The Wellens Family

Oh Christmas Cards, Oh Christmas Cards, How lovely are thy options!

2010-12-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

My ABSOLUTE favorite time of the year for mail is Christmas time!!!!

And no, I'm not talking about the packages either. Don't get me wrong they are lovely, fun and exciting, but I'm talking about the CARDS!!! My favorites are the personal ones with pictures, they are like presents to me. I love seeing everyone's kids and families grow throughout the years. And for the most part, those are the only pictures that I get of everyone each year, so I really look forward to them.

I can't wait to send mine out, but there are so many different styles to choose from. Quite frankly, I have fallen in love with so many from Shutterfly.com and can not decide on just one. Do you mind helping me choose? Pretty, pretty please with sugar on top? :0)

My top loves are,

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

They also offer MUGS and perfect desk CALENDARS!!!!Ideal for Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Friends, Neighbors,...You can fill your whole office with these!.... :0)

What are your favorites on Shutterfly.com? I bet you can't pick just one! :0)
Also check out their Ho! Ho! Ho! Holiday Special Offers for awesome deals on all of their products! Including FREE Shipping on an order of $50+ promo code SHIP50 !
Please don't forget to leave a comment below with the # that's your favorite! Thanks!!

Sicky Poo and Thanksgiving Too!!! :0)

2009-11-25T20:27:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts!!! - I was on such a roll there :0)

Evan, Anthony and I have all been really sick :0(.......Evan recovered within a day, whereas Ant and I have been struggling with it for a few days now.......No biggie though!! I'm glad it came BEFORE Thanksgiving!!! Last year, poor Evan was so sick that he stayed in my brother's room almost all night and didn't eat a thing. :0(

We are all doing great besides that :) Avery's Prevacid kicked back into FULL GEAR and he is eating and keeping his food down beautifully........Oh it brings tears to my eyes to see him gobble down his snacks and most of his meals without a fight.........Drinking for him is still a MAJOR problem.....Not at night before bed, but in the morning he takes about 3 oz at the MOST......2 oz at the MOST around 3pm......but does 8 full oz of his Pediasure or 1.5 cal BOOST at night :0).......He likes to drink out of a straw......NO SIPPY LIDS.......He throws them across the room lol........His fav thing to do is to take a tiny medicine cup fill it with water and drink it......lol......So funny.......Other than that I have to syringe whatever he doesn't take by cup willingly.....He doesn't mind the syringe.....Strange......Whatever works though.....

I am so excited for Thanksgiving tomorrow!!!! My absolute FAVORITE holiday!!!! Now I'm not big on cooking.......I hate cooking every day, 3 times a day...... but a few times a week is ok.........I love cooking on Holidays though!!! I love it......ha!......

I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!

p.s. I promise to post TONS of pictures soon.........For now if you want to see some recent shots, friend me on FACEBOOK!!!!! :0)......... Look for Alyson Wellens ...... I'll be looking forward to all of your friend requests :0)

p.p.s. Thank you so much for all of your love, friendship and support with my last blog.......About once a year I just need to really throw all of my feelings and frustrations out there......and i love that all of you make me feel better......I need to vent sometimes, but can NEVER get the words out......So blogging really does wonders......Thanks so much again xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

God bless!!!

I thought that time was supposed to heal all wounds??!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-11-18T07:03:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful every year when November 9th comes and goes like any other day.

But why is it that shortly after that day something happens and it forces me to think about THAT day? It ends up hitting me like a ton of bricks in the worst way.

I was at one of my doctor's that I hadn't been to in a while. So when I got there they had to update all of their info on me and ask me a ton of questions. I'm SUCH a chit chatty person, so I don't mind. The nurse at the Intake room was so fun, nice and sweet and answering her questions was just like talking to one of my friends. She asked me the "typical" questions like, "Do you take any medications regularly?", and worked her way to "Family History". I had such a fun time talking to her until she asked me, "Do you have any history of breast, ovarian, cervical, or uterine cancer?"... I answered, "Yes, my mother.......ummmm......Breast cancer.".......She asked me, "Oh, How's she doing?"........By this time I was beet red with raspberries all over my chest, which was CLEARLY VISIBLE as I was wearing a v-neck shirt and I was shaking and breathing oddly like I was going to pass out....I felt my head get tingly and I felt numb...........(I'm getting raspberries and breathing heavy as I'm typing this too...ugh).......And as she stared at me I mustered the words, "Uh....She's gone......She passed, uh...... Nov. 9th, ooooooffffffffffff...... 2001, yea.....2001".........She looked at me with a sad face, apologized, said "awwwwwww" and proceeded to take my blood pressure which was a tad high at 126/80.........and then said, "hmmmmmm your blood pressure is a little high"........yea NO KIDDING.....lol

Anyways, it still hadn't occurred to me that day had already passed.......

Afterwards, I was driving to the grocery store, rockin out to my iPod on "shuffle".....It was quite odd that it was playing a lot of "Jesus Jams" (as my 7 year old calls them...lol)......(Considering the fact that it has over 600 songs on it and only maybe 50 Christian songs).............and I felt the strong urge to call my mother and tell her about what had happened at the doctor's and ask her about Thanksgiving.......But then it HIT me......clear out the blue.......and I felt my heart crush.......NO I felt like it had been smashed into a bazillion pieces.......I couldn't seem to focus on anything.......and I felt light I was floating.....like I wasn't even "there"........BUT then I calmed down......very oddly I FORGOT about it again.....

Then the next morning, I was reading a friend's FB status...... "I am very thankful for my mother who is always there for me no matter what......I love her.....".........OK fine.....I was smiling for her.....because our mother's were friends and we knew each other well....... Then I read a follow-up comment that said something like, "Isn't is great that as we get older we become closer to our mothers."........OK now that hit me and I became very somber, thinking about .....What could have been.......What was.......What never was.....and What will never be........I feel like I was flippin cheated out of a wonderful relationship with my mother.......We didn't really get along all of my teenage years at all........We fought a lot......We were like 2 cooks in a kitchen.......2 girls at a party wearing the same dress....lol........But yet my heart was crushing.......There are MANY MANY MANY times in which I feel the urge to call her, then I realize I can't........ Some days I even have this REAL thought in my head of how I want to meet up with her......My brain tricks me into thinking it's REALLY going to happen.....and I mean I feel her presence and I feel like she is SOOOOOOO ALIVE and then all of a sudden, it hits me.....BOOM...........I know that if she were alive today we would be THE BEST OF FRIENDS........I just know it.......Now that I'm a mother, I am able to fully understand her feelings and struggles.......So there's no doubt in my mind that we would be inseparable...

I talk to her often......and this may sound strange, but I "hear and feel" her talking back to me......What I mean is that I know how she would most likely respond to things.......and I know the faces she would make.....The way she would talk with a super tiny lisp.....I even "feel and smell" her and her hugs sometimes too........ Is that crazy?? Is it wishful thinking???

I can't seem to get past my feelings and just "let go".......Maybe it's because some days I DO NOT ACCEPT the fact that my mother is gone!!!!!!! Why did she have to go when I need her..... Why did God take her??!!! But then I think of all the ways my life has been blessed, and I tell myself that she left her earthly body because her work here was done.......She has a much bigger job to do in heaven. And boy has she done such a beautiful job. I'll be honest with you....I don't feel like that EVERY DAY.......I have my moments...... Maybe it hits me like a ton of bricks because on days that I'm not appreciative of who and what I have in life, she wants to remind me just how blessed my life is......So it hits me, my cycle of thinking runs its' course and then I feel peaceful.

I find it so odd that I can talk about all of this so freely on my blog for the whole world to see, but I can't seem to muster up the courage or not draw a blank when it comes to telling my friends, my family or my husband......In fact, I don't want ANYONE to ever ask me for my feelings about her......I feel like they are so personal and private and ALL MINE........

And I HATE when people give me pictures of her with NO HAIR!!!! Throw them away people.....Don't show them to me!!!! .......I DO NOT want them!!! Why do I want to remember her being sick?? And NO do NOT ask me if I want to,... or...... why I don't do the breast cancer walk....Or wear breast cancer memorabilia....Or want to support research.....I want NOTHING to do with any of that......I'm not "there" yet.......and I'm not ready to be "there" yet........I mean I get anxiety from just seeing someone with cancer......

So,......In the long run.....Time has not healed my wounds......Not one TINY bit......Time makes me bitter......Angry.......Sad.......Cold......Lonely.........I feel like all this "time" could have been spent WITH her........So the heck with "time"

The ONLY thing that is "covering" my wounds......(not healing)......Is knowing that she is in heaven, pain free, happy, healthy, beautiful, and watching over my family and I......

Wow this was a long one......Yet very therapeutic :0) .......It took me over 3 hours to write all of this.....I don't expect you all to understand my way of thinking......Or for any of this to make any sense.......It was so hard and easy to get all of this out.......I NEEDED to get this out.........Now I feel at peace...... :0)

I hope everyone has a great day!!

Totally RaNdOm Tuesday - Grocery Stores

2009-11-17T07:22:00.000-08:00

I absolutely DREAD having to go to the grocery store for JUST ONE THING. Because you know you just can't buy that ONE THING......You have to make your trip worth while.......So you end up leaving with at LEAST $80 worth of stuff.......You may not necessarily need all that stuff......But you buy it anyways......

If I leave with that ONE thing and that's it, I feel like something is missing...... The whole way home I go over what I could have missed.....I end up driving myself nuts...lol

But what really gets to me, is when you go in for that ONE THING and either they DON'T have it, OR......You end up forgetting all about and don't realize it until you get all the way home........

The Deli counter........Should I even go there.......I feel like I always make a mad dash for the "Ticket Number Thingy"...lol........Like I'm in a nascar race.........The line is always ridiculously long........The people are almost ALWAYS grouchy.........And everyone always takes their good old time figuring out what they want......Or they ask tons of questions and want to sample everything.....

I rarely ever go shopping by myself, if EVER.........You would think I would get a lot more accomplished without a 7 year old asking you to buy everything and wanting to weigh everything on the electronic scales for fun, and when your 17 month old is whining and trying to pull the drawstrings on your jacket......But NO........It's harder for me to think clearly when they're not there........Especially when Evan isn't there reminding me of what we have to get......(I swear Evan has the best memory out of all of us).

And what's with the "15 Items or Less" or the "Self Check Out" lanes.......The "15 items or less" lane IS ALWAYS SLOW MOVING ........OH AND..........I am always doing something wrong at the "Self Check Out"........The computer hates me, I know it.......Either that or she's a pure diva.............She always tells me "Unknown item in bagging area"......"Please wait for assistance"........."Items removed from bagging area"......UGH....I love talking back to her.......I swear people must think I'm nuts.......But she messed with me first....lol

The person before you almost always have a million coupons and the manager always has to be called for over rides......Or someone pays by check.......You know they make check cards these days.....lol.......They take forever to write them out and then the ancient and hardly ever used dinosaur of a check machine isn't working right or the check gets stuck.......Or ......You get the idea..... :0)

Avery is FOREVER trying to touch all the buttons on the credit card machine.....UGH.......Once he did a real doozy (is that even a word??... :0]) and they had to rescan all of my items......I never got so many dirty looks at a store before..... :0).........

Do you have any crazy grocery store tales you care to share???

Quick Update :0) - And I need book ideas please :0)

2009-11-16T07:25:00.000-08:00

Sheesh its seems like my life is just going, going, going.... I tell myself every day that I have to update or share a funny, crazy, or boring story with all of you....he he he......But when I finally have THAT moment to myself, all I want to do is ly around and just breathe...... :0)

Me - I am FINALLY back on my diet after a 2 month hiatus......lol........I gained back about 2-3 pounds, but that's OK........I hope to shed it all VERY QUICKLY........Hear that self......So lets get to work lol

Evan - Doing marvelous!!! He really has been such a good boy for the past few weeks.......Ever since he turned 7.......Yes 7 on Oct. 24th!!! My baby is 7 YEARS OLD......He has just matured A LOT!!!! I am so very proud of him. Such a great big brother too.....He even makes sure to read Avery a story every single day.......And lets him play with his Star Wars guys.....lol..........Avery is so into it and really plays along.......

Avery - Overall doing quite well.......He made it to the 5th PERCENTILE........But then came down with a cold and dropped all the way back to the 3rd percentile........He's such a little guy, but looks like a healthy weight and height when looking at him........

He started to self wean his Prevacid and the doctors told us to let him do it just to see where he was at with his reflux.......No sense in making him take his "Candy...Orange Caaaannnnndyyyy" every day, if he doesn't need it, right.......... He was doing OK for about a week and then things just went CRAZY.......He would barely drink his milk.......I had to syringe his milk and his Vita Coco to keep him hydrated...... He was arching his back every time he ate and was throwing up EVERYTHING!!!!......He even developed this new habit that when he re fluxes his spits.......Some people think he's being cute and doing "raspberries", but even though he smiles and laughs when he's doing it, it's still because of his reflux. We put him back on his "Candy" full force and he is making a SLIGHT improvement........But still IMPROVING :0)......He hates his "candy" now and won't take it normally, without spitting it out or scraping it out of his mouth......So I have to dilute it in a little cup and have him drink it.....he loves it like that :0)

Anthony - He's still his goofy, crazy, mopey, lovable self.....lol.....And yes I did say MOPEY...lol.......Everyone who knows Anthony, know that's him to a T :0)

Oh and Thanksgiving is coming SOON!!!!! YAY!!!!!!! That is definitely marked on my calendar as the ULTIMATE CHEAT DAY!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!

What is everyone doing?? Making??? Care to share any super cool Thanksgiving recipes with me??? :0)

Also, I am reading Evan's class a book on Friday and I need some ideas of, silly, fun and TOTALLY out of the ordinary to read :0)......I was thinking maybe "Dog Breath" or as some of my friends have suggested, "Captain Underpants".........

PLEASE HELP with ANY and ALL IDEAS!!!!

Wednesdays For Wyatt!!!

2009-10-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

It’s official... Today is our very first post for Wednesdays for Wyatt!

This blog was copied from Danielle's blog about her precious son, Wyatt!!!!

Please go to her blog to copy and paste this same post onto your blog and make sure to RETURN to HER blog to link up with MckLinky..........Boy was that a run on sentence!!! lol

It’s quite simple to participate. All you have to do is copy and paste this post on your blog, and come back here to link up with MckLinky! Once you do that, your all set to win this first ever Wednesday’s for Wyatt giveaway. Let make this a huge success, shall we?

Now, back to the good stuff!

For those of you who are not familiar with my family and what we are trying to achieve, here’s a brief run down...

Our son Wyatt was diagnosed with a fatal condition at our 18 week ultrasound, but chose to carry him to term. We waited to meet our son with love, all the time praying we would get to see him alive.

On June 1, 2009, Wyatt made his way into the world by c-section. To our amazement he had a faint heartbeat and was breathing! He died two minutes later, but I’ve clung to the two minutes my son and I breathed the same air since his passing.

Upon calling to get a copy of Wyatt’s birth certificate, I found out he was listed as a stillborn. You would assume it was a mistake (like I did), but there was no mistake. According to the definition of live birth in Tennessee my son was not “alive enough” to be deemed a live born baby. His two minutes of life has gone unrecognized by my state, and I intend to change this piece of legislation so I can solidify the validity of my son’s short life.

Wednesdays for Wyatt was created to help spread awareness for a law that needs to be changed, as well as to generate more traffic to my petition. So if you’re reading this, thanks for taking the time to help our family!

We are currently up to 1,253 signatures. Hurray! We’ve made it over my initial goal of 1,000 signatures, and now I’m dreaming big! You think you can help me get 5,000 signatures by Thanksgiving? I bet you could, and I hope this Wednesdays for Wyatt helps out tremendously. Post this to your blogs, facebook, myspace... wherever you can think of. I can’t wait to see how many more signatures we receive from this. I have a great feeling!

The contest will only be open today. You have until 11:59 pm to post this on your blog and come back here to link up with MckLinky in order to qualify for this Wednesdays for Wyatt giveaway. Good luck everybody and thanks for participating.

Totally RaNdOm Tuesday - On a THURSDAY......How daring lol

2009-10-08T07:02:00.000-07:00

How come fast food tastes the best when eaten out of your car???

Do you find yourself fry less by the time you get home from Wendy's??

