Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to...

My Daddy

and
My Husband

You two are amazing. Colton and I are so lucky to have you in our lives.
PS - I'm sorry that you BOTH have to work on Father's Day =(

I LOVE YOU!!!

The Thursday Thirteen - Foods I Cannot Live Without

Since being pregnant I have had a very limited amount of food items that my sensitive stomach can tolerate. I literally eat the same things everyday but I love everything I do get to eat. Here they are...

1. Lucky Charms, I eat a bowl for breakfast and sometimes as a snack between meals.
2. Bagel Bites w/ Pepperoni, I am completely addicted to these round discs of goodness.
3. Cheese Quesadillas - only cheese and tortilla NOTHING ELSE!
4. Townhouse Crackers - my late night snack.
5. Meatloaf - My Mamaw and Mom fix it best.
6. Green Beans - The only green vegetable that does not irritate my stomach.
7. McDonald's Cheeseburgers - Plain, only cheese.
8. Hashbrown Casserole - Potatoes, cheese, sour cream, cream of chicken soup with corn flakes on top.
9. Papa John's Pizza - once again with extra cheese.
10. Spaghetti/Rotini - Spiral noodles and Prego with Meat Sauce
11. Hot Dogs - only browned not burnt.
12. Biscuits and Gravy with Bacon - For dinner instead of breakfast.
13. My drinks: Bottled Water, Milk and Sprite Zero

That is pretty much all I eat, might sound pretty bland but these are the foods I love (that love me back). Man, now I'm hungry...

Wordless Wednesday - Dancing With My Boy

Dental Problems and Prematurity

Teething is a challenge for all babies and parents, however, preemies (surprise, surprise) have it just a little bit harder. Last night, while putting my little man to bed, I discovered two more teeth coming in. That makes a total of 6, two bottom, four top. Today he is an awful mood, eating only cold things and fussing constantly for no real reason other than the constant pain in his mouth. Now, I know that the symptoms of teething are the same for preemies and non-preemies but we as preemie parents have "teething issues" that non-preemie parents usually know nothing about.

First of all, we are often left wondering if our children are ever going to to get any teeth at all. Delayed tooth eruption is very common in preemies. You can expect for your preemie to get their teeth about 2-6 months late. Colton's first teeth came in when he was already 13 months old.

Enamel hypoplasia, or the lack of enamel, is four times more common in preemies than in full term children. This can lead to frequent cavaties and requires routine brushing and dental visits.

Tooth discoloration is something preemie parents are warned about long before their child's teeth begin to appear and generally appears in infants who have high bilirubin levels in the NICU. Colton's teeth have a yellow/brownish tint. This discoloration cannot be removed by brushing or visits to the dentist but is only seen in the child's baby teeth.

A palatal groove is a narrow groove in the roof of the mouth, caused by intubation in the NICU. Colton also has this problem. This can lead to crowding and poor positioning of the teeth as well as sucking and speech problems.

It is recommended that all children see a dentist by their first birthday. Colton did not have any teeth at this time so we are just now discussing what dentist we would like him to see. I bet that will be a fun visit, NOT!

My Best Friend's Wedding

Christina, my best friend and practically older sister, was married in April. I was proud to serve as her Maid of Honor, she was also my MOH. She just got her pictures back from the photographer and I thought I would share a few of the lovely day. She is sooo gorgeous! Enjoy.

Christina and I

Beautiful Bride

The Girls

The Guys

The Wedding Party

Mr. and Mrs. Williams

Stress Relief

There is not much that a warm bath and a good book cannot fix for me. We still have not heard if the mortgage company selling the house has accepted or denied our offer, this waiting game is getting ridiculous. Last night Colton and our dog Daisy were up and down all night due to heavy thunderstorms here in Kentucky. AND we just found out that a test Colton needs done can only be done in Michigan, 6 hours away (f.y.i. I hate to travel). I was stressed to the max and on the verge of total exhaustion when I started to read My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I put Colton down for a nap, ran a hot bath and left all my worries on the other side of the shower curtain. All that stress I mentioned earlier seems to peel off of me and rise with the steam as it escapes from my cozy little oasis. This is my favorite form of the "me" time I particpate in regularly to save my sanity. If you haven't tried the warm bath/good book routine you are truly missing out.

That being said, the book I have been reading most recently is (as mentioned above) My Sister's Keeper. This is the story of a teenager who was concieved to save her dieing sister. She is about to make a decision that will change the lives of everyone around her. The movie is coming out later this month but I personally find more often than not I enjoy reading the book much better than watching the movie. If you are looking for some stress relief of your own go buy this book (it is the book of the month at wal-mart) and enjoy. P.S. You might want to make sure you have a box of tissues handy.

Wordless Wednesday - SPLASH!