Labor Day

I realize this was at the beginning of the month and it is now the end of the month but better late than never right?!
For Labor Day we went camping, er, we went to Jon's uncle's cabin and slept in a tent :) It was lots of fun and Vanessa, of course, did great. She was so happy she had everyone believing she was the easiest baby alive. Which she actually is a really easy baby and I realize that so I just enjoy being spoiled with her.

Four Months

Vanessa has just recently started to use her feet to hold things. Last month she "discovered her foot." Now this month she is starting to put it to use. She hasn't figured out that they're fun to suck on yet though :)

This is Vanessa with her cousins Breann and Molly. Just hanging out :)
Vanessa hasn't rolled from her back to her tummy yet. I blame myself because I am horrible about tummy time. She sleeps on her tummy but I get her as soon as she fusses so sleeping in that position probably doesn't help her developmentally (it's supposedly a risk for SIDS but I won't get into that). Grandma recently bought a BUMBO. She thinks this is her throne. She chills in it and just watches everyone or sucks on the side. She loves being able to sit up. If I put her in the papasan she is constantly trying to pull herself up with her head (though she can't get more than her head up and off).
She is sucking on her hands like crazy. Usually two fingers on the right hand but occasionaly she'll get all four in. She isn't much for the thumb though. I guess we'll see if the fingers are as habit forming as the thumb. It's actually more like she is eating them rather than sucking on them.

Vanessa's Giggles

Vanessa has been giggling for over a month. This is the best video I have on my digital camera. I haven't figured out how to upload from our video camera, so this will have to do. She laughs the most and the most easily at little kids. They can just look at her and she thinks they're funny. It's just us adults that have to work for it. Clay got her going the other day throwing a purple bag on her feet and then pulling it off again. She was squealing and giggling so loud!

That's It, I'm Moving to Sparta!

Anyone seen Hercules lately? Remember the scene with the people standing around talking and they see the bug and thinks it the plague locust? And then the old man says, "that's it, I'm moving to Sparta." I can't help but feel that way sometimes (though I wouldn't choose Sparta...Jon and I like New Zealand). There are so many things going on in this country that just drive me nuts right now. Sometimes my happy place in my mind is just moving away...somewhere far far away...

Three Months (and a week)

I am probably biased, but I think she's beautiful! And she is growing so fast! She giggled for the first time on August 12! She's doing it more and more now and is so much fun! Last night Jon and I spent 1 1/2 hours setting up the crib! She was hanging out on the mattress (don't worry, not in the crib) and rolled from her tummy to her back! We were so proud, we pulled out the camera but she didn't do it again (of course right?). She still doesn't sleep through the night but I sometimes wonder if it isn't because she knows when she wakes up she gets to sleep with mommy and daddy :) Needless to say, she didn't sleep in her crib last night (or her cradle for that matter). But she just woke up from her first nap in it. And yes, I took pictures of such a big step ;) I think it will be a slow transition since the crib doesn't fit in our room and I like having her close :) I won't give the list of reasons I gave my mom for wanting her an arms length away, it all boils down to one thing...I'm paranoid :)
She's drooling like crazy and I just pray she's not going to be teething early. She is starting to play with toys, she can almost pick them up and suck on them by herself. She often drops them before they make it to her mouth so she just goes to town on her hands. She is also starting to discover her feet (note picture of her staring at her foot) but she can't quite reach or gets distracted by her hands when she tries :) She's pretty much adorable and we love her!

Camping in the Uintahs

We did an overnight camping trip (mostly for the boys to get some fishing in) up by Mirror Lake. It was a lot of fun. Vanessa loved all the trees and the fire and slept like a champ (even if I didn't because I was so paranoid about her being ok).

Coeur d' Alene

Purdy Family Vacation this year was in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. For those who are thinking where the heck... it's up in the pan handle of Idaho, near Spokane Washington. It was tons of fun. The pictures don't even come close to showing how beautiful it is up there! We went to the beach, to a water park, boating, kayaking (in the kayakos), repelling, rock climbing, lots of good eating and being with family! Jon also got in some fishing, of course :)

Vaccines

A couple people asked about the vaccine schedule we're using so here is more info...
It's all in here. I really liked this book. It's really dry info but very informative.
There is also a website.
thevaccinebook.com or
askdrsears.com

