MV 9

Nature is abound there on the island....gorgeous sunsets galore.

Oak Bluffs

Fishing off Menemsha Pier

We tried to take advantage of as much as well could, clamming, fishing, shopping, beaching, biking, napping....we lived like kings and queens.

MV 10

Our last day on the island brought us to a little tattoo parlor, where I got decorated with a pair of bluebird footprints... after my own little bluebird of happiness.

Sippin' a chai, waiting patiently....

Shortly after that, we boarded that ferry set for the mainland. It was a great vacation, relaxing and fun...full of sun, family, and lots of lovin'.

sum sum summatime!!

While Mommy slept off work today, Daddy and Grandpa took Avonlea out to play with H2Otis...her new sprinkler friend. (thanks Drina!)

She loved every second of it. God, I miss being a kid and running through sprinklers on the warmest of summer days!

(all photos are courtesy of J....who gets better at shooting every time he picks up my camera! I wish I had his natural talent!)

We are off to Martha's Vineyard for a week. In the meantime, I am missing lots of friend oriented activities, which makes me very very sad. Please know that I wish I could be there, and will be thinking of you all on your special days!

Don't get me wrong...I am super excited to be heading out to my husband's favorite place on the planet. Also, if I have to hear him mention clamming and eating lobsters one more time....

So, off to the vineyard! Where I am bringing ALL of my camera lenses/supplies. I can't wait to show you MV as I see it!!! MUAH!

Mirror, Mirror....

So, I got this new pretty camera strap for my baby. It's hard to make out...I tried very hard to get a good shot of it while J rushed the baby around the house before we left to run errands...

Pretty plum organza flowers on my girly little strap by Capturing Couture. I wasn't expecting this high quality of a strap, but is it really well made. Very secure, very well padded (to help with neck strain), and beautifully packaged. It even came with a free CD of a folk artist that I had never heard of. And, with a little glitch in their system, they accidentally only charged me for half of it...an added bonus! I'm in love.

Piggies in the Piggy

So, i squeezed my little piggy into some pigtails. and i just can't get over how BIG she looks with pigtails!

i totally just amped up the cuteness factor...watch out grandmas!!!

love it!!!

I loooove summer

Memorial Day started like this:

Grandpa took the babycakes overnight, letting adults have adult time....and then we packed up some beer, some food, and brought a picnic on over to their house. Along with my sister and in-laws.

It was amazing to have everyone at one house....all was right with the universe. All that food...all that sunshine...all that baby lovin'!!!

Here are some of my favorites from the day!

BONK!!

I love Erika's look, right before she realizes that Avonlea handed her a big, squirmy bug. :)

mmmm....life is good!

Memorial day part 2

Uncle ethan zooms her around the house...literally!

Grandma chat-fest.

Sam, sunshine, and love. LIFE IS GOOD!!

The Mother of all Mother's Days

Mother's day started off with loads of assorted mommy presents....but my favorite of all...a 50mm lens for my camera. check this baby out.. (keep in mind, this was my first day using it...but i think i did ok for a beginner!)

I woke up from working the night before and headed on over to my parents house with the babes and husband. While Daddy cooked some BBQ, sista-friend and I played catch....with some adorable help from the babycakes....who can actually THROW!!!! Auntie Sarah sees great potential in our future little ball player! :)

There is nothing better than days like this...spent with people who love you and love up your babes, eating good soul food, and playing a little bit of ball in the sunshine...even if you do inevitably lose the ball at the end of the day.

A very belated Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies and mommies to be out there, especially my amazing mother-in-law who I didn't get to see on Mother's Day.

Thank you!

Randomness

Some avonlea randomness from the past month or two. :)

Birthday Bliss

I know. It's been an ungodly amount of time. I just couldn't pull my head out of my bum to post. and then i started getting all this anxiety about how i haven't posted in 10 years. so, i'm gonna do some drive-by posts in pictures to get us all caught up and back to the present day!!

We had a little party for the birthday girl....(way back in april)....

Lots of balloons...lots of friends....lots of food...and lots of presents....what more could we ask for?

I think this is the most sugar she's ever had in her life! She actually made a dent in that cake!!

