The Pumpkin Patch

Another round of Fall Fun!!!

2009-10-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

The Dallas Arboretum

The Pumpkin Patch of course!!!

2009-10-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

We made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. We always go to the same one in Mansfield. This was of course Luke's first time!

Dad turns 60!

2009-07-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to Aspen, Co. to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday! We had some AMAZING family time hanging out by the fire pit roasting marshmallows, taking a "hike" (if you call it that with young children), and cooking some great meals (a Thurmond must!). It was a wonderful, laid back trip with a wonderful, laid back guy! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY AMAZING, GENTLE, UNCONDITIONALLY LOVING, INTELLIGENT DAD! I love you dad! (group family pic coming soon)

Aspen, CO. Round 3

2009-07-20T20:22:00.001-07:00

Aspen, CO. Round 2

2009-07-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

Aspen, CO.

2009-07-20T20:05:00.001-07:00

Round 1 of pics:
We had a blast! Riley disappeared for a few days, she was having so much fun with her cousins.

photos with Luke- 3 months

2009-04-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

Picture Update

2009-03-09T18:13:00.001-07:00

The Race Is On!

2009-02-27T16:30:00.000-08:00

Cousin Conley and Riley enjoyed a day at the track with their Daddy's. Drag racing is a long time hobby of Donnie and Travis' (Donnie's brother), so the girls wanted to take their mustang's to the track for a test and tune!

Tummy Time!

2009-02-11T20:15:00.001-08:00

Luke fell asleep during one of his sessions of tummy time! It's hard work!!!! Notice the pink blanket that Riley so carefully picked out for this tummy time session. She gets so excited about it.

Meet Luke!

2009-01-09T12:53:00.000-08:00

Luke Mitchell Franklin
This little guy joined our family on December 22, 2008, 7.3 lbs, 19" long. It was wonderful to experience a "normal" delivery, everything went great, and the transition has been very smooth. Riley is more than enamored and adores Luke. I will try to update as often as I can...but we all know how good I am at that!!!!

Autumn in Missouri

2008-11-12T19:14:00.000-08:00

Pics. from our trip to Missouri to visit my brother and fam. We had a blast. We hardly saw Riley the entire weekend. She was so busy with her cousin's, Emory and Miles.

Now this is multi-tasking!

2008-10-07T17:08:00.000-07:00

My First Day of School

2008-09-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

Ah-La-Lu (aka Mary Lou)

2008-07-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

This is my Aunt Mary Lou, maker of amazing children's bedding, and the sweetest thing you will ever meet! Aunt Mary Lou was gracious enough to not only make Riley's beautiful baby bedding, but her new big girl bedding too. Today, while making her bed, RIley was chatting away as usual....she never stops! She has to know every little detail..."Who made my blanket?" I replied, "Mary Lou", she replied, "Who's Mary Lou again?" (we have been working on who is who in the family, and where they belong). I replied. "ET's sister, Grandad and Weese's daughter". Then she left it at that. Five minutes later, she asked me about Jesus, and for some reason I said Jesus in Spanish to see what she would do. I guess it triggered a thought and she replied...." No, Mommy, It's Ah-La-Lu". I said, " who is that?" She said "my blanket maker, on my bed Mommy". Then she proceeded to sing "Praise-e- the Lord, Hallelujiah". So, Mary Lou...I guess you trigger some pretty important thoughts. Doesn't surprise me in the least!

Disneyland 2008

2008-07-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

Riley had an amazing time! She was beyond excited to see Minnie Mouse and to dance with the princesses! We had such a great time with Lulu, Aunt Elizabeth and cousin Isabella.

Summer Days

2008-06-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

An a-FAIR to remember

2008-06-12T08:02:00.001-07:00

FRIED OREOS AT MAYFEST...can't beat that! They will fry anything in the south! (last 2 pictures)
My friends Chloe and Sidney join me at Mayfest.
Chloe and Sidney's daddy with brother Quinn. Quinn is the most adorable baby, he just joined their family from Korea.
I tried to post each caption below each picture...I guess I have some work to do....Angie, how do you do that?

