Wordless Wednesday-Guess Who This Is!

Christmas Happenings

So now that it's four days after Christmas I thought it was time to do a Christmas post.  Bout time huh?

We spent Christmas Eve at my Aunt's house like we do every year.  Belli's was so good!  We didn't leave until nine and she was still happy and playing even though it was more than an hour past her bed time.

         And here is a picture of her with my cousin Lori.  She loves Lori!

After that we left and went over to Isabelle's dad's house where we both spent the night so she could have Christmas with both of us.  Since she didn't get to bed until 9:30 or after I was hoping she would sleep later than normal.  But, no.  6:30 as usual.  So I got her out of bed and she went and woke her daddy up.  Then it was time for presents.

  Honestly, she wasn't really that excited.  She just wanted to watch her "hippo movie."  I had to convince her to open all of her presents.  I think she was just tired but she eventually got into it and especially had a fun time with her new doll house.

After that we left to go back home to Mimi and Granddad's house where we had Christmas AGAIN!  She was even less excited here than she was at her dad's house.  Here she is sucking on her tag on her blanky thoroughly unamused by the whole situation.

After opening a few presents I finally gave up and put her down for an early nap.  She was cranky!  She slept for about two hours and woke up much happier.  When she woke up she opened her new piano from Mimi and Granddad and got her new car.

 It was a pretty cold out on Christmas day so we didn't stay out long but she had a great time riding in her car and on her new tricycle.

Ok, I know she doesn't look real thrilled in that last picture but trust me, she had fun!

So, that was our Christmas.  Hope you guys had as good of a Christmas as we did!  Check back later today or within the next couple of days for a great video of Belli playing the ABC's on her piano.

A Merry Christmas Eve Picture Post

Cuddles

After 5 and 1/2 months (and 4.5 hours waiting in the waiting room at Children's with kids running around wild and screaming) my baby is finally halo free.  I even have picture proof:

We got to the hospital today around 9am and finally got called back at about 1:30.  From the time they put her to sleep until we saw her after the procedure was only about 30 minutes.  The majority of that time was spent stitching her pin sites.  Apparently they were pretty bloody.

Things kind of went downhill for a little while after that.  Isabelle had not eaten since 7:30 the night before and it was way past nap time so needless to say she was pretty POed.  I haven't seen her flip out like that since she was a wee little baby and her ortho had to change her casts every week.  We took her back to her room in one day surgery and she was going crazy.  She started bucking and throwing her head back.  It was so bad we had to lay her down on the bed because neither me nor her dad could hold her.  The nurse didn't seem to find this to be a problem but her throwing her head back worried me a little bit.  Luckily when we went to leave we saw one of the other neurosurgeons who knows Isabelle and we asked him about it.  He said it was ok, the main thing was for us to not let her bend her neck the other way (like chin down).  The collar she is in will keep her from doing this for the most part but we still need to watch her.

She also has way more mobility in her neck than I expected.  From what I was told she was not supposed to have any movement in her neck at all.  I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that she does of some range of motion.  She can tilt her head to both sides (like she is trying to touch her ears to her shoulders) and earlier I noticed her turning her head side to side (like a "no-no" motion)  It is very slight but she does it.  Honestly, I am not sure if she is supposed to be able to do this or not.  I have to call the nurse tomorrow with a couple of questions I have and that is one of them.  I am thrilled that she can but I just want to make sure. 

She took a nap for about an hour after we got home.  She woke up in a horrible mood again so I sat with her in the glider and rocked her back to sleep.  It was the best cuddling I have ever had.  She seems so small and cuddly now.  Once she woke up again she was in a pretty good mood.  She is still pretty wobbly and having trouble with her balance (totally normal) so we spent pretty much the rest of the night in my dad's chair watching movies.  It was great!  See:

She is now asleep, hopefully for the rest of the night.  I will post some more pictures as soon as I take more!

Sunday Funday-Getting to Know You

Now that I am finally home for the day I can to Keely's "Getting to Know You."  Here are this week's Q&A's.

1.  Middle Name?
Elizabeth

2.  What do you think is your best physical asset? 
My hair.  I've got pretty darn good hair when I have it cut.  It's way too long and not good looking right now.

3.  If you could only eat one time of cuisine a year what would it be?
ITALIAN!!!  I love it.

4.  Walmart or Target?
Depends on what I am looking for and the mood I am in.  For food, Walmart.  For clothes, Target.  If I'm in a good mood I can handle either.  If I am in a bad mood, Target.  Their clientele tends to be more polite and all around nicer people!

5.  Favorite state besides the one you live in.
That's a tough one.  Of the states I have been to (13 I think) they all have great qualities.  You've got the casinos in Mississippi, Gatlinburg in Tennessee, River Walk in San Antonio, and all the historical sites in Virginia.  However, none of those could possibly beat the warmth and beaches of Florida.

6.  What side of the bed do you sleep on?
Left

7.  King or Queen size bed?
Hmm...I think the one I am sleeping on now is a full size bed.  Well scratch that.  The one I normally sleep on is a full size bed.  But, now that my sister is home for the holidays I am bunking with Isabelle and sleeping on a twin bed.

8.  Beer or wine?
Wine.

9. Water-ice cold or room temp?
Ice cold.

10.  Christmas-love it or hate it?
Love it! 

Five Question Friday

Like Mama M, I am always surprised when it is already Friday again!  Time for Five Question Friday.  Here are Belli's answers.

