Saving money

For those of you who are always looking for ways to save money I have an idea for you. I found out that Walmart will price match. I made out my list for this week and then went through the sale flyers and found the items. Then, when I went to Walmart this morning I took the sale ads and told them the price I had and they gave me the item for that price. I actually saved around $15!!! I am so excited about this. It does take a few minutes to go through all the ads but for savings it was worth it to me. They do NOT honor coupons from other stores or buy one get one free ads. They had an article in Thursday's Tennessean if you want more details. Good Luck!

I don't know why but since Mikayla turned a year old I don't seem to take as many just random pictures of her. I feel bad about that but I have over 2,100 pictures on my computer of her so I don't really think it is that bad. Here are just some random ones from the other day. The second picture is of her whining. I am not sure if she is just going through a phase or if her teeth bother her or what but recently she has been so whiny(not sure spelling). The past week she has been very quick to cry where before she has never been like that. I am thinking that this is the terrible twos starting very early???? Any comments on this matter would be great. She has become very clingy to me. However, at the same time she has become more affectionate- she gives the best hugs just because. That part I LOVE!



The pictures below were from yesterday. She is getting around in her chair very well. She still has an issue with steering and going backwards - we get stuck quite a bit. The strap on her chest to hold her up has done wonders. Some little girls in the neighborhood come over and play with Mikayla when she is outside and they think her chair is the coolest thing- how tiny it is. She will go in her new class at church again tonight and I am curious how she will do. There will be double the kids there tonight that were there on Sunday. We have 3 services on Sundays and only one on Wednesday. Mike and I have nursery rotation tonight in her class so we will be able see how she plays with the other kids.

Mikayla had to have some hearing tests done today because of medicine she was on in the NICU- they could affect her hearing. I know that she can hear but I want to cooperate with their wishes. It was horrible. She screamed nearly the whole time and was sweating bullets. When we finished, her hair was soaked as was my shirt. They almost could not get all the needed tests but think the Lord it was a success. Like I thought the child can hear just fine. We have to go every six months until she is 3 years old. UGHGHGHGH! Poor thing. I HATE all the things she has to go through. Ok- funny thing- as I am typing I hear this noise that I thought was hammering - Mikayla is beating her baby doll against the rails in her crib! I thought she was sleeping - so much for a nap today! Ok - back to the hearing tests. Our friend Shannon went with us as moral support which was actually great - she seemed to distract Mikayla after the test! Mikayla had an Oreo ice cream bar at 10am for being such a trooper.
She is exploring Mommy's kitchen drawers. She can almost get the measuring spoons out even with the childlocks.

Don't know if you can tell from this picture but her hand is completely inside the drawer.

Just wanted to let everyone know that Patricia does seem to be improving. For anyone interested there is a website set up to keep everyone updated on her condition... www.caringbridge.org/visit/patriciawoods


We had a busy weekend. Friday night, Mikayla spent the night with Grandma and Papa and went to the Wilson Co. Fair. She had fun eating a big hot dog, petting animals, and spending time with the Grandparents. I have not seen any pictures yet but I am sure that Grandma took plenty. Mike and I went to PF Changs with some friends of ours and had a blast. I LOVE that place - they have the best thing ever... lettuce wraps. My mouth waters just thinking about them!!!! Saturday - we went to watch our friends Sam, Lauren, and Evan play baseball. After the game a bunch of us went to Sonic and ate outside. The kids really had a blast. Sunday, Mikayla took her wheelchair to church for the first time. It started off not so great. When we entered the foyer of the church she freaked out. First time around a bunch of people in the chair I guess I would be a little scared too. She moved up to a class with kids her age. Until this point she has been in the class of nonwalking kids but with her chair she can get around with her own age. She was a little hesitant at first but after about 20 minutes I was able to leave the room and they said she did great. One little boy in the class pushed her around the room and Mikayla liked it. Her life is going to be so different now. Each day she discovers new things while in the chair. She is getting so grown up... Mike looked at her tonight and said that she did not look like a baby anymore. I asked him if that made him sad and he said no because he is ready for her to be able to talk to us. She is actually 16 months old today! That is crazy... time sure does fly.

By the way... if anyone knows a work from home job or a Friday and Saturday job that I could do I would love to hear about it!!