Destin

2008-04-21T12:16:00.000-07:00

Time with my cousins!

2008-03-10T22:03:00.001-07:00

So Frustrated

2008-03-04T13:16:00.000-08:00

So I bought this cute antique bed hoping to put it in Riley's room for her big girl bed. I had no idea it would cause me so much frustration. I got it for a steal, $140. I've now had it welded to add length for $120 because mattresses today are longer than they were then. And I had to figure out the height situation because they did not use box springs back then, so leave it to a Thurmond to figure out a solution, Aunt Mary Lou told me to get a bunkie board. Great....I was good to go! Not so fast...The welder added too much length (which I am sure he will fix), and I guess we didn't notice that it is too wide as well. So here I am with a new mattress and bunkie board, sitting on the floor between the frame. I have no idea where to go from here. New bed? or custom mattress? Don't desire old things like I do, they always have to be fixed or redone. I guess it pays off in the end....but gees!

We live in Elmo's World

2008-03-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

Donnie and I took Riley to see Elmo and Friends Live. Needless to say...she was enamored! We bought the cd while we were there and now listen to it everyday! I have to give props to the Sesame Street marketing team...they are awesome at what they do...and we are the suckers!

My Krazy Korean

2008-02-03T18:03:00.000-08:00

Donnie's mother has been asking me to take pictures of Riley in these Korean originals! Pretty Cute!

More Pics

2008-01-09T20:55:00.000-08:00

It has been too long!

2008-01-09T12:21:00.000-08:00

Here are some wonderful picks from the fall through the holidays.

For my friend Cory

2007-11-13T15:09:00.000-08:00

Today I lost a friend. She was 31 with 2 young boys. She fought 3 1/2 long years to beat this cancer. I know I tend to be preachy about my own life experience....take your folic acid, but now my advice is this...get a mammogram. Cory's OBGYN told her it was a clogged milk duct from nursing, they put her off. Not long after, she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. A double masectomy and hysterectomy soon followed, but the cancer was too agressive in her young body. Remember to keep this family in your prayers, her husband Brian, son's Collin and Dylan, and the rest of her amazing family who moved in, stood by her side and cared and fought for her just as she did.
Here is a beautiful pic of Cory from our college days in the dance ensemble. She was such a light, always positive and happy. Cory, we will miss more than you will ever know.

Annual Trip to The Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-31T11:28:00.000-07:00

50th Anniversary of the ASO - Chicago

2007-10-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of us at a "gala" for the 50th Anniversary of the American Society of Ocularists. It was wonderful to see my old friends....they were the catalysts for what is now called "The Franklin Family"! Donnie and I met at one of these meetings 9 years ago!

Cousin Conley comes over for a playdate

2007-10-19T19:02:00.000-07:00

Round 3: stomach virus

2007-10-06T07:15:00.000-07:00

Camera Happy!

2007-10-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

I'm now 30!

2007-10-01T14:17:00.000-07:00

Back to bloggin'! I received a wonderful gift for my birthday from my husband....a really fabulous camera! So now I will try to update my blog more often. These are pics from my 30th birthday. Donnie got a few of our friends together for dinner. I had a great time.

Girl's Getaway!

2007-09-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

Nichola, Julia and I finally got away for a long overdue (the last one was 4 years ago) girl's trip in Miami/Coconut Grove. We had a great time!

Our trip to Colorado

2007-07-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

Lauren and Riley

2007-07-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

Riley had a friend over this morning and had a blast. This is Riley's new ride from Lulu. Daddy has not put the battery in it yet, so, for some reason it is inside????

Rain, rain go away

2007-07-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

This is the last time we really got to play outside! Hey Evan...we need your ark....the rain won't stop!

Our trip to L.A.

2007-06-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

We went to my step-sisters wedding in Santa Monica recently. A perfectly beach-themed wedding....it was beautiful. It was so great to see family and friends, I cherish those times like you wouldn't believe. I wish so badly we all lived closer to one another. I'll post more pics from this trip soon.

Riley's 2nd Birthday

2007-06-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

True Freedom!

