study buddies with breaks -- that's for you, kath!! ;)

just doing my part and covering all my bases--

trey has taken a series of sitdown exams for the past 3 fridays. this week he has been given an in depth question that requires a rather lengthy response. he only has 5 days to research and write this thing [50+ pages or so-- due wednesday].

He's quite overwhelmed by the whole process alone...and then throw in dorm duties, teaching out at concordia, and communication consulting and we have ourselves a hell of a week.
SO, i'm just getting the word out to LEAVE HIM ALONE ;) don't ask him to do anything-- saying no has never been his forte.

after this he will do his oral defense (beginning of october) and then he/we can breathe!!

until then, joybird and I are trying to do our thing and leave papa guinn to his studies!!

you know what they say, "what happens here, changes the world" go get 'em guinny!

my new night life

it's 11 pm and i'm --

a. baking a cherry pie [well, marie calendar baked it first]
b. eating cheese and crackers until it's ready/and feeding guinn the same while he
c. is typing, editing, redrafting, and studying for his comp on friday... while we both
d. are chilled and relaxed by tonights album of choice, john mayer -- battle studies.
i am, well, taking a quick blog break-- as i have been
e. researching researching researching-- all things baby. this is my nightlife. everynight-- i put joy down, do the dishes (no dishwasher in these digs), and then sit down with my laptop and snack of choice (ranging anywhere from blue bell to blue moon) to learn as much as possible in 3 hours!
really, there is so much to learn and so little time. last night i spent the evening researching pacifiers (how to drop 'em), CIO methods (you know, cry it out), naptime, things that change at 4 months, etc. the night before that, it was starting solids...book of choice "the well fed baby"...when to introduce them, what to start with, how to make these thing on your own, and all the other wonderful things in this new world of SOLIDS that we are fast approaching.
tonight, i'm researching "books". i love this topic. i am learning, and most definitely believe, there is SO much value in reading to your babe-- even from birth.
there are so many amazing books out there. and sadly, you can't have them all.
i have guinn over here on my left, saying "jules, that's why we have libraries!!"
and i'm over here on amazon wondering if i can justify dropping way too much cash on all these books that i'm convinced that she neeeds.
i mean, it's an investment right? you can't put a price on education and development...and we'll have more kids! they'll love and benefit from all these books too ;)
anyway, the point of this blog break is to ask you, my little blog-following friends-- what are your favorite baby books?!!! i've read just about every top 10 list on google-- they all vary a little. of course, there are a few books that make every list (goodnight moon). joy loves this so it doesn't surprise me.
but i'd love to know your faves!!

oh, and another thing that went down this evening-- i, out of nowhere, decided with certainty, the names of all my children-to-be. this is, of course, assuming that i will be blessed with more.

i told trey tonight, i originally just wanted 3 but now with this new amazing array of names, we may just have to go for four-- because these names are THAT good. ;) all in good fun, people. i'm truly not committing to being pregs 4 times and the aftermath that goes with it. but we'll see what happens.

anyway, goodnight friends and family. no, goodnight room. goodnight moon. goodnight piper and goodnight diapers [guinn family edition].

signing off from the dorms. oh one more thing, we always here a door slamming down the hallway around this time. guinn just realized, and shared with me, that it's everyone's last trip to the bathroom to brush their teeth and wash their face. ooooooooooh dorm life. who knew.

...goodnight stars and goodnight air, goodnight noises everywhere!

we loooooooooove SEPTEMBER 19TH!!!

for several reasons--

12 years ago today, the young trey guinn took me out on the town for our first date, 9.19.98.

then 7 years ago today, he proposed!! get it, guinn!

one year ago today-- we found out we were pregnant!!!!!!!!!!

and today, little joyful is 4 months old!

so one dr's visit later and another round of shots-- the stats are in, 4 month joybird:
weighs: 12 pounds 4 ounces
is 2 feet tall (24 inches)
and has a head circumference of = 40.6cm/16 in
putting her just below the 25 percentile

things we're doing at four months:

exploring our world via mouth.

propping herself up with her forearms.

teething on sophie the giraffe (thanks, hil!!)

dancing with daddy!

panties on my head. guinn's idea.

laundry with mommy!

TV in bed...

...produces desired results

feeding herself!

recently started drooling

and this just in:

we rolled over!!!

-- please note the oversized hiked up jammy-pants with the uneccesary top tuck-in. this is how she and guinn returned from diaper changing.

and now, a one second video that i could watch over and over. cracks me up every time!!

mom + the fan = screams of excitement!

joy just can't contain herself these days. when she sees something she likes, she lets out her little happy scream.





and last, another piper spotting. gets her every time.

take that and rewind it back....

