriously. I'll never learn how to sleep in.) Set off the fire alarm with some burnt bagels. Hopped back on the bicycles and headed to the Native Cafe for a delicious eggs benedict dish and bloody mary. Bought cute t-shirts for the kiddos. Diagnosed myself with shingles (with help from my ~~bestie~~ general physician, Danielle). I never knew this, but if you've ever had the chicken pox, then you have the dormant shingles virus in your body. It'll flare up when you're under stress or have a weakened immune system. Luckily, my case is mild because it can get really painful. Made an emergency plea to my real doctor back home to call in a prescription. Went parasailing. And it. Was. Amazing. Totally recommend it.

We, obviously kept the SLR on the boat so I don't have any in-the-air shots, but we were SO HIGH UP. The best view was of thousands of jellyfish caught in this current line. It was crazy to see. Justin and I started splashing each other at the end and I guess that was cue for the 'captain' to start doing tricks...

Lunch in the condo. Back on the beach around 1:00 p.m. Lots and lots of boozing, music, and giggling. Paddle surfed. Again, no pics, but it was really ~~fun~~ funny. Definitely put on a show for the beach crowd. It's hard work on those things! Threw the football. Dodged jellyfish.

Headed to the pool for more boozing and music and giggling. Dinner and the 4th Quarter of the Georgia game at Hooter's. Bar hopping and live music and dancing until about 1:00 a.m. We met this really cool couple early in the night and hung out with them the whole time. He's a Canadian hockey player (shocker) who plays minor league down there. They were crazy and hilarious. Hope to meet up with them when we go back.

Gotta love the horrible, late night phone pics...

Sunday: Again, up at 7:00 a.m. Headed home.

We had such a blast. And took full advantage of our freedom! Knowing the kids are in such good hands makes leaving them so much easier. Davis and Reese are so blessed to have such INVOLVED and HELPFUL grandparents.

A Boy Being A Boy

2011-09-01T10:56:00.003-04:00

Average monthly water bill at the Hunt Rd Residence: $15

We don't have irrigation, the garden uses the shop's water line, and I shower, on average, once every 2 days. There's so many more things I'd rather do with my 'the baby's sleeping' time.

A couple weeks ago, we all headed out for the night to stay at my mom and Jay's house. Justin and I went out with some friends while my parents watched the kids. Before leaving, though, Davis snuck around to the side of our house, turned on the water hose, splased around in the mud for a moment, and headed back to greet us at the car. We were in a hurry and didn't think much of it.

Fast forward to the next day...

I'm standing in the bathroom and can hear water running through the pipes in the walls. That's weird. We JUST got home. No one's doing anything that requires water. I look out the kitchen window to find a lake running through our yard. Davis left the water hose on. We had water running outside, continuously, for about 14 hours.

Water bill for this month: $44

Do the math, folks. That's almost 3 months worth of usage.

Five year olds don't pay bills. What do they care???

No More Babies In The House

2011-08-31T08:59:00.001-04:00

I don't know if you guys have glanced at your 'Boogs Turns One' countdown lately (I know you all have one plastered on your fridge), but it's rapidly approaching. Less than a month away! We decided that we're having a very small, family gathering to celebrate this bittersweet milestone. I need to leave the number of people that witness my nervous breakdown to a minimum.

Here's what I've done to prepare so far...

Handmade invitations

The front

And back

These will be hanging with all of her month-to-month monkey pictures (also handmade)...

Speaking of...here's her 11 Month shot

And I snagged an awesome Groupon the other day for her First Birthday Photo Shoot! $49 for a one hour photo session with this girl, an 8 x 10 print, and DVD with 30 edited images. I'll be able to take that DVD to any kiosk and order as many prints as I want for as cheap as I want (this was the seller for me)! We decided to meet at Marietta Square next Tuesday! I can. Not. Wait.

Date Night

2011-08-31T08:55:00.004-04:00

Justin and I had a special date with Davis last night while my wonderful mother-in-law and sister-in-law kept Boogs company.

I ate my body weight in sunflower seeds and the Brave's got their little hineys stomped on, but we had a blast.

Young Love

2011-08-30T15:35:00.002-04:00

First sentence out of Davis' mouth when I picked him up today. "I saw Lucy today at school. I stared at her and said 'hey' to her." What happened to 'Hey, Momma! I missed you so much'??? I've been replaced. I'm pretty certain that I'm going to have a harder time with him dating than Justin will with Boogs. That's a definite, actually.

First Heartbreak

2011-08-29T21:13:00.003-04:00

"Lucy is my girlfriend." Verbatum, his words to me a couple weeks ago.

Lucy is a super cute little girl in Davis' class. He's been talking about her constantly. "She's nice to me." "She's pretty." And she, seriously, is. He's got good taste.

The principal at Oak Grove sent a letter home last week letting all the kindergarten parents know that, thanks to the Title 1 funding, they hired a new teacher and added a new class to make all the class sizes smaller. Children would randomly be selected to leave their current class for the new one.

Lucy was selected.

This afternoon...

Davis: "Lucy used to be in my class, but now she's in a new one."
Me: "Oh no, Davis! Do you still get to see her in the lunch room?"
Davis: "No. She sits way, far away. Like really far away."

At curriculum night tonight, his teacher told me that he almost started crying when they came in and took her from class.

And to top it all off, the ONE 'buddy' that he talked about all the time left too!

Four Years Down

2011-08-26T08:51:00.008-04:00

Justin and I celebrated our 4th year of marriage yesterday. It was very nice and low key. This year, we agreed that we weren't going to exchange personal gifts. We, instead, planned a trip down to my parents' condo in Pensacola for next month and plan to 'live it up for three days'. He did, also, mention getting the third ring to go along with my engagement ring and wedding band, but I'm not quite sure that's the smartest idea right now. I may change my mind during our next argument...because that's how I roll, people.

We spent our evening at home with the family. Justin made reservations for Ruth's Chris, but I told him I'd rather go out tonight and to Downtown Kitchen. We've never been and our friends rant and rave about that place all the time. Thanks, Pa, for being so flexible!

So, we played outside...

This picture is so hilarious. "Make it rain!" Movie, anyone???

Here, Davis is telling me that he's 'so, so sick of not making the basket'. 'Like, really, really sick of it.'

Already threatening to run away...