2007-06-07T07:40:00.000-07:00

Note to self: Always put pants/shorts on Riley after diaper change.

Mr. Sun, Please Shine Down on Me!

2007-05-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

This morning was Riley's last day of Mother's Day Out. They had a program where Riley performed a few songs along side her fellow classmates. I could not believe Riley knew the words and signs to Jesus Loves Me. I even sang it with her when we got home and she sang along with doing the signs all on her own (the words are a bit broken, but we know what she is saying!). It floors me how fast she learns things, (after Donnie left for work from the program, Riley said, "Daddy go office"). She is learning so much right now.
We enjoyed the first day of sun in a while today! Riley played with water and her swing set for several hours. After eating a nice dinner outside (which is not something you can do very often here in Texas), Donnie and Riley galloped around the house with their horsies "Sha-neigh-neigh" and "Kan-neiygh". Then we capped the evening off with several rounds of "ring around the rosie"...which all three of us HAVE to do (she attempts to get Sophie to play....but no such luck yet...I can't even get the dog to roll over, let alone ring around the rosie).
Tomorrow is a big day for Donnie. He stepped up to the challenge of taking the day off of work to watch Riley and her two cousins, Corbin and Conley, while my sister-in-law and I go shopping out of town all day. He plans to take them to Chuck-E-Cheese (I despise Chuck-E-Cheese....sounds like a big germ fest, eeewww!). Better him than I! They will have a blast. So, needless to say, Donnie gets the husband of the month award (it would have been husband of the week, but since he is watching our niece and nephew too, he deserves it). PRAY FOR HIM PLEASE! Just kidding, those kids are GREAT.

One month later!

2007-05-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting in a while! Unfortunately, Donnie and I went to Maui for a "business trip". Donnie had meetings in the am, but I just relaxed! Lulu (my mom) stayed home with Riley. They had a blast. I honestly don't think Riley really missed us, but, oh my gosh....did I miss her!
Well, here are some pics of Maui and of Riley showing off the goodies we brought back.

2007-04-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

Riley "Hilton" chillin' in the backyard!

Okay....so I know I never posted my results of the test I took to see if I had the auto-antibody to folate. Well, I do. So, basically I don't absorb enough folic acid to pass it along to a developing fetus. Thus....the reason why Riley has spina bifida. I am not happy I have the auto-antibody, but it is somewhat of a relief to have an answer as to why Riley was born with SB. I am now taking 5 times the recommended dosage of folic acid for our next pregnancy.....but don't get any ideas....we are not ready for our next one yet! We are very content with one!

When I took this test, the scientist was telling me that ALL women should have this test that are in child-bearing years to know if they need extra folic acid prior and during a pregnancy. Or, take 5x more than what your normal prenatal pill offers. I took prenatals for 6 months before I got pregnant, and obviously during the pregnancy. I ate a ton of wheat germ and fortified cereal (my only craving), but I still didn't absorb enough. They have yet to market the test, but will soon. If you are interested, I will pass along the info. There is no such test to see how much you do or don't absorb, so they tell you to take gobs of it. I don't mean to be preachy....it's obviously something close to my heart. I just want you all to be informed.

Texas Bluebonnets

2007-04-13T13:31:00.000-07:00

She takes my breath away.

Easter Day

2007-04-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

Easter day was great. Riley caught on quickly to picking up eggs and she was the best dressed bunny out there with her beautiful dress that her Lulu knit for her. She was so crazy, running all over the place, as you can see in the last pic., she is leading the Snodgrass family to lunch!

More snapshots from WA.

2007-03-29T19:45:00.000-07:00

Here are some more great pics. We had such a great time with Lulu, Pappa John, Nannie, Poppop, Emory, Miles, Clif and Angie. Riley already misses her cousins....no one to fight with or love on!

Snapshots from Washington

2007-03-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

All I can say is "AMAZING"! Blaine, Washington is beautiful. Now I know why Mom and John decided to leave No. Hollywood and head for Blaine. I would love it if EVERY morning I got to wake up and have my coffee on a patio that looks out to an amazing view of the water. One day!

