Roly-Poly #2

I can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday I was writing about Aidan being a little roly-poly (click here) and here I am again, a short year later, writing about my little Maya. That's right! She rolls from her back to her belly! Here she is, looking beautiful as always.

Here we go...

She starts out on her back and then does this little, "Oh I'm just playing with my feet" thing.

Then, before you know it, she's off!

Look at that action shot!

Argh...struggling to make the final turn...

She did it!!!!!!
She is so proud of herself, but not nearly as proud as I am of her. I'm convinced that there has never been a more beautiful baby girl in the whole world. She makes me so happy. I can be having a horrible day and then she flashes me one of her smiles and I melt. She is always smiling and giggling and bringing so much happiness into our home and our hearts. I love you baby Maya!

The Rockwood Experience

Last week Rich and I decided to try out our new FREE FLIGHT BENEFITS (woohoo!!) and take a little trip out to Virginia to visit my awesome sister-in-law, Julie and her family. It was soooooo fun! Julie, her husband Jeffrey and their 3 boys+1 on the way, are stationed in Virginia. Jeffrey is a dentist for the Navy. We hadn't seen them in over a year so we were really looking forward to hanging out with them for a couple of days.

Aidan and Luke are just a couple of months apart. They had so much fun playing all day. When we got home we discovered that Luke had secretly been teaching Aidan a few of his tricks like how to climb up on a couch and how to open the dishwasher. Both of which make my job that much more exciting...thanks Lukey!

Luke was very aware of baby Maya the two days that we were there. He was attentive and loved looking at her. He even brought her a play bottle when she was crying. Such a smart boy. I think he is going to be a great big brother.

Jeffrey took us to the base so we could see ships like the one that he works on. It was a really cool experience. His ship wasn't there but I think he said this ship is half the size of his.

This is the new George Bush ship. It was very impressive to see this huge, new ship.

We really enjoyed our 2 days hanging out with Julie and Jeffrey and their boys. It was a trip that will not soon be forgotten. Thanks Julie!!!

Those that made the difference

You know the saying, "Give credit where credit is due"? Well, I'd like that do that. That's why I'm dedicating this post to those that made the difference. My heart swells with gratitude when I think of these people because of their service and love. Dr. Afshar is the doctor that delivered Aidan. I'm grateful that he acted quickly when Aidan was born and did what he needed to do get Aidan on the ventilator. I think of Dr. Afshar as the man that saved my little boys life. I know that if it weren't for his skills, Aidan would not have made it. He goes above and beyond his duties as a doctor. The 6 weeks that Aidan was in the hospital Dr. Afshar called me every week, without fail, to see how we were all doing. What an amazing, caring man. Thank you Dr. Afshar.

Dr. Allphin was Aidan's Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. I remember when Aidan was in the NICU we felt an instant sigh of relief when we were told that Dr. Allphin would be coming in to check on him. Dr. Allphin happens to be a member of our church and he is know to be one of the best ENT's in the area. What a blessing. He had a calming presence that made me feel like everything was going to be ok. He put the trach in but unfortunately couldn't be the one to take it out because of our move to Florida. To this day, he is the one we call when we need advice from someone we trust. I am so grateful for him, for all that he did and still does for us. Thank you Dr. Allphin!

And then there is Kelly Beckham. I can't say enough about Kelly. She was truly my light in the midst of what felt like never ending darkness. She was the therapist that helped me with Aidan's feedings every week. To me she really is an angel. Teaching Aidan to eat was the most difficult and frustrating thing I have ever had to do in my entire life. She taught me how to do that. I looked forward to going to see her each week because she gave me hope. I can't express how much I love this lady. I will never be able to repay her for what she has given me and Aidan. Thanks to her Aidan no longer has the feeding tube and is eating all textures and flavors. Eternally grateful for you Kelly. Thank you!!

Last but not least are the NICU angels. These are the ladies that took care of my little boy day and night for 6 weeks. I love them all and they will always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you NICU nurses!!

Quick rundown...

It's been such a long time since I've made a post and there is tons to catch up on. Here is a quick rundown of what has happened the past month. We flew out to Branson and stayed with my mom for 2 weeks. We had lots of fun visiting my aunt, relaxing at home, making yummy tamales with my mom and eating delicious Mexican meals, thanks mom! Yesterday she left for Mexico to visit my Grandpa and aunts and uncles so now it's Rich's parents turn to put up with us :) We've been having fun with them too. In fact we just got out of their awesome hot tub! It's been so much fun hanging out and watching movies for the past 3 weeks but the fun is coming to an end. We will be flying back home to Florida in a couple of days. What an incredible vacation it has been. There are so many things that I need to blog about but I'll have to do that in detail when I get home but here is a picture of Maya in her blessing dress. She was blessed by her daddy in the Marshfield high school on a karaoke machine. Their chapel is being rebuilt so they meet in the high school and the schools speaker system went out so now they use a karaoke machine. Fun times. She looked absolutely beautiful.

Me with my baby boy, opening presents on Christmas morning. He wasn't really into tearing open presents. Oh well. He got some pretty cool stuff.

This is my brother-in-law, Ryan. I know he's a stud but ladies he is taken. I'm kidding...about the teeth not about him being taken. He's in dental school in Kansas City and was showing off dentures that he made to fit his mouth...kinda.