HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY MY SWEET GIRL!!

Teagan is 2 today!! Mommy woke her up this morning by singing "Happy Birthday" to her, which she preceeded to sing along with!! Very funny! Since I am at work all day, and we are going to "Chuck E. Cheese" with Lynn & Stacy this evening, we did Birthday gifts last night!! Teagan had so much fun opening her gifts from Grammie Gene, Aunty Jenny (London) and Mommy!! She kept saying "Wow" after each gift!! It was precious!! Her Birthday party is on Saturday which should be just a bunch of fun!!

Teagan received a very special email this morning all the way from her Aunty Chelly, Aunty Chants and soon-to-be Uncle Johann in South Africa!!

"Happy birthday sweetheart, hope that this year will be full of happiness and sweets"!

Awwww... We miss you guys too!! XOXO

Birthday wishes comin' your way from Aunty Mikele and Uncle Mike!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY ANGEL!!!







Very cool puzzles and a book (signed by a local artist) from Grammie Gene!








Aunty Jenny & Uncle Pat sent Teagan the cutest little T-shirt, dress & "big girl" panties all the way from London!!



Fisher Price "Little Mommy" Set from Mommy. This set is so cute! It came with twin baby dolls, a stroller, a bassinet & a convertable twin swing/highchair!

I'M SUCH A BIG GIRL!! I'M ALMOST 2!!

Wow! I can't believe how fast 2 years has gone by! In 3 short days, I will have been a Mom for 2 years!

Teagan is such a blessing, and an amazing child. She is getting so big, she is now at that stage where she repeats EVERYTHING she hears!! Which can be quiet amusing =) She is totally into brushing her hair and her teeth, and she puts on her shoes and her coat all by herself! She has become completely attached to her "blankie", which she carries everywhere in true 'Linus' style. She loves to wear her sunglasses, her eyes being so blue are really light sensitive, and she now has a thing for hats!! That definitely comes from her Grammy Gene!!

Teagan had her 24 month check up on Saturday and is doing great, right on schedule!! She is in the 75th percentile for height and the 30th percentile for weight. The girl, according to the Doc, is going to be "Model Material". Right, I can see it now... On the runway with her sunglasses, hat and Blankie!! LOL! Teagan did great, no tears at all this time, usually the Dr's office = shots and she freaks. But no shots this time around, and she really seemed to love the nurses that did all her measurements and weigh in. She also seemed quiet happy to amuse herself while waiting for the Doc, by putting on and taking off her coat, over and over again, and clapping with a "Yay" every time. As well as trying to 'climb' the examination table!!

Her latest obsession is "Shrek"... Mommy has watched Shrek no less than 9 times, from beginning to end, in the past 2 weeks!! I can now recite verbatim and sing all the songs!! I had to mix it up a little so I purchases "Shrek 2" and "Shrek The Third" so we have a little variety!! Although "Shrek" still seems to be the favorite!

I am so excited, we are having her Birthday Party on Saturday, so I will definitely post some fun pics!! And Yes... Everything is "Shrek".... There goes my wonderful Princess party planning ideas... Instead, the decorations consist of the "Wonderfully, lovable Green Ogre"!!

Love around the Globe!!

CRUISING!

WHAT A FANTASTIC VACATION!!

Day 1 saw us up at 3:30 am, single digit temps, to make it to the airport for our 6:00 am flight to Miami, Florida!! Not a pretty picture! We made the flight, slept all the way to Miami, and were greeted by a balmy 85 degree day!! WHOO HOO!! I love the Sunshine!! We made our way to the Norwegian Jewel (Our Cruise Ship) and proceeded to board the biggest "floating hotel" I have ever seen!! It was pure luxury, 15 Decks, 12 Restaurants, 11 Bars & lounges, 2 pools, a Spa, a full gym, an amazing theatre and a view that cannot be topped!!


"THE JEWEL"

We spent Sunday & Monday at sea, eating, napping, eating, laying in the sun, eating& swimming!! Each night on the Jewel, they have live theatre shows which are phenomenal! We enjoyed the shows every night except on Thursday, we skipped out on the Magic show... lol

We spent Tuesday in Cozumel, Mexico! We shopped a little in the morning and then took a local taxi to "San Francisco" Beach, where we chilled out in the sun, and swam in the Ocean! Highlight of my day - I miss the Ocean soooo much!!

Wednesday was the best day of the cruise!! We spent the day on Grand Cayman Island -AMAZING! I was ready to stay right there!! Mom - you would LOVE it, a lot like Seals, but a little more on Island Time! We took a tour around the Island, which included stops at 7 Mile Beach, A Turtle Farm, A Rum Cake Store & Hell! Yes, you read that correctly, there is a little town on the Island called "Hell"!! It is great! They have a post office in Hell, that postmarks anything sent there from Hell!! LOL! The last stop of our day was to Stingray Bay. We boarded a boat that took us out to the sandbar where we got off of the boat and swam with the Stingrays!! It scared the heck out of me, until I got used them... They are very gentle creatures, that feel like soft velvet! They eat squid, by means of "vacuuming" it into their mouths!! I wasn't brave enough to feed them! I was happy to swim with them and observe!!