Twins?

2007-03-04T06:27:00.000-08:00

Riley is now dressing Sophie .... her twin!

Also, by practicing often, Riley has perfected the word "no"! I have heard this is quite the popular thing to say at this age! I am looking forward to future stages of "cool dude", "rad", "stoked", etc. Oh yeah, that was my generation...I wonder what our children will say.

Enjoy the pics.

2007-02-24T11:28:00.000-08:00

These are a few weeks old! Mom came in town for a visit 2 weeks ago. Riley had a blast with her....Riley talked up a storm (not quite sure what she said...but she was laughing at herself a lot!). She still babbles a lot, but throws in "real" words here and there. She even started singing along to songs a little (she only says the words she knows!). This past week she was moved up a class at her mother's day out program. She is on the younger side of the age group instead of the oldest in her class. She loved it! Maybe this fall I will consider 2 days a week instead of 1.

The other pics are from Valentine's. We went to a sushi place in Dallas and then met up with our friend's Chris and Carrie afterwards. We had a really nice time.

I will post current pics soon.

2007-02-06T14:45:00.000-08:00

70 degrees!

2007-02-06T14:23:00.000-08:00

Although Riley and I have a bad cold, we managed to spend some time outside during this beautiful day.

So, the info. I was going to give you all is that we are going to Houston to meet with a pedi. neurologist who specializes in myelomeningocele (what Riley was born with). He is going to do a test that will let us know if I have an auto-antibody to folate. If I have it, then that means my body doesn't absorb folic acid correctly and I will have to make sure I take 5x the recommended dosage of folic acid (which I already am at the current time) before I get pregnant. Basically, the test will tell us why Riley was born with SB (that is if I do have the auto antibody, if not, then we may never know). Anyway's, the dr. who researched this in NY was telling me that all women planning a pregnancy should have this test, as well as take 5x the recommended dosage of folic acid before they become pregnant. I remember asking my old o.b. shortly after I had Riley why they don't tell all women PLANNING a pregnancy to take 4-5x the rec. dosage of folic acid...his reply was that 50% of all pregnancies are unplanned (he didn't answer the question!). OB's & women take that chance, assuming a healthy pregnancy, neural-tube defects only occur 1 in 1,000. My advice to all of my friend's and family....please take the extra folic acid or have the serum test done BEFORE you get pregnant, (it's hard to find someone who will do the test, maybe I can help you). Remember, a neural-tube defect happens in the first 4 weeks of pregnancy...before you even know you are pregnant!

Conley and Riley

2007-02-02T20:53:00.000-08:00

Riley had a fun day with Conley today. They composed some music together on the piano...Conley was very intense and serious about it, so cute! Some pics. are from Saturday and Sunday, last weekend. (Doesn't Riley look cute for church?).
I have an update on our research regarding possible "baby #2", however, I am very tired and will post it tomorrow. Please remember to check the blog again because I have some very insightful information that all child-bearing age females should know about. Until next time...

Back In Business!

2007-01-29T12:56:00.000-08:00

I can not believe how computer inept Donnie and I are! I have been unable to get into my blog for quite a while, and in fact set another one up in the meantime...but never posted anything on it. I guess I will use it to post my lastest projects, so check it every once in a while, www.stompinaroundcowtown.blogspot.com. I wish one of us was a little more savy with electronics...drives me nuts!
Anywho...here are some pics. of random events from the past month. Riley is getting around very well now. She stands up on her own now without pulling up on something. She also said her first two words together, "bye bye Chae-chae" (her Aunt Chata), and "hi so-o-fee" (Sophie, our super-pup). She is understanding and saying so much....it is so cool!!!
Clockwise from top to bottom: (1, 2) Cousin Conley witnesses Riley's 1st haircut (it doesn't look that different, just trimmed and cut a good portion of her Donald Trump piece), (3) Cousin Conley (I kept her for the day on Saturday while Donnie, Travis, and Chata worked at Travis' grand opening for his new shop Gearheads, the girls did great, even napped at the same time...I think maybe I could handle 2 children, but not yet!), (4) neighbor, Chandler and Riley after a group bath with Cole...after all, Riley is Korean, and don't Koreans bathe together?, (5) Riley playing in her crib, (6) Riley and Cole before bathtime, (7) Riley, Cole and Chandler the day it snowed here in Tx. (this happens about once a year here, it's been a cold January), (8) the true definition of "fruit of the loom", Riley's play-fruit velcroed to her bottom!
Enjoy!