I always tell myself I'm going to "wait" until I get home to eat them, but it never quite works out that way......I mean the INTENTIONS ARE THERE......but for some reason every time I get in the door, my fries seem to of magically disappeared....I'm left rounding up all of the sharp little fry crumbs in the bottom of my bag :0)

I even find myself asking Evan and Avery to share THEIR fries with mommy......lol... Pathetic... lol

And of course, I have to justify my eating fast food by always ordering a bottle of water with my 8,000 calorie meal....Like it even really matters lol

Boy I LOVE WENDY'S!!!!......MUY DELICIOSO!!! :0)

Tons of prayers and lovin please!!

2009-09-25T07:26:00.001-07:00

My little buddy Jaxson is having surgery today and could use a TON of prayers!!!!

He and is family are all so very special and my heart goes out to them.

Little Jaxson is having a heart cath done today and there are talks of a possible trach as well.

Please visit his blog and leave him some extra extra lovin today :0)

It's sure been a while, huh??!!

2009-09-22T15:06:00.000-07:00

So how was everyone's Summer???

Ours was GREAT!!!

SO MANY awesome things happened!!

Let's start with my big boy Evan....

1. He swims 100% without swimmies!!!.......He can also hold his breath underwater for 10 seconds straight and he loves to touch his hands to the bottom of the pool :0)......Every beautiful day we had, we took FULL advantage of it and would drive the 45 mins to my dad's house to go swimming..........The funny part was that at the beginning of the summer, he was petrified of swimming even WITH swimmies.....he kept on crying and screaming, "I'm going to drown!!".....Oh how dramatic......he kinda sounds like someone I know.....kinda like me....lol........And now he jumps in the 9ft deep end without ANYTHING .......and you can get him away from the pool.....

2. He FINALLY got the hand of buckling himself in his car seat AND shutting the door......What a BIG HELP that is to me!!!!.....There is nothing worse than having to buckle in 2 kids when it is pouring rain out......And here in NJ that was pretty much 60% of our Summer this year.....

3. Evan is an official SOCCER PLAYER!!!!!!........He practices twice a week and has a game every Saturday. Considering that this is his FIRST year playing soccer.....and not to mention he is playing with the "big" kids......(the 8 year olds)......He is doing pretty well......I'm so proud of him.

4. Tying his shoes all by himself makes him feel like such a big boy and I love it!!!

5. He started FIRST GRADE on Sept. 14th and he loves it!!! He goes FULL day this year....... THAT'S BIG TIME BABY!!!!

6. He will be 7 on Oct 24th......Yes 7!!!!! WOW!! My baby is growing up!!!

7. He finally got the hang of playing tennis and is doing better and better each and every time we play.

Now for Mr. Avery

1. He is such a silly and VERY energetic little boy!!!

2. He cracks himself up all the time :0)........His favorite thing to laugh at???......... Himself peeing in the tub :0) .......Boys!!.....ha ha .....gotta love them :0)

3. Avery answers "Yes" to everything..........and I do mean EVERYTHING......I love messing with him......." Avery, Can you stand on your head and moo like a cow?"......Avery replies with a very serious, "Yes".......

4. Ducks, Birds, and Goats are his favorite animals........He quacks and quacks and quacks away.

5. Poor Evan can't catch a break.....Every time we are at the store and Avery is in the cart.....as soon as Evan gets close enough to him.....Avery whacks him....This may sound bad, but I literally have to refrain from cracking up, .....It really has got to be the funniest thing.......Evan dodges Avery's smacks almost the whole time at the store........Evan just makes it worse on himself by laughing every time Avery does it......Evan even provokes him .......Oh the lovely Chaos :0)

6 Avery weighs 20.5 pounds now and is eating GREAT!!!!! He still has the reflux, but it is being controlled BEAUTIFULLY and Avery is a happy eater :0).....Seriously.....He's doing AWESOME!!!.......We are so proud of how far he has come.....

7. He is still a little fish in water!!...... In fact, he is FEARLESS when it comes to being in the pool or the lake. He wants to swim so bad. He spent a good majority of his summer in the pool ........He didn't care if it was too cold.....he just wanted to get in a do his thing........

For my husband and I

1. We love each other more than ever :0)

2. Anthony is still in school and working and traveling with his job all the time......It's been hard not having him at home for long, but when he IS home, we really just focus on spending as much quality family time together :0)

3. We have been refurnishing our house.....YAY!!!! Even though it has been taking a long time to do it, I love it!!! :0)

4. Oh yea......I lost a TON of weight!!! Since Avery was born, I have lost a total of 70 pounds!!! Go me,.......Go me.....Go, go, go me :0).....I still have about 12 pounds to lose before I am at my PRE PREGNANCY weight......as in......BEFORE I got pregnant with EVAN weight .....lol.......

Ok.....I know I probably missed TONS.......I really had so much to tell you that once I sat down.....I forgot a bunch....lol.....Don't you hate it when that happens???.....lol!!! But I really want to get this blog posted already......Sheesh!!! It was supposed to be done like a week ago!......Sorry

I will be posting pictures SOON......I promise!!

I'm baaaack!!! :0)

2009-09-16T10:31:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!!!!

Sorry for the WAY TOO LONG (yet much needed) SUPER HIATUS!!!!

I'll be back to attack with a nice post either later this evening or tomorrow morning!!!

I have missed you all, but I haven't missed too too much on all of your blogs :) Even though I haven't been commenting much, I still read them all the time to check in with all of you.

Stay tuned.....

<3 <3 <3

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

CUSTOM BLOG GIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCED!!!

2009-07-16T06:18:00.000-07:00

Joy!!

Congrats!!!!!!

Enter a lower limit: 1
Enter an upper limit: 26
Random number: 5

Please e-mail me your address ASAP so Christina can get your custom blog started for you!!!

allyvwell@comcast.net

If you didn't win, please do not be discouraged!!

There will be a NEW GIVEAWAY EVERY WEEK!!!

So please keep check back in with us EVERY SATURDAY when our NEW GIVEAWAY STARTS!! :0)

CUSTOM BLOG GIVEAWAY ENDS TONIGHT!!!

2009-07-15T18:47:00.001-07:00

The winner will be announced tomorrow!!!

So go and ENTER ENTER ENTER!!!!!! :0)

Wordless Wednesday....On a THURSDAY.....I'm such a Rebel!!! :0)

2009-07-09T05:55:00.000-07:00

Avery's FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY on 6/6/09 !!!! (right before I broke down in tears) - Thanks Christy!!! :0)

Super Goofy Face - Priceless

Ant having fun with his phone :0)....ha ha!!

Brotherly Love - MY FAVORITE!!!

Fun at the park

Relaxing in the BOB Stroller!!! - We ALL love it SO MUCH!!!! Best Purchase in baby gear that we've made!!! :0)

Avery's FIRST PAIR OF SHOES!!!! - Converse All Stars, of course!!! :0)

OK.....So I broke ANOTHER rule.....It's not exactly wordless, but I tried.......UH.......For those of you who know me in person, I NEVER shut up :0).....So being "wordless" is REALLY HARD for me....he he he

CUSTOM BLOG MAKEOVER GIVEAWAY!!!

2009-07-08T06:39:00.000-07:00

My friend Christina at Pooh's Corner has been SO GENEROUS to offer one of my followers...

A CUSTOM BLOG MAKEOVER!!!

HOW EXCITING!!!!

Isn't that the coolest thing?

Haven't you ALWAYS wanted one??!!

♥ halos polished & straightened ♥ wings fluffed ♥ harps tuned ♥ hearts filled up with love ♥ prayers asked & prayers given ♥

Please join Christina in Pooh's Corner at Angel Rest Stop!

It's a brand new blogging opportunity designed for families in need of prayer.

Whether you need prayers or you are here to pray for families in need, there is strength our Faith. God's will and our prayers.

If you would like your name added to her prayer list, please sign up in Mr. Linky via Angel Rest Stop, so we can all stop by your blog and start praying.

She will be posting a specific prayer request every Thursday.

Here's how to enter...

*FOLLOW ME on blogspot. http://wellensfamily.blogspot.com

AND.....

*COMMENT me with WHATEVER you would like,...a funny joke or story, an inspirational quote, your Summer plans, a random thought, ANYTHING......Have fun with it!!! :0)
(Be sure to either leave an e-mail adress or have a "running" blog so I can contact you, if you win!!!)

EARN MORE ENTRIES BY...

*VISITING Pooh's Corner AND leaving her a nice little COMMENT.

*FOLLOWING Pooh's Corner.

*ADDING a prayer request to Angel Rest Stop via Mr. Linky.

EARN DOUBLE ENTRIES BY

*BLOGGING about this giveaway - be sure to let me know so I can stop by :0)

*FOLLOWING me on TWITTER! http://twitter.com/allyvwell
(Please comment me below to let me know you are following via Twitter)

*TWEETING about this giveaway...... Please leave the URL of your tweet in a comment!!

*Make sure to COMMENT FOR EACH to INCREASE your chance of winning!!*

This Giveaway STARTS TODAY

and ENDS on Wednesday, July 15th at 11:59 p.m.

The WINNERS will be chosen COMPLETELY at RANDOM (believe me I wish I could give each and everyone of you the prize!!) and will be announced on

Thursday, July 16th!!!!......

Thank you and GOOD LUCK!!!

Totally RaNdOm Tuesday - Sunscreen

2009-07-07T06:29:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhhh wake up and smell the Sunscreen......

Yes!!! I'm that strange girl at Target sniffing all of the sunscreens......You should join me :0).........Water Babies, Coppertone, Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic, .......

BLEH to the unscented ones!!......I want to smell coconuts and bananas...... I want to envision my husband and I on a beach in Hawaii, with our feet in the sand, sipping on delicious tropical drinks with little umbrellas in them......Hearing waves crashing along the shore and seagulls singing,..... Not a care in the world...

I want to remember a time when I lived in Nevada and my family went to Wet N Wild EVERY DAY......Riding along the lazy river in my cool neon bathing suit, going down EVERY slide, through EVERY tube, swimming in EVERY pool, .....Trying to avoid meeting up with my mom for lunch.........Who wants to stop having fun to eat??...............AWESOME!!!!!

As I got a little older, and wanted that "tan" body, I stopped using sunscreen and went to using TANNING OIL.......EEEEKKKKKKK.........

Now......I am whiter than white.....I burn EASILY......and FAST..........

I was that girl who would go on vacation with her family to the shore.......Lay out on the beach for the whole day on the FIRST DAY.....and THEN.....Spend the rest of my vacation inside nursing my BAD SUNBURN and ONLY coming out once the sun had gone down.......

I did it to myself EVERY SINGLE TIME......What was I thinking??? :0P

p.s. Throughout the fall and winter you can catch me dabbing a little bit of sunscreen on my arm from time to time...... It brings me back to that warm "Hawaii vision" that I dream of....he he he

These days I tend to live by the rule

Sorry that I was MIA for a little bit!! My husband was on vacation, my little brother was staying with us for the week and we were back and forth to every one of our relatives........It was nice, but tiring.......It was a MUCH NEEDED Hiatus!!!......But, I'm glad to be back!!! I've missed ALL of you and your awesome comments :0) <3<3<3<3

Don't forget to link up so we can all see your Totally RaNdOm thoughts!!!

Avery AKA Tissue Monster & an AWESOME AWARD!!!

2009-06-27T07:03:00.000-07:00

Thank you Kimber for this Super Awesome Award!!!! - I loves it!!...he he he

She also had a photo challenge:

6th folder, 6th photo & tell the story behind it...

I USED to keep tissues on my night stand.......

It didn't even cross my mind that the tissue monster was planning his next attack :0)...

One day I spotted him climbing up a mountain of toys, reaching his arm out of his "cage" and grabbing the tissue box in a blink of an eye.......So crafty, he is.....

This time I am going to stick to following the rules!! :0)

So I have to choose 5 other awesome bloggers (like myself) to pass this on to....

1) Christy at Delightfully Domestic - One of my bestest friends ever!!!

2) Chapman Crazyhouse - Just because she is awesome and she has the cutest kids :0)

3) Joy at From Our Family To Yours - She is so sweet and is always there when I need a "helping hand".

4) Jess at Jersey Girl In Louisiana - She is another one of my bestest buddies!

5) Holly at Haas Family Blessings - She's a great mama and I just love her kind and fun spirit and her blog!!

Great News!!!!! (and some bad too....unfortunately)

2009-06-26T06:54:00.000-07:00

Avery had his appt. with his GI doctor yesterday at CHOP and despite the fact that we got "lost" on our way there........How does that happen???....I have been there a bunch of times and I practically lived there when I was a child!!!.......It went GREAT!!!!

After "seeing" Avery chart wise (from birth to now) they were expecting to see a VERY sick and VERY little baby.......So when the doctor came in the room and saw a VERY happy and VERY energetic baby, She literally let out a sigh of relief and said, "Well this changes EVERYTHING!!!"......

She said that for his height and weight of 18lbs 11oz......He is PERFECT and where he should be.....He is in the 50th% on THAT chart.... (On the standard charts he is still at about 3% for height and 3% for weight).....So she was very pleased!! Not to mention the fact that she says that despite him being very small.....He is reaching FULL potential!!! YAY!!!

They are FINALLY discontinuing the Zantac.......PRAISE GOD!!! That stuff was horrendous to give Avery.....UGH.....And we have gone up to a full 15mg of Prevacid......GREAT!!!

The past few days have been filled with Avery coughing throwing up almost EVERYTHING he eats......(he's not sick......he has no fever....no lethargy....nothing......We think his reflux is breaking through again)......and I am having a SUPER HARD time getting him to SWALLOW!!! It's so stressful and exhausting!!! Some days I feel like giving up......I feel like "What's wrong with this baby??".........Not swallowing is horrible because you know you are feeding him what he loves and he is just letting it sit in his mouth until it all comes out......GRRRRRRR........Or else he lets it sit in there until he chokes on it.......Or until he sneezes and it all comes out all over the place......I DO NOT enjoy feeding him when he eats like that........

Hopefully this extra Prevacid starts working soon.....I don't know how much more of this I can take.......

Oh and p.s.......Why does everyone have to give their 2 cents on how to get him to eat when they have NEVER had a child who didn't want to eat.....I am SOOOOOO SICK AND TIRED of people saying, "Well maybe he's not hungry?." "Maybe he doesn't want THAT?." "Maybe you're feeding him TOO much?."........UGH......GO AWAY!!!! I hate to be rude and I know that people mean well......But they DON'T KNOW Avery like I do......They don't know the "games" he plays ......And quite frankly their suggestions are like dust in the wind.......I want SOLUTIONS......Help me out with different techniques to feed him......Maybe a different food at that time........Because NOT EATING is NOT an OPTION!!!....... I feel like he's already eating bare minimum......I'm not decreasing his feeds.....We need to INCREASE....... (We had been doing well and got Avery to eat ONE FULL extra meal a day....YAY.....right before this whole "not eating" thing came into play)

He usually has NO PROBLEMS with eating FULL FEEDS at home, but when we are out and at other people's houses..........(especially this time of year.....barbecues, picnics, swimming, park, etc....)....He eats like a bird or refuses to eat all together.......(oh and we know he is fully capable of eating as much as we give him.....he does it well for a couple of weeks and then he regresses)

OK....ENOUGH about that :0)

Let's just get this reflux under control......and hopefully that will help him :0)

Thank you to everyone for all of your continued prayers and support!!!

God Bless!!

p.s. Sorry I have been MIA, but I'm sure you can understand why........ <3.......I spend ALL day trying to get him eat and be comfortable and my husband has had off from work So I haven't had much time for anything........ha ha.....And my toe nail polish is just about all chipped off and I have yet to be able to even fix that......he he he ......Hopefully, I'll have a few minutes tonight to tend to MYSELF for once :0)

The Honest Scrap Award Goes To...

2009-06-24T06:23:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much Jennifer for nominating me for this award!!!

I am supposed to say 10 things about myself with full honesty.

I hope some of you still follow me after this...

