Comparison

I like to look at how Mikayla changes from one year to the next. Obviously, the first picture is last year and the second is this year on Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving

We had a very busy Thanksgiving. I think Mikayla is finally feeling better from her sickness... but I think she is cutting a couple of teeth now. She is still fussy, but much better than the last couple of weeks. I can handle this much better.

Wednesday during the day - I premade most of my sides for Thanksgiving dinner. Mikayla was an angel. I felt really bad like I had neglected her today because I was so busy- she did fine playing and watching Elmo.
Wednesday night, Mikayla spent the night with Grandma and Papa so Mike and I had a date night. We went to Opry Mills to do some shopping for ourselves and a little Christmas shopping, then we ate at Fridays. Before we went to Opry Mills, we went by Wolf Camera and Mike bought me a new camera. I am so excited! It is much more complicated than my last one so it will take me some time to figure it all out. I am going to take classes with a friend who has the same camera to learn some tricks.
Thursday morning, we got up and cleaned the house and worked on getting everything ready. Mike was so wonderful- he helped me with everything I needed. Everyone came over and we ate about 4:45. Mike fried our turkey and it was YUMMY!! I have never had one like that and I fell in love. It will be hard for me to eat turkey any other way. I have to say Everything came together wonderfully. I have never cooked a big meal like that and not had one thing go wrong... HOORAY!! I did not realize it went so well until Mike pointed it out to me.
Friday - Mike went hunting and Mikayla and I put up the Christmas stuff. Later on that day we went to Lowes and Walmart for decoration stuff. Mike spent a couple of hours hanging Christmas lights and they worked for about the same time period then they went out! So Saturday he had to check them out and he got the problem fixed!!! Yeah! He is such a good fix it man!!
Sunday - we went to church. Mikayla and I have not been to church in what seems like forever because she has been sick. I was afraid she would cry when we took her to her class but she did fine and they said she played hard. We came home for a quick Mikayla nap then off to Madison to a Thanksgiving dinner(late lunch). After there, it was off to Grandma and Papa's for our family Christmas picture, then dinner(pot roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, and corn-yummmmmmy- thanks grandma). We did not take Duke to Grandmas so we decided we would do our Christmas picture later so he could be in the picture- maybe the cat too.
I love thanksgiving but I am kinda glad to be back to a little quite. No plans today except hang out around the house and play. Still have a few Christmas things to get so I think I might go out later in the week. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Love to you all!!!

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I think Mikayla is finally on the road to recovery. I had to take her back to the doctor last Friday... she woke up with nearly 102 fever and was like a ragdoll. She did not want to do anything except lay in my arms and cry. The doctor checked her out and said she has an ear infection and possible sinus infection. She also said that Mikayla would run a fever until Monday or Tuesday and sure enough she has. She is on a 10 day antibiotic that will take care of ear and sinus infection. Today was actually a good day... until she started getting sleepy tonight but I will take that over the past almost two weeks. We have a new Elmo movie and I think in the last week we have watched it 100 times- not really but it sure feels like that. The past couple of days have been especially bad - from the time she gets out of bed she wants to watch Elmo. Mike caught her today with an Elmo DVD in her hand, pushing buttons on the DVD player trying to get it to open so she could watch Elmo. So funny! I tried to get pictures of that but of course my batteries were dead! Another new favorite thing is shutting doors... she likes to go into her room, shut the door behind her, and yell, "mommy, daddy". When we open the door for her she says "hi... bye"! She loves doing this when Mike is working late and Mommy is trying to cook dinner. Her new favorite phrases for today were "whats up" and "I don't know". She is so funny! I am really glad she is feeling better... a rough little patch on all of us.

Below are just some random pictures.
Thanksgiving at my (Leshia's) grandparents house... all the men watching football.

Cousins reading the paper and Mikayla and Aunt Susan and Ian playing.

Grandpa watching Mikayla play.

Ian and Mikayla playing.

