Then & Now

We are in the process of organizing and saving our photos over the last year or so. As we looked through them we were so surprised at the pictures of Laney. A year ago Delaney was on her highest dose of steroids... she was a fussy eater, was retaining water, not gaining weight, and had high blood pressure. Most of which were side effects from the steroids. Her face was so swollen she couldn't close her mouth and the skin on her cheeks was so tight it was starting to crack. Now fast forward to the present, a year later... our beautiful baby girl is happy... strong willed, but happy:), off all her meds, she eats, and she has finally hit 20 lbs! She is still only in the 8th percentile for weight, but 60th for head circumference! (that explains her balance issues:). I look at these photos with mixed emotions... I won't list them all... it's pretty much every emotion, but mostly gratitude. To God for allowing us to be her parents, and continuing to heal her body, to friends and family for all their prayers and support, and of course to Laney for loving us.














November 2009...






November 2010! (this is what she does when we say "smile")

New Chair & Crazy Hair!

Laney's new chair from Grandma and Pop pop...

This is what happens when Daddy gives her a bath...

and this is the face she makes when you say "smile" ... haha close Laney.

Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween! As you can see my little Laney was a Seahawks cheerleader for Halloween (daddy's favorite team). The costume was provided by Aunt JoAnne and was perfect! Laney can even throw her arms up cheer "Go stangs" for the Mustangs which is Daddy's football team. She likes to watch the cheerleaders and mascot at the games. She went trick or treating around the block and held a hersey kiss in her hand the whole time... we didnt know and when she got home it was quite a gooey mess. We only got one trick or treater so the huge bowl of candy turned into the best entertainment...if you know Laney you know she is a sorter. She sorts bark at the park and leaves in the yard so a bowl of candy was like her dream come true! She put piles on chairs on steps and everywhere else. Then she would collect all the piles and start all over.

Lip gloss and blush!

Mommy and Laney..."cheese"

Being a cheerleader is serious!

Loves to ride on Daaa dah's shoulders
Let the sorting begin!

Wake Up!

Yesterday I was going through the videos we have taken and trying to organize and save them. I came across this one. It is so funny! She seriously wakes up like this from every nap and in the morning I have to chase her around to even get her out of her crib. She is such a happy girl after a good nap:)

Pumpkin Farm Fun!

Saturday Morning Garrett, Laney, and I visited the Celina pumpkin Farm in the heart of the Texas hill country. After some research I decided this one sounded the most fun because it wasnt a carnival but an actual farm. After about 30 min of country roads we were there! We took a turn at the orange painted rolled hay into a field and parked our car. The first thing we did, and I think most exciting thing for Laney, was feed the animals! We fed some cute long eared goats, some cows and sheep. Laney was so good she held her hand out flat and let the animals lick the food off. She wasnt scared at all and she even reached up to pet them while they ate. After getting animal slobber all over her we decided to take a hay ride! It was quite a hay ride... a tractor pulled 3 trailers with hay bales around the farm. We saw the pumpkin patch, a lake, a little church, and the barn. They also had little signs posted with pumpkin facts and a story about a pumpkin farmer. After the hay ride we went pumpkin hunting and found 3 perfect pumpkins to take home! It was so funny Laney would inspect each one before she finally picked up hers. Then we ate hot dogs and of course Laney wanted to pet more animals. We took lots of pictures here are just a few! It was such a fun place and we had a great day!

Dallas Zoo

Last weekend Grandma and auntie Jen Jen came for a visit and we went to the Dallas zoo! It was a little warm but we got to see some of Laney's favorite animals. Her fav was the old camel that a mad just walked around in a circle and gave kids rides. She liked it because it kept chewing and sticking its teeth out so she kept sticking her teeth out...so funny. And of course she cried when we all got bored and walked away. We also saw giraffes eating leaves. She sticks her tongue out now like she's eating leaves whenever she sees or hears giraffe. We also saw monkeys and she talked to them in her monkey voice, and elephants with loooong noses. And then there was the ghost of the bayou an albino crocodile ...ewww!

She's so smart! She knows the elephant has a long nose
In her stroller with her "wa wa"
Grandma and auntie jen jen

Poor Laney!

So now that Laney thinks she has mastered walking, she has started running. Its more like a wobbly out of control burst of momentum that usually ends with all fours on the floor. I knew sooner or later she wouldnt listen to me say "walk" or "careful" or "slow down Laney you're going to bonk your bonker"... and that day happened last week. Yes, Laney bonked her bonker. She was running in her room towards the window and tripped. She landed forehead first on the windowsill. It was so loud! My poor baby...:( Right away a HUGE bruise appeared and it just started to grow bigger and bigger!! I tried to put ice on it but of course she wouldnt let me. Poor baby!! As she calmed down I snapped a quick picture. You might be thinking how cruel!! But I didnt take it to remember the moment...believe me I'd rather forget. It was the nurse in me that made me do it! I wanted to take a picture so I would have something to compare it to. If it got bigger, smaller darker, redder, or changed at all I could look back at the pic and see. So, on that note I present Laney's first walking related injury... :(