I get BAD ANXIETY when I am driving next to a tractor trailor or any huge truck......I'm always afraid that they are going to run me over or run me off of the road......Just thinking about it makes me get nervous.......
I LOVE Italian Hoagies with Mayo, Oil and Vinegar and tons of ONIONS :0)......and I will travel almost any distance to get a really yummy one :0)
When I have stuff I have to do and I go into high stress mode.......I get very frustrated easily and I tend to yell A LOT and run around like a crazy person until everything gets done.....
I am VERY INDECISIVE!!!!! I usually know what I want before I walk into the store......I'll pick it up and then question my purchase about a thousand times..... "YAY!!! I'm getting this!!!! YAY!!!.........Wait.........Should I buy this??....... Do I REALLY need this??.....No I'm not getting it.......But hold on ......I want it.....I DO need this!!....I'm getting it!!.........It's kinda expensive though.........hmmmmmmmm.....Maybe I'll wait to see if it goes on sale.........Ah ha!!! I'll carry it around with me and think about it............Alright I'm getting it........I can always bring it back if I change my mind..... UGH!! Am I crazy??? he he he
I HATE TO COOK!!!!!! No I really do!!!!! I ONLY do it because I HAVE TO....... and that's OK :0).......I'm still a good cook......I just like to get things done FAST......and cooking makes messes and it's a big waiting game that I can't stand.......
When I find a shirt that I love.....I usually buy one of it in EVERY color!!......Seriously come look in my closet.......But...Watch out for falling objects......
I think WAY too deeply into things sometimes, .......but.... I am slowing convincing myself that I do NOT need to over analyze things......
I used to care about what people thought of me........Now I seriously could care less......I have learned that I am not living my life according to YOUR plan.....But according to God's plan......I am living my life for my children, my husband and Him!!
I think I have serious ADD.....I change the subject all the time and can't pay too much attention to one thing for long, or else I start to tune it out :0)......
I am SO SCARED of the dark........Not necessarily the DARK, but the UNKNOWN.......I play pictures in my head of the SCARIEST things I could possibly think of.......I always feel like something is going to jump out and grab me........So far nothing has EVER jumped out and grabbed me or anyone else I know for that matter,.....But you never know....It could happen......he he he

I know, I know, I'm a little crazy and maybe just a tad bit obsessive too :0P

Here's the rules:

(1) Thank the person who nominated you for this award. You don't have too.
(2) Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
(3) Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
(4) Name 10 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
(5) Nominate 10 Honest Scrap Bloggers.
(6) Post links to the 10 blogs you nominate.
(7) Leave a comment on each of the blogs, letting them know they have been nominated.

I'm tagging:

1) Holly at Haas Family Blessings
2) Christina at Pooh's Corner
3) Kimber at A Day In The Life Of A Girl Named Kimber
4) Katie at Blessed With Full Hands
5) Joy at From Our Family To Yours
6) Melisa at Mom To Monsters
7) Jess at Jersey Girl In Louisiana
8) Chapman Crazy House
9) Heather at Heather's Hodgepodge
10) Caroline at The Croley Gang
11)Annmarie at My 7th Heaven
12)Karen at Bloggie McBlogger
13)Lacey at Jaxson's Fight
14)Heidi at Junior's Amazing Journey
15) Skylar's Journeys
16)One Day At A Time

Again.....I'm a rule breaker and nominated 16 of you wonderful people :0)

Totally RaNdOm Tuesday - Kitchen Utensils

2009-06-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

*Sporks- Is it a spoon?? Is it a fork??? Who cares!!?? They're awesome!!!

*Chop sticks - Am I the ONLY adult who still has NO IDEA how to use them....(My 6 year old even knows how to work them).........Thank Heavens for the kids version......

*Measuring Spoons - Why is it that my measuring spoons are all mangled and chewed to bits?? How come I never think to look for them in the garbage disposal, BEFORE I turn the darn thing on??? Why am I always so shocked that it happened??

*Spatulas - You can you flip a pancake and kill a fly at the same time.......GROSS.... :0P .......ha ha ha You know I love them!!! (Thanks Joy!!)

*Soup Ladel - How come it always causes the drawer to get stuck?? It's funny that I have it in there in the first place :0) ...I NEVER use it, but what if I have the urge to make a stew one day......and it's not there??

*Tongs!! - Now there's an AWESOME invention!!! I use mine for almost everything.... Even though they're trouble makers and never want to stay closed, therefore always getting stuck in my drawer,....... I still love them to pieces.....

*Apple Slicer - Forget about it.......I feel like it's so useless.....First of all....It needs a drawer of its' own.....The thing is HUGE!!.....Second....You HAVE to have Optimus Prime readily available in order to be able to use it.....Otherwise, you're just beating the poor apple against the cutting board...... Oh and those cores!!...They ALWAYS get stuck in it and require a crow bar to pry them out.....ha ha.....Using a knife is way easier......I'm exhausted even just thinking about it .....My husband would disagree......He thinks it's the best thing since sliced bread.....

*The Future of Utensils and Bic Pens?? - ha ha Seriously.....They sell these....Check them out :0)

p.s. George Michaels Rocks!! :0P
(Even though he's crazy and a little creepy......His music is still awesome!!)

Now It's your turn!!!!

Don't forget to link up below so we all can get a glimpse of your randomness :0)

p.s. Are there any other crazy utensils out there???

Not Me!!!!! Monday

2009-06-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

Now why in the world would I leave Evan in an aisle all by himself in Target?? No it was NOT because he was bugging me to buy him EVERY SINGLE THING he saw........No it was not because I told him "Let's Go!!" 8 bazillion times.........NOPE!!

He didn't even come running out of that aisle yelling, "MOMMY!!!!! You know you shouldn't just leave your kid all by themselves like that!!!! The cameras are watching you!!!".........

And NO.....I didn't say, "I guess that disqualifies me for the 'Mother Of The Year' award, ehhhh,....Too bad..."

No I did NOT cry when a MAJOR issue occurred when Ant updated my iphone and TOTALLY ERASED EVERYTHING ON IT and LOCKED ME OUT OF IT!!!!.........Then after I figured out how to fix it and did my super cool victory dance.....GO ME!!!.......No I did NOT go CRAZY and act a FOOL when it then wouldn't let me retrieve any of my "backup information"........No I did NOT throw a TANTRUM at all that night......

I did NOT notice that Avery needed a diaper change and then SAY I would do it in a couple minutes and then forget all about it until I saw it hanging down around his ankles......No way!

And NO I am NOT SUPER EMOTIONAL and find myself crying at every HUGGIES and JOHNSON & JOHNSON commercial I SEE!!!............and Oh My Goodness.......CERTAINLY NOT that one commerical where that guy says, "For every pair of shoes we sell, we give a pair away to a child in need".......OH NO!!! NOT THAT ONE!!!.......OK.....Maybe THAT ONE!!! ha ha :0)

Please Pray For My Best Little Buddy Jaxson!!!!

2009-06-20T20:07:00.000-07:00

Please says TONS of prayers for my BEST little buddy Jaxson!!!
(Isn't he just the cutest??!!!)

Jax has Down Syndrome and CHD amongst other things and had surgery a few days ago. Even though his surgery went well and he is now home he is having some complications. Not only is he cranky and tender, but his belly is distended and this particular problem could be SVC or heart related.

He is such an awesome and beautiful little boy who I have so much love for. His family is amazing and love him to bits and they could really use A LOT of prayers for not only Jaxson to get better, but also all of this is hard on his brothers who love him and just want to be able to play with him, have ice cream cones in the yard with him, chase the ice cream man down (like someone else I know....ahem....hahaha), go swimming, and run and jump, play baseball, tag, hide and go seek, Nintendo Wii, and all the things brothers do.

I seriously can not stress enough just how SPECIAL this little man is to me....... and my heart aches for him, rejoices for him, ....... I am just so proud of all that he has accomplished.......He has been through ~~SO MUCH~~......TOO MUCH in his short little life.........I am amazed by his beautiful and gentle spirit and by what a FIGHTER and a DREAMER he is.....

OH HE IS SO AMAZING!!!!

So please go and visit him at his blog and leave him LOTS and LOTS of LOVE, HUGS, and KISSES, and PRAY PRAY PRAY for him!!!!

God Bless!!

And the award goes to.....

2009-06-20T06:35:00.000-07:00

I love visiting and reading other's blogs and I love it when people take the time out of their day to come and visit and read mine!! I was so excited when A Little Piece of 7th Heaven stopped by to let me know that I won this wonderful award!!

****The rules*****
Mention who gave you the award:A Little Piece of 7th Heaven
Pass it on to 15 others or as many or as little as you have time to link to:)
Let them know you have given them an award.

1.Jersey Girl In Louisiana
2.Bloggie McBlogger
3.Jaxon's Fight
4.Junior's Amazing Journey
5.Pooh's Corner
6.The Croley Gang
7.Haas Family Blessings
8.Trista Faith Debruler
9. Gavin's Journey
10. Mama Notes
11. Brought To You By The Letter J
12. Therklesen Bliss
13. Mom To Monsters
14.Blessed With Full Hands
15.Small Portion Of A Life's Journey
16.Skylar's Journey
17.Chapman Crazy House
18. One Day At A Time
19. The Life Of Leighnanne
20. Live Laugh Love
21. From Our Family To Yours
22. Schroeder Matters
23. Called Out One
24. Eco-Friendly Mama
25. J-ust M-e
26. Little Wonders
27. Paul Cardall - Living For Eden
28. A Bushel and a Peck

OK So I broke the rules....I chose 28 blogs....Sorry but I couldn't limit myself to just 15.....he he he

Enjoy the award!!

10 Things

2009-06-19T11:27:00.001-07:00

Sometimes we all need to remind ourselves, why we REALLY love someone, and not just for obvious reasons, but those deep down things that just drive us crazy (in a good way of course...he he he) and we can't seem to live without ..... :0) .

Evan

I Love......

1. That he's not afraid to bust out into robot mode ANYWHERE at any given moment.

2. Whenever I'm having a bad day he tries his HARDEST to cheer me up

3. He always tells me that I am "The Beautifullest Woman."

4. He's an amazing artist and is always drawing us cool pictures.

5. He always wakes up smiling, happy and gives me a big hug and kiss

6. He'll eat anything you make and tell you "You always make the yummiest food".....even when what you make tastes horrible!

7. He's very creative and always comes up with fun games for us to play.

8. When I'm having a hard time getting Avery to eat, Evan will distract him by playing, reading, singing and making goofy faces until Avery is all done.....(WITHOUT BEING ASKED!!!! What a great big brother he is!!)

9. He knows all of our favorite things and loves to point them all out to us.

10. He always tells me, "You're PERFECT Mommy!! You don't need to be on a diet!! Diets are boorrriiinnnggg!".....(AMEN to that!!)

Avery

I Love...

1. His super wild and crazy flippy hair.

2. The way he is always smiling at me, even when he's not having a good day.

3. How he loves to snuggle up to my face when he is sleepy or hungry....he sucks his thumb while holding my nose with that same hand that he's sucking his thumb on.....ha ha Did you get all of that??

4. How he jets to the bathroom when it is "scrubby in the bubby tubby" time

5. He has such a zest for the life and loves the rain and the wind on his face and little toes.

6. He gets me motivated....If I am slacking off on taking him for a jog, he will cry and cry and cry till we get out there and get moving :0)

7. He's always jumping and laughing and talking and making noises and oh how I love it!
8. He thinks I'm the funniest person EVER :0)

9. He's always touching my nose or my lips with his little fingers and "studying me." That makes me feel so special....

10.He's just SO AWESOME!!! What's NOT to love??!!

Anthony

I Love...

1. How he gets his butt out of bed every morning to take his butt to work to provide for his family.

2. We are always making up silly words and noises and dances together.

3. He isn't shy when it comes to doing new things and meeting new people.

4. How he always wants to take us out and show us off.....he's so proud of us....even though we all tend to drive him crazy :0)

5. He UNDERSTANDS and KNOWS me and yet still loves me anyways :0)

6. He lets me "mess" with him and "prank" him and doesn't get too mad about it :0)

7. He makes me feel so beautiful when I am having one of those, "I'm so gross" days.

8. He loves eating together as a family....ALWAYS!!!....Who some might not think that is so great, but for me, growing up my family NEVER ate dinner together at the table at the same time.....We really didn't do a whole lot of anything together.....and I ALWAYS WANTED THAT......And he is ALL about that!!

9. He loves to cook for us!!!! And that is AWESOME, because I HATE TO COOK!!!.....he makes THE BEST smoothies too .....So you have to come over and have some with us!!

10. After all of these years, we are still very much in love with each other, our kids, and we look forward to our future TOGETHER FOREVER :0)

10 things about each person doesn't quite cut it.....I have SO MANY good things to say about each one........I'll have to do this again soon :0)

Ok now it's your turn!!!

Please link us so we can ALL see what you love about the special person/people on your lives!! :0)

Totally RaNdOm Tuesday - Chapstick

2009-06-16T05:27:00.000-07:00

Chapstick, chapstick I love CHAPSTICK!!!

I have to have them with me WHERE EVER I go!!

Dump my purse out, there's at least 10 of them in there....Seriously......ha ha.... I have a problem..... :0)..... OBSESSED MUCH MAYBE???

They are all over my house and I do mean ALL OVER!!!......On the night stand, in the kitchen (In my kitchen aid mixer nonetheless....great use), under the bed, on top of the dryer, in the drawers, in every purse I own, on the desk, in the cabinets, I'm sure you could even find one hidden in Avery's diaper, :0) .....They are EVERY WHERE!!! Afterall, you NEVER know when you're going to need some of that chappy sticky goodness on your lips.....he he he

My favorite kinds are softlips vanilla and chapstick medicated and original......Yes I have a whole drawer filled with tons of other kinds....every brand and variety you can think of...., but nothing compares to my favs!!!

It's my Birthday, Anniversary, It's Christmas!!!,......Don't know what to get me?? ......Chapsticks work nicely!!....ha ha ..... (so do diamonds too, but I'm willing to forego those for some awesome chappy stickys, sticky, chappas)....Every single one of my family members .....including my husband.....buys me LOTS of them!!!!.....They make the BEST GIFTS EVER!!!

friend: So Alyson, what did Ant get you for your Birthday??

me: Chapstick :0)

friend: Chapstick???

me: Yes, Chapstick!!! :0)

During the holidays you can find some super delicious ones from CVS, go figure......They have gingerbread, eggnog, candy cane, sugar cookies and even a pumpkin spice one (which is RARE!!).....YUMMY!!!!!!

The worst thing I do with them.....and I get annoyed every single time I do it......but I just can't help myself......is PEEL the labels OFF!!! UGH!!! Why do I do it??? I can't resist!!! Is it out of boredom?? Do I just destructive tendencies??.....Sometimes I don't even realize I'm doing it.......he he he I get so mad at myself because then I can't tell what kind I'm grabbing.....and Evan or Ant get me my chapstick real quick, they almost always bring me CHERRY....UH!! and I DO NOT LIKE CHERRY or ANY RED kind for that matter!!!!

Do you know of any delicious chapsticks I should try????

I like anything with vanilla, coconuts, cinnamon, etc,.......In fact, I'm looking for a good MANGO one....Any suggestions???

Don't forget to link up and share all of your Totally RaNdOm Tuesday stuff with us!!!

Please say a prayer for Lindsay Dean.

2009-06-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

Please be sure to say an extra special little prayer for precious Lindsay Dean today.

She finally had long awaited heart transplant right before her first birthday and was doing beautifully!! She was even up and laughing and eating cake at her first birthday party just days later. Shortly after that she had a seizure and is currently on ECMO.

Please make sure to click on her button above to read all about her story.

Not Me!!!!! Monday

2009-06-15T05:45:00.000-07:00

This past week, I was as PERFECT as PERFECT can be!!!! No wrong doings here!!......So Sorry, I pretty much don't have much to share.....

No I did not run down the street like a 5 year old waving my arms and yelling at Mr. Softee to STOP so Evan and I could get some Vanilla ice cream cones with rainbow jimmies :0)

No I didn't cheat on my diet TWICE this week by getting Wendy's and Chik Fil A ...... And NO I didn't even trade my greasy, fatty and oh so yummy fries, for a nice garden or fruit salad either.....I wouldn't DARE go ALL OUT like that!!!.....

I did not go to the post office with TONS of random things to ship, complain about the price of postage with delivery confirmation, while filling out all of my forms that I should've done BEFORE I got up to the window, Not to mention that Evan was bugging me for lollipops, and Avery was whining and trying to get down, while a WHOLE LINE of people were waiting for me to hurry up and finish and get my crazy kids out of there, then when it came time to pay........Realize that I left my wallet sitting at home on the coffee table.....

No I did not get mad at Evan for messing around in the shower, jumping, throwing toys around, not getting washed and opening up the curtain and getting water all over my floor SEVERAL TIMES, by turning on the COLD WATER!!!.....That would be really mean....and I'm just not that kind of Mama......

When Anthony was on an IMPORTANT business call, I did NOT have the kids bug him the whole time so he would wrap it up and get off the phone.....He could spend all day on that darn thing!!

See?! I told you I was picture perfect all week...... Not much to share here.....NOPE!!

BOB?? Help Please??!!!!! :0)

2009-06-12T15:41:00.000-07:00

So I have been looking for a great jogging stroller and haven't really found one that I fell in love with UNTIL I saw the BOB Revolution!!!