1.  Which boy group did you like most in your teens?
My mommy hopes that there won't be any boy groups by the time I grow up and is now feeling really sorry for my Mimi since my mommy made her listen to Hanson ALL THE TIME!

2.  Do you do Christmas cards, letters, or nothing.
Nothing this year.  My mommy is laaaaazy.

3.  If you could meet one celebrity who would it be and why?
Well Elmo of course!

4.  Favorite thing to cook with?
See this post.  A good ole plastic bowl and spoon will do.  I also love to put my fake chili powder in everything.

5.  What is the one thing you wear the most?
My blue jeans.  Since my clothes get so dirty from scooting around on my bottom my mommy puts my jeans on a lot because you can't see the dirt on them!

Wordless Wednesday-Pretend Play

Bye Bye Halo, Hello Collar (Again!)

Everything went pretty well at the appointment today.  Her doctor came in the room and I asked Isabelle if she had something to ask him and she said, "Take my halo off please!"

He of course laughed and said that he was just looking at her CT-scan and although he would like there to be more bone than there is (meaning he would like to see the fusion harden a little more) he felt like the halo could come off.  YAY!!!!  So we are scheduled for Monday at 12pm to get that sucker off.

The bad part is that because there is not as much bone as he would like to see she will have to be put back in a collar.  I'm sure most of you are thinking, "So what?  She's been in a collar almost her whole life.  Big deal."  I know, I know.  Except the collar that she will be put in Monday is not the same one she has been in her whole life.  The one she will be in we used for about a week when she was around nine months old.  It's HUGE.  And it covers a lot more than the old collar.  And she has been out of a collar since July.  And...she is going to be ticked!  See how huge this thing is: 

And before you ask, yes I do realize that she is bigger now than she was then so it might not be so bad.  I hope that is the case!  Because although this picture does not show it, she REALLY hated that collar.

Ok, OK.  Maybe it was me that hated the collar and spent a week researching cervical collars online to find a smaller one that didn't cover her whole face, chest, and back, and allowed her to rest her head on my shoulder.  MAYBE it was me that called her doctor and told him she was not wearing that collar anymore and begged him to let her where this one:

See?  Isn't that one so much better?  But, it's just not as stable as the first one so we can't use it.

Ok, I am finished with my rant now.  Even though it may not sound like it I really am happy she will be getting the halo off.  Especially since I bought Christmas outfits for her to wear =-)  Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers today!

Tomorrow's the Big Day

Isabelle has an appointment with her neurosurgeon tomorrow.  She will have a CT-scan tomorrow and if all looks well we will set a date for the halo to come off.  She will have to be put to sleep so if he is already booked it might not be until after Christmas before it comes off. 

To be honest I'm pretty nervous.  I know the doctor won't take it off if she isn't ready but I still worry about her safety.  As much as I am ready to see the halo go and as much as it totally SUCKS it is keeping her safe.  He will most likely put her back in the c-collar once it comes off and that will help my nerves.  Please pray that the right decision is made in regards to whether the halo should come off.

I am also nervous because although I know she will never be able to move her head again I am afraid it might not actually hit me until the halo comes off.  Right now when you look at her with the halo on it is obvious that she shouldn't be able to move her head.  But once it's off I feel like she should be able to move it (I mean duh!).  So please also pray that I handle it well when I see for certain that she can't.  I mean like I said, I KNOW she can't...but I still just haven't seen it yet.

Anywho...

I will post sometime tomorrow and let you guys know!

Getting to Know You

This week's getting to know you by Keely we are supposed post a Christmas picture or video.  I chose this one: 

This picture is from Belli's first Christmas.  And let's face it, she is the cutest reindeer I have ever seen.

Ingram Wins Heisman Trophy

Mark Ingram wins The University of Alabama's first Heisman trophy.  Congrats!

You can watch his acceptance speech here.  Get the tissues ready!

All we need now is another National Championship title and this will truly be the PERFECT season.

Five Question Friday

**PLEASE READ**
I received an email a little while ago from one of the directors at The Bell Center.  Betty Bell, who is the program director and the wonderful woman who started The Bell Center years ago, fell last night and broke her hip and pelvis.  I don't have any other details as of now but I ask that you all please pray for this amazing person.  She has helped provide services to thousands of children over the years and is truly an inspiration.  She visits all of the children during hospitalizations and is such a great support.  Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she and her medical team decide what the next step is.
 
**Original Post**
I can't believe it is Friday already!  It's once again time for Mama M's Five Question Friday.  Don't forget these are Belli's answers!  Here we go...

1.  Does Santa wrap the presents he leaves at your house?
Nope!  Santa leave all of my toys out and the presents from everyone else are wrapped.

2.  What is your big Christmas celebration?  On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
We go to my mommy's aunts house on Christmas Eve and the have Christmas with immediate family on Christmas morning.  So I guess both!

3.  Are you big on keeping tradition every year.
I'm not really big on anything.

4.  Do colored lights or white lights tickle your fancy?
I don't know about the lights but the pine needles on the tree tickle my face when I get too close to the tree.

5.  Do you decorate outside of your house for Christmas?
Other than a wreath on the door, no.  As I like to tell my mommy, "It's too cooooold to go outside."