Ask me how much wine I've gone through this week.

She's thrilled...

After the golf cart ride...

Gotta love a homemade card...

Can't wait for many, many more years with Justin...laughing, supporting each other, making memories, watching our children grow...

Barfalicious

2011-08-25T08:09:00.003-04:00

Day 4 of absences from school. That's right, folks. Davis has been sick, super-duper sick, all week. It started Monday morning with a disgusting cough. I digress...It actually ALL started about a week into school, but never really progressed into anything serious until Monday.

Back to said Monday.

I, being the great mother I am, still sent him to school thinking he could push through. Sounding out the letters of the alphabet and coloring inside the lines seemed way more important at the time. I get a call, about 15 minutes after arriving back home, from the nurse at Oak Grove informing me that Davis has just thrown up in class. Of course he has, right!?! Of course.

I, again being Supermom, didn't take him to the doctor until yesterday. I hate going there. It's a waste of time and germ exposure because they can't ever do anything for him. He gets this sinus, cough thing all the time and nothing cures it besides his inhaler. Turns out, this was something completely different, though. My first clue should have been all the vomiting. Second, the complete lack of food intake. Third, lethargy (I just spell check this and can't believe it's an actual word! Go me!). Fourth, the pain.

What's the verdict? Really bad, deep middle ear infection...in both ears. Something only antibiotics can cure. Woops. Fail for Momma.

Anyway, I'm hoping he's better by tomorrow. He's missing out on so much learning and bonding with his buds. And, more importantly for every member of this household, I'm losing my mind. If Momma's unhappy, the whole house is unhappy...all the way down to the dog. The throwing up is what's really killing me. I'm like, 'Seriously, child? Do me a solid and quit barfing all over my house.' On the brighter side, the house has never been cleaner...

Some more Debbie Downer moments...

A bug flew into my mouth while I was sitting at the pharmacy drive-thru. It took hours to get the taste out of my mouth.

I got pulled over on 92 for going 60 in a 45.

I dropped the butter dish and cut my foot on glass.

I've showered once since Monday.

I can't stop eating. Every time I walk by the kitchen. I've gained at least 7 pounds this week.

They Looooooove...

2011-08-18T19:42:00.017-04:00

...their Dadda. Especially when he gets home after a long day of work.

"He's here!"

She, seriously, FLIES over to him.

And stays glued to his sideSeriously

Dance party in the kitchen

Begging to go outside...

And begging to go to bed...

"You've gotta be careful when you've got good love 'cause them angels will just keep on multiplying." LOVE this song...

Kindergarten Lesson 2

2011-08-18T14:23:00.003-04:00

Always give hugs before bailing out.

Davis is a complete creature of habit. Everything in his life has to be consistent. If he does something a certain way once, it has to be done that way every time after. No matter what.

Examples:

He has to have water before bed. Normal, right? Well he also has to turn his Lightning McQueen drinking cup where Mater is facing his mouth before he can take a drink. Not normal, right?

Also, he has to be the one to lift the drain after his baths every night. Total meltdown ensues if one of us does it instead.

After brushing his teeth and rinsing his mouth out, he HAS to tap the spit cup on the side of the sink three times. Very OCD, I know.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

Back to the lesson. I got side-tracked.

Davis gives me a hug and a sugar every morning before getting out of the car. This morning, though, hugs and sugars were not exchanged, resulting in a complete meltdown in the carpool line. I drove off (instead of making a sharp right into the first parking spot I saw and running to his aid with open arms) and could see him screaming, crying, and throwing himself on the curb through the rearview mirror. It killed me that I forgot the hug (for the second time this year, mind you), but I can't baby him, right?!?! It was so bad that my girlfriend sent me this email:

"Erin told me about Davis this morning!!! Is he ok?!"

Yikes.

As soon as I got home, I called his para-pro's cell. She going to hate that she ever called me from that phone. :) I emailed his teacher AND sent my my girlfriend who teaches 3rd grade a text asking her to check in on him. His teacher replied with this:

"He is doing great! I talked to him this morning and I told him that he would see you soon and he calmed down and got to work. I am so proud of him for working so hard every day. He is a great listener and a great role model in our class."

I love her. And my Wooder. Quirks and all.

Reading, Writing, and Catching a Cold

2011-08-16T07:00:00.000-04:00

The kiddos have been sick for about a week now. It only took 5 days of kindergarten to wear down Davis' immune system. We had a rough weekend full of snotty noses, underwear accidents, and cranky parents. But he's been well enough to send to school this week, so I'm all smiles. ;)

Kindergarten is rolling along nicely. We set up a parent-teacher conference just to get an idea of how things are going. I absolutely love his teacher. She's so good at what she does. And I love how involved Justin wants to be with all this. He set up a sitter for Reese just because he wanted to be at the meeting.

What we found out: Davis is adjusting well and fitting in nicely. The kids are really nice to him. He tries to be lazy with handwriting and coloring, but we all discussed that this WILL NOT be tolerated. Justin and I both stressed how worried we are about him getting 'pushed through the school system'. She was totally on the same page, knowing that he can do all the things the rest of the class can do. I have to keep reminding myself that he IS a young kindergartner (just turned 5) and that a lot of his peers are 6 or close to it. If needed, we're prepared to make him repeat kindergarten just to give him another year of catching up, maturing, etc. But it might not be necessary.

Homework: Every night, we practice writing his name over and over again, read for 15 minutes, and complete various assignments, like coloring, tracing, and letter identification. One night, he had to circle upper and lower case letters. Line 1 was A, line 2 was B, then C, then D. He did it perfectly! I was so impressed. The next night he had to identify 6 shapes, trace them, then color them in. His coloring could use some work, but he's getting there!

Socially: On Friday, the kids filled a bag with pictures and other items to help explain themselves to their classmates a little better. Of course, one of his things was a picture of Grave Digger. He said that another boy in the class said, "I love Grave Digger, too!" Davis told me, "We're friends now." :) He also got in trouble early last week for 'splashing the water in the bathroom sink with some other boys'. I was silently THRILLED at this news! He's actually interacting and playing and acting like a REAL boy!

They lubbers each other.