2007-01-06T21:01:00.000-08:00

I love going through old pics. This is Riley, November '05.

So...this is pretty funny! Donnie and I went to see a movie tonight, The Pursuit of Happiness (GREAT movie by the way!), and you know what....the last movie we saw together was The Wedding Crashers (Summer '05)....and we had Riley in the theater with us then! Is that pathetic, or what??? Maybe one of the grandparents should move to Dallas so we can get out more (but not just for that reason alone)! Just think about the size of house you would have here! Yea, the Rockies are not out our front door, or the Puget Sound out our back door, but we have....we have....ummmmmmmmm, well, beautiful tornado swept prairies (just kidding, it's not that bad!).

Playing at the park in Seven Lakes!

2007-01-05T18:42:00.000-08:00

Here I am....playing at the park with my cousins, Miles and Emory. Hey, can you see the resemblance?....at all? ....what-so-ever? I promise...we are related! -Riley

Mitchell Family Christmas 2006 West End, North Carolina

2007-01-05T17:53:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful time we all had visiting with our aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, parents, brothers, sisters, neices and nephew in North Carolina! What an absolutley amazing family my grandparents, Nanny and Poppop, have created! We love you!

Cousins

2007-01-05T10:27:00.000-08:00

Waking up is hard to do!

2007-01-03T20:08:00.000-08:00

Today I found Riley sleeping with a blanket over her face! It scared me at first, but she's old enough to pull it off if she doesn' t like it! I had to wake her to take her to her 18 month well check. These are the series of pics. I took! She reminds me so much of Donnie....the Franklin frown rears it's...head (it's not ugly....but it's not a smile either!). I better get use to the frown, she's on her way to turning 2, (although I hear 3 is harder). Her check-up went very well, the dr. is more than pleased with her walking, etc.

Oh, don't you just love those deep belly laughs from a baby??? Riley was just cracking up this evening. And you know what she was doing....throwing pieces of her dinner on Sophie's head, which lead to Sophie trying to get the food as fast as she could. Whatever makes her laugh! I just love listening to it! (discipline to follow next time!)

I will post Christmas, New Year's, and my NY trip pics. soon. Meanwhile, here is a post to hold you over!

The Franklin Family Christmas

2006-12-23T14:12:00.000-08:00

Riley quickly catches on to the idea of opening gifts at Christmas. She eagerly awaited each gift as they came her way!

Riley pushes Conley in the doll stroller. Conley fits in the stroller because she got the teenie tiny tushy from the Korean side....where as Riley got the ghetto-booty from her mommy and daddy! Sorry pumpkin!

Little Elf

2006-12-20T19:58:00.000-08:00

We attempted to visit Santa today, however, he wasn't going to arrive until 4pm and it was only 2pm! Riley would not have lasted until 4, so we called it a day and took her picture as an elf! This elf needs a tan!

2006-12-07T08:25:00.000-08:00

Ms. Independent wants to do it all by herself!

Riley's new thing...."no no no no". She even says it to herself when she is getting ready to do something she shouldn't be doing (like playing in the dog water).

Just want to incl. Psalm 15. I am going to try and memorize it and strive to live by it.

"He whose walk is blamless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken."