Pet Peeves-Driving Habits

It's been a while since I have done a Pet Peeves post so I thought I would do one now.  I thought driving habits would be a good topic after my encounter with the lady parking in the handicap spot.  You can read all about that here.  If you want to read my other Pet Peeves posts you can click here, here, and here.

So those of you who know me or have ever been in the car or on the phone with me while I drive may know that I've got a mild severe case road rage.  People just flat out tick me off.  They are STUPID.  The following are some of my biggest pet peeves.

1.  People who are merging onto the interstate and drive all the way down the merging lane before getting over.  Unless it's rush hour traffic and you don't have a choice get over as soon as you can! 

2.  People who drive 25mph on the entrance ramp.  If you are going 25mph on the entrance ramp then by the time you get to the interstate you are still going to be going 25mph and you will get run over or cause me to get run over because you were going so slow.

3.  People who drive under the speed limit and then don't bother to come to a complete stop at a stop sign.  If you are going to be cautious enough do drive under the speed limit why run a stop sign?

4.  People who ride my bumper when I am already going 5-10 miles over the speed limit.  I'm sorry but I'm not going any faster. 

5.  People who park in handicap spots illegally.

6.  People who don't turn right on red because they think they can only go on a green light.

I could probably go on and on and on so I will just stop with six.  What about you guys?  Any other driving habit pet peeves that I didn't mention?

So You CAN Walk?

This is what I wanted to say to the girl I saw park in a handicap parking spot today that clearly was not handicapped.  Does that burn anyone else up as much as it burns me up?  It has always bothered me but it seems like it does even more so now.  I don't know if it's because I have a child who may need to park in that spot one day or if it's just because I have gotten older and know more people who have a legitimate need for a handicapped spot or both but it REALLY bothers me.  I just don't understand why some people feel like they are special enough to break the rules and make it harder for other people.

I had professor (who had no obvious disability) once who's car I saw parked in a handicap spot.  I couldn't see the front of her car so I wasn't sure if she had a tag or not so I asked her about it when I got to class.  I had this professor a few times and we spoke and emailed outside of class once in a while so I was comfortable with mentioning it.  She told me that she had a breathing disorder (not asthma) that kept her from being able to walk long distances or over exerting herself.  And she also had a tag hanging.  That was totally understandable and I was so glad when she told me that because I was afraid my idea of the type of person she was would be ruined.  Although I am not glad that she has the problem of course!

But this girl today, she was in her late teens or early twenties, had no tag.  And she definitely did not have a breathing problem.  She got out of her car in her high heels and practically ran into the mall because it was so cold out.  So if she did have a breathing problem she would have passed out I'm quite sure.

But the kicker to the whole story is that I am pretty sure she KNEW she had done something wrong (not just legally but morally).  When she got out of the car she walked around and looked down like she was looking at the color of the lines.  And then she looked around to see if anyone was watching and she kinda just stood there like she was deciding what she should do.  Obviously she didn't find it to be that big of a deal because she then started on her sprint inside. 

I thought about all of the people who may have needed that spot that instead may have had to park hundreds of spaces away because there were no handicap spots free.  It was so cold and windy today.  I thought of a mother with a small child that was wheel chair bound having to push their child that far in the cold.  Ugh!

I so badly wanted to say something.  I was sooooooo close.  But for some reason I didn't.  I guess I didn't want to cause a scene or look like an idiot if there was in fact a legitimate reason she was parked there.  Although I can think of none. 

So what would you have done?  Nothing?  Said something?  Called the cops?  I would love to hear from some other people on the subject.

And PLEASE don't park in a handicap spot if you don't need to.

Alphabitty Moments-H

Since I am trying to catch up on my Alphabitty Moments I thought I would go ahead and post the letter "H" and that will give me some time before Thursday to think of something for letter "I."

At first I couldn't think of anything for "H." Hungry? Ha! Yeah right. Happy? Yea, but what kid isn't happy. The whole point of Alphabitty Moments is to pick specific things in your child's childhoods so they will remember. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks a big ring of metal. HALO.  "Duh, Amanda" I thought.  What kids has a halo when they are two.  Not many!  So for Belli, "H" is for Halo.

This first picture is shortly after Belli got the halo put on.

This one is a couple hours after the fusion when th vest was put on.














This one is my amazing, smiling, little girl just a day or two after surgery.  If it was me I would NOT be smiling.

Getting to Know You

My blogger friend Keely started this Getting to Know You blog hop and I thought I would join in. Since I always answer Mama M's Five Question Friday with Belli's answers I thought I would answer these question with MY answers so my readers could get to know me better this time. Thanks Keely for the Sunday fun!

1. How old are you?
23

2. Where are you from and where do you live now?
I was born in Birmingham, AL and I still live there. In the same house to boot!

3. What music have you been digging lately?
I've been loving me some Darius Rucker lately!

4. Favorite food?
My absolute favorite food is pizza. Italian is my favorite type of food though.

5. Single, married, divorced?
Divorced

6. Kids? If so how many and how old.
My sweet Belli is almost 2.5.

7. What are three blogs you read daily?
I don't have specific blogs I read daily. I just check on blogger for who has new posts and I read them.

8. What is your favorite Christmas/Holiday tradtion?
Going to my aunt's house on Christmas Eve. That is ALWAYS fun!

9. If you are a blogger how long have you been blogging?
I have been blogging since June of 2009 shortly after I found out my daughter needed a spinal fusion. You can read my first post here.