...little birdy's got a cry that makes the mommy go (clap). *thanks, usher.

so last post i mentioned that joy never cries or fusses unless she's hungry or tired..."both easy fixes", i said. spoke too soon!!!
here's the latest:
naptime used to be dreamy. i'd cuddle and rock little miss miniguinny for a few minutes until she was in "sleepmode" and then put her in her crib. worked like a charm. we would even "set the mood/create a routine "-- as the books all say to do...dim the lights, swaddle her up in a blanky for warmth, and glide away to my amazing sing-songy voice.
well well...someone figured out reeeeeeeeal quick what we were setting the mood for and decided she was going to throw a fit when we either a. turned off lights, b. cuddled with a blanket, or c. sat down to glide.
maybe she doesn't like my songs. FALSE...
she's just getting smart and learning manipulation...
here begins baby-bootcamp. i'm in charge, joy avery! ;)
i'm telling you, i would be sitting in the glider and my child would be in a complete arched position screaming. i couldn't even get her back to a normal position to calm her. she did NOT want to take a nap. this is not a matter of being tired. she is tired. she just doesn't want to take a nap.
anyway, all i can do is set her in her crib crying and walk away. this morning begins day one of crying it out. never needed to cry it out previously. but if that's what it takes, we're doing it.
so i put her in bed, kissed her goodnight, and walked away.
she screamed.
it's 11:08am. i tell myself (and texted shelly ;) i cannot go back in until 11:13.
i sit...
stare at the video monitor. she's now looking back at the door screaming and crying wondering where i am. SO HARD! i hold piper and we talk about it. ;) piper looks at me tilting her head side to side like "aren't you going to do something?" no, pipes. not just yet.
11:13. goin' in! pipes on my heels.
i arrive. "joy, it's mommy. you're okay. i love you."
i pat her little chest. [with the intention of leaving soon after and letting her cry it out for 7 minutes this round]
she calms. grabs my arm with both hands and holds on and doesn't want to let go.
she's happy.
i don't want to leave.
i don't.
1 minute later she's sound asleep.
it's 2:00 pm and the girl is still out.

there's so much to learn in this parenting world. and this is the very very beginning of a long road ahead. but with each thing we tackle, learn, or go through i feel that much more equipped to be mama-jules. it feels good. so hard at times but there is nothing greater in life than being someone's mommy!!

joy avery -- 3 months!

growth stats:
weight- 11 lbs 4 oz's = 14th percentile
height- 23.25 inches = 28th percentile
head = 28th percentile

new tricks and such:

- number one and most apparent-- she LOVES her own voice!!! if she's awake, she's talking. trey and i will talk back to her and i'm convinced that she truly believes we are carrying on a conversation, and that we know exactly what she's saying! we'll try to catch it on video soon-- but to get the best reaction you have to talk to her in the annoying "baby voice" that neither of us really want on camera. ;)

- she has started "fake coughing" because she likes the sound and thinks it's funny.

- her changing table is next to a mirror. she loves to carry on and socialize with her bestie baby friend (aka- herself) in the mirror. it makes diaper changing quite fun.

- she likes to flirt with males...especially gary guadagnolo

- her biggest laughs still go out to, the one and only, piper guinn.

- she recently discovered her feet. she loves to stare at them and move them all around. they fascinate her.

- tummy time probably doesn't happen frequent enough, but she can lift that head high now and rock side to side. she's got the roll-over legs going but not a whole lot of rolling just yet.

here's pipes-- showing her how it's done.

- some of her favorite time is STORY TIME. book of choice is, hands down, goodnight moon. she makes little oohs and ahhs and likes to touch and semi-turn the pages.

- she sleeps in her crib for most naps (sometimes the swing) and always at bedtime. sleeps now from 8 or 9pm to 6 or 7am...with an occasional 4am wake up.

and when she wakes, it's all fun and games. laughs, giggles, screams. seriously, it's pitch black and 4am, not a creature stirring not even a mouse-- except joybird. stirring away and ready for the day. thankfully, she get's the memo pretty quickly that we're still in sleep mode and goes back down.

- her favorite kisses are eskimo kisses!! if you want to put this girl to sleep just rub your nose in a downward motion on hers and she's out.

-she loves blankies and things with texture that she can hold onto and cuddle with. one of her fave's is a little horse lovey from the mcgees

- the only thing that warrants any sort of crying or fussing is if she's hungry, or tired. both easy fixes, thank goodness!! she's still eating every 3 hours (hoping to make the 4 hour switch at 4 months), and get's tired about one hour after eating.