Aunt Susan playing with Mikayla.

Mikayla and Daddy having some cuddle time.

Finger painting last week - you can tell by her eyes in this picture that she does not feel great.

Sickness

Don't have any new pictures to post... Mikayla has not been very healthy lately so I have not really taken any. Since last Thursday she has had a cold- cough, stuffy, runny nose and fussy... it has not been fun times for Mommy. Have not really been doing much- went to Christmas Village on Saturday. I probably should not have taken Mikayla out in the cold but she was bundled up. Sunday we did not go to church because she was sick and Mike was working. Monday was a horrible day so by Tuesday I had to get out of the house so we went to Target and Kohls for some things. Then, Tuesday night Grandma came to stay with Mikayla and Mike and I went to a dinner at church. Mikayla was still sick yesterday and Mike had a touch of a stomach thing so we stayed in last night. Well, today my sweet baby girl is even more sick than yesterday... but a different kind. She woke up this morning screaming and crying at 6:15 but I got her back to sleep. She did not wake up again until 11:15!!! She woke up crying again but I could not get her to calm down for about 10 minutes... then I realized why... she was burning up! She has had a fever since she woke up 100.0 and 100.1. She has not wanted to eat- has had fish crackers and a tiny kitkat(I am sorry to say). Told me she wanted soup so when I made it she did not want any part in it(I think she likes to do that to me) and will not drink anything. All she wants to do is lay around and be held... very lethargic! Oh and watch Elmo!! Around 2:00 she told me she wanted her fafa(pacifier)and nightnight so she is now down for nap!! Poor baby! Hopefully Mike is feeling ok because I have a candle party to go to tonight and I am in BADDDD need of a little break! Did I mention that Mike worked 16 hour days 2x last week and has been working every weekend this month! Anyway - a little prayer for my baby girl would be good. I guess a little prayer for Mommy would be good for Mommy and Daddy would be good too (a day off for Daddy on Sunday).

We had a good weekend. Friday, we went with some friends from church to Patty Cake Place in White House for a Thanksgiving themed day. We sang songs, made crafts, and spent time with our friends - I included pictures below of our time there. It is a really neat place. We are going back there in December for a Christmas Party. They do great things for the kids and have a great big, open area- Mikayla had no problem getting around in her chair. The only thing that I wish was different is that she is so little she could not reach the regular table so she had to do all her crafts on a separate table. That is okay though - she did not know the difference only I did. I think she had fun!! After that, Mikayla went to Grandma & Papa's to stay the night. Mike and I went to PF Changs(my favorite) with my cousin Brian and his wife Aimee. I love that place!!! We had a good time. Mike had to work Saturday and Sunday - he will be doing that until Thanksgiving. The money will be nice but Mikayla and I will miss Daddy!!! She is starting to want to know where Daddy is a lot more. This morning she was in her chair and she went to my bedroom door and starting saying "dada, dada"... it was really cute. Saturday, I had the day all to myself. I went to lunch with my ex-stepsister, Ashley, at Chili's. It was fun, we have not seen each other in about a year. I have known Ashley since she was a baby and now she is 17- time flies!!! Hard to believe she is almost grown. She is such a good girl and has such a great head on her shoulders... I think more so than I did at that age. We spent Saturday night at home with pizza. Sunday, Mikayla and I went to church. We had a Veteran's Day service with a special guest who survived 5 days in the ocean after his ship was hit during World War II. His story was amazing- the things he and others had to endure was outragous... I cannot imagine going through some of the things he did. He says that his faith is what kept him going. Sunday night, we had dinner here. Thursday was grandma's birthday so I cooked dinner for the family here. We had apple butter pork chops, rice, corn, and of course cake. Overall- we had a good weekend.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I am not really sure why but I am feeling led to share this website www.lifewithoutlimbs.org . There are many people in our lives who are going through hell on earth who feel that things will never improve. "How can things get better" or "how can I continue on" are questions people ask themselves every day. Nick Vujici was a man born with no limbs. His story is incredible and I think everyone should hear or read about it. We go through life every day thinking that we have it bad and that it could not be worse. There will never be a situation in our lives that we cannot live through or make it through. There may be times when it feels this way but we will always come out on the other side as a changed and better person for what we live through in life. When I went through the hard times during my pregnancy with Mikayla and hard days even now, I have to know that all this is for more... for good. I know people who have gotten doctor reports recently that are not encouraging at all but because of situations in the past I could look at this person and show them Mikayla and tell them "she was a bad doctors report also". Because I lived through a horrible situation, I can show someone else the outcome. It may not always be pleasant at the time but in the end... when all is said and done it was for good and for something more than we know. It will always be for God's plan. If you have not ever heard Nick's story please check out the website. It is truly inspiring in your time of need. Love you all very much!!! Leshia