Denim Day

2006-12-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

Sweet, Sassy, and Sad!
This is what I saw all day today! Riley has her 2nd UTI. She was so fussy, and rightfully so!
Just an update...Riley is improving daily with her walking. She can walk clear across the house, but still struggles a little with her balance. She is starting to walk with things. like a toy or sippy cup, in one hand, so it is getting better. She is still working on standing without pulling up. She needs to strengthen her quads, so we will be doing some exercises with that.
Riley is at such a fun age. She is like a little sponge. She is starting to really grasp things and she truly studies things....I love watching her learn and grow. It is so rewarding as a parent (even though I can not attribute it to me!).
She loves to look at pictures....esp. of Daddy. She looks at pictures of cousin Emory with the most inquisitive look....like she just can't place where she knows her from...but that she knows her!
Anything that looks like a dog....is a dog. Cows say moooo, but called a dog. Same with cats, etc.

Donnie and I went to a wedding last night. We haven't been out in a while, so we kind of considered it a date. It was so nice to have adult conversation. There was a little boy about 3 sitting next to us at the table and I kept thinking I needed to tend to him (since that's what I do ALL DAY LONG), but I was FREE....and boy did it feel good. No juice, goldfish, diaper bag, toys, no wolfing dinner down in 2 minutes flat, etc. Just Donnie and I, enjoying our surroundings and eating our dinner SLOWLY! HOWEVER.....we couldn't stop talking about Riley with one another, and we missed her terribly. That was only a few hours....what am I going to do while I am in NY next week? Three days away from Riley. I am so nervous. I am going to miss my little pistol like crazy!

Grilled Elmo Anyone?

2006-11-29T19:36:00.000-08:00

Okay, let's see if I can describe these pictures in order, I'm not sure if it will upload in the same order. 1) Riley grilling Elmo (or as she says, Memo), 2) Riley in the kitchen, 3) on a horse, 4) Uncle Donnie and cousin Corbin on turkey day, 5) Miss cousin Conley struttin' her stuff on turkey day, 6), 7), and 8) at the park on turkey day.

Sorry it's been so long since I have posted anything. Here are some updated pics of Miss Riley. She is walking pretty well now. She walks a lot, but not consistantly. She will walk clear across the room, lose her balance and fall, and then just crawl. She doesn't know how to get from the floor to a standing position without pulling up on something....but as Angie heard on the phone tonight....she is trying.
Riley finally started saying "HI" (of course not near the phone when someone is on it, but always when no one is on it!), but it sounds more like "Ieee". She also says ou, ou every time she falls. She will be an attention grabber for sure. Her ringlets already reel people in, and she doesn't mind it a bit.

We met with a genetics doctor yesterday to get some more information on our chances of having another baby with SB. Her opinion is that Riley's birth defect was completely unrelated to mine. She really feels that I do not have any syndrome of any kind and that Riley's SB just happened. Any mom has a 3-5% chance of having a baby w/ any birth defect, we have an increased risk of having another baby with SB by 2-3%, and if I take 4x the recommended dosage of folic acid, it reduces it to 1% chance. (note: taking the recommended dosage of folic acid, that is what is already in prenatal pills, reduces the risk of having a baby with SB by 70%....which I did for 10 months before I even got pregnant....I guess we were in that other 30%, or it had nothing to do with a folic acid deficiancy). Anyways, I will always search to find a reason why this happened to Riley.
So.....we still are not decided either way, but my heart is more at ease at possibly having another child of our own one day. Like I said before, we are in no rush. We still feel like we have more research to do as well.

We are so excited...tomorrow will be one of those days when you have no reason to be out on the roads. We are housebound because of the "Winter Freeze", good excuse to just veg. out.

Ducks and Yoga!

2006-11-14T13:04:00.000-08:00

Here is Riley with Pappa ET/Grandad at the marina. They had lots of fun feeding the over-fed ducks and the very big, always hungry carp. Riley just soaked it all in. She loves saying and signing duck and also says kakak (Quack, quack).
ET and Riley also had time for some yoga with JoJo's Circus. They learned the downward facing dog.
Riley had a blast showing off to ET and Sandy. She walked for them and chatted a lot about her toys. Her favorite word right now is "yeah"....we will have to work on her manners (although she does sign please and thank you)!

Donnie comes home from Vegas tomorrow.....YEA! He is at the Ocularist/Ophthamology Convention. Mommy is ready for a break!
He went to see the Blue Man Group last night and loved it. Can't wait to hear about the rest of his trip...ocularist stuff! (I have to admit, I miss that stuff....maybe in the future I can finish what I barely started).