Prayer Request

2011-08-11T14:21:00.005-04:00

Someone very special to me lost her only child two weeks ago in a tragic car accident. My heart is so broken for her and I can't stop grieving as I try to imagine what she must be going through. Since hearing the news, I've struggled with whether or not I should share it here, but I really believe in the power of positive thoughts (and know how much her and her family needs them right now) so I'm using this post to ask that you lift her and her family up in prayer during this devastating time. Pray for strength, an understanding, peace, and healing.

Thank you.

Kindergarten Lesson 1

2011-08-03T09:31:00.003-04:00

Big boys pee standing up.

Davis decided this morning that, because he's a kindergartner now, he wants to start going pee pee standing up. "Like how the big boys do it."

Alrighty then.

One Day Down, 13 Years To Go

2011-08-02T12:26:00.000-04:00

Davis' first day of kindergarten went well. The teacher said he had a really great day...BUUUUUUT...

Special Ed Teacher: "He had a little accident on the playground. That's why he's in his change of clothes."

Davis: "No. It was the green tunnel. It was all wet. Really, really wet. Like, this big wet."

SE Teacher ('it's ok that you had an accident' look on her face): "It's ok, Davis. We're going to keep working on reminding him to tell us when he needs to go."

Me (in the car, driving away): "Davis. Ugh. Why did you pee in your underwear at school? Why didn't you tell your teacher to take you to the potty?"

Davis: "I didn't peed in my underwear."

So, I start digging through his backpack to investigate and find that his shorts and underwear are, in fact, just wet with water. No pee smell. Just water.

What a way to start elementary school! And it's not a big deal at all, but after the horrible experience I had with his dumbass teacher last year (I love being able to say that out loud now!), I made a promise to always speak up for him. There was a note in his folder from his para-pro letting me know about the accident and, under it, I replied, "It was actually just water, but I really appreciate the note."

He had a great day, though. He said he did hard work and fun work and went down the slide behind the pretty girl.

Last Weekend of the Summer

2011-07-31T12:51:00.010-04:00

Friday: We finally hung our frame collage on the stand-alone wall in the living room. We're donating the bookcase that used to be there to Brother and Elle, the new homeowners. :)

Step 1: Figure out layout. This took me FOREVER. I bought about 3x more frames than I needed, all of differing sizes, and finally came up with an acceptable arrangement.

Step 2: Arrange onto wall using paper cutouts of each frame. Why didn't you just move it all over an inch to miss the thermostat, you ask? "Well it's completely center on the wall this way and I'm a psycho about things being even on both sides", says the Libra.

Step 3: Hang frames. I might try to find a metal letter 'N' or something to put in that gap. And I know some of them look a teeny lopsided here, but I fixed all that after I took this pic.

The hardest part of all this was searching through my thousands of pictures and picking 17.

Saturday: We ran a bunch of 'prepare for kindergarten' errands...school supplies, lunch stuff, etc. Justin and Davis (and some buddies) went to watch the race cars at Dixie Speedway so Boogs and I could have a girls' night in.

Today: Besides the 2 hours that Justin and Davis went swimming at the Prices', we were so lazy today...lazy enough to watch Harry and the Hendersons. Yeah. I know.

Tomorrow's the big day! When I asked Davis what he wanted to do most tomorrow at kindergarten, he thought for a minute and said, "Ummm...stay with you and hug you." I. Love. My life. Hopefully he'll say that exact same thing when high school rolls around. :)

Meet And Greet...And Watch Momma Fall Apart

2011-07-29T18:36:00.003-04:00

Davis had his meet-and-greet for kindergarten last night. I can't believe it's here. I've been an emotional wreck about it. My baby is starting school on Monday. Real. Deal. School.

Good things, though:

His teacher is AMAZING. I love her. She's sweet and tough. Exactly what Davis needs.

The special ed teacher is also really geat. Davis will have her help for 3 hours each day.

Davis' bud, Riley, is in his class. AND they're assigned seats are, coincidentally, right next to each other.

There's only 19 kids in his class, making it the smallest kindergarten class there.

The distance between his classroom and the lunch room, bathroom, and carpool line is super short.

It's soooo close to home!

EVERYONE knows him there. We walked in and people were, like, "Is this Davis?" and "I've heard a lot about you."

And the best thing is that a girlfriend of mine is a third grade teacher there and I know she's going to look out for him and make sure he's well taken care of.

Bad stuff:

I can't stop crying.

I didn't see an assigned seat for me, leading me to believe that I'm not welcome to sit with him everyday and will have to spy on him from the window.

"¿Dónde Está El Baño, Peter?"

2011-07-28T11:49:00.007-04:00

I redid the kids' bathroom last month and I love how it turned out...

Wall Color: Snowdrop from Sherwin Williams

Towel hangers behind the door

Hand towel hanger inside picture frame that I sanded to look distressed

White shower curtain

Decorative shelf above toilet

And the best part...I found a local artist here in Acworth, named Davis Nunley. His abstract paintings are brilliant.

Boogs turned 10 months old yesterday. 23 lbs, 11 oz. I just lubbers her all the days.

Kickin' It And Snuggling And Gettin' My Knit Fix

2011-07-24T07:29:00.014-04:00

The whole family got some new kicks...

Davis--They're lightweight and really wide...exactly what he needs. AND only cost $20.

Boogs--$12 Sperry's at Marshall's. Buy the display, save the dolla' bills, y'all. They're a size 7, so she'll look super cute walking around with these in 2013. But, like I told Justin, "They're $12. Put them back in the cart."

Dadda--LOVE these! There's nothing like a boy (without a mustache*) in brand new tennies. Mmm, mmm, mmm...

*And, for those of you who were trying to guess when the 'stache would be put to rest, it happened on Monday, July 18, 2011...One of the Top 10 Happiest Days of my Life.

Me--These were a bit pricey, but I never, ever buy shoes for myself. I hate shoes, actually. I want to live in a world where everyone walks around barefoot. And I got the ones with pink where the blue is shown.

Justin and I watched Insidious on Friday night, after we got home from Orlando. I was really looking forward to cuddling up (boyfried/girlfriend style) and getting super scared, but the movie turned out to be pretty ruh-donkey. Rating: Fail. It had some creepy parts (A possessed kid. 'Nuf said.), but I thought they could've done so much more with the storyline. The ending definitely let you know there's about 8 more to come.