Just posted a video that we took last night. Please ignore my anger on the video. We have a posted 20 mph speed limit on our street. Well, we have MANNNNNYYYYYY people(um basically everyone) who do not know how to read because they do not abide by it... there are some who go at least 20 over!!! It makes me sooooooo MADDDDDDD!!! There are times when I want to throw something at their cars to make them stop to ask them if they can read!!!! We have so many kids and pets on our street that I am really afraid something bad is going to happen. Anyway- sorry for venting. Hope you enjoy the video please just ignore my rage!!!

I have also included below some pictures from today- we went to the zoo with our friends Lana and Allison Egan. The girls had fun and the weather was very nice.

New video

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After Friday night the rest of the weekend has gone by sooo fast. Saturday afternoon Mike got called into work and did not got home until after 2 this morning. Saturday night Mikayla and I went to a bonfire with our hometeam. We all got up this morning (including Mike) and went to church in our new sanctuary. For the last few months we have been having service in a tent outside and finally we had our first service in the new building. It was so nice - over double what we had before. The service was packed... they had to bring more chairs in!!! I was going to take pictures but was running behind this morning and forgot my camera. I will try to take pictures Wednesday night and then post them. Pastor Dan wanted everyone to be able to enjoy this first service together so there was no children's service or nursery. I was worried that the experience would not be fun but Mikayla did great. Actually, all the kids did great. We took crayons, paper, books, stickers, and snacks so Mikayla was very entertained(also with Daddy's phone). Mike said that we could not have her in there every service because we pay attention to her and not the service.
After church we went home and ate lunch , Mikayla took a nap, and we watched the Titans win again!!! We did our Sunday dinner at Grandmas tonight. It was a good weekend. Mike is off work Monday and Tuesday to go hunting so we will get to see more of him this week.
We took some pictures this morning before church. Our church is a casual church(jeans) especially since we have been in the tent, but we decided to dress up since today was a special day. Not sure why I did not take one of Mikayla and Daddy so there is just me and Mikayla.

Video

I think I have found a good way to post video to the blog. This one was made over the summer. I will post a newer one later. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Happy Halloween

For some reason - I think I loaded these pictures backwards... They are all out of order. Anyway, tonight we went to Trunk or Treat at church. There were vehicles decorated with people handing out candy, bounce houses, train rides, and a 70's bus(which I am disappointed that I didn't get a picture of). Mikayla did great... she was not afraid of the costumes at all. She got a little cold and tired but other than that it was great. She got lots of candy for Mommy and Daddy to eat... yummy!!! Grandma and Papa came over before we left to see Mikayla and eat dinner with us. Then, we went to visit Uncle Philip and Aunt Amber. After that it was off to church. Thanks again to Grandma for making Mikayla's precious Dorothy costume!!

This picture was from today before we left for story time at the library.

Mommy and Mikayla today.

Wednesday night they had a PJ party at church so Mikayla wore her Halloween pajamas.

This was the trunk that won first prize for best decoration tonight.