Decision 2006/2007

2006-11-08T19:58:00.000-08:00

The past few days have been full of deep thought and heavy duty prayer! We are preparing, with a lot of research left to do, to make a very important decision....do we adopt or do we have another baby of our own ?????????????????????? ??????? ???? We are in no rush what-so-ever, but feel the need to embark on this scary, yet wonderful (either way) adventure now, (I have to be on extra folic acid at least 6 months prior to getting pregnant, and as I am sure you know, adoption is a very lengthy process as well)! We have so many questions that need to be answered! We are getting different answers as to the chance of us having another child with spina bifida....1%, 3-5%, or same chance as everyone else if I take 4x the recommended dosage of folic acid. What scares us is what if it is not related to my folic acid intake....what if it is related to the possible genetic disorder I may have (they can only prove I don't have a genetic disorder by 60%.....well, 40% is a big #, and obviously something went wrong the first time). If we knew that the worst it could be would be like Riley's severity of SB, then hey....we'll take the risk and FROG it (Fully Rely On God) :) . Riley's case of SB is mild (it's the most severe type, but a mild case of myelomeningocele). But spina bifida is crazy. It affects and involves more than you would think, ie. the eyes, brain, eating, breathing, major nerve damage (paralysis), bowels, bladder, and on and on and on. And the severity of each thing I just mentioned varies greatly too. Some of these things are things that we have to still watch for with Riley. Could I do it again.....but worse? I don't know? It would tear our hearts apart. So I guess what I am asking from you is heavy duty prayer. I do hope God makes the answer clear to us. Until we get that answer, let the research begin! Information and advice (we may take it or leave it!) :) on both topics are greatly welcome!

Picture incl.: We have found a great babysitter who we just adore. Riley just loves her! Riley's top choice of communication is signing, she says stuff, but would rather sign. Jessica is very fluent at signing and helps Riley along! Jessica took these pictures of Riley the other night. Clif, Angie, Jonathan....you would be so proud....a future concert pianist niece!
Sorry for the spelling errors...I am so tired and spell-check isn't working!

OH! AND MOST IMPORTANTLY....RILEY IS TAKING ABOUT 8-10 STEPS IN A ROW, BY HERSELF. She is getting so brave, just taking off from the couch or a big toy and walking away. IT'S AWESOME! She needs more work on her balance, but she is almost there. She is also doing well learning how to stand up by herself without holding onto anything to get up. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. (just shout it, like we do in church...it feels great!). Okay.....off to bed!

2006-10-31T19:15:00.000-08:00

Riley is all tucked into her little nest, sound asleep like a good little bird should be at this hour. She is worn out from a busy day of doctor's apts in Dallas and a fun fall festival at the church. As you can tell, Riley was a blue bird. I am honestly surprised that her costume came together, and that she left it on!
Donnie and I went to a costume party on Sat. night dressed as Dr. 90210 and one of his plastic-y patients. Dr. 90210 is a rediculous show on the E channel about plastic surgery performed by a rediculous dr. who pumps iron before he performs surgery and cuts the sleeves off of his scrubs. I taped a "Dr. Rey's to-do list" on my hospital gown with all kinds of crazy things on it. I had a fake butt on my back side!
Enjoy!

Oh where, oh where did she get those curls!

2006-10-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

People ask me all of the time if her hair is naturally curly???? I think that if it weren't...Riley would have a ton of burn marks from the curling iron because this child does not sit still for much of anything! As her hair grows....it seems as if the curls are getting tighter. We are still not sure where the curls came from....maybe Uncle Travis!

Fall Fun!

2006-10-20T10:26:00.000-07:00

A day at Green Meadows Farm with my friends, Jillian, Jayna, Chloe, and Sidney!

My latest project

2006-10-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest project. The room is so cool, with a stage, a playhouse built right into the room, and a special closet just for dress-up clothes (the door is sized just for children!). The house is beautiful...and big, 7,000 sq. ft. Oh, the life of the young and wealthy!