Today, I met Stobbe at the Whole Nine Yarns for their Christmas In July event. The owner of that place is making a KILLING. There are so many dang yarn lovers around here. We walked away with a stack of free patterns and bought a super cute baby sweater one. I really love that I have a pal to knit with.

Potpourri

2011-07-21T09:21:00.005-04:00

Davis has been calling me ‘Andrea’ lately. Well, actually, ‘Anj-ra’. I guess this is a phase, or something. Parents are supposed to use that excuse for their child’s silly antics, right? He says ‘Justin’ instead of ‘Dadda’, too.

As most of you know, the Ronald McDonald House has a Pop Tab Recycling Program. Since 1996, the 2 RMH's of Central Florida have collected over 80 tons of pop tabs. This is what I've watched accumulate over the past week or so...

"Good lawd, that's a lotta ~~money~~ soda drinkin'!"

What we contributed…

Kind of puny, huh?!? We were just here 3 months ago, though, so we didn’t have much time to save up. We must be going through a phase, or something. ;)

Davis and I had a nice wake-up call this morning (around 5:50 or so)...the sonic boom sound from the Atlantis' very last landing. It was SO loud. Davis shot right up in bed and was, like, "What. Was. That?!?" When he retold the story to Justin over the phone it turned into this...

"Yeah, I heard the space ship this morning. It was like this, 'swish, swish, boom'. It was so loud, Justin. So, so loud. Really loud. It just made this loud boom in our room. And hit me in the head. And it was on the tv. It had a parachute behind it."

Justin will be here in a couple of hours and I’m so pumped!

And, now, I leave you with some pics...

Weekend In O'town

2011-07-17T16:51:00.006-04:00

I wonder if Orlandoians hate that term. Kind of like how Atlantans hate 'Hot-lanta'.

On Saturday, CECO celebrated their 10th anniversary with a BBQ/Supply Drive at a nearby park. The founder took time to share his story behind opening CECO. Being a parent to a special needs child and needing to find an alternative to the public school system, he turned to Conductive Education. Not knowing then, of course, what 10 years of dedication to this COMPLETELY nonprofit school, an outpour of community support, and growth would bring. Today, CECO has a satellite office in Sarasota, FL and plans to open another one in Miami. They also have plans to offer adult housing for the young adults that transition out of CECO. The passion he has for improving the lives of these children is so inspirational. He and the Conductive Education concept makes you really believe that the impossible is possible. Every student there will live more independently than they would without that school.

OH! Their new Executive Director also spoke about what he’s learned in the short 6 weeks he’s been a part of CECO. He’s known Davis for a week and wanted the 100+ guests to know about his amazing rendition of Katy Perry’s Firework song. I’m not even kidding, people.

There’s, of course, play-by-play coverage of Casey Anthony’s release on every channel down here. I’ve been following her case since Caylee’s disappearance in 2008, so it was crazy to be within miles of her as she became a ‘free’ woman. I really wonder where she’s going to end up. And what’s going to happen to her. Hopefully it involves chloroform. And duct tape. And a trunk. I’m just saying.

"This Killing Time...Is Killing Me"

2011-07-15T08:55:00.003-04:00

Clint said it best. To pass the time, I’ve been doing lots of…

Knitting…

Watching Big Bertha and Slim Jim settle their differences in the ring…

"Hmmm...what else?"

Listening to Daniel Tosh Radio on Pandora (when children aren’t present, of course). And I highly recommend this station, especially for your morning and afternoon work commutes. Uhhh...you're welcome.

I’m so pumped that my summer addiction, Big Brother, has started! Seriously, best.show.ever. Period.

Eating. And eating. And eating. And eating. There’s always something super yummy waiting for me in the kitchen.

Dance parties before bed…

Watching Davis do work…

And missing Husband. And Dockie Doc Doc.

Look Both Ways. Like, Five Times.

2011-07-12T16:29:00.004-04:00

Davis walked right in front of ~~traffic~~ a car driving about 10 mph in the parking garage today.

Me: “Davis, you don’t EVER walk out into the street without Momma.”

Davis: “Right. Or Spiderman.”

I wasn’t sure how to explain to him that if a man is out in public dressed up like ‘Spiderman’ and tries to ‘walk him across the street’ (or ‘show him the puppy he has hiding in his van’ or ‘give him some candy’), chances are he can also be found on Georgia’s Sex Offender Registry and he should scream until someone comes to his rescue. So I just said, “Nope. Only Momma. Or Mustacheman. He’s the REAL superhero, anyway.”

This is the kind of thing that scares the urine out of me with him. He doesn’t pay attention to his surroundings like he should. He has this whole ‘go first, think later’ mentality. And, with his balance being so unreliable, he has more potential than other 5 year olds to get seriously hurt. I can speak from experience since I can barely take 6 steps without tripping, banging into something, or dropping whatever’s in my hand.

We’re working on it, though. Today, in class, the conductor made him do a lot of balancing exercises and walk through obstacle courses that challenge him to actually think about and pay attention to each step he took.

One Less Nunley, One Standing, And One Being A Big Dog

2011-07-11T11:08:00.007-04:00

'Stache-tastic left this morning. Boo-to-the-hoo.

After being trapped in her ~~cage~~ pack-and-play off and on for the past two days, Booger finally learned how to stand up!!! She's pretty stinkin' proud of herself.

Note to her: You're growing up too fast and I want it to stop.right.now. Thanks.

Wooder started class today and it went well. He worked hard for five straight hours and when I told him I was thankful for that, he said, “Yeah, well, that’s how the big dogs do it.”

Shampoo and Switch-er-oo

2011-07-10T16:13:00.003-04:00

We went back to Sea World today to take full advantage of our year-round passes. This time, Davis sat in the Splash Zone and got soaked by 'Shampoo'.

The Ronald McDonald House is soooo packed right now. We checked in last night and got stuck with a room on the second floor. Davis slept on about 6" worth of foam matting on the floor, but loved every minute of it. "I love my new bed, Momma." Reese slept in her pack-and-play...in the bathroom. (Is that DFCS worthy???) And that, actually, worked out really well because she wasn't going to sleep with Justin and I right next to her. She kept trying to stand up in the p-and-p to look at us in the bed and would get pissed when we ignored her. It was 10 o'clock, people! And we were EXHAUSTED!