- people are now saying that she is looking more like me. i still see trey, of course...but definitely see myself now too!! but you be the judge. we think she has trey's mouth and my eyes....although, her eyes are still blue (so not completely my eyes). i definitely wouldn't complain if she turned into my little brown eyed girl!

- she stays home with dad monday and wednesday mornings while i teach class, and she's with me the rest of the days and afternoons! trey gives her a bottle on mon/wed mornings and you should take the time to ask him about his "feeding regimen". he is quite proud ("she never spits up when i feed her, jules") and i'm sure he would love to share his secrets.

HAPPY 3 MONTHS, LITTLE JOYBIRDY!

i'll be your mommy.

yesterday was special. guinn and i were up at the crack of dawn, drinking coffee and holding Joy, when trey happened to look out our bedroom window into the courtyard. he says "oh jules, you have to come see this. this is so sad and sweet."

i look outside and find a family of four huddled in a circle, dropping their precious little girl off at college. the dad was wiping his tears as he kissed his little girl goodbye. the mom struggling to show a strong face was fighting back her tears, but it wasn't working.

i couldnt believe we had stumbled across this precious moment, but within seconds i too was crying. we stood there, holding joy, and were so touched by every bit of this family event.

i realized that i was seeing something from both angles. holding my own daughter, i watched these parents say goodbye.... and, as this cute little freshman girl stood there in tears, it reminded me of when i got dropped off at college. i remember my dad and beth driving off, and i went into my dorm room and cried and cried.

The girl hugged her dad and they both sobbed. then she hugged her mom. same story. hugged her little brother. and then we watched them all part and all so emotional. it was heart-wrenching.

it's such a big moment and all i could think that morning was how much of this was going on all over campuses right then.

i was crying behind the glass window and it took everything inside of me not to run up to the family and say "hey, i will love and protect her and make sure she's happy and well taken care of!!"...although, i didnt want them to know that i had been watching their moment!

but, i'm making it my mission this year to take these little fishies under my mother-goose wing and love them as my own.

today, we found out that that very girl lives right next to us in the dorm. so, i went and knocked on their door, introduced myself (and, took piper with me, of course), and let them know - if they need ANYTHING - i am here.

i love living on campus. and i don't want to leave anytime soon.

just another day in paradise

it's 11pm and i should be fast asleep, resting before joy wakes to eat. instead, i find this time most relaxing and i'd rather stay up and enjoy it.

so here i sit, with a bowl of cookies and cream ice cream, a big comfy blanket, and guinn over to my left. He is sitting at his desk, dancing to some new techno jam he has been really into lately, and studying for comps --- for some reason, he is in an extra great mood (i can tell by his dance moves and make-shift drum routine number).

let me walk you through a typical day, shall we?
we'll start in the am. 6am rolls around (sometimes 4:30 or 5:30 but when i'm lucky, 6) and i hear joyful stirring in her crib. not crying, not fussing...just awake and ready. so i leap out of bed and peak inside with a "MORNING JOYBIRDY!!!" to which i receive a HUUUUUGE SMILE and partial laugh. she loves the morning, and reeeeeeeally loves me ;)
i whisk her up and give her one million kisses as we semi-dance around the room and celebrate a new day. about this point, i start seeing the heavy brow with a few grunting noises-- as to say, "i'm hungry, lets do this!"
15 minutes later we finish off breakfast with a few large burps and a really big happy smile. we then make our way to the pack and play for some fun. she lays there and stares at all her favorite little hangy toys. she touches them, grabs them, smiles and laughs at them. meantime, i'm right there in the kitchen making my breakfast.


next we're off to tummy time!!! we try to do this as long as possible. with the goal being to develop her neck muscles and her motor skills.


after about 10 minutes or so she's yawning, perhaps rubbing her little face with her hands, and ready for a nap!!
we go to our room, change her diaper, and down in the crib she goes! anywhere from an hour to 2 hours, typically.

these are her little "put myself to sleep" noises. sorry it's long. listen around 1:30:00. she's funny.


so now i do dishes, clean the house, laundry, respond to emails, sometimes sleep, whatever i can get done.
and then she wakes! and then we eat. and then we repeat above mentioned 4 times in a row.
we'll switch it up with running errands, taking piper on a walk, visiting daddy in his office. but other than that, this is our day-- for now anyway.

it has been so fun to see how much she changes developmentally from week to week. it's like one day she can't connect her hand with an object and then the next she is actually grabbing and holding on to them. seems silly but it really is a big deal when you watch it happen.

happy 3 months, joy avery!! you make me the happiest mommy EVER-- who knew that all i needed was a little joy in my life. not sure how we survived with out you.

preggers take action!!!

