Bake Sale Success!

Our bake Sale this past Sunday was a complete success! We had people hitting us up before we could even get set up! We raised a little over $400 for Unite for the Cure and Families of SMA! How wonderful is that? All of the goodies were packaged so beautifully, and Rita wanted to make it a Fall theme, with lots of decorations and baskets full of the goodies, and it really paid off. We got so many compliments on how nice the set-up was. People were saying it wasn't your average bake sale, where people just put stuff in ziplocs and slap a price on it.

(Please forgive the pics, as we are all WELL aware by now, my camera is not the best.)



A couple of cutie pies that came out for the bake sale!




In other news, Raia is still NOT NURSING (yeah!) and doing fabulous! I feel like my umm, er, "upper areas" are about to explode. Actually, its not as bad as it was a week ago, but still hurts a lot. Nathan laughs at me because I've been wearing cabbage leaves in my bra. Ha ha! I guess it is kinda funny.

My headache meds are working, so that's good. I still get the headaches, but the go away. YAY! Hopefully as the Topomax builds up in my system, I will eventually just stop getting them altogether. I can hope anyway.

I don't really have much of an update today, sorry! I do have a couple of cute pictures of Raia, though.

Here is Raia with her best friend Madison at McDonald's.


For some resaon, this girl loves to put things on her head. But not normal things, like hats or bows...

Yep, it is a purse.

Thanks for checking in, that's all I've got for now!

xoxoxo~


This week I don't have a funny word from Raia (that I can think of right now....) but my friend Rita did buy her some Elmo stuff for her birthday, Elmo socks included. As soon as I pulled them out of the package, she kissed them! So cute! And let me tell you, she will wear holes in them before long....She calls them her "Emmo" socks!

Thanks Rita!

Success!

Well, Raia is officially weaned. I have my boobs back...finally!! YAY!! It has been a little over 80 hours since she last nursed, and so far I've only had to deal with one night of screaming, crying, and pleading. We have replaced it with a sippy cup at night, and believe it or not, she actually falls asleep faster, and no more wiggle-worming all over my lap! Why did I not do this sooner?! It has been so much easier than I thought it would be. My baby is growing up (sniff, sniff!)
The potty training has come to an abrupt halt, much to my chagrin. I guess once she realized what all the fuss was all about, it was no fun anymore. I was hopeful that she would be one of the "early" potty trainers. Oh well. Now she goes and takes the cushy little seat and wears it as a hat....I know, I know....Thank God for Lysol!
In other news, the cookbooks are selling SO FAST! We have very few left, so if you want one, let me know NOW before they are all gone! They are $12 each, plus shipping (if you are out of town). You can pay by check, or go to the Paypal account and pay directly. Leave me a comment, or email me at maynardspet000 @ yahoo . com (spaced out to reduce spam - you will need to retype it all together in the "To:" box.
On Sept. 27th, Rita and I will be holding a bake sale at one of the local WalMarts here in town to benefit FSMA, and to fund research to find a cure for SMA. If you have had any experience with bake sales, or would like to share some tips, tricks, sage advice, please leave me a comment or email me at the address I gave above. Also, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, as we have never done a bake sale before, don't even know what we are getting into. We just need to raise this money, and FAST! We have until the end of November to raise $5000. CLICK HERE FOR MY PREVIOUS POST ON THIS SUBJECT AND WHY WE ARE DOING WHAT WE ARE DOING.
This also leads me to asking for sponsors...yet again. Don't make me beg, folks. $1 per pound I lose...is that too much? Then do .50 cents per pound. Any little bit helps. Over the past 2 weeks I have lost 4 pounds. I only want to lose around 20 pounds, so if you sponsor me $1 per pound and I lose 20 pounds, that $20 that goes toward finding a CURE for the #1 genetic killer of infants and children under the age of 2. That's huge. You can visit Devon's blog HERE to learn more about why I am wanting to lose the weight and more importantly, WHY.
Onto other things.
My headaches are getting so much better. I saw a neurologist and have been diagnosed with migraines. After an MRI and an MRA, and a trial of different meds, we have finally found something that is working. I am afraid by typing this out that I may be jinxing it...I hope not. I am on steroids right now, and the headache that I'd had for over a month finally broke. I can't tell you how that feels. I feel free. It is wonderful.He has also given me a daily medication as a preventative, but I wanted to wait until Raia was completely weaned to try it - it has some pretty scary side effects. That will start tomorrow. I will keep you all updated.
I will leave you all with a few new pictures. I know how you love the pictures!