It's a little on the expensive side at $390, but my Peg Perego Pliko P3 is not cutting it for running.....The thing shakes like crazy and Avery gets freaked out ......Poor guy!! We used to have your everyday run of the mill jogging stroller that was about $200, BUT I HATED IT!!!! The front wheel was FIXED, so it was hard to maneuver it.....and we don't live on straight streets either....he he ......It's all curvacious :0)........

But, What I REALLY want to know is.....Should I get it??? Huh, huh, huh?? Should I? Should I? Does anyone know anyone with this stroller??? Do you have a better jogging stroller out there that you would suggest??? UGH HELP!!!!! I drowning in a "stroller dillemma" sea!!! Please come and rescue me....... Too many mind boggling reviews, Not enough TIME.... :0)

Mama Notes!!! Do you know where I could get THAT WONDERFUL jogging stroller you showed us???!!!! ha ha ha

p.s. And NO I'm not one of those super human joggers that can do it for hours on end.......ha ha ha......I'm a power walker........jog for a minute or 2.....3 would be pushing it......and then right back to power walking.....he he he......I just need it to jog so I can fit in with the "Cool Joggers" club :0)

"April Rose" News Article

2009-06-12T06:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/06/11/20090611BabyScam.html

I truly feel bad for her lost and troubled soul and I just hope that she can find comfort and peace in her life.

From what this article claims, she has a lot of deep rooted pain that when she tried expressing it, it got WAY out of hand!!!

There's bad news and good news that has come out of this....

The bad news is that this all was a hoax and all who followed were all taken for a wild ride!!!!! We were all hurt and we were all shaken up...

The good news is that there was NEVER an April Rose.....There never was this sick little baby fighting for her life.........

AND...... In time of need we ALL came together to support her and to honor God and little "April Rose's life"...

It also brought SUPPORT for OTHERS who were in need of prayer with "His Will Wednesdays"... I am forever grateful to her for that! I have met so many awesome families and I have had so many prayers said for my little Avery as well. - (Which I might add that Avery is eating wonderfully, gaining weight, his heart looks BEAUTIFUL and there is NO SIGN of a heart murmur ANYMORE!!!!)

She had a great way of catching on to the reader's attention and she used that ability for good.

She raised money for a good cause.....

She opened up readers eyes to PRO LIFE!!!

Yes she received gifts from people, and I can only hope and pray that she will so the RIGHT thing with them.

You could tell that she KNEW what she was doing and that she didn't feel right about it.........It all became too much for her to handle anymore......And in the final days of her blog when April was "born" she became very sloppy with the details, which was so UNCHARACTERISTIC of her.......

So in closing,...
Even though it was all a TERRIBLE AND SAD LIE, there were still a lot of positive things that came out of it...... Sometimes you just have to read between the lines....

Custom Blog Button Giveaway WINNER ANNOUNCED!!!!!

2009-06-11T20:56:00.000-07:00

And the winner is.......

EVERYONE!!!!!

Seriously!!!

My friend Christina at Pooh's Corner is SO KIND, GIVING AND GENEROUS, that she has decided that everyone who took the time out to enter the giveaway WINS!!!!

Holly, Rebekah, The Petersen Family, Debevans, Aunt Rene, Spamgirl, Shopannies, HSB Suzanne, Jess (Jersey Girl In Louisiana), Croleyc69, Wendy, Lopez Family, Lindsay (Godseysix)...

Please head over to her blog to contact her with all of your fun button ideas :0)

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!!!!

ABC's Of Me

2009-06-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

A - Age: My birthday is September 27th - Mark your calendars!!!!

B - Bed size: Queen....FINALLY...It was a Full size up until Nov 2008!

C - Chore you hate: All of them! ha!! I only do them because I have to

D - Dog's name: No doggies

E - Essential start your day item: WATER please!!!

F - Favorite color: GREEN!!!!!!!!! (all shades except hunter green!)

G - Gold or Silver: Platinum...I can bend the rules a little, right?? :0)

H - Height: 5'3"

I - Instruments you play: I played the recorder in lst grade....ha ha...I've also been known to tinker around with my son's Alligator Xylophone from time to time...... Does that count? :0)

J - Job title: Domestic Engineer....he he .....Fancy stuff!!

K - Kid(s): 2 blessings....My boys Evan and Avery

L - Living arrangements: Our house in The Garden State (aka NJ).

M - Mom's name: Maryanne -Battled breast cancer for over 6 years and earned her wings on 11/9/2001

N - Nicknames: Mom, Mama, Aly (which I HATE!!), Sis,

O - Overnight hospital stay: When I had my 2 boys and at 12 years of age, when I had a left thoracotomy on a benign ganglioneuroma....it was wrapped around my spine, on my rib cage and growing very close to my heart.......Before my surgery they thought it was actually a Neuroblastoma.....So everyone was pleasantly surprised when it came back that it wasn't.....The CRAZY part was that the benign tumor had grown around a MALIGNANT tumor......Pretty nuts huh?? God definitely had a super big plan for me.....I had that tumor my WHOLE LIFE and no one knew about it.....It wasn't until I got hit on the head with a basketball that it was finally found.....Strange.......The only symptoms I had were a heart murmur and my ankles would hurt me (they would become very achy) if I walked a little too much......however, my family always chalked it up to me not wanting to particiapte in gym class......uh!!

P - Pet Peeve: Whining, crying, cutting nails or biting nails and people who are rude for NO REASON.....

Q - Quote from a movie:"If you can't say anything nice about somebody, Come sit by me."

R - Right or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: 2 brothers.. Aaron and Bret

T - Time you wake up: OFFICIALLY at 6:30-7:00 am .......(After I hit the snooze button for a hour straight, of course)

U - Underwear: I never leave home without it!

V - Vegetable you dislike: None.....I love my veggies :0)

W - Ways/Reasons you run late: I can only blame my poor time management skills (even though I tend to blame it on the kids or the hubby)

X - X-rays you've had: WAY TOO MANY!!!!......Head to toe......I've had them all

Y - Yummy food you make: Penne with sun dried tomatos and pine nuts.....MY FAV!!!

Z - Zoo animals you like: The Silver Backs!!! I could watch them all day

Now all of you do it!!! :0) he he he

Avery's Cardiology Appt. ....and Wordless Wednesday!!!!

2009-06-10T05:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we arrived EXACTLY on time.......Usually I like to get there early, but when I picked Evan up from school he threw a fit because he couldn't sun around and play ROBOTS with his friends....."I DON'T CARE ABOUT AVERY'S APPOINTMENT.........I'M NOT GOING.......TELL THEM WE'RE NOT COMING!!!....IT'S BOOOOORRRING!!!".....OY!!!........Sometimes you just have to laugh at his nutty innocence...... :0)

So when we get there, they couldn't find our referral!!!!! WHAT!!!????? There are HUGE signs all near the front desk that state that if they don't have a valid referral, then your appt. MUST BE RESCHEDULED!!!!!........OH NO!!! You HAVE to be KIDDING ME!!!!! I did NOT just deal with Evan's tantrum and a 40 minute drive in the rain, just to turn around and go back home.......(And of course, without fail, Avery starts crying.....UGH!!!! So I broke the "NO FOOD OR DRINK" rules (that are conveniently posted all over the office so you can't miss it) and gave Avery some of his crunchies to calm him down).........I was so annoyed that I couldn't find my phone in my purse, and then when I FINALLY found the stupid thing, I couldn't figure out how to call them......(I have an iphone and it is user friendly and GREAT for EVERYTHING ELSE, but making an ACTUAL PHONE CALL.....like phones are SUPPOSED to do.......UH!! It's HORRIBLE!!!......There's NOT even a redial button - that I know of anyway)

So I call the doctor's office and actually GET THROUGH....Praise God!!! That like NEVER happens on the first try....... and they thought my appt was for a different date.....Thankfully, they apologized and sent over a referral immediately and the Cardiology department was willing to wait for it.......Suddenly, I felt calm and peaceful......I no longer felt the need to go SUPER CrAzY....Like GODZILLA crazy!!.......ha ha ha.....

So Avery had his EKG done and was VERY RELAXED and did SO WELL.....I was SO PROUD of my little man......He played with the leads and he loved looking at the cute little fishy mobile......and flirted with the pretty nurse :0)....That's my Avery!!

They weighed and measured him and GUESS WHAT???!!!! Avery is almost 19 POUNDS!!!! GO AVERY!!!!!!

The doctor came in and listened for forever and a day......Avery was getting very antsy and annoyed that he was being forced to lay down, sit up, stand, lay down, etc... He always loves the Pulse Ox......So getting through that was a breeze.....He reached 99 on both his finger and toe in a matter of about a minute or 2......NICE!!!

She then told us that Avery's heart sounded BEAUTIFUL and that there was no need to come back and see her (unless of course we had any concerns)......She said to continue to follow up with his pediatrician.......I was SO EXCITED!!! You know I get a little worried when they take so long to listen to him and make funny faces.....I feel like, "OH NO!! WHAT'S WRONG!!!"....So it's always awesome to hear that everything sounds great!!......That roller coasted of emotions that they put you on is UH......TERRIBLE!!

So even though it was a crazy and rainy day, we still had beautiful sunshine that made it all worth it!!

Thank you for ALL of your prayers and encouragement!!!!

p.s. THANK YOU EVERYONE who participated in "Totally RaNdOm Tuesday"!!!!! It was so much fun reading your posts, and looking at your pictures and videos.....So cool!!! I can't wait to do it again next week!!!

p.p.s. Don't forget to enter my CUSTOM BLOG BUTTON giveaway - Compliments of Christina at Pooh's Corner!!!! It ENDS TOMORROW!!!!!

Totally RaNdOm Tuesday - SOCKS!!!!

2009-06-09T06:23:00.000-07:00

(CLICK HERE TO READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!)

SOCKS!!!

There's NOTHING like a FRESH out of the package, BRIGHT WHITE, BRAND NEW pair of warm and comfy socks on my feeties!! It's like walking on a heavenly cloud.......ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I change my sockies at least 2-3 times a day......I love to have my tootsies "feeling fresh" all day long......And putting on a new pair right before bed......ahhhhhhhhh....... That's the life!!!:0)

A brand new pair every day for the whole year at $1.33/pair would cost $485.45.......OUCH!! That's a little pricey .............That comes out to $9.31 a week.......Not so bad now....... hmmmmm.... I'm sure we could work that into the budget.....

Then you have your cute, creative and wonderfully adorable type of socks

There are Sock Monkies....

Sock Piggy Puppets.....

And even some adorably confused types of socks....

And then there's the UGLY side of socks......

GROSS!!

DIRTY socks in the hamper.......GROSS!!!! OY!! I dread having to touch all of those FUNKY socks as I'm doing the laundry.......UGH!!! Especially when I come across ones that are all bunched up into a ball......I feel sick to my tummy the WHOLE TIME I'm pulling them apart.......*shudders at the mere thought of it*

Anthony doesn't seem to help the problem much either.....UH!! Him leaving his socks on the side of the bed every day makes me cringe,...... or WORSE YET,... when he takes them off under the covers and I wake up with a black sock in my face, ..... OH BOY.....THAT'S IT!! That's enough to make me reach boiling point!!!.....Ask him???...ha ha.....He'll tell you just how crazy I can get :0).....He always says, "It's JUST a sock!! Does it REALLY matter??!!"......Well, Ant, "YES IT DOES"!!!........"It matters to ME!"...... You know sometimes I swear that he does it just to get under my skin :0P......ahhhhhhh VENTING!!! he he he :0)

Moving on....

UGH!!! The DIRTY, BLACK BOTTOMS of socks, BAGGY Socks that have the elastic worn in them falling down someone's leg, HOLY SOCKS (and no I'm not talking about ones that have been blessed by the Lord),

EWWWWW.....Need I say more???

OK this is all too much......I'm getting grossed out now!!.....ha ha

Maybe, I'm a little nutty, maybe even just a little dramatic...... (just a little) ...... but that's ok..... This is me.....and this is what makes me,.....well,....Special :) he he he

Now it's time for ALL OF YOU to share your "Totally RaNdOm Tuesday" posts!!!

Please link up below!!

COMPLETELY CUSTOM BLOG BUTTON GIVEAWAY!!!

2009-06-08T04:43:00.000-07:00

My friend Christina at Pooh's Corner has been SO KIND to offer one of my followers
A CUSTOM BLOG BUTTON!!!

That's right......COMPLETELY CUSTOM!!!!

HOW EXCITING!!!!

Isn't that the coolest thing!!!???

Haven't you ALWAYS wanted one!!!!???

I am THRILLED about this giveaway!!! I was literally speechless when she surprised me with mine... I think it's super beautiful and perfect!! :0) Just like YOURS is going to be......he he he :0)

So don't forget to head over to her page and ENTER her's as well!!!!

Here's how to enter...

1. FOLLOW ME on blogspot. http://wellensfamily.blogspot.com

AND.....

2. COMMENT me on how you would want your button to look!! :0)

ALSO...

3. BLOG about this giveaway - be sure to let me know so I can stop by :0)

4. Get an EXTRA entry by following me on TWITTER! http://twitter.com/allyvwell
(Please comment me below to let me know you are following via Twitter)

5. Get ANOTHER entry by TWEETING about this giveaway and leave the URL of your tweet in a comment!!

5. Leave a COMMENT FOR EACH to INCREASE your chance of winning!!!

6. PLEASE do NOT forget to either leave an e-mail adress or have a "running" blog so I can contact you, if you win!!!

Don't forget to visit Christina at http://momsbabypooh-fromthehundredacrewoods.blogspot.com and ENTER her giveaway as well!!!!

This Giveaway STARTS TODAY

and ENDS on THURSDAY , June 11th at 11:59 p.m.

The WINNERS will be chosen COMPLETELY at RANDOM (believe me I wish I could give each and everyone of you the prize!!) and will be announced on

FRIDAY, June 12th!!!!......

Thank you and GOOD LUCK!!!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY AVERY!!!!!!!!!

2009-06-06T05:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy FIRST Birthday Avery!!!

I can't believe you are 1 YEAR OLD!!!! ALREADY!!!

WOW!!! What a difference a year makes!!

(This picture was taken this morning while Avery was sleeping!!)

(These pictures were taken of him 4 days ago when he was doing the "jumpin mans")

Exactly 1 year ago.....

On June 6th, 2008 at a.m. Avery Alexander came into this world via scheduled c-section at Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly, NJ, weighing in at 8 lbs 6 oz and 20 inches long. He had a full head of VERY dark brown...almost black hair.

Due to the fact that my spinal failed 3 times, I had to be put under and was unable to hear my baby's first cry....But as soon as I awoke, they took me into the recovery room, where Anthony was waiting with our little Avery. I only got to hold him for a few seconds because I was "floating in space"....(see the lovely picture above).... Little did I know that was the ONLY time I was going to be able hold him for the next few days. A few minutes after this picture was taken, one of the pediatricians from the NICU came over and told us that he looked a little "hazy" and needed to be monitored in the NICU for a little bit. No big deal, right?? I mean I had a VERY healthy and happy pregnancy and we passed all tests with flying colors..... I was thinking that as soon as I got into a Mother/Baby room, they were going to bring him in..

Once I got to my room, a flood of nurses and doctors were in there asking me TONS of questions... They were as baffled as I was... He was a FULL TERM baby, yet he was suffering from RDS (Respiratory Distress Syndrome) and was even later diagnosed with SEVERE PPHN (Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn)........

But even with all of this commotion, I was sure that he was going to be OK and back in my arms and breastfeeding in no time... Since he was in the NICU, the Lactation Consultant got me all set up with a pump and lots of storage containers......So for the rest of the day/night, I pumped and watched videos of Avery on my camera....

First they tried a regular nasal cannula, no improvement, next CPAP, ...again no improvement, then a ventilator on the highest setting......He was more stable, but there was still no improvement.

The next morning (about 24 hours after his birth), I got myself up and ready to go and see him. I was nervous, but I had my nurse there with me and I knew it was going to be alright. After I scrubbed up, I went into the NICU and saw this baby with tons of tubes and wires and all of these monitors making noises, I IMMEDIATELY became VERY SCARED and hoped that was not my baby....I was hoping to see a little baby in a bassinet with a little nasal cannula in, eager to be fed. After they checked my bracelet, they took me over to see my Avery......It was the little baby boy I had seen when I first walked in......I had to sit down.....I was so overcome with emotion, that I could not stand and I could not stop crying......I couldn't even see his little face....It was covered with tubes and tape... Worst yet, I was unable to hold him and have some mother/baby bonding time..... I was only able to hold his soft, little hand or touch the top of his sweet, little head... After about 30 mins, I had had enough of the heartache, and I walked back to my room to be alone to cry...