Today's the Day

That we have all been waiting for. Yep, that's right THE GAME is here. Alabama vs. Florida for the SEC Championship game and a spot in the National Championship game in January. I know I've been talking about it all week and I'm sure most of you are finally glad it will all be over with so I will just shut the heck up already.

And I promise...after tonight I won't mention Alabama football again...at least for a while. Because you see if they win don't forget we will be going to the National Championship game in January and THAT will be something to talk about. All though they lead the nation with the most Championship wins (12) they have not been to the championship game since 1992. They played Miami and won. I was just a mere 6 years old and can't even remember the game. So for me this will be my first chance to see them in the championship game.

I know a lot of you guys probably think I'm nutso for caring so much, especially those out of the south. But a common phrase you hear in the south is, "Football isn't a game, it's a religion." It's true. My high school football team went to the state championship game all four years I was there and won three. They played again, and won, in Bryant-Denny Stadium (Alabama's field) last night. As it turns out every team (out of six divisions) that got to use Alabama's locker room as opposed to the visiting team's locker room won. A sign? I hope so.

So, I will continue on with my day praying and hoping that Alabama will come out victorious tonight. The game is a 3pm central time. If you don't hear from me by the end of the night with a huge blog post about how Alabama are the SEC Champions...I wouldn't talk to me for a few days.

ROLL TIDE ROLL

Five Question Friday

Finally, I can do Five Question Friday. I have been gone ALL day long and am just now getting around to it. I started a one day a week nanny job so I will be gone all day on Fridays for the time being but I will still be doing Mama M's Five Question Friday when I get home. Here are Belli's answers:

1. Favorite gift you are giving this year.
I can't tell you. My Mimi reads my mommy's blog and I have been sworn to secrecy.

2. How many parties are you attending between now and Christmas.
Just one. The Bell Center has a Christmas party every year.

3. What is your favorite Christmas song.
I love listening to Baby Einstein's Baby Santa in the car. It has all kinds of instrumental holiday songs.

4. Who was your favorite elementary school teacher and why?
I haven't been to elementary school so I asked my mom who she liked and she said her kindergarten teacher Mrs. Ferguson. She was so much fun and had lots of really cool stuff in her room to do. That was back when kindergarten was fun though.

5. If you had a choice to live in any other period of time when would it be?
Back when they had saber tooth tigers. Those things are pretty cool.

Alphabitty Moments-G

Yes. I know. I am WAY behind on my Alphabitty Moments. I haven't done a new in what? Two months? Who knows? I can't even remember anymore. What I do know is that the next letter up is "G". For Isabelle "G" stands for Granddad. You see Granddad and Belli are big buddies. She pretty much owns him. He does what she wants when she wants (when I'm not around at least). Most of the time she prefers him over anybody else except for me. And even sometimes she does prefer him over me. If she asks me for something and I say no guess who she asks next. Yup, Granddad. So Granddad is it.

So What's Belli Been Up To?

In all of my Alabama obsessed posts I have not being paying as much blogging attention to my sweet Belli as I should be. So I wanted to give everyone and update on what Isabelle has been up to.

She is still hilariously funny.

Believe it or not she has actually been eating very well! Hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised at her weight when she gets the halo off.

Speaking of getting the halo off we go for a CT scan on the 15th to find out if and when so send up some prayers!

We asked her earlier who was going to take her halo off (thinking she would say Dr. Rozzelle). Her response, "Santa Clause!" I hope so sweet girl! What a great Christmas present that would be.

When we go to The Bell Center tomorrow there might be people from CNN shooting video of Isabelle with the dogs from Hand in Paw. That is literally all of the information I know and I will post more details when I know more.

We've raised $1,756.70 for The Bell Center so far. You can click on the FirstGiving widget on my side bar to donate or click here for more information.

One of Belli's old PT's came by the house today to visit and she brought her adorable little boy, Ben, with her to play with Belli too. She adopted Ben a little over a year ago and we hadn't had a chance to meet him yet. He is just as adorable in real life as he is in all of the pictures I have seen on her blog. It was great to see both of them. They are also Auburn fans and she has taught him to stick his thumb down and say, "Boooo!" whenever he hears, "Roll Tide." It was too cute and funny for me to even care.

Ok, I think that's it. Please go donate to The Bell Center if you can! And I will let you guys know if I get anymore information about the CNN thing.

Alabama vs Florida- A History Lesson

Alabama has played in the SEC Championship game 6 times since it started in 1992. It will be 7 on Saturday. Each time they have played Florida. The records are as follows:

1992: Alabama 28-Florida 21. Alabama went on to beat Miami for the National Championship that season.

1993: Florida 28-Alabama 13.

1994: Florida 24-Alabama 23.

1996: Florida 45-Alabama 30. Florida beat the Florida State Seminoles later that year in the National Championship game.

1999: Alabama 34-Florida 7

2008: Florida 31-Alabama 20. The winner of this game was all but guaranteed a spot in the National Championship game. As you may know Florida won and again went on to win the National Championship game that year.

So I know life isn't all about taking turns and fairness. But it is totally our turn. Just saying.

Rammer Jammer History

For those of you who don't know The University of Alabama football team will be playing this Saturday against the Florida Gators for the SEC Championship and a spot in the National Championship game. We were in this spot last year and lost to Florida in that SEC game. Alabama fans were of course heartbroken and we have been waiting for this day since this time last year.