Anyway, the room would've been fine, but I really like being on the first floor. It's so much easier to run to the kitchen alone and make a cup of coffee or come to the computer room after the kids have gone to sleep at night. Justin leaves tomorrow so I'll need all the 'easy' I can get. It all worked out, though, because the family in Room 6 (first floor AND the room where Davis stood up for the first time!) wanted a bigger, wheel chair accessible room (second floor) so we did a little swap out and now everyone's happy! Plus, I was bummed about being in Room 13. I actually said, out loud, "What if therapy is a flop now?" You can imagine what 'Stache-eroni had to say about that.

Cars And Back In Our Car

2011-07-09T06:25:00.001-04:00

Justin and I try to make a conscious effort to give Davis special two-on-one attention. Once a month, we take him to do something, just the three of us. He's been, very discreetly, struggling with sharing our attention with Baby Sister. The other day, I walked into the living room to find his 5 year old body crammed inside her walker. I don't even know how he got in the damn thing. Every now and then, he'll start talking like a baby, too. And the potty accidents have gotten a little ridiculous in recent weeks.

Last night, we went to see Cars 2 while Boogs hung out with Pa.

Me: "Davis, when Dadda gets home from work, do you want to go see Cars 2?"
Davis: (Shouting and throws his 'duh' on the ground.) "Oh, yeah! I do! I do wanna go see Cars 2! Let's go, Momma! Let's go right now!"
Me: "No? Ok. We don't have to go."
Davis: "Momma, you are tricking me." (Tears immediately follow...)
Me: "I'm kidding, bro. It'll be just me, you, and Dadda. Does that sound like fun?!?"
Davis: "Baby Sister can come, too. She can go whereeeeeever she wants to go."

Such a sweet big bro!

Anyway, the movie was AWFUL! Nothing like the first. No humor and the plot was LAME! It was, like, 'double-oh-seven' meets one of those racing games you play at an arcade.

When I asked him what his favorite part was, he said, "When Barbie and Ken fell into the snow." Of course, he was referring to a Toy Story cartoon that played before Cars 2. He didn't like the movie, either, I guess.

Now, we're off to ~~see the Wizard~~ Orlando!

Davis Goes To College

2011-07-08T11:29:00.003-04:00

Davis was filmed today, during PT, for a professor who's writing a textbook for physical therapy students. The footage will be used as a resource guide inserted in the back of the book for the students. How cool is that?!?!

When Kelly, his PT, was asked which of her kids would be a good candidate for this, she immediately thought of Davis because of the fact that he recently had the Rhizotomy procedure.

He totally took his job seriously and sang Michael Jackson during the filming. "Uncle Jackson walks backwards, not forwards. And he wears a white glove." Who has the best kid in the world? This girl.

4th Weekend Review

2011-07-05T09:02:00.013-04:00

We had such an awesome time in Pensacola over the holiday weekend.

I'll recap with a few of the 87 million pictures I took...

Justin got his first ever jellyfish sting.

Hunting for crab.

Hanging out on the beach at night.

Anchored at the bay on the 4th.

A traumatizing 'sunscreen in the eyes' moment.

Davis entertained everyone with his Wipeout rendition.

Of course, a photo shoot.
An awesome fireworks show.
Watched the Blue Angels practice for their show this weekend.

Bass Masters

2011-07-01T06:48:00.002-04:00

Justin and his new ~~boyfriend~~ best bud, Matt Green, compete in a fishing tournament on Lake Allatoona every Monday night. Check out the 8 lb bass that landed them in first place and put $500 in each of their pockets this past Monday...

Justin's, of course, crediting his new 'stache for being their good luck charm and is refusing to shave it. He thinks it actually looks good. Don't be jealous ladies. He's mine, all mine. Why in the world does he have a mustache in the first place, you ask? ~~Matt LOVES mustaches!~~ He dressed up as Ron Burgundy for a costume party on Saturday night.

Hope everyone has a fun/safe holiday weekend! We're heading to Pensacola for the next few days! That NEVER gets old!

Look Before You Leap

2011-06-30T07:40:00.000-04:00

Reese and I got into a car accident the day before Davis' birthday party. Other than scaring the sh*t out of us and being such a pain to resolve, it was very minor. A teenager backed out of her parking spot as I was driving through the lot of Walgreens...and...CRASH! Right into the passenger side back door. Ignorant little girl. I'm not bitter, though. ;)

Anyway, while at said ignoramus' insurance place to trade my gem in for a piece of 'shampoop', Davis became really concerned about the fact that they drew all over my car. They drew circles around the damages and little notes on the window about specific repairs needing to be completed. You would've thought they set my car on fire with his 'duh' inside. He was so bent out of shape about it. We dropped my car off over a week ago, and he's STILL so bothered by the writing on my car. Everyday, I hear 'Why did they drawed on your car?' or 'This car is better because it doesn't have any words on it.' or 'I think they are going to be in biiiiig trouble for writing on your car.'...

We picked my car back up on Tuesday morning...

Davis (to the guy that helped me transfer everything from the rental to my car): "Thanks for fixing Momma's car."

Dude: "No problem."

Davis (to me as we're driving away): "Why did the 'mechamic' said 'no problem'? It IS a problem because he 'drawed' on your car."

Me: "Let it go, Davis. 'No problem' is the way really cool guys like him say 'you're welcome'. And it's 'drew', not 'drawed'."

I'll never have to worry about that kid taking a marker to ANYTHING that isn't paper.

Say Whaaaaat???

2011-06-29T09:30:00.000-04:00

Davis: "What's the name of that killer whale I saw at Sea World? Oh, yeah. Shamu. You know what I like to call him? Shampoo. Shampoo. Insert twangy country accent here. Shampoo. Shampoo."

Me: "Why do you like to call him that?"

Davis: "Because I like to say that word. I like that word. Twang. Shampoo. Ha. Ha. Listen, Momma. Shampoop. SHAMPOOP! Ha. Ha."

Fun Facts And Stats About CP

2011-06-28T15:28:00.001-04:00

An estimated 800,000 people have Cerebral Palsy in the U.S.

Cerebral Palsy was first known as 'Little's Disease', named after the British surgeon who first identified the disease in the 1860's.

The estimated average lifetime cost of a person with Cerebral Palsy is $921,000, excluding hospital visits, emergency room visits, residential care, and other out of pocket expenses.