Later that night, (about 36 hours after his birth) The NICU nurse came to my room and said that they were going to need to transfer him to a NICU that was better equipped with the Oscillator that Avery desperately needed to get better. So I walked back over to the NICU and stayed with my little boy for a little bit before he left. Since I was so distraught, I could not bear to see them take him away, so I made a point to leave before that happened. Before they took him to Virtua Memorial Hospital in Vorhees, NJ , The pediatrician from their NICU came to see me and discuss what was going to happen to Avery, both in the ambulance and once he arrived at the other hospital. She had me signs tons of paperwork, concerning his care.....I was pretty much signing his life over to them and I was ANGRY, SAD, every horrible emotion you name it....That's how I felt!..... They even discussed the possibility of having to put him on ECMO and even the possibility of him passing away. She assured me that I could call at ANY time I wanted and that she would call me frequently to keep me updated on his progress. Before she left she gave me a hug and held my hand and told me that she was going to take great care of my little Avery... Just that alone, made me feel more at peace and that he was in great hands.

Not wanting to hear any more bad news or no news at all, I waited till the following morning to call and check in on Avery. They put me right through to the doctor who told me that Avery was doing better and that he was looking forward to seeing me :0) ... Thankfully, I was discharged that morning (48 hours since my c-section) so I could be with Avery in Vorhees.......

Leaving the hospital without Avery in my arms, was so heart wrenching. But, I remained strong and put my game face on... I knew that in a matter of just a couple hours, I was going to be with my little Aves...

Click HERE to start at the BEGINNING of Avery's story!

Jacquelynnies Leggies Giveaway WINNER!!!

2009-06-06T05:01:00.000-07:00

Christina

Congrats!!!!!!

Enter a lower limit: 1
Enter an upper limit: 24
Random number: 2

Please e-mail me your address ASAP so I can get these adorable leggies out to you!!!

allyvwell@comcast.net

If you didn't win, please do not be discouraged!!

There will be a NEW GIVEAWAY EVERY WEEK!!!

So please keep check back in with us EVERY SATURDAY when our NEW GIVEAWAY STARTS!! :0)

Also, if anyone is interested in teaming up and doing a giveaway, please contact me at
allyvwell@comcast.net

NEW!!!!! Totally RaNdOm Tuesday!!!!

2009-06-04T17:32:00.000-07:00

Starting THIS TUESDAY, I will be hosting an ALL NEW EVENT called

"Totally RaNdOm Tuesday"

The rules are as follows......

1. POST A BLOG about ANY RaNdOm FACT about you, your family, your "crazy neighbor" (and I know we ALL have at least one of those) a joke, a video, a picture,............... ANYTHING RaNdOm!!!! (I love repeating myself) :0)

2. Add THIS Cute and Colorful BUTTON to your post.....Because we could all use a nice splash of color in our lives every now and then.

3. Link your Blog Post to MINE via Mr. Linky's (located at the bottom of each "Totally RaNdOm Tuesday" post) So that everyone gets to share their RaNdOm facts with one another!!! :0)

I can't wait till Tuesday!!!!

Let the RaNdoM fun begin!!!

Jacquelynnies Leggies Giveaway ENDS TOMORROW NIGHT!!!!!!!

2009-06-04T07:25:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY!!!!

IT ENDS TOMORROW NIGHT

The winner will be announced at RANDOM on Saturday!!!!

Wordless Wednesday - "Avernaut"

2009-06-03T05:36:00.000-07:00

Our little "Avernaut"

Not Me!!!!! Monday

2009-06-01T04:37:00.000-07:00

No I did NOT get my husband to take Evan to see the movie "UP" with Uncle Jesse, so I could have a few hours of peace and quiet and take a nice walk around the neighborhood, without anyone whining, "Mommy I HAVE to go potty!!"....."Can we go home now??"......"You know Mom, this is BORRRRINGGG!",........."I'm thirsty!"... "I'm hungry!!".....

I would NEVER sneak up on geese with their goslings resting peacefully, so Avery could see how cute they were....... And I most certainly would NOT proceed to run like a chicken after I made the mommy mad and the whole gang of them started coming after us.......

No I have NOT been watching this dust bunny grow on my desk, because I am SERIOUSLY procrastinating with having to clean it up!....GROSS!!!!

At 12:30 am, I did NOT ask my husband if he wanted a snack from downstairs,.... Bug him to make me a yummy fruit smoothie,...... Let him talk ME into making that said fruit smoothie (or so he thought),.....Then tell him that he had to come downstairs and help me because the blender "wasn't working", (very sneaky)........ Then agree that as long as HE made the smoothie, I would clean up the mess.........., and then after the DELICIOUS drink was devoured, tell him that I couldn't clean up because it "wasn't exactly how I wanted it"......And then get him to clean by persuading him with a nice hug, a kiss and telling him, "Wow Honey!! It REALLY looks like your hair is growing back!!!" .......UH!! That would be LYING and VERY MISLEADING!!......But it works EVERY time!!! ;0)

All of this is SOOOOOOO Not even me!!! Nope, Not AT ALL!! ;0)

p.s. DON'T FORGET to ENTER my Jacquelynnie's Leggies Giveaway!!!!!!!

Mom!! Are you there?? Hello?! I can't see you!!!

2009-05-31T05:51:00.000-07:00

(Avery's Znuffer face......always a delight)

Someone is in SERIOUS need of a haircut!!!

Avery had his FIRST EVER hair cut Thanksgiving morning.....See here for the post.... While it was a little painful for me to watch......I stayed strong and focused on collecting AS MUCH hair as I possibly could as a memento :0) Although I was happy with the outcome, I was a little sad that Avery didn't quite look like himself. He now looked like a little man. It was cute, but it was NOT my Avery!!!

Since then, we have let his hair grow and get SUPER WILD AND CRAZY. It's too much, yet it's so adorable the way his hair curls and flips at the ends. It's fun to watch him jump around and his hair go flying everywhere.....It's like "My Buddy" hair......(remember that cute yet creepy doll that "Chucky" resembled??....My Grandmother STILL has that at her house and to this day it still freaks me out). We even love and look forward to seeing his funny "bed head" every morning. In case, you haven't figured it out yet......WE LOVE HIS HAIR!!!!! :0)

We don't mind when people think HE'S a GIRL (even though he is obviously dressed like a little boy)......We think it's funny when people say, "Look at HER!! SHE is soooo cute!"......"What an adorable little GIRL you have there.".....We just smile and say, "Thank you!"........It gives us a nice little laugh..... :0)

With Evan, he didn't have ANY hair to cut until he was 1 year old!!!! Seriously, I was so ready to say Aur Revoir to it......It was SUPER BLONDE, thin and crazy, (that sounds a lot like my neighbor across the street.....ha ha......I'm just kidding!).... in ALL varying lengths (a lot like a mullett.....Now, I love the 80s.......But there are some things from that era that just need to stay in THAT ERA!!) ....So it flew all over the place :0).....BOY did our Evan look SO HANDSOME with his NEW FRESH CUT!!!

Even though I am afraid that he won't look like our Avery, he still DESPERATELY needs a cut!!!! Maybe just the bangs and leave some curls or maybe just trim it down "little man" style. Any suggestions???

So.......All in all, I am going to try and remain strong through it, take my little Ziploc baggie with me, and once again FOCUS on collecting his little curls.

When did your kids first have their hair cut??? Was it hard for you to "let go" of their baby hair?? Did you feel like you were letting go of their "babyhood"? Did you save their locks as a memento?? Share share share your stories....I need some STRENGTH :0)

GIVEAWAY - ANY 3 PAIRS OF LEGGIES - Compliments of Jacquelynnies

2009-05-30T06:26:00.000-07:00

Jacquelynnies has been so kind to offer one of my followers
3 PAIRS of their SUPER CUTE LEGGIES!!!

ANY 3 PAIRS OF YOUR CHOOSING!!!!!!
(In Stock Leggies only)

Also, you will recieve FREE SHIPPING on ANY LEGGIES that you choose to buy!!!!

They're AWESOME for either a boy or girl!!

Here's how to enter...

1. FOLLOW ME on blogspot. http://wellensfamily.blogspot.com

AND.....

2. VISIT http://jacquelynnies.weebly.com and COMMENT me on what 3 LEGGIES you love best!! :0)

ALSO...

3. Get an EXTRA entry by following me on TWITTER!
(Please comment me below to let me know you are following via Twitter)

4. Leave a COMMENT FOR EACH to INCREASE your chance of winning!!!

5. There is NO LIMIT on how many times you can enter!! (Limits are so NOT my thing!) Remember the MORE COMMENTS you leave, the BETTER your chance of winning the prize!! :0)

6. PLEASE do NOT forget to either leave an e-mail adress or have a "running" blog so I can contact you, if you win!!!

This Giveaway STARTS TODAY

and ENDS on FRIDAY, June 5th at 11:59 p.m.

The winner will be chosen COMPLETELY at RANDOM (believe me I wish I could give each and everyone of you the prize!!) and will be announced on
SATURDAY, June 6th!!!!......
MY BABY'S FIRST BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!

Thank you and GOOD LUCK!!!

And the winner of the Faith Baby giveaway is......

2009-05-30T05:42:00.000-07:00

Christina

Congrats!!!!!!

Enter a lower limit: 1
Enter an upper limit: 24
Random number: 2

Please e-mail me your address ASAP so I can get your adorable leggies out to you!!!

allyvwell@comcast.net

If you didn't win, please do not be discouraged!!

There will be a NEW GIVEAWAY EVERY WEEK!!!

So please keep check back in with us EVERY SATURDAY when our NEW GIVEAWAY STARTS!! :0)

CLICK TO ENTER OUR NEW GIVEAWAY

Also, if anyone is interested in teaming up and doing a giveaway, please contact me at
allyvwell@comcast.net

SUPER HUGE NEWS!!!!!!!

2009-05-29T19:51:00.001-07:00

Tonight, before "Scrubby in the Bubby Tubby" time, Avery WALKED!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not only did he finally take his FIRST REAL STEPS, BUT he also, took off ........ It was the craziest thing to see hom go from crawling at "super human" speeds today, to FULL ON WALKING!!!!!!!..... Like 10 STEPS AT A TIME!!!!.......Where did this come from all of a sudden??!!! ha ha....I was truly AMAZED!!!

Avery first destination was Evan's room. His FAVORITE room in the house!!!!! He was determined to get into his room and GODZILLA everything, poor Evan had worked SO HARD to build!!.....Thankfully, Evan doesn't mind too much......

Evan and I spent the next hour having him walk back and forth to get Evan's toy shark.....He was having a BLAST!!! We all were!!!

Afterwards, Avery walked to the bathroom, was rewarded with a warm bath, cuddle time, and a warm bottle of fresh milkies :0)....He immediately then fell asleep.....All that exercise pooped him out :0)

No Pictures Please!!! I'm EXHAUSTED!!!

Fast Asleep .... Zzzzzzzz......

What made it EVEN MORE Spectacular was that right before he walked we saw a faint, yet beautiful rainbow right out front of our house.....I just KNEW that rainbow had a special meaning for us!!!

I wish Daddy was here to see it, but sadly, he had to travel and won't be back home till tomorrow night....... HOPEFULLY, Avery won't "forget" knowing how to walk...He likes to play tricks on me and act like I'm just "telling stories".....Silly man!!....

I can't wait to show Daddy and get a cute little video of it!!! Eeeeeeeeeeeee!!

Diapers- A real pain in the TUSHY!!!

2009-05-29T05:55:00.000-07:00

Choosing the RIGHT diaper for your baby can be a little overwhelming, especially with all of the many brands and styles there are to choose from......and Believe me ALL diapers and BABY TUSHIES are NOT created equally!!.....

So how do you choose that PERFECT diaper for "PAMPERING" your little bundle of joy???....... As a mother of 2 I am still searching for the answer to that question..... :0)

When my 1st, Evan was born over 6 years ago, the options were pretty simple,....Pampers, Huggies, Luvs, Store Brands, (and cloth diapering was starting to make huge comeback)....... There wasn't this HUGE BOOM in the "HINEY HIDER" industry just yet :0)....

When I was pregnant with my 2nd, Avery, the "Hiney Aisle" (as I so lovingly call it) grew TREMENDOUSLY!!!!....... Not only were there your straight out "simple brands", like Pampers, Huggies, Luvs, Store Brands, but now there were Cholorine Free (Seventh Generation, Earth's Best, etc...), "Organic"(Huggies Pure and Natural), CLOTH (Kushies, etc...), and diaper liners!!! WOW!!! ~~SO MUCH~~.......TOO MUCH to choose from....

Since cloth diapering isn't really a realistic option for me personally, and since Avery has outgrown the beloved Pampers Swaddlers, I chose the NEXT best thing, Chlorine Free and "Organic" diapers, and well I haven't had the best of luck.......

Seventh Generation, was the first kind we tried and it was horrible! It was like covering Avery's tushie with a cardboad box......Needless to say, Avery NEVER wore those again!!

My most recent venture was Huggies Pure N Natural diapers, I pretty much stole them....ha ha.....Not only were they on a "Door Buster" type of sale, but I also had a coupon for $4.00/off.....So I ONLY paid like $2.00 for a Jumbo Pack.......And boy am I GLAD I ONLY paid $2!!!! First off, they seem kinda stiff and don't stretch well around the belly.....I always think I'm going to RIP the tabs OFF!! 2nd,... Everytime my son pees (and no he doesn't pee a whole river out either) you can feel moisture from the OUTSIDE of the diaper and they leak......YUCK!!!......The one good thing (besides their organic and hypoallergenic claims) is that you can't smell the "pee"......I wish I could say the same for the "other end" messes :0)

OY! I could go on and on and on about this topic ALL DAY, but I'll spare you,........

Now It's YOUR TURN to talk!!! FINALLY!!...ha ha.... It's only fair :0)

I want to hear what YOU have to say!! What kinds of diapers do you use? Have you tried?, Want to try? Do you have any funny "diapering mishaps" stories to share???

Also, Does anyone have any diaper brand suggestions, that don't require you to take out a loan from the bank in order to buy them???? :0)

Happy Friday!!

P.S. My Faith Baby Giveaway ENDS TONIGHT!!!!.....So please get your last minute entries IN!!! The winner will be announced first thing tomorrow morning!!!!

Avery Update!!

2009-05-27T06:50:00.001-07:00

Sorry that I haven't posted much about Avery lately, we have been so busy and we have switched Avery's meds around and he has been doing better and I am afraid that I am going to jinx it, by telling you all about it :0)......But I am confident that won't happen......Or at least I hope it won't happen :0)

Avery is now on 1/2 tsp Zantac twice a day and 7.5mg of Prevacid once a day and that seems to be doing the trick......We had taken him off of the Zantac and just onto the Prevacid and that clearly was not working and he was worse than before he was put on ANY medicine!!!

He seems to be such a different baby..... His feeding has gotten much better!! Before he only wanted to eat from the spoon and hardly ever from his bottle, NOW....sometimes he would rather eat from his BOTTLE than from his spoon!!! :0) He used to only eat 2-3 oz at a time, now it's more like 4-6oz.........PROGRESS!!!!! He's not spitting up and having sour smelling breath anymore, he's not projectile vomiting, hiccuping, coughing, choking,.... Literally when I feed him and he does SO WELL with eating, I feel the urge to cry SUPER HAPPY tears!!!

He still has the food aversion that we are working through,......We're supposed to get him into Weisman feeding clinic, but I haven't heard the greatest things about their "techniques" to get kids to eat.......In fact, I have heard that it made some kid's food aversions WORSE!! So if Avery continues on this wonderful path he is on, then I am going fore go going there.....I don't want to take ANY steps back if I can possibly avoid it!!

The picture above is from Memorial Day and is BY FAR the BEST picture ever taken of Avery!!!!!! I have my wonderful brother in law to thank for it!!!! Thank you SO MUCH Uncle Jesse!!!!

Can you believe my baby is going to be 1 on June 6th??!!!! WOW!! He's growing up WAY TOO FAST!!!

Avery and His Blankie - Jaxson's Blankies For Babes

2009-05-27T06:01:00.000-07:00

Avery got a SUPER SPECIAL package from his buddy Jaxson in the mail yesterday!!!

It is absolutely amazing in EVERY WAY and Avery loves it!!

...and HOW do I know that he loves it???