All pooped out....she slept like a rock that night!

It was a busy, but love filled day. Thank you to everyone who came, helped us set up and break down the party, ate all the wonderful food cooked by my MIL and husband, and brought wonderful gifts for Avonlea to love!!

Nurses Week

This post goes out to all my nurse friends, who kick ass every day. Especially the nurses that I have the pleasure to work with.

I work with incredible nurses, both in skill and in heart. Working with the population what we work with is no easy feat. I have seen a lot in my 4 years of being in the Pediatric ICU. I have seen babies live despite all odds, and many have died. And it never really gets easier to watch. We just get better at dealing with it.

So thank you, girls, for being with me through the long nights. Thank you for medication checks, and siding with each other while bickering with doctors. Thank you for 2 am baths, 9 pm trache care, help with admissions, transfers and discharges. Thank you for snacks, family dinner time, and weekend take-out. Thank you for helping me pick grieving parents up off the floor to hold their dying children. Thank you for picking me up off the floor every night around 4 am.

Here's to many more years, and many more nurses' day with my favorite crew. With you, I know I am never working alone.

Get out there and hug your favorite nurse today! :)

Getting Back To Good

"honey....honey! wake up! I just went to take my medicine, and spilled them everywhere....I found all of them but one....can you look for it? Watch the baby really good....I love you, bye"

That's what I woke up to thursday morning.

Avonlea decided that she didn't want the eggs and sausage I made her for breakfast. Or the yogurt. Or the waffle I made her. Or the toast. And when she refused the mandarin oranges, I knew something was up. And when she started furiously rubbing her eyes and face, I plopped her in the tub thinking she had gotten pepper in her eyes from the eggs.

And then she was all mottled and blueish.

And then she was acting like a crazy person, scratching her body, pulling her hair and her ears, shaking, and screaming like she was on fire.

I let her run around naked in her room, her feet weaving her around the sand-colored carpet, and I called my friend Amy to pick her brain. We decided I should call the pediatrician. So I went downstairs, and that's when I saw it on the floor.

The Missing Pill. Laying in a drool soaked puddle.

The Missing Pill is a high dose, extended release Ritalin derivative. An amphetamine.

That's right, say it with me.

FUCK.

Poison control said I needed to take her to the Emergency room, so I packed up the babe, inconsolable, and brought her to my hospital. They were waiting for us, had a room all ready. Some bloodwork, an IV, a few EKGs, and a bottle of bubbles later, we were admitted to the med-surg floor for monitoring. She had had some EKG changes, and her heart enzymes were elevated. By 6pm the inconsolable-ness had worn off, and she was literally running around like she was on speed. Well, that's because she was. We had a rough, sleepless night of flying around the unit saying "hi! hi! hi! hi! hi!" to everyone/everything we could.

Our morning labs were not improved, but the repeat EKG was. They wanted to keep us another night, but this Momma had had enough. And so we packed up the babe and brought her home to her own toys, her own tub, and her own bed.

She's back to her normal self, no Speedy Gonzalez anymore, and despite a few nightmares that needed some momma hugs and kisses, she's back to good.

Might take Mommy a little longer. The guilt on this side of the fence is overwhelming. But I guess all those times that I told all those Other Mommies who walked into my unit "it could have happened to anyone".... guess I wasn't really lying. Because it happened to me. In a minute.

So, I'll work on the guilt. And I'll hug through the nightmares. And I'll get back to good, too.

A special thank you to all the souls who brought needed supplies, gave advice despite the unpredictable outcomes, treated, cared for and loved my little one and me. And for the night crowd who tip-toed and kept me going through the long night with texts and visits, kisses and kind words. You are loved and appreciated more than you could ever know.

Easter Sunday Funday

So Easter turned into a pleasant surprise...I was scheduled to work that night and I wound up getting cancelled, so I shot on over to my parents house and got to see my little bunny in her Easter dress, eat some yummy food, and hang out with the family.

Look at all my eggs, Daddy!

Amazing cheesecake that my mom made!

Although I missed all the egg hunts, it's ok. I'll be able to be there next year, when it really gets fun!

Happy easter!