About 2/3 of people with Cerebral Palsy are also mentally impaired.

There is no cure for Cerebral Palsy.

Personally...

Davis was diagnosed at 6 months old when he was still unable to lift his head up while laying on his stomach.

He has Spastic Diplegia and hypertonia, meaning he has muscle spasms and increased tone in both legs and hips.

He developed Cerebral Palsy from brain damage caused by hydrocephalus, the build-up of spinal fluid on the ventricles.

Growth spurts, cold or rainy weather, uneven surfaces, and poor health are some of the things that negatively affect Davis' tone and spasms.

He's the baddest dude on BOTH sides of the Mason Dixon Line.

Backyard Fun

2011-06-27T09:35:00.004-04:00

Justin's been checking Craigslist nonstop for the past year. He's been on a mad hunt for a backyard playground set...one that's in good condition and doesn't cost a bazillion dollars. Thursday morning, he came across one in Canton, headed up there with the dump truck, and unloaded all this in my backyard about 2 hours later...

He had to dig up a portion of our yard to level the ground. And he plans to build a 3-sided wall around it (thus the box standing in the middle of it all) and lay mulch all around and under it.

Its features:

3 swings (not yet hung)

a tire swing

2 slides (one on the right still needs to be installed)

2-story fort at the top

picnic table and bench underneath

Justin's going to make monkey bars for it at some point

climbing ladder

Mr. Casey and Mr. David were a HUGE help, too!

Probably the most shocking part of all this is the fact that Justin knows how to use the Internet. :)

Holy Holes!

2011-06-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

The 'duh' has seen its better days...

Last Comic Standing

2011-06-23T07:47:00.003-04:00

Davis' first joke...

"What do monkeys eat for breakfast???"

You're gonna love this...

"Waffles!!!!"

He still has some kinks to work out (i.e. a punchline), but I think he's on to something...

Davis Walking 5 Months Post-Op

2011-06-22T07:52:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it's already been 5 months! Time goes by so fast!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__Z3TkgXIb8

He's wearing really tall AFO's now that encourage him to bend his ankles and 'heel strike' with every step he takes, instead of dragging his toes.

He also wears his Thera-Tog suit. The suit helps with his balance while each strap (he requires 7) triggers underlying muscles, encouraging them to 'turn on' and work. It's a pain to put on everyday and Davis HATES it, but it really helps.

5 years ago, today: I was released from Kennestone. Was able to touch Davis for the first time and got to see him wiggle his fingers and toes some. He was placed on a regular ventilator today and his oxygen level is staying at 21%, room air.

Summer Solstice

2011-06-21T06:42:00.006-04:00

June 21, 2011 marks the first 'official' day of summer and longest day of this year. Today, the sun will seemingly 'stand still' as it reaches its northernmost part of the sky and begins to reverse its direction. Crazy to think that the southern part of the world is entering winter right now!

My family and I take at least 2 trips to the beach, every summer. It's something Justin and I look soooo forward to, pretty much all year. Here are some pictures from a few of those vay-cays...

Seacrest Beach, June 2007

Okaloosa Island, June 2008

Fort Walton Beach, June 2009

Okaloosa Island, June 2010

Pensacola Beach, June 2011

A little comparison...

Davis' first beach trip, June 2007

Reese's first beach trip, June 2011

5 years ago, today: Everyone voted and we named Baby Davis Gregory. Justin called down to the NICU and was told that Davis wasn't doing well. Even with the high frequency oscillatory ventilation, his lungs were still failing. As a last resort to save him, he needed to be life-flighted to Scottish Rite to receive a nitric oxide treatment (we would later find out that Davis was the first baby ever to be life-flighted to Scottish Rite for that specific reason). We watched the neonatologist baptize him and were told to prepare for the worst. Davis responded well to the medication as soon as the life-flight team hooked him up to the helicopter incubator. We were given his blanket and hat. I was unable to be discharged from Kennestone, so Justin and Dad headed to Scottish Rite while I stayed behind.

Happy 5th Birthday, Wooder!

2011-06-20T20:22:00.007-04:00

Does anyone even look at this thing anymore? If so, thanks for the dedication!

Today marks Davis' 5th birthday and I think there's no better time than now to revive this thing!

When Davis was born, Justin and I had no idea what the next few months would have in store for us. I was encouraged by my wonderful mother-in-law, Denise, to document my experience and it's probably the best advice she's ever given me because, without it, I know I wouldn't remember much from those 16 weeks Davis spent in the NICU. I LOVE looking back on it and remembering, in detail, that crazy, stressful time in our lives. And while I won't divulge all of the mushy, personal stuff, I thought it would be nice to share my entries as each day, 5 years later, passes. Hope you enjoy...

June 19, 2006: 30 weeks gestation. I left work early, due to a thumb bleed (ha! any excuse to get out of there!). Took a nap and woke up around 7pm. Had lots of Braxton Hicks contractions. Even though mom gave me an ultrasound at her work and everything seemed fine, I still went to the hospital around 10pm because the contractions didn't go away. Nurses and midwife hooked me up to monitors and Baby's heart rate dropped. Rushed to prepare me for emergency c-section (IV started, steroid shot for baby's lungs (probably one of the worst pains I've ever had in my life), consent forms, etc). I wasn't dilated and Baby stabilized so Justin, mom, and I went to an overnight room. The contractions turned into extreme pain. I started vomiting and bleeding. Doctor said surgery could no longer be avoided. I was put under anesthesia since we couldn't even wait for the epidural to take effect. Baby was born at 5:09am on June 20, 2006. He weighed 2 lbs, 9 oz. and was 15 in. long. Baby was sent to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

June 20, 2006: Family, friends, and flowers poured in. I was on morphine and don't remember much from today. I went to see Baby, but was sick and weak and couldn't stay long.