Because Avery will ONLY sleep with 1 of his blankies........NOTHING else compares to his mint green, crocheted bear blanket.....NOTHING!!!! He will NOT settle down for naps or to sleep without it!!! This morning after I took his new blankie out of the dryer, we played Peek-A-Boo and Avery immediately snuggled up with it and fell asleep....It's just so soft and cuddly!! Just the way Avery likes his blankies!!

Thank you so much Lacey and Jaxson!!!! You guys are the best and we love you!!!

Please visit their blog to read all about Mr. Jaxson and his valiant fight to overcome all the obstacles he has been faced with since birth.

Also, please visit Jaxson's Blankies For Babes blog to read about other brave little warriors, who have been gifted with one of these amazing blankies as well!

My FIRST Giveaway - Compliments of FAITH BABY!!!

2009-05-23T05:33:00.000-07:00

Faith Baby has been so gracious to offer one of their AWESOME BRAND NEW onesies to one of my LUCKY FOLLOWERS!!!

Avery is so lucky to have one too!!!!

An "all God's grace in this tiny face" BLUE lettering on a BLACK 100% cotton onesie is being offered in a size 12-18 MONTHS!

It's PERFECT for either a boy or girl!! Great for ANY baby, a baby shower, or a just because gift for your favorite little faith baby!! :0)

Valued at $15.99!!

Here's how to enter.

1. FOLLOW ME on blogspot. http://wellensfamily.blogspot.com

AND.....

2. VISIT www.faithbaby.com and COMMENT me on what item(s) you love best!! I GUARANTEE you can't pick just one!!! :0)

ALSO...

3. Get an EXTRA entry by following me on TWITTER!

4. The more comments you leave, the better your chance of winning!! :0)

This Giveaway STARTS TODAY and ENDS on FRIDAY, May 29th at 11:59 p.m.

The winner will be chosen at random and will be announced on SATURDAY, May 30th!!!!

Thank you and GOOD LUCK!!!

(P.S. I will be doing one Giveaway a week.... So if anyone is interested in participating, please let me know!!)

Not Me! Monday

2009-05-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

I am happy to say that I am a FIRST TIME "Not me!" Monday blogger!!!!.....
Here goes nothing...
No I did NOT let Avery eat whatever he wanted at Aunt Brielle's Party yesterday out of desperation for him to eat SOMETHING.....ANYTHING...... This included, cake (chocolate), brownies (chocolate), biscotti (nuts), meatballs, ziti, chips, french onion dip,.......
When Evan got crazy because we weren't letting him on the trampoline anymore,.. and yelled at me,"YOU RUINED MY WHOLE LIFE!!!"......I did NOT tell him, "SAME HERE!!!"....That would be MEAN.....I would NEVER do that!!!
No I did not cheat on my diet by bypassing all of the healthy food and proceed to STUFF my face full of chocolate cake with tons of icing, Oreo pie and brownies.....and then go back for 2nds and THIRDS.......Not me....I wouldn't do this....
When Evan decided to throw a tantrum because we had to leave, No I did NOT lock him in the car and drive him COMPLETELY INSANE, by making fun of him,.....No way! That is SOOO NOT ME!!!!
No ....I did not leave Anthony outside with 2 cranky kids that were screaming and crying, while I went back inside to mingle peacefully for 15 mins before we left ....especially when I told him I would be RIGHT BACK!!...... NO WAY WAS THAT ME!!!
EWWWW!!! NONE of this was ME!!! NO WAY!!! NO HOW!!! *evil grin*

Avery's 1st Birthday Party!!!! - Share your ideas - What are you favorite kids b-day party themes??

2009-05-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

My baby is going to be 1!!!!!!!

OMG (insert valley girl accent)!!! This past year has gone by SO FAST!!!

It has taken me FOREVER to find the right b-day party theme for him and his cute and silly little personality!!!

I FINALLY found it!!!! It's an under the sea party!! :0)

That is SO AVERY!!! He LOVES the water, fishies, sharks, and even says, "ish" for fish and "bloo bloo" for bloop....the noise a fish makes :0).......Tub time ....Or......Scrubby in the Bubby Tubby, as we like to call it,...Is what he looks most forward to.....We'll get his tub all ready and say those, magic words, "Scrubby in the Bubby Tubby time" and Avery will crawl as fast as he can to get the bathroom....And then tries to climb into the tub and play with the bubbles as I'm getting him undressed..... I swear sometimes he makes a huge mess so he can visit his little tub friends :0)

My friend Jess had an awesome idea to take a sand castle pail, a shovel, some snacks (like goldfish crackers) and bubbles for the kid's party favors. They are just adorable and so creative!.....Thank you so much for letting me "steal" your idea!!

Maybe we'll even have a sand castle cake or a fishy cake :0) Exciting!!

Everyone save the date :0)

Saturday June 6th at 1:00 p.m.

Invitations will be sent out ASAP!!!!

Featured Friday?? Friday's Feature?? - Any suggestions??

2009-05-15T06:45:00.000-07:00

I am so blown away and in awe by SO MANY families, kids, adults, random blogs, etc... That I am going to be Featuring them and their blog once a week!!! (With their permission of course)

If you have any suggestions, please don't hesitate to tell me!!....Seriously, please spread the wealth of good families, great reading material, etc.... to everyone!!!! :0) Don't be shy if you want to suggest your family!!! Please do!! We ALL want to meet you!!! :0)

First off we need a name??? Maybe you guys can help??

Should it be Featured Friday?? Friday's Feature?? ..... Or something else??....hmmmmmm I'm lacking creativity here..... :0)

Update!!

2009-05-14T10:38:00.000-07:00

Since Avery's appt on Monday things have improved a little.

Since starting his Zantac we have noticed that he isn't spitting up in his mouth and swallowing it anymore....Because of that, his breath no longer smells sour,.....So he's coming along..... He still has a HORRIBLE Food Aversion!!!......and still fights his feedings...... Also the Zantac has made him a little sleepy and a little constipated....Instead of having a BM every day, he's been having them every other day.....If he doesn't seem to be doing better by Monday than they are going to put him onto a stronger medicine.....

We stopped bumping up his fats and calories and he is still holding steady at his current weight which is 17.9 pounds :0) ...Which is GREAT....He's not losing anything!!!!

His Cardiologist and G.I. appts. are right around the corner.......They can't seem to come soon enough though!!! I'm sure all of you moms and dads know EXACTLY what I'm talking about and know EXACTLY how I feel!!! UH!!! I just want to KNOW!!!! I want to put all the pieces of the puzzle together!!!!.....I just HATE NOT KNOWING what EXACTLY IS WRONG!!! Why do they make you wait??!!! I want to know NOW!!!.....UH!!!....

So... We are making steady progress......Avery's esophagus still needs some time to heal and he still needs to build back up his trust in food.......But little by little we are coming along.......It's just going to take a little bit of time.......I am very impatient......I'm the type that wants a SUPER QUICK FIX.....I am an IN CONTROL and TAKE CHARGE type of person.....So this has been so hard, sad and stressful for me......I just have to keep on reminding myself that it is going to get better......I need to keep my Faith HIGH.......God and I just have to keep the hard work up and continue putting in that overtime ........ and soon it will all pay off....

Thank you to everyone for all of your support, prayers, comments and friendship!! It truly means so much to us!!!

Please continue to pray that Avery starts loving....OK maybe "loving" is a strong word......I'll be happy with LIKING at this point......So please, please, please pray that he starts LIKING to eat,....That he starts putting on weight steadily,....And that his medicine continues to work well and that his Cardiologist and G.I. appts. go WELL!!!!

p.s. Don't forget to add our button to your blog :0)......Thanks again!!

Love,

Grab Our Button!!!! :0)

2009-05-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

My WONDERFUL friend Christina at Pooh's Corner made my blog its' VERY OWN BUTTON!!!!

Words simply can NOT express how thankful I am for her kindness and gernerosity!!

Isn't it beautiful!!??

Please add this to YOUR BLOG!!!

Also, don't forget to visit Christina's blog!!! - It's full of life, love, laughter, giveaways and about her sweet, beautiful daughter, Emily who was diagnosed with a rare chromosome disorder called Chromosome 17q21.31 Microdeletion Syndrome

Avery's Dr.'s Appt

2009-05-12T05:37:00.000-07:00

After reading off a FULL 2 pages of notes (just to make sure I didn't miss A THING!!) to our Dr., Avery was sent home with a prescription for Zantac....FINALLY!! :0)

We were also told that we need to make a Cardiology appt. for him just to make sure that some of the problems (Sweating and turning red when he eats, His heavy breathing at times (still)..His heart SEEMS (I seriously think it's all in my head some days) to be racing some mornings, etc...) he is having aren't due to his heart...... Everytime we go to his PCP office, her and another doctor there (who is a HEART GENIUS!!) always triple and quadruple check Avery's heart to make sure that any past issues with his heart are no longer there, and he has always checked out GREAT!!....So they just want to do this as a precautionary measure to rule out anything else that could be going on...... Due to his PPHN, he had some heart problems in the very beginning, but they went away within the first month after his birth....

Avery started his Zantac yesterday and so far he has not been spitting up and he has not "emptied his belly" all over the place at night :0)......His feedings seem to be the same for now.....We are hoping that they will improve and that he will learn how to TRUST food again :0) ... OY!! He has a HORRIBLE food aversion!! Poor litt man!... Unless it is cheerios or his "cookies" of course.... It reminds me of my Evan who is always TOO FULL to eat his lunch or dinner, but NEVER TOO FULL to eat his snacks or dessert :0P

Oh...Also.....I was told not to add a whole lot of extra calories to his feeds for a while.....This can actually make his reflux MUCH WORSE!!!.....So I feel really horrible for forcing him to take a little extra feed to help and "stretch" his belly out a little bit and to help plump him up :0(

Also, Evan also had an appt yesterday as well, He has REALLY BAD allergies and had SEVERE ECZEMA as a baby, which now....thankfully, is only MILD now.....Go Evan!!! But we have been giving him 1 Alavert once a day for his sinuses, itchy and watery eyes, etc... (We tried Benadryl too.....I hate that stuff it makes him like a zombie) We noticed that his sinuses started to get worse and he would sound stuffy all day, sneezed every morning for an hour straight and started to ........I hope you're not eating anything......I'm warning you this is gross......OK you've been warned!........Sneeze thick GLOBS of orange mucous all over the place......When we took him to his appt, they said that his sinuses are COMPLETELY BLOCKED......So now he is on Nasonex for 48 hours and if it doesn't improve....they will put him on antibiotics (which I think it has cleared up a bit....I checked on him last night a couple of times and he was breathing through his nose and not just his mouth)

Sorry I didn't update last night, but yesterday was so busy and I literally did not have a TRUE moment to think and collect my thoughts.....

Thank you so much for all of your love, support and prayers, ... It is so nice to know that I have all of you as friends!!

Oh goodness.......As I'm typing this, I can't help but hear Barry White's,.."I can't get enough of your love baby...." playing outside.....ha ha.....I just got up to see what was going on and my neighbor accross the street is cleaning out her SUV, danicing and singing along like no one is watching.....That's the best!!... SO FUNNY!!!! ha ha ha ...I'm happy that she's able to have fun cleaning out her car,.......UGH....I think that's the WORST JOB known to man!!! I DREAD having to do it!!!......Maybe I should join her in doing the hustle :0)

Doctors Today for Avery!!!! - Please Pray That All Goes Well and he gets ALL the help he needs!!!

2009-05-11T07:13:00.000-07:00

I'll update later today with all that has happened....Just please, if you could spare a few moments say a little prayer that Avery gets the help he needs and we get our questions answered....

Thanks and God Bless!

"The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." - Zephaniah 3:17

p.s. Isn't this a super cute onesie??

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24608535

All New Game Plan For Mr. Avery

2009-05-07T05:49:00.000-07:00

This post is ALL OVER the map, but so am I :0)...So please bear with me as I am excited to get this post out, however I don't have too much time to organize my thoughts right now :0P

AND.....Since I like all of my posts to have PICTURES, I have added the one above.....Compliments of Uncle Jesse......It has nothing to do with the story, but....I like it :0)..... He may not look super happy in it but that's because he's kinda scared of his Uncle Jesse's deep voice....

Last week sadly, Avery's feeding hit an ALL TIME LOW!!! He didn't want to swallow much of anything....He just spit everything out all over the place including all over ME!!....He barely took in 2oz at almost every feeding.....He was getting dehydrated......His diapers were barely wet......Yet he still seemed very happy 99% of the time.... (Avery rarely ever cries unless he doesn't want to eat or you walk out of the room).....

Something had to change.....Something had to give here..... I would cry every day I would put him on the scale.....With every diaper change.....Every time I would feel his soft spot,.......

His doctors weren't too concerned given the fact that it was really hot out that week and that Avery is VERY ACTIVE......He crawls, jumps, sways from side to side, walks with his lion.......

But I know in my heart that something else was up......Doctors DO NOT KNOW EVERYTHING!!!!

Usually the doctor's answer for Avery gaining weight was OLIVE OIL.....OLIVE OIL = 140 calories and 2g of fat per 1 tablespoon!.......And that worked in helping Avery to gain about 3oz.....But after a couple weeks, he feedings slowed and we were struggling to keep him from losing weight and keeping him hydrated...... (The olive oil was sitting in his belly and keeping him feeling full....So he had no desire to eat really)

Since he is almost a year old......11 months and 1 day to be EXACT :0).....And because the doctors were already talking about putting him on whole milk by the time he was 11 months old,...I looked and looked and looked all over the Internet to try and find ways of adding those extra calories and fat, but with stuff that is easier to stomach and HEALTHY, ORGANIC and ALL NATURAL....

So here is what I found!!

For every 4 oz of formula, he gets 1 tablespoon of ORGANIC HEAVY CREAM

He can also eat...

Vanilla Pudding 140 calories, 4.5 g fat

Yogurt - 140 calories, 4g of fat

He will eat SOME macaroni and cheese....THANK GOD!!! Only about 1 tablespoon though......He feeds himself this....He refuses to eat it all smooshed up......Obviously there's no fun in that......He loves putting those teefers to good use by chewing on his "NOONIES"

And of course his fruits, TABLE FOOD VEGGIES (not smooshed....again he loves to chew), Bunny Grahams and CHEERIOS .....FINALLY!!.... He hated cheerios for the longest time......But now he LOVES THEM (Thanks to Grand mom Joanne)......(They don't pack a whole lot of calories, but it is still something.....and he knows that as long as he finishes all of his food he will get rewarded with his "COOKIES")

So far he hasn't had any allergies to anything and is slowly gaining some weight.....He seems MUCH happier when he eats, although I still have to sing to him and recite his favorite books the whole time so he doesn't concentrate on eating as much.....AND he has SUPER WET DIAPERS,...... His soft spot is NOT dipping in,.......

I don't want to count my chickens before they've hatched.....We all know Avery has his OWN AGENDA and he can change his game plan at ANY given moment!!

Thank you so much for all of your support and prayers!!!!

p.s. Please continue to pray for him and if anyone has ANY IDEAS on different foods jam packed with calories and fats, please do not hesitate to offer up your suggestions!!

Happy 11 Months Old Avery!!! - There's a new sheriff in town...

2009-05-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

Y'all better watch out....There's a new sheriff in town and I heard he's pretty dog gone silly!

Our Naked Little Cowboy :0)

I'm hiding..... You can't find me!

Hello there!!!

Happy 11 month old Birthday Avery!!!Not a day goes by that I do not thank God for bringing you into our lives!!!

You are so loved by everyone!!

(Pictures were taken at 10 months old)

p.s. I have some important health updates that I will be posting tomorrow so stay tuned!

Squeeze Me! - Our little miracle man!!!

2009-05-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

He is just SO ADORABLE!!!!....Funny faces and ALL!!!

His long hair makes him look like a little girl.....awwwwwwww

We want to cut it so bad, BUT we are afraid we are going to miss his cutesy hair too much! Definitely within the next month, we'll do it :0) or more like :0*(

4/26

Udderly Adorable

2009-05-04T14:25:00.000-07:00

4/26

Sorry, but I can't eat....I'm too busy jumping

2009-05-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

Oh no!! You can't make me eat!!! I'm not going to do it!! Too bad so sad Mommy!

4/26

How to successfully deflate a shark pool

2009-05-04T06:07:00.000-07:00

1. FIRST make sure it is COMPLETELY EMPTY of all water, toys and CHILDREN.....Believe me it helps out a lot!!

2. Roll around on it, until you realize that really doesn't fully get the job done...

3. Check to make sure the air plug is OPEN!! - Again ANOTHER VERY useful tip!!

4. And LASTLY, Tackle the poor thing until it doesn't have an ounce of air left in its' tiny little body.

And there you have it!...