Prayer Request

I need a little help from everyone. We have a friend who is desperate need of your prayers. Her name is Patricia Woods and she has been diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). GBS is a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the nervous system. She went into the hospital in Hendersonville on the 19th and has been in ICU since. She has been in severe pain, has experenced paralysis, and has been on a ventilator, these among many other things. As of report this morning she has been transferred to Centennial Hospital for a higher level of care. We are asking for you to join us in prayer for Patricia and her family. We are praying for complete healing. From what I have read, even after one gets better there can be continued evidence of the disorder for forever. We want that to not be the case for Patricia. This family is incredible and has been through a lot, they need a prayer of peace as well. There is a website to visit to learn more about this disorder... www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/gbs/gbs.htm

Thanks to everyone for their prayers.
Leshia

I know I have been a slacker and not posted in a while... sorry. We went to the zoo a couple of Sundays ago and went to Chuck E Cheese last week (I know I said I would never go again). We have just been hanging out doing our normal stuff therapy twice a week, church, and Grandma & Papa's. Mike's dad is now going by Papa. Mikayla just started calling him that instead of Grandpa so that is what he will be now. I recently started a support group for families affected by Spina Bifida. We will meet the third Tuesday of every month with our first meeting being September 23. I am super excited about this. If any of you guys know anyone affected by Spina Bifida please give them my email address lleigh023@comcast.net so that I can give them the exact details of our group. We went to the Vanderbilt Childrens Wheelchair Clinic this past Monday. We ordered Mikayla's wheelchair. Some of you will be happy to know that the frame will be UT orange. We were so excited that it came in this color. On the seat she is going to have a butterfly embroidered(spelling?). I did not think about it before but the butterfly has a little meaning behind it... it starts simple and turns into something beautiful. Kinda like Mikayla's life in a way. Her situation started not great and with not much happiness but it has evolved into a beautiful miracle of God. She is a beautiful reminder to me everyday that I need to enjoy and treasure this life I have. Anyway... hope everyone is doing well. That is all I have for now. Here are some pictures.
Mikayla petting a baby goat.

Mikayla at Chuck E Cheese riding on the carousel.
Mikayla and Daddy watching Chuck E. perform on stage. Mikayla was terrified of the mouse and some of the rides. I think that our visit with Santa this year could be very interesting.

Look at this messy face. It never fails that dinner finishes with a mess. Oh - and Duke with his share from Mikayla's tray.

Mike did not work Saturday so that morning we decided to go feed the ducks before it got too hot. As soon as we got out of the car and Mikayla saw the ducks she started saying "duck, duck, quack, quack". So sweet. I was a little bit worried with the ducks because they started to surround us - but they were fine.

I thought this black and white was really sweet!

It is rare for Duke to lay in the floor and let Mikayla play with him. He actually laid so still beside her last night for a long while and just let her kiss, hug, and pet him. Of course - I had to get lots of pictures. I know that when Mikayla gets a little bigger they will become best buddies... as long as she doesn't run him over with her chair. I don't know if you can see in the picture above but she is kissing his ear. The whole time she was sitting in between his two front paws.

Ok - he had enough. He just moved a few inches away and laid back down. He is really good with her.


On a side note from the pictures... I need some advice from anyone regarding troublesome neighbors. Ours have been a problem for a long time but it just seems mine & Mike's patience is wearing VERY thin!!! They are "professional"(they say) musicians who have converted their garage into a studio. Might I add a studio with no soundproofing. They used to play ALLLLLL the time and that has improved since we had Mikayla but... I can hear them inside my house. There are times when we have to turn our tv up just so we can hear over their music. I had a conversation with the man of the house the other day that got pretty heated. He proceeded to tell me that they have bent over backwards for us to make us happy... WHAT???? I told him he was lucky that we have not called the cops and then the best line yet came out of his mouth... "you can call the cops all you want 'cause they can't do anything until it is after 10pm"! We are at our whits end with this situation. We live in a house and not an apartment - if we wanted to hear what our neighbors are doing inside their house we would move to an apartment!!!! They are renting their house - don't own it. We found who owns the house but they have an unlisted number. Right now... I can hear music inside my house and it is the middle of the day... I have told them when Mikayla naps and asked them not to play this time of day! What are we to do???? We talked last night about just trying to sell our house and get out of here... to bad it is a bad time in the housing market. To make matters worse- they have a dog tied up in the back yard that most of the time has no water (in this heat) and the little girl that lives there told me they did not have the money to buy the dog any food... what in the world??? HELP!!!