So, in preparation for the big game this whole week I will be posting Alabama facts and some videos everyday. I know, I know, most of you don't give a flip about Alabama football and will probably just skip these posts. But, that's ok! I'm sure there's at least one or two of you out there that might enjoy it.

So first up is a little history on the Rammer Jammer cheer. And blog friend of mine, Kate, told me the other day that she laughs every time she sees a one of my video's that I post or she see me post "Rammer Jammer" on my Twitter or Facebook. You see, Kate is from Canada and has no idea what Rammer Jammer means (or probably what Alabama football is for the matter). So I looked it up online and found this great explanation on Wikipedia:

The "Rammer Jammer Cheer" is a traditional and controversial cheer. The university briefly forbade the Million Dollar Band from playing it, on account of its taunting nature and its use of the word "hell" The move was met with a significant amount of criticism. In a vote at Homecoming 2005, the question was posed to students of whether the cheer should be banned. 98% of students voted in favor of keeping the cheer. Before the university's attempt to remove the cheer it was played before kickoff and at the end of the game. The cheer is now only played in the closing minutes when victory is certain, and is traditionally chanted twice. On at least one occasion (during Alabama's victory over Auburn in the 2008 Iron Bowl--Alabama's first in the series since 2001) it was repeated an additional three times. Fans cheer:

Hey Vols!
Hey Vols!
Hey Vols!
We just beat the hell out of you!
Rammer Jammer, Yellowhammer, give 'em hell, Alabama!

The nickname of the current opponent is substituted for "Vols", (short for Volunteers, the nickname for the University of Tennessee) except when the opponent is Auburn, in which case the name "Auburn" is used rather than its nickname of Tigers. Also, when the cheer was played before kickoff, fans would replace the lyrics "We just" with "We're gonna."

The lyrics originate from "The Rammer-Jammer," a student newspaper in the 1920s, and the yellowhammer, Alabama's state bird. The cadence of the cheer was adapted from the Ole Miss cheer "Hotty Toddy" after then Ole Miss marching band director Dr. James Ferguson was appointed director of the Million Dollar Band. The cheer was long referred to as "Ole Miss", and today the drum major's signal is still the motioning of one arm in a full circle (an 'O').

Author Warren St. John entitled his 2004 bestseller about obsessive sports fans Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer after the cheer.

So now you know what all those YouTube videos I post with thousands of people yelling "Rammer Jammer" are all about. And in honor of the Rammer Jammer cheer and to get in the "We're gonna kick Florida's a**" mood here is a video of Rammer Jammer from our stomping of Florida in 2005.

Five Question Friday

Even though it is a holiday weekend Mama M was still able to get Five Question Friday up and running! The questions this week are holiday themed. This will be Isabelle's third Christmas and probably the most fun one so far. She had a pretty good time last year but she was only 17 months and didn't totally get the whole opening the presents having fun thing. So, we are very excited this year! Here are Belli's answers for this week's Five Question Friday.

1. Do you do a real or fake Christmas tree?
I am not very particular but my mommy made sure that I had a real one for my first Christmas. Now I have a real one at my mommy's house and my daddy has a fake one. He hasn't put it up yet so I don't know if he will use that one or get a real one.

2. What is your favorite Christmas tradition with your family?
I haven't really had a lot of time to have a favorite tradition. My first two Christmases (and this year as well) have all been in different houses under different circumstances. But, my mommy's favorite Christmas tradition is Christmas Eve at her aunt's house.

3. Do you celebrate Thanksgiving? If so, how many calories do you think you consumed yesterday?
I had an 80 calorie cup of yogurt for dinner. I refused everything else. See this post if you want to know why.

4. Have you started decorating for Christmas yet?
Not yet but we plan on doing it by Sunday. My aunt is in town until Monday morning so we have to do it before she leaves. We don't want to leave her out!

5. What is your favorite Christmas cookie?
So far chocolate chip seems to be the best. I don't think that's really a Christmas cookie though.

Thankfulness

This will be a relatively short post as I am extremely full from all of the yummy food that I have had today and therefore very sleepy! However, before I turn in for the night I wanted to write a little bit about thankfulness.

I believe that this is the first Thanksgiving in my 23 years of life that I have actually understood what it means to be thankful. Now don't get me wrong...I know the definition of "thankful." And in the past whenever people would ask me what I was thankful for this year I would give the typical answer of family, a roof over my head, food to eat, etc. Now those are all things to be thankful for because at this time when our economy is so bad there are so many people in the world that do not have those things to be thankful for. But, after the past few months and the trials that I have been through with Belli I have come to understand a deeper meaning of the word "thankful."

I am so thankful that Isabelle is here with me now that I don't even know how to put it into words. There was a time shortly after I found out she had to have the fusion that the fear of her not being here was so overwhelming it was hard to get out of bed. But there she was. Every morning waking up yelling, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy." And after both of her surgeries she was still here yelling, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy," every morning without fail. There are times when I think, "If you say yell my name one more time there is going to be a mommy shaped whole in our front door." But then I snap back in to reality and know how blessed I am that she is even here yelling my name.

Since I have started this blog I have come across so many others who cannot say that they hear their child calling their name in the morning. There are so many evils out there like cancer, heart disease, genetic disorders, and accidents that take children's lives everyday. I have been blessed enough to have not fallen in to that category.