Baby Kate and her daddy, Pastor DJ. Kate was enjoying the lollipop she took from her daddy!!

Mikayla watching Ayden dressed up as a turtle.

Sweet Kate dressed up as a flower!

Tonight before we left the house for the church.

The Batson family aka Michael Jackson and Madonna!

Mrs. Shannon and some of the kids.

Uncle Jay and Sam Waller

Lots of stuff

Friday - We (mikayla and mommy) went to my Grandmother's house in Lebanon and spent a good part of the day. My grandmother has not seen Mikayla in her wheelchair so she was very surprised to see how good she is at getting around. She has hardwood floors so Mikayla was loving it. We were going to go the Ghouls at Grassmere(Zoo) but it was rainy and cold so we just hung out at home instead. Saturday morning, I went to the grocery store by myself. I never thought I would consider grocery shopping alone a getaway!! Then, we took Mikayla to the Underwoods house for the day. Mike and I went to the Duke vs. Vandy football game at Vandy. We pulled for Duke and wore Duke shirts to the game. It was really a weird feeling walking to the stadium from parking with all Vandy fans around. Everyone was nice though- no cussing but some funny looks. We bought the tickets from Duke so we sat around Duke fans- there were quite a few there I was really surprised at how many. The game was really good. We had a great time. Thanks Shannon and Alan!! Mikayla had fun with the Underwoods- she only took at 10 minute nap but was still in a wonderful mood!! We did not pick her up until 8pm and she was still going full speed. She even ate great for them! Sunday - we went to church. They had a spaghetti lunch at church but mommy forgot and was not prepared so we didn't attend. After lunch at home we drove an hour away to Honeysuckle Hill Farm. They had a pumpkin patch, hayride, lots of animals, a corn maze and lots of other things Mikayla could not do. While we were there they had pig races. We watched it for about 5 minutes then Mikayla was OVER IT! There was not a lot she could do as far as activities but I think she still had fun. Her favorite things were the pumpkin patch and the pigs. She loved the pigs- that is the first time she has ever seen pigs in real life. She kept saying pig and oink, oink. So cute! She is funny- she doesn't like to pet the animals- a little afraid. That was the first time I had ever petted(is that the right word) a pig- their hair is VERY coarse. We had a good time. Today has been a busy day for mommy and Mikayla. Physical Therapy was at 9 this morning, then to doctor (18 month check up and flu shot), then we went to store. Mikayla took her chair to the doctor for the first time today. She did very well until Dr. Murray stuck his head in the waiting room to see her using her chair- she saw him and started wailing!!! She recovered until it was time to get weighed and measured. I know doctors appointments are not fun for anyone but poor thing she goes to the extreme. She really lets Dr. Murray have it- she really fights him, pushing his hand away, screaming(I mean not just crying but screaming!). I know he is used to kids abuse but I always feel bad. I don't know if other parents go through this same thing or if it is because she has been to SOOO many doctors in her 18 months on this earth. Traumatic are doctor visits for us! After the doctor we went to Kroger and this was another first for Mikayla. She used her chair here for the first time as well. Usually I put her in the front of the buggy but since I had the chair with us I thought I would try it. Well... I don't think we are ready. Luckily this was a small trip for just a few items. She did pretty well. She was seeing things from a point of view she had never seen before. She got tired after a while and I had to push the chair and the cart that did not want to stay straight! The fun part was trying to keep her in one spot while checking out. I finally just locked her wheels so she could not go anywhere- which she did not like one bit. Leaving the store was the biggest task of all. Picture this... cart that wants to go to the right... Mikayla in her chair wanting to stop in the middle of the driveway of Kroger... now having to push Mikayla... did I mention that my cart is heavy because I have a big bag of dog food and I am not feeling good - coming down with something. An hour long grocery outing that should have taken 10 minutes. We will be waiting a while before trying that again... a long while.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