Last week

A few pictures from the last week. We got Mikayla's wheelchair on Thursday. It is so tiny - the top comes just above my knee. She is still not sure about it at all. Getting a little better every day. When she does push on the wheels and make it move, she gets the biggest smile on her face then looks at both Mike and I to see if we were looking. This is a BIG adjustment for all of us, including Mike and me. To be honest, I have had an extremely hard time with this. As parents we want to protect our children from the world. I know that people in this world are unsure of things that are different so they sometimes act in ways that hurt people who are different. That will be a VERY hard thing for me to deal with. Someone told me that Mikayla is going to have great strength - more than we can ever imagine having. I just want her to have a truly HAPPY life. I want her to NEVER wonder if she is loved. I want her to never wonder why she is on this earth- I want to teach her from a very young age that God has a purpose for her life - a very special purpose. Pastor Dan said today that the very thing we feel is our strongest weakness is the very thing that makes us perfect for God's use. I feel in the deepest part of my heart that Mikayla is going to touch and change the lives around her because of the miracle that she is... the miracle that God performed on her. I know that before she was ever born - lives were touched around her. I have learned so much and gained so much in the last 2 years from carrying her and being her mother. I am so thankful that God picked me to be Mikayla's mommy. There are hard days and more to come, I am sure, but I am so thankful that God gave me this precious angel of His.
On a less serious note... here are Mikayla playing on the floor with the animals close by.

The other night Mike put Mikayla in the clothes basket(it was clean) and pushed her around the house. She put a pair of his shorts over her head in the picture above. She was laughing so hard and had a blast. I took video but for some reason - i think it is my computer- I cannot load videos on here.
I had to put these pictures on here because they crack me up. This is Duke's new buddy. This dog comes to the front door and waits for Duke to come outside. Normally, Duke is a good boy and stays in the yard but since this little guy has come around - he has been running off. Two days last week they were gone for close to an hour. As you can see they are quite the odd duo.

Here is Mikayla in her chair. This is just a temp chair. We go to the wheelchair clinic at Vandy in a couple of weeks. Then she gets measured for the real one. The real chair will have a different back on it that will be better for the curve in her spine.
Duke is not sure what to think about this thing... he is going to have to learn to get out of her way.
Here is Mikayla helping Daddy cut the grass on Saturday. She really did have fun riding.

Look what a big girl I am

Mikayla is getting to be a big girl. She has started to drink out of a sippy cup with a straw. The straw came into play on vacation but the cup we got was so tall that it was hard for her to drink it in her highchair, until I realized she can tilt it up and it doesn't spill. She does SOOOO much better drinking out of this cup than a regular sippy cup. She just drinks and drinks. She did so well on our transition from formula to whole milk... it was like a dream. She drinks more now than when she was on the bottle. Here are some pictures from this morning. Sometimes she lets it dribble out of her mouth and she thinks it is funny. Also, last night she started blowing bubbles in her milk - not realizing it though(thank goodness). Mike was very proud of his little girl for this trick!!!

We went to the Spina Bifida Clinic yesterday(there for 4 hours). All good news. She continues to put on weight and get taller. She, of course, is still small but that is ok. That is the way God made her. One of the doctors commented to us about looking into growth hormones but we don't want to go that way. We figure that God made Mikayla small for a reason. If we give her those hormones it is as if we are saying that his creation is not good enough for us(altering his plan). I am small and for me to continue to carry her around - it is for sure better that she is smaller. She is scooting herself around on the hard floor and the carpet now and for that it has to be easier with her being small. There are also so many bad side effects to those we don't even want to chance it. The one bad thing about her being so small is that her car seat still has to face the back seat. We still have about 6 pounds for that to change. We(with her Physical Therapist at Clinic) have decided to start the process of getting her into her first wheelchair. These things are so tiny- the wheels are only 12 inches. They sit very low to the ground for ease in moving from the floor to the chair. I have totally come into a peace about her using the equipment. When I first started REALLY looking at the equipment - I had a really hard time adjusting to it. Reality was smack in my face and I did not want to have to deal with it. But - in the last couple of weeks God has really given me a peace about it and now I have found excitement in her being mobile. I cannot wait to see how Mikayla reacts to the chair. With her scooting around on the floor that is her showing us that she wants to be mobile and so we are going to make that possible for her. Within the next couple of weeks, we will be getting a loner chair to give it a try so I will put some pics on here then. The process of actually getting her chair takes about 3 months. That is crazy. We also are looking at getting her a mobile stander. That is a piece of equipment where she can stand and wheel herself around- she will be able to see eye to eye with other kids her age. This is a really exciting time for us. Please keep us in your prayers - this will be an adjustment period for us. We love you all.