So this year I will simply be thankful for my child. Because I know how easily she could not be here. And I am so blessed, and so thankful that she is.

Five Question Friday

Mama M's Five Question Friday is here! Belli says...

1. Are you a Black Friday shopper?
Absolutely not. I talk to way too many strangers so my mommy doesn't like to bring me places where there are going to be a TON of people to talk to.

2. What was your favorite childhood toy?
My mommy's Fisher Price house and barn with the little people and the farm animals. It is sooooo old, but way cool.

3. Favorite Christmas move?
I have never seen a Christmas movie but mommy is going to let me watch them this year!

4. What is the must have on your Christmas list this year?
A Kettler Happy Navigator Tricycle. "Santa" delivered it to the house today but I can't have it until Christmas.

5. Do you go all out with decorations or do you keep it simple?
I like to keep it simple. The less things I have a chance to break the better!

Happenings

Belli and I have had a pretty busy past couple of days.

Yesterday we had a Thanksgiving lunch at my work and I brought Belli with me. One of my coworkers had her 22 month old daughter Raylin there and they had a great time playing. Raylin kept calling Isabelle "Tinkerbell." It was too funny! And she is such a kindhearted little girl. I was building a block tower and Raylin knocked it over before I was done. I said, "Hey, you knocked over my tower" and smiled at her. She looked at me and said, "Oh...I'll fix it for you." It was so sweet. Isabelle would have been like, "Yep, that's right I knocked it over. And?" Then we had one of the lights in the office turned off and Isabelle said, "It's too dark!" and Raylin told her she would go turn it on for her. It was so cute to hear two year olds have a conversation.

I also finally saw Belli walk with her walker. It was AWESOME!!! Heather, her PT at The Bell Center goes on and on about how great she does while she's in class and how far she is walking with the walker but I never see it and she never does it at home. Well she finally did it for me yesterday after a ton of begging and pleading. She probably walked about 10 feet and boy was she proud of herself. I was too!

Today we met Ellen and Cody at the park after we left The Bell Center. We had a great time walking around the park and then we went and grabbed some lunch after that. Belli loved being outside and playing with Cody. And I of course also loved getting out and enjoying some adult conversation!

Lastly, check out the widget I added to my blog on the left sidebar at the top. You can now click there to donate money to The Bell Center in honor of Isabelle.

Wordless Wednesday

Sorry the pictures are a little grainy. My camera was set to some weird mode and they didn't come out great. Oh well!

The Bell Center and The Mercedes Marathon

*Update*
Thank you so much to the wonderful person who donated $300 last night! It's and anonymous donation so I don't know who you are but thank you!!!

*Original Post*
Let me start by first giving you a little information about The Bell Center. You can click on the link to get more information but this is a nonprofit organization that provides early intervention services to children three and under who qualify for services in any of the major developmental areas. Isabelle obviously qualifies for physical therapy but one of the really great things about The Bell Center is that regardless of what area you qualify in you get therapy for all of them. Depending on the child's age and need they go either 2 or 4 days a week for one to two hours a day. They have many different programs for many different needs.

I can not stress to you how wonderful this place is and what a blessing it has been to Isabelle and me (not to mention the thousands of families they have helped since they were founded). Let me tell you a little bit about how The Bell Center has affected our lives. As many of you know (and for those of you who don't) Isabelle has been receiving therapy at The Bell Center since she was six months old. At the time she was not rolling over, not sitting, and could barely pick her head up off the ground while laying on her tummy. Within a month she was able to roll over and within another month she was sitting with very little assistance. Not only did the therapists at The Bell Center help her during our class time but they gave me exercises to do at home with her to speed along her progress. They have always been there for my daughter and are always full of ideas of how to help her do the best that she can. Currently Isabelle is able to stand, cruise, and walk short distances with her walker. Although Isabelle also receives therapy privately and through the state I feel certain that she would not be where she is now with out The Bell Center.

With all that being said I now want to share some very exciting news about a very important event coming up. Every year Birmingham plays host to The Mercedes Marathon. Thousands of runners train for either the half or full marathon and many of them run to raise money. The majority of the money received goes to none other than The Bell Center itself. Because The Bell Center is a nonprofit organization it relies solely on donations to fund itself. As you can imagine with the economy being as it is for the past couple of years donations are hard to come by and everyone, nonprofits especially, are struggling. The Bell Center has had to cut down on the children that they are able to serve and make many other cut backs.

This is where ALL OF YOU come in. I received a call on Friday from a wonderful woman named Ellen letting me know that her husband Nick and she are both running the half marathon and have chosen Isabelle to run in honor of. You can check out her blog here and watch their progress while they train. Many of the runners pick children from The Bell Center to run for so we were very excited to hear this news. We went out to their house Sunday night to meet them. We had a great time and Isabelle especially loved their adorable puppy Cody.

So you may be asking, why I said this is where ALL OF YOU come in. The runners who are sponsoring children from The Bell Center all set up a fund raising page and set a fund raising goal. Ellen and Nick have set a goal of $5000 dollars and we are all planning on working very hard to meet or exceed this goal. But, we need all of the help we can get. So, instead of getting that $6 McDonald's meal or that $4 Starbucks (guilty!) hop on over to their FirstGiving fund raiser page and donate that money to The Bell Center instead. Every little bit helps whether it is $1 or $100.

