Catching Up

Does life ever slow down? We got back from New York last Wednesday and I have been meaning to sit down for a minute to blog, they question is just always, when do I fit computer time into the day? Anyways, we had a great time, but I must admit the highlight of the whole trip was seeing Antalya at the airport and then our hour ride home with her. The whole time she kept giggling and then saying "mamama" and "dadada" over and over. I sure love that little girl! She had a great time with Gramma and Grandpa while we were gone, but I was happy that once she saw us she realized how much she had missed us.

Here's a few pics from the trip. When I say a few, I really mean a few. Believe it or not these are the only pictures we took during our five days there. Wish I had some amazing pictures of the city to share, but this trip wasn't a sightseeing trip, although we did do a little sightseeing and relaxing. The purpose of this trip was the NY Toy Fair. Jason and I started Bee Able Toys, an online toy store for kids with special needs, several months back and wanted to check out some of the new products that manufactures are coming out with this year. The fair was a success and we found lots of products we are really excited about.

Big City Magic

I have always thought of myself as a small town girl, but I must admit, every time I visit New York I fall more and more in love with the Big City. Jason and I arrived in Manhattan early yesterday morning to enjoy a full five days to ourselves. Yippee!!!

I love the lights, the crowds, walking everywhere, deli's on every corner, interesting shops everywhere you look, diversity of people, incredibly delicious restaurants, great entertainment, and so much more.

Today I had my first real experience with southern cooking. We went to lunch at the famous Amy Ruth's in Harlem to try out their signature dish of chicken and waffles. I was a little skeptical, but after trying it, I must admit it is a delicious combination, and I enjoyed every bite!

It's late and we've got an early morning tomorrow. Good night!

It's a Healthy Baby!

This morning was our appointment for an ultrasound. I have been counting down the days and weeks with anticipation, but as soon as we pulled into the hospital I realized how nervous I really was. I think if Jason hadn't been there with me I would've turned around and gone home. Maybe there are some of you out there can relate to my feelings. You see, after our experience with Antalya, the meaning of an ultrasound has changed. It no longer is all about finding out the sex of the baby, but rather finding out if your baby has any birth defects.

I was terrified we would get there and they would tell me there was something horribly wrong with my baby. Could I keep my composure no matter what the news was? Well, after waiting for a half hour (which really felt like several hours) we were finally called back to the dimly lit room.

So the results? Everything looks good! There is nothing to be concerned about. We are thrilled!

Oh, and yes, we did find out the sex. It is most definitely a little girl. Jason and I were a little surprised as we both thought Antalya was going to have a big, tough, little brother to stick up for her when other kids are mean, but I guess that's not what she needs after all. We are thrilled and can't wait to meet our other little girl.

And Yet Another Reminder...

I remember a camping trip several years ago with some friends. Just as the sun was rising in the morning I was somewhat startled by the voice a friend in the tent next to mine exclaiming as loud as she could "I'm Alive!" She was so enthusiastic about life, that I have no doubt this exclamation was a morning tradition. It was a great reminder to me of what a blessing it is to be given another day to life - something I had rarely thought about (especially first thing in the morning).

I have never been a very good morning person (my parent's can attest to my grumpy mornings at their house). Over the years I have tried to convince myself that waking up early is wonderful. Sure, there are lots of great benefits to early rising - beautiful sunrises, getting a good start on the day, enjoying a few peaceful moments before the rest of the world begins it's hustle and bustle. But really when it comes down to it, most mornings I would trade all that for just another twenty minutes in bed. Antalya on the other hand usually feels differently.

She is always the first one awake, and is usually forced to wait patiently in her crib until I can will myself out of bed. Her enthusiasm for another day is usually brushed off by my grogginess, and I forget how grateful I should be for another day here on this earth.

Well, this morning I couldn't miss the reminder from her to be grateful and enthusiastic about life. Antalya was up most the night with the croup. It hit around midnight. After several rounds of nasal spray and trying my best to help her out, I finally just put her in our bed hoping we could all sleep a little better there. I woke up at 7:00 and was grateful that Antalya had finally fallen into a deep sleep, and hopeful that just once she would be too tired for her internal clock to wake her up. I laid back down, with hopes of getting just another 20 minutes of sleep, but just like clock-work Antalya started to wake up.

And then she did the sweetest thing. Her breathing was still very raspy, and she had dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep, but instead of focusing on those things she quickly looked at me, realized she was in our bed and then reached for the curtain to pull it open. As the early morning sun went spilling across the bed she broke out in an ear-to-ear grin. It was a new day, and she was thrilled about it!

It's moments like this morning that remind me that she didn't come to our family for me to teach her, she came so that she could teach me. I feel so blessed for each day I am given to spend with my little angel!

Speech Therapy

Those of you who know Antalya know she likes to babble. In fact, she is rarely quiet. She can have quite the animated conversations with herself. It's one of my favorite things to watch. Lately she has been trying really hard to mimic sounds to create words that sound like ours.

This morning in the bath tub Antalya, without any prompting from me, started having a little speech therapy session with herself. It was the cutest thing to watch. She started practicing her "real words" and listening to the differences. She seemed fascinated with the difference and similarities between "da" (dad) and "daw" (dog). She kept going back and forth with the words, pausing each time with a very pensive look on her face. I feel like she has been learning so much lately and is really starting to make sense of her environment and how to interact with it.

On a different note, we just had two days of sunshine and 40 degree weather. It was heaven. We went to the park both days. I feel like we have been caged up in our house for too long. I can't wait to have a yard one day where Antalya can outside and run around. Until then we are grateful for any warmer days that allow us to get outside and head to a park. Here's a picture from our play time yesterday.