Juice boxes and fruit snacks

Had to put these pictures on here. Mikayla drank out of a juice box for the first time today. She looked like such a big girl - and did such a great job not squeezing the juice out of the straw to make a mess. I think Mike and I made a bigger mess than she did. We also gave her fruit snacks today for the first time. She had so much fun rolling them around on her highchair tray . We have discovered that she has 3 teeth coming through on top - the two front and one of her eye teeth. She has been such a trooper. Poor thing - I feel so bad for her I know she has to be in pain!!


Had to put a picture of Mikayla and our friend Sam on here. We went to dinner with Sam and his mom, Christy, tonight. Sam was showing Mikayla how to dance. When Sam would stop dancing Mikayla would look at Christy as if to say"what is he doing". It was so cute.

Fourth of July

Had to do a comparison of this year to last year at the same time. My how our little one has changed!! We had a good holiday. We went to a party at Mike's boss house during the afternoon and then watched the fireworks at White House Park with our friends from church. The fireworks were WAY after Mikayla's bedtime so she became fussy about halfway through. She did very well though a little scared. She would not let anyone hold her except Mommy. There were a couple of times she jumped and held on for her dear life. Again, she did very well. She fell asleep before we even got out of the park.

Hilton Head

We are back from the beach... back to reality. We had a great time. I don't really know where to start. I guess with the drive there... it was better than expected. Mikayla slept most of the way there. The trip home she slept all but an hour. She was a little hesitant of the sand and ocean at first but by the last day she loved going in the ocean with Daddy. She squealed with excitment at the waves. We went to the pool at least once a day but spent most of our time at the beach. With the breeze it was much cooler at the beach and much more bearable. We went out to dinner every night. We had everything from seafood, wings, pizza, and ribs. Mike and I had a date night one night that was very nice(thanks to grandma and grandpa). We went for bike rides, walks, shopping, and alligator hunting. Mike played golf with the guys one day(he vows to never play again). We had just a great week. The weather was wonderful. It was cloudy the day we got there and stormed (bad) the night after but all the days were beautiful. I could not have asked for a better week. It is nice to be home in my own bed with my own shower - sleeping without a baby in the room. I put a few pictures on here. I took around 125 but only put 45 on here, hope you enjoy. One more really cute thing... Mikayla started saying Sassy!! It is so cute. Just had to share that.

Love you all.
Mike, Leshia, and Mikayla

Mikayla and Daddy

I came home from the gym the other night to this scene. Mike cut the sleeves out of some of his t-shirts(for the gym) so he and Mikayla put the excess material on their heads. I just cracked up laughing when I walked in the door. Two peas in a pod!!

We had a busy weekend. Friday - Mikayla and I went on our weekly grocery shopping trip. You just would not believe all the "grandpas" that stop to talk to Mikayla. She loves singing at the top of her lungs in the store now - I think she likes the way her voice echos. It is really quite funny the way everyone looks.
Then, Friday night we went to Burger Night at church. The kids ministry is raising money for our building fund so they sold burgers. The burgers were very good and the fellowship time was great. Saturday, Mike went on a canoe trip down the Red River in Adams, TN with the men's ministry at church. He actually has a kayak(spelling?) so he took that and the trip was 9 miles!! He was a little sore the next day. The guys had a blast!!
While he went on his trip, Mikayla and I planned on going to visit my dad for Father's Day but little Miss Mikayla was in a horrible mood (cutting two teeth at once and has an ear infection) so my dad being the nice guy that he is said he would come to us. I think he just REALLY wanted to see Mikayla. It was a good day. Mikayla wanted to take Grandpa to Cracker Barrel so we did that and Grandpa enjoyed it. We got back and they played in the floor - Mikayla loves showing off all her toys. While they played I had to pack Mikayla's stuff for Grandma & Grandpa Scheetz house. Mike wanted to go to the drag races for Father's Day so I agreed to go and the grandparents agreed to keep Mikayla (with no arm twisting).
I have to say that I had a blast at the drag races. We met some friends there and did not leave until almost midnight (we are in bed by 10 on Saturdays). Needless to say we were exhausted for early church service on Sunday. I felt bad that it was Fathers Day and Mikayla was at her grandparents house. Mike did not mind because he enjoyed the race. We were so tired after church that we took a 2 hour nap. Later on we went to Mike's parents to visit and pickup our baby girl. Mike had a good Fathers Day - he did not lift a finger which is exactly what he wanted to do(not real sure what the difference in any other Sunday- hahaha) He is such a great father to Mikayla. She adores her Daddy. All day long she talks about dada!!! When he walks in the door everyday she screams and says dada with a huge smile. So sweet!!