The race is February 14th, 2010 so there is still plenty of time to save up. Any of you that I do not know if real life who donate please leave me a comment and let me know in case I don't recognize your name on the FirstGiving site! Thanks in advance for everyone's help and don't forget to check back every once in a while to see our progress.

Back Seat Drivers and Play Callers

Belli and I had a great day today. She was full of laughs and I had a bunch of way cool stuff happen to me today. So here is the run down:

-We head off to Old Navy to find the ever elusive blue jean skirt for Belli. As we pull out of the driveway I stop to wait on a car and Belli yells, "There's a car coming!!" Great, now I have a back seat driver.

-We get to Old Navy and I find four way cute shirts. I grab them up and take them to the dressing room to try on.

-Belli's new favorite thing is to announce to everyone what you are doing when you are doing it. For instance if I am walking down the stairs Belli will say, "Mommy's walking down the stairs." So, as I am getting undressed to try my clothes on Belli yells, "Mommy's taking her shirt off." Thank you so much Isabelle for yelling that out in the dressing room where there are both females and males.

-Finish trying on my shirts and low and behold I fit into the smalls for all of them. Woot woot! That hasn't happened in forever. And then they were on sale and I got them all for under $50. Woot woot again!

-We go home and Belli eats a great big lunch (and if you saw my previous post you would know that is a huge deal). And I put her down for a nap.

-I then find out that a coworker of mine is willing to come in on the day of the SEC Championship game and work the afternoon for me so I can go home and watch it. THE BEST news I have heard all day. ROLL TIDE!

-Then I won the bidding on ebay for this tricycle that Belli really needs to help her therapy. I got it for $90 less that retail price.

-Belli woke up from her nap and went poopy on the potty. She was so proud!

-We then stopped by my work to pick up this way cute picture frame that Julia at Sweet As Punkin Pie made for Belli since I won her contest.

So all in all we had a pretty sweet day!

Five Question Friday

Belli style! Thanks to Mama M for hosting.

1. What is your favorite "eat" on Thanksgiving.
Sister Schubert yeast rolls. I love me some bread. (So does my momma!)

2. What is the name of your best girl friend and how did you meet?
That would probably be Katy. We met at The Bell Center. We were in the same class last year with my best boy friend Luke. Our mommies still try to get us together sometimes but they are always so busy!

3. What would you say is one of your weirdest quirks?
I talk to myself a lot. I've been known to have whole conversations with myself about the most random things like the mailbox or green grass.

4. What is your favorite genre of music?
I guess country. That's pretty much the only thing my mommy listens to in the car because she doesn't have to worry as much about random cussing and singing about naughty things. And since I repeat everything I hear she seems to think that is something we need to avoid.

5. Are you a night owl or an early bird?
Night owl. I seem to just get going right before it's time to go to bed. It takes a while after I wake up in the morning to start acting normal.

Five Question Friday

It's time again for Mama M's Five Question Friday.

1. What is your dream job?
The Elmo puppeteer.

2. What song could you play over and over?
The song to Sesame Street's "Being Green" episode. You know, "It can't be easy being green. I think you know what I mean. It's the little things you do, and the way you do them too, that make the earth stay clean. Come and check out the scene." Or something like that.

3. Do you prefer to talk on the phone, text, or email?
I love to talk to talk to people on my fake phone but when it comes to talking to real people I would rather just hang up on them.

4. What is your must have beauty product?
I love me some lipstick.

5. What is your favorite Michael Jackson song?
My mommy tries to sing me some Michael Jackson songs but I always say, "No, no mommy!" But I always say that when mommy tries to sing.

A Picture Post

*I added this one at the request of Keely

Bumblebee

Well I think that has got to be the cutest Bumblebee I have ever seen!

Five Question Friday

Here are Belli's answers to Mama M's Five Question Friday!!

1. What were you doing the last time you had a really good laugh?
My mommy kept jumping in the air an pointing the hair dryer at me when she landed. I jumped about 10 feet into the air every time and giggled so much I got the hiccups!

2. Who was your first celebrity crush?
That Leo on Little Einsteins is a looker. And smart too =-)

3. What is one talent that you wish you had?
Singing. Oh wait, that's a talent my mommy wishes I had.

4. How often do you and your spouse go out without the kids?
Pretty often. I just drop the kids off at the pool and we go on our merry way. Get it? Kids at the pool? Hahahahaha.

5. What color is your bedroom?
Purple. It is actually my mommy's old room and she picked that color when she was a freshman in high school. Who would have ever thought I would be sleeping in the same room my mommy did?!?

The Bright Side of Motherhood

Being a mother is absolutely the best thing in the world. Kids are so funny and constantly make you laugh. For a while when they are young you are their absolute favorite person in the world. And they are (most of the time) very loving and cuddly. The following is a list of some of my favorite funny and/or loving things that my sweet girl has been doing lately.

Whenever my dad falls asleep in his chair Isabelle starts screaming at the top of her lungs, "Granddad!!! Wake up Granddad!! All done sleeping Granddad!!!"

We have been working on potty training. Whenever Isabelle uses the potty we scream and holler, do our happy dance, and Belli gets s sucker. Well lately she has taken to clapping and saying, "Get a sucker" whenever she is sitting on the potty. Leading me to believe she has done something. But, no sometimes she is lying.