This past weekend was another busy one. Seems like our weekends go by so fast. Friday, Mikayla and mommy went to story time at the library then went to our favorite place- the grocery store. She said hi and bye to every person that passed us in the aisle. Saturday we spent a lot of time outside washing vehicles. I discovered that Mikayla is a little princess. Anytime she got grass or dog hair on her hands she flipped out. It was really funny. Saturday afternoon, Mikayla went to spend the night with Grandma and Papa. Mike and I went to a group function at the Raceway in Goodlettsville. We had a really good time! All the men stood at the fence and watched the races and us girls sat back and had some girl time. It is nice to sit and chat with people who you don't get a lot of time with normally. Then, Sunday we went to church -then picked up our baby girl. Sunday evening we had a potluck dinner/meeting at church for the Hometeam Leaders. There was lots of good food there. We got to tour the new addition of our church. I cannot wait to have our first service in the new sanctuary. It is hard to believe our church is only two and a half years old and we are already have to add space. What a wonderful "problem" to have.
I wish my videos would load to here. Mikayla is talking so much. I cannot even write everything she is saying- animals and their noises, names of people, names of toys, food, where she wants to go and what she wants to do. It is truly amazing all the stuff that comes out of her mouth. We are having conversations- at 17 months old!! She is coloring "pictures" and painting. God has truly blessed us with Mikayla. I wish everyone could see her in her wheelchair. I could write on here how well she is doing but you need to see it to truly understand it. And she loves spending time in it... she asks for "chair" when she wants it. Anyway... we are so excited about what Mikayla's future will bring. So glad that people want to be a part of it by reading our blog... thanks. We love you all. On a side note... my once very independent girl has become a very clingy, needy baby. This week she cannot play by herself at all- she wants mama beside her all the time. I cannot even walk out of the room and I hear "mama, mama, mama" until I return. Hopefully, this is just a stage and won't last very long. Between her and the pest of a dog- I feel very, very needed. I sometimes want to run away!!! It is ok though- soon enough she will not need me as much and then I will be complaining about that... haha!

Mikayla eating yogurt. She started out using the spoon but soon that became old and the hands came into use. By the time this picture was taken she had started finger painting with the yogurt on her tray. In this picture she is "drinking" yogurt out of the yogurt cup.
Mike told her to look how messy her hands are...
She is proud of her messy hands.

Yesterday at lunch- Mikayla's favorite mac and cheese.

She looks so big and serious in this picture.

Let's see... Thursday Mikayla and Mommy went to the Nashville Zoo. We had a good time... so much fun that we bought a membership. Some of her favorites(elephants, giraffes, and monkeys) were very close to the fence so Mikayla could actually see them. When she realized what animal each were she would make their noises... very cute!! Friday, we went to the library for story time but it was cancelled so we went to to Grandma's to work on Mikayla's Halloween costume. She is going to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. We searched for a costume but could not find one that fit her so Grandma agreed to make it. Thanks Grandma!!! It turned out soooo cute- can't wait for her to wear it- she just needs her ruby slippers! Mikayla spent the night with Grandma and Papa Friday night so Mike and I went to eat at O'Charleys in Bowling Green. We remembered why we never eat there... just not our favorite. Luckily we had a gift card so we did not feel to bad about it. Saturday morning we got up and I made Mike go grocery shopping with me... our favorite thing to do!!!! After the dreaded chore and some lunch we drove up to Bowling Green(again) and went to the World Mustang Finals. Mike LOVESSSS mustangs!!! They had a car show and drag races. After being there for 3 hours - picked up our baby girl. That night we watched the MMA Saturday night fights... I guess you could say we had a redneck kinda day!! It was a good day! Sunday we went to church, watched the Titans, then went to Grandma and Papa's. Today, Mikayla and I went to the zoo again! We went with our friends Andrea, Kate, Tammy, and Jackson. I think everyone had a good time but it was a LONG day(3 and 1/2 hours). Last week we did not get to see the farm animals but we took time today! I put some random pics above.