I wasn't aware that this was an "inside job"??

p.s. Don't worry PETA....No sharks or humans were harmed during the making of this blog!

Hey It's Franklin

2009-04-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

Daddy and Evan taking Franklin home to his mommy and daddy!

We live right down the street from the river, between 2 ponds and in front of another pond......So needless to say, all sorts of animals live here,... Blue heron, frogs, deer, too many different kinds of birds, bunnies galore, TURTLES and many more!!!

On Saturday, Evan was finishing up his chalk artwork when he noticed a turtle shell right in front of my car and picked it up...... At first I was like, "What is he doing picking things up off the street?? He knows better than that!".....But then I realized what he had picked up......... It was the cutest littlest turtle I had EVER SEEN!!! The strange thing about Evan picking this one up was that my dad has turtles from time to time at his house and Evan is scared to death to touch them,.....Even the BABIES (he says their feet are scratchy).......Also, we mostly have BIG turtles who crawl out and we have to put them back so they don't get run over...So I was surprised!

Not knowing how Evan would react, I had Evan give him to me immediately.....I was so scared that he was going to drop him....OUCH!!

Poor Franklin (that's what Evan named him) was so scared......We dumped a water bottle out so he could cool off and maybe, hopefully take a drink.....It was 98 degrees out that day......No not the boy band....The weather :0)..... After he drank a little bit and cooled down I let Evan hold him for a bit until he and Daddy took him back to his home to be with his Mommy, Daddy, and TONS of relatives that were missing him so much!!

Luckily Evan found him when he did, or else we might have accidentally ran over him!! We were just about ready to get cleaned up and go to dinner........

The beauty and joy that little turtle brought us that day was AWESOME!!! It was hot, we were starting to wind down and then like Emeril says,.... "BAM!!"....We were hit by the little miracle who had traveled all the way from the pond to come and see us!!.....That's quite a BIG venture for such a little turtle!.........

I believe that God sends us these little "signs" from time to time telling us that he is all around......And is constantly watching over and taking care of us.....What a beautiful end to our day!

We will never forget you Franklin!!! Thanks for coming over to play!!

4/25

Who lives on the sidewalk down by the river??....

2009-04-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

Spongebob Squarepants

And Patrick Star

Maybe even Wall -E and Eve too :0)

Saturday was GORGEOUS out!!! We hadn't had a day like this in about a year!

Now I'm not one for sidewalk chalk......In fact I HATE IT!!! I hate the front of my yard looking like a messy coloring book......

But Saturday.....I didn't care (well I really kinda did....I just had to get over it!!!).....If it was going to make Evan happy, then I was going to let him do it.....This was a SUPER HUGE step for me......so be PROUD!!!! :0)

I didn't expect Anthony to get involved and go totally crazy too :0)...... How fun is that to have daddy draw life size versions of your favorite cartoon characters??!! Evan LOVED them, (Daddy was TOO MUCH in love with them)... until he tried to draw him own Spongebob and Patrick and it didn't work out too well for him.... So he decided to whine, cry and throw chalk all because he didn't think his was as nice as daddy's..... (Of course there is NEVER a day in my house where there is NO DRAMA) So we told Evan to do his own thing and to draw what he draws best......ROBOTS!!!......He did and I think they turned out nice!

For the rest of the day Anthony sat outside admiring and taking TONS of pictures of his drawings.......Sending those pictures to everyone he knew.....Calling his dad and brother up to come by and see his wonderful artwork......Making sure the neighbors saw his "Picasso's" and telling me over and over again how I need to to put this up on my blog....

So here it is on my blog hunny!!! Just for you!!

A great place to fall asleep

2009-04-27T05:30:00.000-07:00

( Kind of reminds me of a big kid version of an Anne Geddes picture )

Just one of the many wonderfully silly moments at our house.....

Evan was downstairs with Daddy on Friday night and fell asleep on the coffee table :0)....What a silly little nut!

From "Rags to Riches"?....Not today....

2009-04-23T16:29:00.000-07:00

While cleaning, I came accross these random "treasures" in my couch ...

*A large dirty black sock .......Anthony!!!

*A green crayon from Bahama Breeze

*A piece of a "Trader Joe's Dried Mangos" bag........Now those are delicious!! :0)

*A perfectly good almond....wasted

*Various crumbs of all shapes, sizes and colors

*Guitar Picks out the wazoo

*A round metal dohicky thing a majig

and...

*A piece of a chewed up orange foam sticker.... I don't even want to know!

Sadly, I found no money....... Not a random dirty penny, a Georgia state quarter, a shiny nickel, a crinkled, ripped, or taped dollar bill, not even a sticky dime.....Nope..... Nothing,... NADA.....

Either I'm inviting the wrong people over.....

Or someone already took it upon themselves to go "treasure hunting" in the couch before me....

I guess today was not my day, ....

Hmmmmm......

I wonder what kind of wine Bill Gates and Steve Jobs like to have with their dinner.....

AA, AAA, C, D, 9V

2009-04-23T09:34:00.000-07:00

Lights have stopped flashing,

Songs are no longer playing,

Buttons have no purpose,

....

The bitter sweet sound of silence...

....

All because batteries have died...

....

How could I of let this happen??

What am I going to do to make things right??

....

Sweet, sweet Target, how I love you so!

TRAGEDY has been turned into TRIUMPH!!

Energizer is on sale!!

....

Winnie The Pooh is singing,

Mario and Luigi are racing,

The Rain forest friends are back in full swing,

Lights are flashing like a 4th of July fireworks show,

The "A B C's" and "The Wheels On The Bus" are playing,

....

Kids are happy,

Mom has a headache,

....

And so,...

The wonderful chaos keeps going, and going, and going....

Sweet Gabe

2009-04-22T06:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Sweet Gabe!!!!

Please Pray For Little Kayleigh Freeman!

2009-04-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

Please pray for little Kayleigh Freeman....

Her and her family need all the prayers they can get!

Little Kayleigh had surgery the other day and was recovering nicely, until she took a turn for the worse today.....

You can read all about her and her fight here...

"Squeeze Stellan"

2009-04-21T14:17:00.001-07:00

Avery was doing the KICK, KICK, KICKERS in honor of Stellan!!!!

Easter Sunday!

2009-04-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

Because it's never too late to post a blog about Easter!!!! :0)...

It was just Avery and I on Easter Eve and Easter morning...Ant and Evan weren't due to come home until Easter afternoon.......

On Easter Eve, Avery and I set out a nice plate of yummy carrots with ranch sauce to dip and a tall glass of water......DELICIOUS bunny food :0)

We started off the morning.....EARLY!!! ... 6 am EARLY!! We got up, ate breakfast, and got ready to go to Grand mom Joanne and Grand pop's house for Church...... ( I don't have a picture of him in his Easter outy fits......He threw up all over himself and had to be changed immediately.......UH....It was so cute too)

Avery on Easter Morning.....You can tell he's excited!

After about 30 mins of the service, Avery got bored so we took him to the where all of the little Sunday School kids were putting on a little play all about Easter....Avery loved it and met a lot of cute little girls who fell in love with him....Such the ladies man he is

Afterwards, we went back to Grandmom Joanne's for a little brunchy snack, and little Avery slept the whole time!

Our next stop was Grammy and Poppy's house where we met up with Anthony and Evan!! You would think that after being away for a few days from mommy, that he would be SO EXCITED to see me...I was expecting that happy movie moment, where he runs to me yelling, "Mommy!!,... Mommy!! I missed you SOOOO MUCH!!!"....ha ha ha....Yea Right!!! Instead of tons of hugs and kisses, I got an earful of whining and complaining about how he wanted daddy to take him home first so he could get his Easter presents......EWWW......Gee Evan.....I missed you too!! I'm happy to see you!

After TONS of appetizers, candy and food we were all ready to go home.....BELLIES FULL!!

(Taken with my phone at my dad's house....sorry if the quality is blurry.....It took Ant FOREVER to get Avery to sit still so he could take a decent picture of him in his bunny suit!)

Evan couldn't wait to get home to see what the Easter bunny had brought him..... Literally... He was going nuts the whole 40 minute car ride home....

I was looking forward to coming home too, but NOT looking forward to the "Before Bed Sugar Situation" I was getting myself into....OY VEY!!!....

Look at what the Easter Bunny left us..... (baskets from left to right) Evan, Daddy, Mommy, and Avery...

Evan said, "Oh so the Easter Bunny left you Special K bars because he knows you're on a diet?....That was so nice of him. Awwwwww"...That's right....The Easter Bunny appreciates me sticking to my diet plan :0)

Evan was excited to see that Mr. Easter bunny enjoyed his snack...Despite the fact that he "wasted yummy carrots and dip"!

Avery was eager to see what Evan found on his MAD DASH eggie hunt!

Mr. Bunny left Evan clues to find his gifts!....Tricky tricky.... Apparently the clues were a little too tough.....My husband didn't even have a clue as to where they were...

Yay!! Just what I wanted!!!! Star Wars Snow Trooper!!!....SPOILED!!

Awwwww....There's nothing like chewing on a plastic giraffe in the midst of Easter CHAOS!! Ahh it's all about the simple things in life....

Avery LOVED ripping the paper off of the box and eating it!!!!...

Look at how excited he is!! (you have to see his silly mouth/facial expression)

p.s. It literally took Anthony about 30 mins to get the toy out of the box.....Men..... I could have had that thing out in like 2 mins..... :0)

Poor Mr. Bunny is all tuckered out!...We all were..... I couldn't WAIT to go to bed..... Evan on the other hand.....He was bouncing off the walls and going super crazy on his sugar high.....

Easter was great though!!! I love Easter..... It's my fav holiday!!!....

Glad it's over though...The End! :0P

Stressed out!!!!

2009-04-20T08:58:00.001-07:00

It was a beautiful weekend here in NJ..... Nice weather, beautiful breeze and spending precious time with my awesome family......What more could I possibly ask for??..... How about for Avery to EAT!!! All day Sunday he did NOT want to eat.... and his diapers were barely wet :0( ....It was heart breaking!!

I get so stressed out, because when I ask people to give me advice, suggestions, ANYTHING..... they all say the same thing...... "Just let him eat whatever he wants"......OK....That's all well and good, but there are some things that he HAS to eat to remain healthy.....Avery loves ALL FRUIT.....especially Guava, Papaya, Mango, Apple Strawberry Banana,... and Peach Cobbler....HIS FAV!!! But when it comes to drinking formula.....he'll eat 2-3 oz and not want ANY MORE!!! I've been trying to dream feed him more and he is just hipper to my game....

To keep him hydrated I have tried plain WATER, he doesn't care for it......I try doing 1 scoop of formula to 6 oz of water......He'll chew on the nipple, that's it.....Pedialyte....He HATES.........Who can blame him for that one.....I tried it to see what all the fuss was about.....and I almost threw up......YUCK!!! It tasted like cough syrup.......ICK!!!

Maybe I am complaining, maybe I am just venting.......I am just overwhelmed by it......Like I posted before I almost pray they'll put another feeding tube in him......So whatever he doesn't take by mouth, we can gavage the rest.......But then again, I don't want to force him and get him sick and upset...... and he SERIOUSLY just needs to LEARN how to eat......

The doctor's attribute his poor feeding to the fact that he was on the Oscillator and Ventilator for so long and from those tubes hurting his throat.....That it "scared" him to eat......(He was in the NICU for an extra week due to his poor eating too)

He hasn't lost any weight.....THANK GOD for that.....but He is at 17.1 pounds ........His doctor wants to see him at 20 pounds by his 1st birthday in 6 weeks.......I don't think that's happening......We'll need A LOT of prayers for that one.....UGH!! Maybe I am just being negative, but I'm tired and I'm frustrated and I need a prayer :0)

Hopefully by next month the doctor will OK trying just plain whole milk.......After all, they did approve MY mashed potatoes :0)....Oh and The Olive Oil thing is still OK....It's a slow going process, but he's doing well with it :0)

I know I need to be more patient......After all, the doctors tell me that he still isn't 100% "healed".... He still breathes SUPER HEAVY at times.......And that he still needs some "time"......

I'm looking for a quick fix, and I know it is not going to happen the way I want it to.....I just need to have faith that things will work themselves out.....

Thanks for listening to my SUPER disorganized, all over the map....RANT!!!......

Rest In Sweet Peace Matty

2009-04-19T12:52:00.000-07:00

Oh Matty how we love and miss you so!!

You will remain in our hearts forever!!

6 years and counting....

2009-04-18T06:47:00.000-07:00

Happy 6th Anniversary Anthony!!!!!

I LUVA YOU!!!

Married for 6 years and you still make me go crazy (in a good way)!!!! :0)

Thanks for keeping Avery in your prayers!!! - The Power of Prayer!!!!

2009-04-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

Avery, for the past couple of days since we started his Olive Oil back up, has been doing SO WELL with it!!! Hopefully he gains the weight he needs to get himself on the CURVE.....He hasn't been on there since he was like 2-3 months old......

We weighed him this morning and he was EXACTLY 17 pounds.....YAY!!!

Also, Avery will now WILLINGLY put food into his mouth!!!.....He likes honey graham crackers...FYI :0).....We call them his "cookies".....He goes crazy when I shake the bag in front of him......He reminds me of a puppy going crazy over dogie treats :0).....He doesn't look like he's that crazy about it in the picture, that's just because he was concentrating :0)

I hope now that I wrote this, that I didn't jinx us......

Please continue to pray for little Avery!

Please pray this works for Avery!!!

2009-04-14T11:31:00.000-07:00

Over the past 4 days, Avery has lost about 4 oz of body weight :0( It is a DAILY struggle to get him to eat and gain weight........ It is very heart breaking, exhausting and stressful, when I see that he is losing weight....

Avery was having some belly troubles due to a baby food he was put on to help him gain a little more weight... It was making him throw up everything he ate..... Once we took him off of that food, we were expecting to see him gain the weight back that he had lost........ Sadly It hasn't happened :0( and he is right back to being UNDER 17 pounds (he's at 16.8 pounds now)...

We have put him back on Olive Oil, but instead of giving him the PREMIUM Olive Oil ......which is a lot heavier on his belly, we are giving him a thinner version (still the same amount of calories and fats)....... So far , so good!!!

Please pray that his belly continues to tolerate the Olive Oil, ...If he doesn't start to put on some more weight soon, they are going to have to give him x-rays again :0(

I'm leaving on a jet plane........I'll be back Easter afternoon :0)

2009-04-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

Anthony and Evan went to Arizona for his sister's wedding on April 11th... This was the FIRST TIME Evan had ever been on a plane or stayed the night away from home without me before!!! It was VERY HARD for me to do, but I stayed strong......Be proud of me!!! I was SO AGAINST him going, Yes, I'm SELFISH when it comes to my kids....After all, her wedding was the DAY BEFORE Easter and he was going to be on the other side of the country WITHOUT ME!!! ..... Oh the ANXIETY!!!...... But..... In the end I felt like it would be good for Evan and Daddy to have some nice Father Son time together :0)

Thaey had a good time, but I am SO GLAD that they are home!!!! I missed the CHAOS all too much!!!

Right before they left...

Evan crying.....awwwww.....he misses me already... *tear*

World's MOST Handsome Ring Bearer!!!!

At their Resort.....The Monta Lucia Resort

Starting the day off right!

Checking himself out...

You're so vain....You probably think this song is about you, don't you...

Evan and Uncle Jesse at Aunt Candice's Wedding

2009-04-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

What Goofballs!! :0)

Don't let their sweet and innocent smiles fool you :0)

April 11th

Usually they're the trouble makers, but thankfully, they were very well behaved that day......Or so I was told.....hmmmm :0)

Breaking through!!

2009-04-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

Avery's 6th tooth has finally broken through his gum!! His 7th tooth, looks like it will be out within the next 2 days......

Avery takes teething like a champ!! He's not ultra whiny, he just likes to chew on things, preferably either my hand (OUCH!!!!) or my NECKLACE......His teethers of choice... :0)

Prayer Request!

2009-04-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

Please keep little Grant in your thoughts and prayers! You can read all about him and his valiant fight here.....

http://grantmeaheart.blogspot.com/

It's a nice day for a walk...

2009-04-09T18:58:00.000-07:00

A BUNNY!!!

Avery fell asleep ....zzzzzzzz

Right after Evan and Anthony left for AZ, Avery and I went for a walk around the neighborhood.....It was gorgeous out....and I was a little depressed, so a nice walk is what we needed :0)

April 9th

UPDATE about Avery's Reflux/Throwing up!