Raia's 2nd Birthday Cake (Elmo, of course!) There were cupcakes, too.



She got a giraffe for her birthday from Gran-Gran, and she wanted to give it a "Welcome" kiss! My mother-in-law helped her open all her birthday gifts, and they both loved every minute!




Because this is just what 2 year olds do.



My first lipstick experience! Does this shade look good on me??



Gibson - Riding home from Grandma's house...she has the BEST backyard to play in! Lots of stuff to chase and play with, its a jungle out there!

Thanks for checking in!

xoxox~

Raia's cute word for the day:

"Poopons" - coupons (LOL)
She can also say 'credit card' and 'swipe'. Sounds more like "cre-cod", but you'd be surprised at the looks I get at work or at the grocery store when she says this! They all think I'm getting her started early, but truth is, she learned it from me swiping customers' credit cards at work. We don't even have any credit cards!
<3

Happy Birthday, Noggin Berries!

Happy Birthday, Raia!

I can't believe you are 2! It seems like only yesterday we finally met face to face, and you stole my heart. I wish I still had the pictures of you in NICU, just a reminder of how far you have come. I do have ones from your last day or so there. You were so tiny, and finally breathing on your own. We were so proud of you, our perfect little tiny angel!

When we brought you home, I think I yelled to your Daddy "Slow down!" about 100 times before we made it to the driveway. Leave it to Mommy to drive Daddy nuts!
This picture was taken after your first bath:

Little did we know, you had pooped in your towel, haha! Guess you liked bath time...

I hate this picture of me, but it goes to show just how tiny you were.

Everyone thought you were going to have red hair, I guess it must have been your love of Elmo already showing in pictures. You didn't really care much for the bouncy seat until you had almost outgrown it, but you did have a few good moments in it :)

This is one of my most favorite pictures, it makes me laugh every time I see it! Rock on, little sister!

Here we are, your first Easter:




Your first birthday was anticlimactic to say the least. We had Hurricane Ike bearing down on us, and as much as I wanted to make a huge deal of it, it just wasn't meant to be. We still had a good time, YOU had a great time, which is all that matters.




During your second year, your love for Elmo has blossomed. I am afraid there might need to be an Elmo intervention in your future! He is the first thing you mention in the morning, and the last thing you mumble as you fall asleep in my arms. Your favorite thing is the Elmo puppet you got for your first birthday, and you love to wear it on your head...silly girl!

This past year we have taken you to the arboretum...

...the zoo (which I can not find the pictures of!)...
and San Antonio - TWICE!


These were pics from your first trip to SA.
Your second Easter was fun! You looked so cute in a dress that Gran-Gran sent you. She always finds the cutest stuff!




Just in the past few weeks you have taken a liking to playing dress up. With a hat, tutu, and (sort of) matching socks...all you need is sunglasses and a magic wand!

Gotta love that hat! BUSTED digging for gold LOL!


I am so blessed to be your Mommy! You never fail to make me smile with that sweet giggle, your never ending need for hugs and kisses that always seem to come at just the right moment, your silly words, and your love for learning new things! I love how stubborn you are, you must get that from me. I hope it doesn't get you into too much trouble! I love that you hate to see Daddy go when he has to go on business trips, your love for your Daddy is so special. There are so many things that I love about you, Noggin Berries, and I can't wait to enjoy finding many more things to love about you!
We love you so much, Raia! Happy Birthday Sweetheart!


xoxox~

Potty Training!!

Raia's second birthday is FRIDAY!!! I cannot believe my little girl will be 2! Time flies when you're having fun! Last week she took an interest in the potty, so I decided to get her one of her very own, and let me tell ya, this girl LOVES IT! The funniest thing is, she has to have a book to read while she goes LOL! She is doing really well, I think anyway. She has been going in her potty at least twice a day, and today for the first time, she let me know she needed to go. I was impressed. I am not doing any of the "rewards" like candy or anything, I just get really excited, and squeal and clap my hands, and for now that seems to be a good enough reward for her, haha!
I went back and forth about posting a picture of her on her big girl potty. I don't think they are inappropriate, so I will share :)



Look how excited she is LOL! My baby is growing up :( but YAY for independence! And YAY for no more diapers (soon)!