She now asks anyone and anything "Whatcho doing? What time is it?" And by anything I mean ANYTHING. Like her blocks, or her books, or her stuffed animals. For instance she will pick a block up and say, "Hey block! Whatcho doing block? What time is it?"

Whenever someone walks into the room or Isabelle finds a toy on the floor she will exclaim, "Oh there's (insert name of person or toy here)!" At the tops of her lungs like she hasn't seen that person or thing in YEARS. Like last Tuesday when we were sitting at the doctor's office waiting on her neurosurgeon to come in. She kept asking me where is was. Over and over and over again. When he finally walked in the door she yelled, "Oh THERE he is!" Too funny!

A few weeks ago one of Isabelle's PT's let us borrow a gate trainer to take home and work on walking. Well I put it in the car next to Isabelle and whenever I would make a turn or go around a curve it would tip over onto Isabelle's car seat and Isabelle would say, "Oh. Be careful walker."

The other day it was a little chilly in the house so my mom put a portable heater at the end of the hallway which is where Isabelle's time out is. Isabelle scooted over to the bottom of the stairs and looked up and said, "Heater's in time out!"

Isabelle loves to scoot up to me and say, "Hold you mommy." It is melt your heart sweet.

Almost every night my mom asks Isabelle is she can put her to bed and she will say, "No, mommy rock."

One time when I went to get her out of time out I sat down in front of her like I always do so we can talk about why she was put in time out and all that stuff. Well before I could say anything she scooted up real close to me, put her head on my lap and said, "Lovin?" Like she was asking me if I wanted some lovin. It was sooooo hard to keep a straight face.

Isn't she funny? And sweet? See I told you so =-)

Five Question Friday

It's time again for Belli to answer Mama M's Five Question Friday. Here we go!

1. What's your favorite horror movie?
Well I have this movie with babies singing. Except the babies aren't actually singing, they just have big people's mouths where the babies' lips should be to make it look like they are singing. I don't think it is that scary but it totally freaks my mom out!

2. Bath tub or hot tub?
Either! I've had a sponge bath everyday since July 8th. I just want to get in the water!

3. Do you prefer to view a movie at the theater or at home?
I've never been to the theater before but I heard the nachos and cheese are GREAT!

4. If you could choose a maid, cook, or chauffeur which one would you choose?
Um, hello?!? Didn't you guys know I already have all three? Her name is mom and she does everything I ask!

5. Electric Slide, Boot Scootin' Boogie, or the Macarena?
Boot Scootin' Boogie! Or should we say Boot Scootin' Booty!

Appointment Results

We can all breathe a sigh of relief!

The x-rays still look great and everything is still in place. He wants to see us back in 6 weeks for a CT scan to take a look at the bones a little better and see how much the fusion has hardened. If everything looks good she may be able to get the halo off shortly after. I am excited to think she may have the halo off by Christmas time but I am also a little nervous about. Although it has been a big pain in the rear it provides her with the best protection for her neck to it has kind of given me a sense of comfort. But I know that he will not take it off if she wouldn't be safe without it so I guess I shouldn't worry!

Hope you guys have a great Tuesday!

Couple of Prayer Requests

*Update*
I wanted to add one more prayer request. I just came across this blog about a 13 month old little girl named Emma Crew. She is a victim of Shaken Baby Syndrome and is currently fighting for her life. From what I understand this happened at her daycare. Please pray for this sweet little girl and her family.

*Original Post*
My creative juices have not been flowing these past few days so I don't have anything interesting of funny to write about. I do however have to prayer requests to ask of you guys.

The first is for Belli. She has a checkup with her Neurosurgeon tomorrow to check on her spine. Please pray that she has a good checkup and everything looks ok. I am always afraid that we will get bad news at these appointments because up until the one last month we did get bad news every time we went. So hopefully lasts months appointment was the beginning of a new trend.

The second is for a coworker's one and a half year old daughter Raylin. She is having some problems with her immune system not building up antibodies and she has not built any defense against illnesses. She saw an immunologist last week and they didn't really get any answers. The doctor just drew some blood to get a base line and they will be going back in January for a check up and to see if things have changed. Please keep her in your prayers, especially with the flu and cold season coming up.

Thanks in advance to all of you!

I also need help thinking of something to use for the letters "G" and "H" for our Alphabitty Moments. I missed it last week because I couldn't think of anything. Any ideas would be much appreciated!

Five Question Friday

Thanks to Mama M for hosting! Here are Belli's answers for Five Question Friday.

1. What phrase or phrases do you say a lot?
"Whatcho doing Mommy?" and "Mommy, hold you?"

2. Swimming: Are you a kamikaze off the boat, take the plunge from the deep, or a gradual, slow submersion from the shore or shallow end kind of person?
I just like to sit on the shore and wait for the biggest wave to knock me over.

3. Have any tattoos? If not what would you get?
No ma'am. My mommy says I have to wait until I am 18.

4. What is your favorite tree?
The Musical Tree of Many Colors. You know...from Little Einsteins.

5. What is your favorite non-physical thing about your significant other? What is your favorite physical thing about your significant other?
Non-physical: The way it keeps me warm at night and keeps me calm in stressful situations.
Physical: The softness when it touches my face and the smoothness of the tag.
I am of course talking about my blanky!