2009-04-09T09:25:00.000-07:00

So after watching and monitoring Avery's feeding for a couple of days, we came to the conclusion that Avery either had a MILD stomach bug, Or that he was having a reaction to his Gerber Pear Strawberry Granola with DHA food........ We're leaning more towards the Gerber DHA food.

Avery doesn't really like to eat and just finally turned 17 POUNDS!!!! YAY!!! GO AVERY!!!! He's not quite on the curve yet as far as weight goes......He FINALLY is on the curve for length though (just barely, but he's STILL ON IT!!!)!!!!!!..........However, the doctor wants him to have more FATS in his diet to help him gain more weight. We tried OLIVE OIL......That just made him really sick and dehydrated...... Avacado....OY....He hates it and refuses to swallow it :0).....He just lets it fall right out of his mouth.....It's pretty funny....... The Gerber food, which he LOVED has 0.5 g of FAT.....Which was a help, ...... So now on to the MASHED POTATOES (we just got the OK)!! :0)

Any other suggestions for adding FATS into his diet??

p.s. We are still documenting and managing his "spit ups"......He has been doing great ALL DAY so far....I don't want to jinx it.....

Black Marks on Avery's Teeth??? - HELP!!!

2009-04-08T18:05:00.000-07:00

So within the past two months, we have noticed some black marks on the grooves of the back of Avery's teeth...... Our doctor's didn't seem too concerned about it and told us that it was normal, since Avery has to take extra liquid IRON vitamin drops a day... They assured me that as long as we brushed his teeth at least 2 times a day that they would go away....

So they haven't gone away and I feel as if they have gotten worse... So I talked to his one doctor (THANK HEAVENS that she lives only right around the corner from me.....Although, I feel like I bug her all the time, but she's the one who always stops and asks how he doing every time she sees me :0]).....She suggested that I take him to a pediatric dentist to have his teeth professionally cleaned, but the only thing is that she's afraid that it would stress Avery out too much....... (He STILL to this day has periods throughout the day that he breathes heavy and his chest sucks in)......So going to the dentist is a LAST RESORT!!!

So my question is.... Has any one's child had the same thing? If so,... What did you use to clean their teeth with?

Thanks in advance!!!

Avery's 9 Month Pictures.....FINALLY! :0)

2009-04-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

Yes I know I'm slacking, but I just finally got the chance to pick them up...

They are too cute!!

"Yup! It's my VOOT!" (correct spelling) :0)

Ha ha....I love this signature Avery pose, It just makes me say, "That's MY Avery!!!" :0)

Easter Eggies - April 8th

2009-04-08T11:40:00.000-07:00

My husband is such a goofball!!

Double dipping

The one on the left is Avery's....It had a picture of a piggy on it, but it got ruined by some water,...It's still pretty darn cute though

Due to my last minute planning, I didn't have enough time to take my blow dryer to melt those plastic sleeves, but Evan didn't seem bothered by it one bit.....He liked them better that way...

How to dye eggs the DISORGANIZED "Wellens Family" way!!..ha ha ...

Dyeing eggies this year was not without some drama :0)..... We were getting all set up around 6:30, when I realized that I didn't have enough VINEGAR.....I could of sworn that I had an extra bottle in the pantry, but nope.....Either it was hiding or it ran away.....Who knows...

Finally, after a trip to the grocery store for our vinegar, we got started at around 7:30......It seemed to take FOREVER and a day for the dye to set......Not to mention the fact that the red didn't even really work.....It got all crumbly and gross......(We had the same issue last year too) :0(

The reason why I was rushing to get them done, was because I FORGOT all about it and Evan was leaving the next afternoon for AZ and wasn't going to be back until Easter afternoon......

Nevertheless, we were up till almost 11 dyeing eggs, with the exception of daddy and Avery who fell asleep :0).....By the next morning most of them were kinda ruined from sitting in the fridge and still being kinda wet.......But that's OK....We got it done, Evan was happy and that's all that mattered :0)

I also forgot that Evan still had to put stickers on his eggs and all that fun stuff, so like 15 minutes before they were due to leave the house, I handed Evan all the stuff and he got to work decorating his eggies :0)......

You Scare Mommy!

2009-04-07T14:42:00.000-07:00

Not only was the weather TERRIBLE yesterday, but Avery was not feeling well :0(....

(Warning....This is a bit graphic.....If you have a weak stomach turn back now :o] )

I was SO excited when Avery finished his morning feeds...He wakes up at 7 am and by 11:15 am his goal is to finish 7 oz..... He rarely EVER meets his goal....He's usually about 2 oz shy of his target....Anyways, he finished the FULL 7 oz within that time.....He immediately brightened up my day and I was raving on and on about what a good "Piggers" he was........ At around 12:00pm, I was getting Evan some lunch and usually Avery eats his fruit and granola ( he will NO LONGER eat any cereals or vegetables....UGH!!) He loves to eat lunch with his big brother....So I start feeding him and we are about 1/2 way done and his mouth starts watering badly and he starts to jerk himself back and he started to burp and turn purple..... And before I knew it there was EVERYTHING he had eaten for the whole day being projected from his mouth and his nose all over the place.....He started to choke, cough and throw up more.....As soon as he finished I grabbed him and suctioned him out immediately..... After about 3 LONG minutes he was pink, sounded great and overall OK......No temp, No lethargy, nothing.....He acted as is nothing ever happened.

He had another little episode later that day as well.....But then as the rest of the day went on he was fine... So I just let him eat how ever much he wanted.....I didn't force any extra calories or fats on him.....

His soft spot was fine, so I knew he wasn't dehydrated and he stayed pink for the rest of the day....

He has an appt. with his doctors soon..... Hopefully, they will FINALLY test him for reflux.....They have been holding off on doing this because they don't want to stress him out too much....Also, because he doesn't spit up more than once a day, they think that he is just a "stubborn eater" because of his super rough start in life and the fact that he has NOT been a good consistent "feeder" since they first started feeding him......

Please pray for our little Avery!!

Hop, Hop, Hop, Bunny....

2009-04-06T10:40:00.000-07:00

Evan and Avery with The Easter Bunny!!!

4/4/2009

Evan LOVES the Easter Bunny!!!!!!!! He is ALWAYS excited to visit him!!

With this being Avery's FIRST TIME with the Easter Bunny, I didn't know what to expect. I was hoping he was JUST like his big brother and he would sit and smile nicely :0). First I made sure to have Evan pick his spot on Mr. Easter B's lap so it would make Avery more comfortable.

Then I sat Avery down.....He looked at Mr. Bunny and started pouting and whimpering like he would going to go in a full chorus of hysterical crying. Evan assured him that the Easter Bunny was "Really Cool!"... And I agreed :0).....Avery could of cared less about what he had to say.....BUT THEN.....Avery felt the Easter Bunny's soft fur, cuddled up to him and immediately was ALL SMILES!!!

Everyone waiting in line was talking to him and tell him that it was OK and doing, "awe's" and "oh look at how cute he is".......So instead of looking at the man taking the picture, he was too busy smiling and talking to the people in line......

Poor Evan was being so good and doing such nice smiles, that by the time Avery FINALLY decided to look and smile, Evan was tired from all of his cheesy grinning :0)...He has that, "Hurry up and take the picture already" look on his face....he he he

It came out pretty cute :0) Isn't Avery's crazy hair just so funny??

Happy 10 Month Birthday Avery!!!

2009-04-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

Happy 10 Month Birthday Avery!!!! Oh how we love you soooooo much!!!!!!

BEAUTIFUL DAY!!!!

2009-04-05T18:43:00.000-07:00

It was a GORGEOUS day out, so after Church and Sunday school we went to the park to play!! The weather was absolutely amazing and perfect!!!
While mommy and Avery watched, Evan had so much fun playing and making new friends.....

Once the ice cream man came, I was OUT OF THERE in a FLASH ..... ha ha ha.... I did not feel like deal with a "sugar situation" ...ha ha ha

April 5th

This park has a GIANT hill.....Evan and his friends made a line at the top, held hands and ran down.....Some times one of them did a "wipe out", but they got back up and kept on going :0) One of the dad's made sure that everyone was ok :0)

The little girl in the pink was SO CUTE!! She followed Evan around almost the whole time, until she realized that Evan had a baby brother.....Then she was all about making Avery laugh.....She was so sweet and eventually went back to playing with Evan in the castle :0)

Avery kick, kick, kicking his little friends :0)

Sleepy Avery

2009-04-04T18:40:00.000-07:00

My sleeping little Angel...

April 4th

It's Puppy Love!!!

2009-04-03T18:36:00.000-07:00

Avery LOVES his puppy that Candice gave him!! He loves to chew his face, rub his nose and throw him and laugh.....In a loving way of course!! :0)

Apparently, my flash was up too high.....he he he

April 3rd

I'm not afraid

2009-04-03T07:13:00.001-07:00

I'm not afraid to admit when I'm wrong, ...I'm just never wrong! :0)

Blessings!

Sunshine on my shoulders make me happy...

2009-03-31T18:15:00.000-07:00

So today started out nicely, The sun shining through the windows was beautiful and the weather was peaceful..... Evan woke up, ate all his breakfast, brushed his teeth and got dressed as quick as lightning......Avery, woke up with a beaming smile on his face, ready to eat!! I picked up Evan from school and he played with his friends for a bit (and everybody got along!) and then we went home...... Picture Perfect!! We all ate lunch together and had a really interesting conversation about different pranks we can play on daddy for April Fools Day :0)... Boy after yesterday, this day was PURE HEAVEN!!!........ Until........ I asked Evan to hand me his school folder...... Inside was a sweet little note from his teacher..... I'd like to share it with all of you....

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Wellens,

Evan was NOT listening to my directions at all today. He continued to do what he wanted to do and not what I told the class to do. Please talk to him again about this unacceptable behavior.

Thank you,

Ms. Marron"

Well, well , well, ..... I knew this day was too good to be true....

When I asked Evan about what his teacher had said, he replied, "Oh that?! That was some other kid....It's no big deal mommy.....No big deal!"......... "Ok, well my gym teacher told me I was really good today...... So I don't know what Ms. Marron is talking about........Nicholas made me get in trouble!......" - Well there you have it folks, he was SET UP for diaster.....ha ha ha..... I think NOT!!!

So after a nice and long time out on the steps, and after having his favorite Legos and Star Wars guys taken away, He changed his mind about what really happened and apologized for what he had done....And then decided that he better step away from the dark side and get on my good side and QUICK...... What better way to do it then help me clean the house......Boy did he do a great job......After, he asked me if he was going to get paid for this and I gave him the "look", We had a nice dinner on our super clean table, courtesy of Evan..... :0)

Maybe today wasn't so bad afterall......I got someone to clean my house for FREE..... Nice :0)

OY VEY!!!!

2009-03-30T18:45:00.000-07:00

OK so I had a SUPER crazy and mentally challenging day!!! I felt like Evan and his Star Wars guys were trying to take me down one HUGE mess at a time......OY!!!......And Avery.....God Bless his tiny little heart.....But ALL he wanted to do was spit his food out ALL OVER ME....(I guess I shouldn't complain.....At least I got a free oatmeal bath out of the deal!)...I swear they were plotting against me...... Thank God they are fast asleep!!!...... Let's hope they stay in happy little dream land for the rest of the night and wake up sweet little angels in the morning!!! :0) - Oh what a fantasy :0)

Please say many prayers for dear sweet Stellan!!!

2009-03-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

Please feel free and read his family's story!!
He needs all the prayers he can get!!

New Teefers :0)

2009-03-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

Avery has 2 new teeth!!! The first of the new ones (his 4th new tooth) is his top front left one :0) That one came in on March 23rd and The 5th new tooth is the one right next to it on the left hand side.....Does that make sense??...ha ha ha ..... I took a picture of them, but all Avery wanted to do was yell and get me away from his mouth :0)

So needless to say, Avery has been super busy putting these new teeth to work chewing on anything and everything he can get his mouth around :0)...... His favorite thing to chew on is my silver star necklace.....OY!!! I don't think Tiffanys had "teething babies" in mind when they made it.....

I came across these cool necklaces on celebrity-babies.com that babies can chew on and they are fashionable too......SCORE!! ha ha ha Has anyone ever used these?? What do you think of them??

http://celebrity-babies.com/2009/03/27/teething-jewelry-roundup/

Wet diapers = YAY!!....Seriously :0)

2009-03-29T07:02:00.000-07:00

For the past few months, Avery has not been "soaking" diapers AT ALL!!! Even overnight ones :0(...... But he is not dehydrated (I know this by checking the soft spot on his head....CONSTANTLY!!...I am totally obsessed and I guess I can worry too much sometimes).....This is pretty much all due in part that he doesn't like to drink much...... Well,..... The past few days he's been eating close to 30oz from his bottle every day (instead of the usual 17-21oz)....So he has been SOAKING diapers!!! I love it!!! It puts my mind at ease.... I desperately need that too.... :0)

Please continue to pray!!!

2009-03-25T20:02:00.001-07:00

Please continue to pray for all of the little babies and families that are linked on my page... They are truly amazing people who are very inspirational, courageous, STRONG, and well I could go on and on for days...... :0) I have been following these families since Avery was first diagnosed with PPHN and their stories have helped me through SUPER TOUGH TIMES!!! I feel like I owe them so much for sharing their personal journies with me and everyone else... Their beautiful babies and them have taught me so much about FAMILY, LIFE and FAITH!

Also, please continue to pray for well....EVERYONE.....We ALL need a little prayer said for us from time to time :0)

UGH!!

2009-03-25T19:54:00.000-07:00

Avery will now drink from his bottle - a decent amount, BUT He now really does not swallow his food......Even his favorite food.....Peach cobbler!!...... Little Avery is such a trouble maker :0) He is always keeping us on our toes :0) I'm not too too concerned as long as he continues to gain weight, I'll be happy (I can't deal with any more x-rays and constant weekly weight checks!!)..... I am so sick and tired of forcing him to eat all day every day.....Poor baby boy.... We'll keep on taking it one day at a time.....More like one meal at a time :0)

Thanks for listening to my rant :0)

Gumbody Special!!!

2009-03-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

Evan got "Gumbody Special" again today!!! What made this time even better than last is that Pokey joined Gumby in visiting our house!!!

Here is what we wrote in Evan's "Gumbody Special" book...

"Gumby, Pokey, Mommy, Avery and I all had a super busy, yet fun day! We started off at the bank where we met a really nice lady who told us that she was a big fan of Gumby and Pokey when she was little. Then we went to Target, where we played in the Easter section and we picked out a cool birthday gift for my friend, Austin. Afterwards, we went home and watched some Star Wars, played with Legos and then we played Hi Ho Cherry - O! Pokey Won!! Go Pokey!! Before bed, I read the book Olivia to Gumby, Pokey, Avery, Mommy and Daddy. And then before saying goodnight, Avery and I played with Gumby and Pokey! It was fun to have them over my house and I can't wait for them to visit again SOON!! :0)"

Are feeding issues FINALLY a thing of the past??!!

2009-03-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

Avery's feeding has been on such a roller coaster since birth.... It even got so stressful for me,that I wasn't producing a lot of milk for him anymore so I decided at 6 months of age, to stop breast feeding and to start bottle feeding him to get an EXACT idea of how much he was eating.....I could barely get him to eat 3 ounces...... It has been that way since then.... I have been hoping and praying that his appetite will grow, and well I don't want to count my chickens before they've hatched, but I think my prayers are being answered!!! For the past 2 days, Avery has been eating 4.5 ounces of formula at every feeding and tonight he ate 7 ounces.....That is the MOST he has ever eaten at once!! I was sooooooo proud of my little piggers!!

He started out at 8lbs 6oz and is now ALMOST 17lbs!!!!! YAY!!! He is finally on the curve (on the doctor's office's charts) for length at 5%, but not quite for weight, He is still only about 3% for that...... He may be small, but he is soooooo mighty!!!

It is a constant and daily battle to get him to eat everyday and it is very draining on me when he doesn't want to eat as much as he usually does....I know this is bad to feel this way, but I almost want him to still have his feeding tube, so I can make sure that he is getting all of his nutrients and his calories and that he is growing.....I am sick and tired of him being labeled as "FTT - Failure To Thrive"..... So today made me a super happy mama!!!

p.s. Has anyone else had the same issue with their kids, after their children were on an Oscillator or Ventilator?? If so, in what ways did you get your little ones to eat?

Sleepy Time Family Picture Time :0)

2009-03-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

Right before all of us went to sleep, we piled up on our bed and took some precious pictures..... Avery didn't really want to cooperate, but I think we managed to sneak in a couple of good ones of him too :0)