oh yeah- I forgot about Mikayla's haircut adventure Saturday morning. She has had her hair cut several times by our friend Angie and has done wonderful everytime. Well... this time was an exception. As soon as Angie put the cape on Mikayla she started screaming and crying and continued until we were finished. I was thinking of getting a brow wax while we were there but that was out of the question. Not sure if she thought she was at the doctors office or what?? Which by the way has become a screamfest too. We went last Wednesday and as soon as her Dr. came in the door her little lip started quivering and here come the waterworks. It breaks my heart. Dr. Murray said she will probably continue that for about the next year then things will improve. Joy... so excited!!! We have to go back in about 2weeks for her ears, looking forward to that!!!

We are so excited we leave EARLYYYYY Saturday morning for Hilton Head!! Not sure if I will post before then but if not I am sure I will have a bunch of pictures. Please be praying for us about the drive there with Mikayla... a little uneasy about that. Will be interesting!!!

Weekend

We had a full weekend. I just combined all the pictures on one post. Mike has been working almost every Saturday for the past 4 months BUT he was off this past one so we were soooo excited. Saturday we had a swim party/ cookout with our Hometeam(small group) at church. The kids had a great time and I think the adults did too. Mikayla got to use her new turtle float with Daddy. It is really neat because it has a shade that we can put over her when she has had too much sun. We are counting down the days until vacation... 11 days until we leave!!!! We are leaving Duke at a kennel for that week but the good thing is that he an Mike's parent dog, Bud, will be his kennelmate for the week. They are best buddies so we know they will do great. Speaking of Bud... we had a scare last week. Bud had eaten some(quite a bit) plastic and it made him really sick so Mike's mom took him to the vet and ended up having to do surgery on him. The found the plastic and some was in his colon... the vet said if they would not have done surgery he would not have made it through the night. This was Friday afternoon and he is doing much better now. They are keeping him at the vet for a few days to monitor him. So glad everything is going to be good now. He has been a member of their family for 11 years.
Mike and Mikayla in the pool- Mikayla loves her Daddy- look how happy they both are in this picture.
Riley - one of the girls in our group.
Some more of the kids in our group.
Goodness this bucket is as big as Mikayla.

Ok - we found this turtle Sunday in our yard. I have never seen a snapping turtle this big. I thought they were little, like the size of your hand. This one was the size of my head. Mike thinks that it came from the storm drain at the very back corner of our yard... no telling what all is living in that thing... kinda scares me a little. I just can not get over how big this turtle is.

Sunday Mikayla went for a swim in her pool. I love the fact that it is pink... so cute. She did the greatest thing ... she scooted herself all around the pool sitting on her tooshie by pushing herslf on the bottom of the pool. It really sounds like not a big deal at all but, up until this point she has been immobile. I can only imagine how cool it was for her to move herself around... all by herself. She was smiling so big and having the best time. Mike and I were very excited!!!! Once she realizes what she has to do to get around hopefully that will open a whole new world for Mikayla and be the begining of something huge. Here are some pics from the pool.

With the event of the pool during the afternoon, we decided to try her out in the big bathtub. Until now- I still bathed her in the little tub because of her balance issues(because of the curve of her back) but I thought if she can balance herself in the pool well enough to move around the entire pool she will probably do just fine. I was right she loved being in the big tub. She splashed around just like the pool. So cute.