IEP and Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-20T09:09:00.009-04:00

Davis' annual IEP meeting was this past Monday. If you aren't familiar with an IEP, it's basically an instruction manual (technical term) specific to each special needs child. His or her therapists, teachers, and parents sit around and decide on goals to set for the child in the upcoming year and special requirements needed to help him or her thrive in the school environment. I left the meeting feeling pretty good. IEP Meetings can be extremely stressful for parents. For me, it's another reminder that I have a kid that will always be 'different' and I will forever be a part of and exposed to this stuff. Stuff that I'd never know anything about without Davis. I'm better because of him. I'm smarter because of him. I'm lucky because of him. BUT...I stress about whether or not I advocated for him as well as I should have. Overall, I have so much more to think about than your every day, normal child's parent. Above sending my kid to a school with the newest equipment, the nicest classrooms, the best teachers, the highest academic scores, etc., I have to worry about whether or not he can physically get around and if his teacher is going to have a freakin' clue how to 'deal with' a special needs child. Thanks to his rights and mine as a parent, those 'kinks' will hopefully get worked out. If enforced properly, an IEP can be a wonderful program to have in place! It helps give kids like Davis the opportunity to excel and learn as much and as well as their 'normal developing' peers.

Now let's get really deep here...

Davis had his Easter Egg Hunt at school, today...

And one at G.G.'s on Sunday...

13 Weeks Post-Op And Returning Home

2011-04-16T19:38:00.008-04:00

As you can see, from the '13 Weeks Post-Op' video, the two weeks we spent at CECO helped Davis become so much stronger. If you watch the '9 Weeks Post-Op' video, he could barely take 5 steps before his legs grew tired. We still have a lot of 'kinks' to work out, but we're definitely getting there!

Balancing on a wobbly trampoline (something he couldn't do 2 weeks ago)...

The Executive Director at CECO fell madly in love with Davis when they realized they have a common interest...Monster Trucks. When Davis asked her his generic question, "What's your favorite monster truck?" and she actually had a response, they became besties. Her boyfriend, 'Toyota James', is a real, live Monster Truck driver! She gave Davis a DVD full of truck competitions, a Grave Digger remote control toy, and cried her eyes out when we left on Friday!

We spent our last afternoon in Orlando with my girlies at the pool. They were all down for Mandy's Bachelorette Party. Davis entertained them with his amazing dance moves (Stacy...you HAVE to post the video) and Reese was her usual gorgeous self.

The drive home from Orlando...alone...with an extremely energetic and chatty 4 and 1/2 year old...and an extremely hungry and teething 6 and 1/2 month old...went surprisingly well. I made it home a little over 6 hours! I was on a serious mission!

Justin welcomed us home with these pretties...

...AND a clean house! AND an empty laundry basket! AND a bottle of wine! SO GLAD TO BE HOME!!!

Gotta have a Boogie pic...

CECO Renovations

2011-04-12T10:23:00.005-04:00

As the result of changes in building codes, CECO was almost shut down since it didn't meet the new requirements. A handful of local businesses and organizations stepped up to volunteer their time and man power and donate money (over $100,000) needed to knock down and expand the entire back side of the building, install exit doors in every classroom, lay down a sidewalk (yes, this special needs school didn't have a sidewalk!), and repave the parking lot. Yesterday was their first day back in the building and the place looks amazing now! For the first week of therapy, classes were temporarily held at a nearby church preschool.

I don't have any pictures to share of what it looked like before, but here are some post renovation shots...

These hallways, which lead to the classrooms, are now double their original widths...

The lobby is also double in size...

Classrooms...

And the new sidewalk...

One of CECO's volunteers, who works for a local news station, filmed the 'after' portion of a documentary he's putting together to give this wonderful story some much deserved exposure.

Florida Weekend and Sentiment

2011-04-11T15:45:00.007-04:00

Our weekend here in Orlando was spent doing things us Georgians won’t get to enjoy until, like, May...sunburns and swimming pools...IT’S SO STINKIN’ HOT HERE!

We drove to Tampa on Saturday and hung out at my girlfriend, Michelle’s, pool. I managed to stay completely out of the sun, protecting Reese, all day…somehow, though, my upper back is fried turkey. Bummer.

My dad flew in to Orlando for work on Sunday and we met him at the Gaylord Palms to hang out by the pool. This hotel was so awesome. They have an alligator and turtle filled pond winding through the whole place and a really neat family pool area with an octopus water slide! Davis had so much fun!

I took the kids to the Orlando Science Center on Friday night. Davis had so much fun in their Curious George Exhibit.

Boogs Update…I can’t believe Baby Sister is going to be 7 months old soon. I get so emotional thinking about the fact that this part of our life is almost behind us. I’m definitely excited for the ‘raising kids’ chapter we’re headed towards, but there’s NOTHING like having a baby around. Justin and I are so obsessed with her right now. It’s like we’re both clinging to every fleeting stage she enters. She just figured out how to move forward in her walker and I know we only have a few more months before she’s running around the house, trying to keep up with Brother. I just want to freeze time and enjoy her baby-ness for a little while longer…all the la la la da da da’s, the lone tooth poking through her gums, the 2 inch long hairs sticking straight up on her head…I’m so not ready to lose all that. And…scene.

And don’t even get me started on the fact that I’m about to have a kid in elementary school.

Why We're Here

2011-04-08T09:55:00.008-04:00

After 4 days (10 hours) of Conductive Ed, Davis has definitely made improvements. He's getting stronger with each day and really building his endurance. He still falls all the time and isn't walking the way I'd like to see him walk, but the Conductor seems to think that it's all due to weakness and, with time and therapy, he'll get there. I WANT IT NOW, THOUGH!!! The CECO building is actually being renovated right now so classes are temporarily being held at a nearby church preschool. I ~~was~~ am worried this ~~would~~ will affect Davis' outcome. We'll see, though. We're supposed to be back in the building on Monday. I can't wait to see the changes they've made.

I went out and bought him a reward for working so hard all week...

Getting There And The First Three Days

2011-04-06T04:00:00.003-04:00

It took us about 2 hours more than it should have to drive down to Orlando on Saturday. It was a really beat up move by us to head south on the first day of Spring Break.

We went to Sea World on Sunday and HAD SUCH A BLAST! We even went back on Tuesday morning, before therapy, to get our money's worth.

Davis' favorite part was this...

And his least favorite part...

Dadda: "You're such a tough boy. Why are you afraid of flamingos? Davis: "They're birds!" Makes sense.

Conductive Ed is going well. I'll post all about that later.

For now, though, here's some pics of our stay so far...

I'm obsessed with this tree...

...and these people...

'Therapy' dogs visited the RMH on Monday night...

My nappers...