SO CLOSE!

2006-10-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

Riley is so close to walking on her own! She is gaining more strength and more confidence everyday. Mom and I took her to see the orthopedic doctor the other day and he still says no braces, and that it should be soon that she walks. I asked him about her feet rolling in and he said lots of kids without spina bifida or anything have feet that roll in...it's just part of learning to know where your feet are and how to place them. Her hips are in place and look great too.
Here she is pushing a doll umbrella stroller, it is very unstable, so she has to use a lot of her own strength to balance herself.
Mom left yesterday. We miss her and wish they lived closer. I can not believe how Riley immidiatley remembered her. She had no anxiety toward her at all.....in fact, I think she prefered hanging out with cool Lu Lu over mommy!

One year left....ahhhhh 30, here I come!

2006-09-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

I can not believe I am 29, yikes! Life goes by entirely too fast. Riley is getting so big! She took 3 steps today! Lulu, she had a blast playing in her ball-pit today, I love those deep belly laughs when she is having so much fun. Tomorrow she has her first school photo shoot! I am so excited for her. I'm sure she will be looking backwards, yanking on the back drop, or biting the photographer so she can play with the camera. In these pics, Riley and Donnie playing in the ball pit, and Riley enjoying her favorite veggie, corn...she eats her whole (half) cob. Don't you love her tan line at her neck!

I was going to title this entry "Why bad things happen to good people"...but didn't want it to be so depressing. However, I just want to say that I just read on the bottom of the tv screen on "E" that Rev. Run (Run DMC) and his wife just had a baby that was born with all of it's organs on the outside. It did not survive long after birth. There was a baby at the NICU the same time Riley was there that had the same thing. They sort of explained it as the same thing as what Riley was born with...but in the front....instead of the spine and spinal cord not fusing and closing, the chest bones never fused. They had been waiting for a few months already and had not closed her up, I guess research shows it's better to wait. I wish I knew how that little girl was doing. Anyway, I remember watching Run's reality show every once in awhile earlier this year. I remember them talking about trying to have a baby. Run seems like a very genuine person and extremely focused on his family...not like some crazy rap star. I guess what I am getting at is that knowing in part what this family is dealing with, I feel a deep pain for them. Trust me when I say that I wouldn't trade Riley or her condition for the world, it will make her who she is....but to go through the pain again....or to watch her struggle as she learns to walk....I wish I could make her whole. We are forever thankful that we were chosen to be her parents, and she amazes us everyday, by far surpassing what the doctors expected.
I know HE will get Run and his family through this painful time....HOPE, it's what got us through!

Ohhh...the joy's of being a mommy!

2006-09-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

After almost 3 weeks...I think Riley has finally kicked everything and is no longer sick!!! She started with a run-of-the-mill cold, which caused an ear infection. While dealing with the ear infection, she got her 1st UTI, and while dealing with both infections...she got the chicken pox (1 week before she gets vaccinated)! Now, she is teething...so she's just a little fussy! She has been such a trooper! I am so proud of my little girl! I know she is always going to be a tough cookie! Her life may have it's fair share of curve balls, but she will always have Dada and me to lean back on...although, I have a feeling that she will be the type to do everything on her own, and if we give her advice, she will probably do the opposite (don't you love how I am analyzing her personality...but if you were with her day in and day out, you would believe me...she is sooooo fiesty.......and I love it!). This picture was the only one I took yesterday where she was actually not frowning. In the others she has what I call the Franklin Frown. If you are a Franklin or know a Franklin...then you know what I am talking about (esp. Donnie and Travis!). I knew she had the Franklin Frown when we did her 3-D sonogram. Not only did she have the frown, but also a more subtle version of Donnie's cereal bowl dimple in her chin (it will surface when she loose her baby fat, it's just hiding).

Why the pumpkin patch?

2006-09-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

"Pumpkin" is what we call Riley. Ever since we took her to the pumpkin patch almost a year ago...we concluded that Riley was our little pumpkin, and that's not just because of her rolls and dimples! In October, I will post another picture of her at the pumpkin patch!