I have officially joined Devon in her efforts to raise money for SMA research with Unite For The Cure by losing weight. I NEED SPONSORS!!! I am only looking to lose 15-20 lbs, and if you sponsored me for $1 per pound, that's only $15-$20. If I lose the weight :( I am not doing very well right now, I need to eat healthier, and minimize my portions, but it's hard when you only get one or two meals a day. I feel like I am running like the energizer bunny (with no energy). I have been super busy this summer with work, and babysitting, cleaning my mother-in-law's house, cakes, and trying to get a hold on my own house and family. Now that school is back in session hopefully things will slow down a bit. Back on subject though, I really need sponsors. All you have to do is leave me a comment (below, just click where it says 'comment') and tell me how much you want to pledge per pound, OR you could make a lump sum donation (just click on the Unite For The Cure button on the right hand side of this page, and you can donate with check or credit card). When you donate online, please make sure you put "Pound Out SMA" or Lovelace family in the donation box--there's a space for it. This is just to keep track of funds raised and by whom. With the checks, you'd need to put it in the memo line. (By the way, the Lovelace family is my friend Devon who I have joined to lose weight for UFTC. Her son is Dakin, you can click on the Dakin button on the right hand side of this page to go visit his blog, he is SO precious!)


Ok, I think that's all I've got for now. I have decided that the glad game is really hard for me, so I haven't done it in a while. I feel like I've been putting the same things every time I post. I need to come up with something new to do, something positive. For now, I will post a new Raia word (or words) to end my posts with. Thanks for checking in!

xoxox~

"Ho-Ho" - Horse :)

Pictures

I know I have been slacking lately in the 'new post' department, and I know I apologize every time and promise to do better. Today is no different. I'm sorry for my lack of posts, and I promise to do better!
I am too tired tonight for any lengthy posts, so pictures will have to do for now.


Mommy & Noggin Berries


Raia LOVES Gibson's cage...seriously! We call it her "time out" LOL! I have better pictures of she and Gibson both in the cage, I just need to upload them.


My hair looks RED here...I think I like it! I see a box of hair dye in my future. This is Raia just after her bath, wrapped up in her Elmo towel :) Such a cutie!


Nathan in Washington DC. He is there again this week for the second time.


One of my favorite pics, it makes me laugh every time! Raia with the famous Elmo puppet on her head!

Ok, that's all I've got for now. I'm tired! More posts soon!
If you didn't read my previous post, please do. I need sponsors!! Leave me a comment if you'd like to sponsor me!

xoxox~

Unite For The Cure & Losing Weight!

Just a quick post about Unite For The Cure. Gwendolyn's parents, Victoria and Bill Strong, started Unite For The Cure to raise money for promising new research for SMA. They have challenged 20 SMA families to raise $5000 each by the end of Nov. 2009. I am so proud of my friend Rita; she has been working so hard to raise the money by selling the cookbooks, making cards to sell for donations, we are working on bake sales and garage sales, Weigh To Go, car washes...anything we can think of to raise this money! Please visit Unite For The Cure to learn how YOU can help, or leave me a comment and I will do my best to answer your questions!
Also, Rita and Devon are doing separate programs to lose weight to earn money for SMA research. Rita is doing Weigh To Go, and Devon is doing Pound Out SMA/SMARD. I've decided to join up with Devon and lose a few pounds myself. I NEED SPONSORS!! Please sponsor me for like, I don't know, a dollar a pound? Whatever you feel like pledging. I've only got about 15-20 lbs. to lose, and I'll be lucky if I can lose half of that (boo me), so please leave me a comment if you want to sponsor me. I will have more info on that in the next coming posts, I'm still waiting to see what I need to do to sign up.
Again, I am so proud of my friends. I never thought I'd be so passionate about a cause the way I am about finding a cure for SMA. These precious children have touched my heart and I feel compelled to help in any way I can. Please help me help them!

xoxox~