I Will Not Eat Them On A Boat

2011-03-29T17:00:00.016-04:00

Davis' physical therapist and orthotist decided that he needs the help from braces since he's starting to revert back to his old ways of walking. Simply because he's still so weak. Hopefully the trip we're taking to Orlando (in 5 days!!!) for Conductive Ed will make him strong. Like bull. Hopefully...

Homework assignment: Read Dr. Suess' Green Eggs and Ham. Play tic-tac-toe. Get really pissed when you can't grasp the concepts 'get three in a row' and 'block your opponent from doing so' causing you to lose every time.

Davis at therapy with Ms. Carrie...

Baby Sister committing a serious crime...

"Listen, Baby Sister. The phone is your toy and the monster truck is my toy. Don't forget it."

All better...

So Random

2011-03-22T06:36:00.005-04:00

Davis is starting his third week back to school since his surgery and has been sick almost the entire time. Don't be jealous of his super weak immune system.

Hope everyone had a fun St. Patty's day. I was able to escape my circus of a house and meet up with friends for some green beer and good times. Love my best besties.

We booked our Conductive Ed trip in Orlando for April 4-15. I'm so excited and hopeful that it'll help speed up the 'get Davis strong' process.

We celebrated Uncle Ethan and Auntie Pete's 18th and 16th birthdays over the weekend. You seriously won't ever find 2 better behaving, more well-rounded kids ever. Period.

Davis loooooves his PaPow...

And I love my camera...

Davis fishing for the first time...

My wooder and boogs...

Might send this into Nike...

Boogs and Doc Doc...

Johnny's Hideaway...If you've never been, you're soooo missing out.

That's all. Peace.

9 Weeks Post-Op

2011-03-18T07:32:00.002-04:00

He's doing so good!!!

Puppies, Paint, Pre-K

2011-03-09T06:40:00.010-05:00

Justin had family in town (his brother and cousin) a couple weekends ago, so we hung out at Aunt Patsy and Uncle Al's. As always, we ate delicious food and laughed A LOT. And Davis got to hold a 2 week old puppy from their golden retrievers' recent litter...

Enjoying the beautiful weather with pal, Eva...

...and her baby sister, Elin...

We also painted Davis' room! We finally said 'good-bye' to the baby blue and welcomed the much more awesomer (risky and adventureous...right, Danielle?!?!), grown-up gray. I'll post pics soon.

Davis' first week back to school went really well! He was so excited to see his friends and teachers. We made a picture flipbook for him to share with everyone and help explain where he's been and what he's been doing for all these weeks. It gotta be really strange to 4 and 5 year olds when one of their classmates disappears for 2 months and returns in a wheelchair.

And, now, I leave you with these...

There's NO denying Dadda here!

Have To Share This

2011-02-25T08:09:00.005-05:00

WATCH this video! So inspirational!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDaf3fe9NT0

Oprah: "What do you think is the biggest misconception about people with disabilities?"

Zach Anner: "That they they are helpless and that their personalities are defined by their disabilities...I am so many things before I am a person in a wheel chair. Get to know the person. The chair is incidental."

Please, God, help us raise Davis to think this way about himself.

Follow-Up

2011-02-25T07:29:00.003-05:00

We saw Dr. Boydston yesterday for Davis' 6 week post-op visit. He thinks Davis looks great; 'exactly where I expect him to be at this point'. We just need to be doing more stretching exercises with him, especially at his ankles. And he wants him to continue to 'not walk' for another 3 weeks.

Potty update: Davis has wet the bed for the third night in a row. I'm taking full blame for this because ~~I'm a mom and that's what I do~~ I haven't been waking him up at 5 a.m. to go pee. And I haven't been super strict about the 'no liquids after 6 p.m.' rule. We went to dinner with my family last night and some friends had us over the night before. But I'm back on track now. :) On the bright side, it's giving him great lessons on what happens when he pees on his 'duh'. He's doing so great during the day, though!!! He's telling me that he needs to go, pooping every day, and hasn't had any accidents!

My Boogie...

Have a great weekend!!!

Movie, Underwear, A Bond, Steps

2011-02-21T11:42:00.007-05:00

On Thursday night, two girlfriends and I left our children home with the hubbys and enjoyed an evening of pedis and a movie. Just Go With It. Just go see it! Probably one of the top 5 funniest movies I've ever seen. Hilarious. Wanna see it again! AND!!! Dave Matthews is in it!

And here's what us Nunleys were up to all weekend...

I found this 'guaranteed to work' 3 day potty training program online and thought I'd give it a shot. It only cost $24 and seemed really credible. So, we set aside this past weekend to see if we could get this 4 and a half year old of ours potty trained.

The program requires you to set aside 3 consecutive days where you do nothing but stare at your child's lower half. Basically, you throw away all pull ups and diapers, focus on constant positive reinforcement and praise, and repeat the phrases 'Be sure to tell me when you need to go pee or poop, ok?' and 'Be sure to keep your underwear clean and dry, ok?' about 87,000 times a day (and night). That's right. I slept on D's floor for 3 nights and every time he moved, I had to repeat these mantras to him. You're never supposed to put the child on the potty to 'try' and go and you must catch EVERY single accident. You only put them on the potty when they tell you they need to go and during an accident. It was so unbelievably exhausting, but we were so dedicated to giving this 100% effort.

Justin took care of Reese all weekend so they're super tight now. And, I have to say, there's pretty much nothing cuter in the whole entire world.

"What did you just say to me?"

So, did it work???

It's Tuesday now and since we started this on Friday, Davis has only wet the bed once. And he hasn't had an accident since Sunday. He's not 100% there yet, but he'll never wear another pull up or diaper again! And that is a miracle!!!

OH! And my Underwear Wearing Son gave me a nice surprise yesterday when he said this, "Momma, my boo boo is all gone so I can walk now!"

Visit At School

2011-02-17T13:29:00.002-05:00

We stopped by school today so Davis could say 'hello' to all of his friends and pick up a cubby full of paperwork, Valentine's goodies, and a special 'get well' gift from one of his classmates. All the kids were so excited and happy to see Davis! They all came running over and asked him a million questions. Davis told them that he went to the hospital and got a boo-boo and now he has a cool chair. He played on the playground for a few minutes and got really sad when it was time to go! But we plan on sending him back on March 7th!

We have something very important planned for this weekend. It'll require us to be indoors for the next 3 days. Stay tuned...