Thursday & Friday was spent on the Jewel, cruising back to Miami. We indulged in more R&R, sun, swimming and eating! Another fun event on the ship was the Marching Band from a University in Wisconsin, that were on vacation! they performed for the passengers twice during the cruise. They were really good, and a whole bunch of fun!!

Friday saw us back at port in Miami, and off to the airport to catch our flight home. We had a fairly uneventful flight home until we landed back in Chicago... and our luggage didn't! Cranky and tired, we left the airport with the promise from the airline that our bags would be delivered.... Mmmmm.... True to their word, I got both bags on Saturday morning!!

It was so awesome to see Teagan! I missed that little girl sooo much! She was so cute when I got to Lynn's house to pick her up... I rang the doorbell, and all I could hear was "Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom"!! And huge hugs and kisses when I opened the door!! I am glad to be home after a fantastic vacation!

A COUPLE MORE PICS - COURTESY OF MURIEL!

I'M HOME!!

I got back late Friday night from an amazing week of R&R, adventure and A LOT of Food!! LOL! I had a wonderful vacation! As a first time cruiser, it was a blast. I managed not to get sea sick, a little queasy every now and again, but nothing huge! I did have to get used to the rocking of the ship, which I didn't expect since the ship is sooo huge, but I guess they rock too!!

I am back at work today with a lot of catch up! So this is just a quick post to say "Hi, I'm home"! I have some amazing pics which I will post with more details tomorrow!

THEY HAVE A HEART BEAT!!

My Girlfriend, her hubbie and daughter (Teagan's BFF) spent Saturday morning having an Ultrasound done to try and locate the baby's heart beat... They found it!! So she is officially 7 weeks along today!! YEAH!! Due date is September 8th!!

GREAT NEWS!!

My Girlfriend had her HCG levels tested again today and... They didn't just double, they more than tripled!! Twins?? The Dr. says everything is good, now they just have to wait to hear the heartbeat on the 19th!! Such great news!!

Well this will be my last post for about a week, since I leave tomorrow on my cruise to the Caribbean!! We are stopping in Cozumel, Mexico and The Grand Cayman Islands!! I am so ready for R&R!! I will try and post from the ship!!

Love & Hugs around the Globe!


Helping Mommy Pack!!

MAY GOD HOLD YOU ALL IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND...

Today I feel especially blessed and thankful to God for putting Teagan into my life... As I listen to and read about 2 very special families and the struggles they are going through right now, I truly feel the need to ask all of our friends and family around the globe to please lift them up in prayer...

A very special woman, and one of my best friends is going through a really tough time right now... She recently found out that she is expecting a baby (wonderful news). After her first Dr's. appointment they couldn't find a heartbeat, her Dr. thinks it may be because it is so early on in the pregnancy, but in order to make a more clear determination, she had some blood work done yesterday and will have more blood work done on Saturday to determine if her HCG levels have doubled, which will determine whether or not the pregnancy is viable...

The second family I don't know personally, but they have truly touched my heart... read their story... http://cfhusband.blogspot.com/
(there is also a link to their story under "Blog Addictions" on our blog - Confessions of a CF Husband).

Both these families need all the love, hope and prayer you can give right now, please lift them up in prayer...

3 DAYS AND COUNTING!!

Only 3 more days until I leave on the cruise!! I have to admit I am a little nervous about leaving Teagan behind, but I completely understand that I need to have a break as well. She is in good hands, and will be well taken care of.... Just a little nervous =) Hope everyone is having a great week!! I will post one more time before I leave, and then when I get back, with Pics!!
Love around the Globe!

ONLY 5 MORE SLEEPS!!

I feel like a Kid at Christmas time!! I am so excited about our Cruise - we leave on Sunday Morning!! Bright and early - the Cab is picking us up at 4:00 am!! It is so not going to be a pretty sight... But then again, I think the excitement of a vacation will kick in!

Teagan and I had a wonderfully relaxing weekend. We met Jackie and Thai for pizza on Saturday afternoon, and then they came back to our place and we played! They bought Teagan this really cool 10ft ABC Puzzle, each letter of the alphabet is on a train car, hooked up to an engine - totalling 10ft once put together!! Teagan had so much fun with Jackie, building puzzles and playing with her dollhouse!

Jackie and I spent some time reminiscing about the day Teagan was born... Jackie was with me every step of the way, all 32 hours of labor, 3 epidurals and 1 C-Section later! She was our Angel!!

Teagan received a really cute "Princess Dress Up" set from Lynn's Mom for Christmas, it is too funny, she puts on all the jewelry and struts her stuff!!










"Princess Crabby Pants" has returned!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Happy New Year and Best Wishes for a wonderful 2008!! This year is going to be a good one! This is our year to shine!

I am definitely starting the year off the right way with a 5 Day Cruise!!! I am cruising with Muriel, Jerry & Nicole! I am so excited - only 9 more days!! Our port stops include The Grand Cayman Islands and Cozumel, Mexico!! YEAH!! This is my first cruise, and I am sure I will be hooked!!

Some more exciting news... One of my best girlfriends just found out that she is expecting a baby, and due in August!!! This is such a blessing, and another great way to start the new year!!


"HAPPY NEW YEAR"!! (Teagan just learned how to say "Cheese")!