okay all you preggers out there. whether you've been pregnant, are pregnant, or plan on being pregnant-- there is something you should know. well, there's a lot.

here's my shpeel:

from the front and from the back, i look good. in fact, trimmer than pre-pregs, i'd say. turn me to the side, game over/covers blown. you may say-- "that girl most def just gave birth. OR "she must be 3 months pregs" i may be slightly exaggerating but only slightly.

here's the (not so) skinny on what happens while pregs:

for starters, your normal "6-pack muscles" (rectus abdominis) split straight down the middle and spread to the side to make room for your ever-expanding uterus and baby. they become stretched out and lax (especially when you release the relaxin hormone). The same thing happens with your transverse abdominal muscles. and this is an even bigger issue because it's these muscles that hold your stomach in and taut. they call the transverse muscles the "internal girdle" because they literally hold everything together. well guess whose NOT wearing their girdle?! me and all the other new moms.

anyway, when these muscles become stretched and lax your stomach becomes distended and you have what's called abdominal laxity (or post-pregs-pooch) which leaves you looking SUUUUB PAR.

and even worse, if you've had a c-section, you have an even weaker nueromuscular connection causing even more of a protruding belly. neat.

okay, so bottom line: in order to get everything back in tip-top shape you MUST work your transverse muscles, while being careful not to work your 6-pack muscles and obliques so much because this could make the protrusion worse. you want that separation to close before working those guys.

so the month of august is dedicated to the transverse! thats right, these are the pilates "pull your belly button to your spine" kind of exercises.... which i used to think were a joke, but now there's no times for jokes. down to business because i WILL NOT stand for loose, stretched-out abs that leave me looking slightly pregs.
http://babyfit.sparkpeople.com/articles.asp?id=805

on a side note: did you ever have a protruding belly as a child? because i did. a rather large one, which leaves me to believe i'm more susceptible to it now. my theory is that little kids have underdeveloped ab muscles so their stomach's stick out more. so, back to my childhood look i go. not for long. i'm so over this look.

ps! this just gets worse with each kid. the reason: mom's don't get their abs back to where they need to be before baby #2. so then, they are beginning the whole process at an even worse abdominal state. by the time they're on 3 or 4 there's no hope. so the rich get a tummy tuck. but to the smart, frugal, and dedicated: WORK YOUR ABS, LADY'S!!! there's hope for us yet.

Joy goes to the barbershop!!

we spent the weekend at the lake. one morning, while guinn was doing the "burp, diaper change" routine, i decided to go out on the deck and enjoy my cup of coffee.

coming back inside to gather the troops for our morning stroll, i find guinn doing a little impromptu theatrics. absolutely hilarious, and i insisted he do it again for the camera!!

TAKE 1: consequences of a burping session cut short :)

TAKE 2: joy's "trip to the barber"

one more video. sorry for the sideways.

she's starting to smile and interact and it is SO MUCH FUN!!!

Ashley Brooke Andrews, we love you.

our cousin, ashley, went to heaven last week when her life was tragically taken by someone driving the wrong direction on the highway . she was only 27 years old and was such a sweet sweet blessing to our family.

the end of the eulogy (given by my cousin melissa below):

One of Ashley’s finest moments, of course, was being by Jody’s side during his battles with cancer. It is hard to imagine living through that time without her there as a rock. She was supportive, caring, steadfast and devoted to doing whatever it took, to get through that period of their lives and start a new chapter. She was a true blessing.

We are all so devastated by this loss, but we would all be better served to remember what the kids told us when we were discussing our sadness. They said, “Why is everyone so sad Mommy? Miss Ashley is in heaven with God.”

Followed by… “Mommy – I know we won’t be able to see Miss Ashley any more, but we can always visit with her. If you sit really quite and listen- the angels in heaven will speak to you. Didn’t you know that?”

Jody said it best last night – something good MUST come from this tragedy. If it is mending broken fences, counting our blessings, slowing down and taking time to appreciate our family and friends or just embrace life as it is, we should all be thankful for that which we are given.

We were all so blessed to have had Ashley as a part of our lives. She was a rare and special gift to us all. Let’s celebrate the time we had and remember her -with a smile on our face -and joy in our hearts! She will always be with us – just sit still, listen and know she is here.

Cheers and blessings to Ashley!!

it's official. announcing-- joy avery guinn.

look what ashley flood at a.flood of paper did!!! If you ever need an announcement, invitation, or stationary...she's your lady!
http://www.afloodofpaper.com/
http://www.afloodofpaper.blogspot.com/

i told her what i wanted and she granted my wish to perfection!!

thank you, ashley. for sharing your talents and creating the most perfect announcement for miss joy avery.