Top Ten Interesting Moments

Now that I am a stay at home mom, I thought I would share some funny moments from my last two jobs. I worked at SkyWest for just six months and at Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) for two years. I actually enjoyed SkyWest though there were some stressful moments, but who wouldn't love flying for free and meeting the most amazing and attractive guy in the whole world?! (Yes, Jon, I am definitely talking about you!) DCFS was a whole different story and stressful from day 1. The stress lessened after a year but I never really felt comfortable doing that job. I have a new respect for any moms who also do that job, or any job for that matter. I don't think I would be good at both. **Note: I realize a lot of this humor is probably only funny to me (and those who have had the honor of working these jobs), but I'm sharing anyway :)

10. SkyWest
Me: "I'm sorry, sir. This flight is closed, the plane has already left. All the other passengers from your connecting flight made it."
Grumpy Old Man: "You better start praying to your God that you can get that plane back here or your life is going to be hell." (Did I just get threatened in an airport?!)

9. SkyWest
Me: "I'm sorry, sir. I don't have any new information for your about your delayed flight."
Angry Man: "It was only supposed to be twenty minutes late, but that was two hours ago!"
Me: "I understand that is really frustrating for you. But I don't know any more than what I have been telling you."
**Phone Call**
Angry Man: "What did that phone call say?!"
Me: "Same as the last phone call. It's about another twenty minutes."
Angry Man: "You're lying! You are a liar!"
Me: "Well you're being rude!"
Angry Man looked at me like I was five.

8. DCFS
Voicemail: "You were probably calling about my positive for cocaine and I can explain that. I went with my sister to a friend's house and they all started smoking. I swear I didn't use. I sat in the room with them for about ten minutes and then realized I would probably still get a positive, so I left. But I swear I didn't smoke anything!"

7. DCFS
Client (in mid sentence about something completely unrelated): "Oh my gosh, I went to the book fair with my girls today and I just realized I bought a book in Mexican. I can't read Mexican!"
Me: "You mean Spanish?"
Client: "I wonder if they'll take it back...or maybe I'll just try to learn Mexican."

6. DCFS
Client: "I want to see where it says in the court documents that you can test me for alcohol."
I show her the court paper that states DCFS will do drug AND alcohol testing.
Client: "This is ridiculous! I have a God-given right to drink! You're going to be hearing from my attorney!"...Client storming away continues..."I'm contacting the news too! You're going to have so many people on your a#@ you won't know what to do!"

5. SkyWest
At the morning briefing before any flights have started. Supervisor going over flights.
Supervisor: "All right, today is heavily booked. We've got oversold flights all morning going to Vegas and can't get people out for a few days but, we have a lot of originating passengers. Start praying to the security Gods that some don't make it through in time."
--yes, I'm sorry people. Sometimes security saved our butts. As a passenger, I hate it too.

4. DCFS
Defense Attorney questioning CPS worker: "You have the hair strand test from their daughter? Could you please read the results."
CPS worker: "Hair test was positive for cocaine."
Defense Attorney: "And what does this mean?"
CPS worker: "The child was in contact with cocaine residue around the house, probably ingesting small amounts over a period of time."
Defense Attorney: "And is there any proof that this has had an adverse affect on this child?"

3. DCFS
Assistant Attorney General: "So what you're saying is, your boyfriend (pointing to her boyfriend and father of her children) overdosed and passed out. Then you began performing mouth to mouth and that's how you got a positive for cocaine?"
Client: "It wasn't him (pointing to her boyfriend), it was 'someone' else. But ya, I gave him mouth to mouth but I didn't use."
Assistant Attorney General: "Okay. I understand what you're saying but I just want you to know that typically isn't how drugs will get into your system."
Client: "Oh, I know, but I swear that's what happened."

2. SkyWest
Me: "I'm sorry sir, the flight has already departed."
Passenger: "I'm only two minutes late!"
Me: "Sir, we have to send our flights out on time. We can't wait for one passenger. You connection time shows you had plenty of time to get to the gate."
Passenger: "This is absurd."
Me: "Maybe next time you shouldn't stop to buy ice cream."
Passenger: "I didn't buy this, someone gave it to me!"
Me: "And you took it?!"

1. And the Number One all time BEST: DCFS
Client, under oath, being questioned by assistant attorney general(AAG)
AAG: "If you didn't use cocaine, can you explain how you have a positive drug test?"
Client: Well, I party with my friends and they like to snort lines off my stomach."
AAG: "So, just trying to understand, are you saying the cocaine must have absorbed into your skin while they were snorting lines off your stomach?"
Client: "yes."

Oh, how I miss my job.......

I AM....

in LOVE with these 2

a FAN of this author

ADDICTED to these


READING this parenting book

DREAMING of a cruise

LOOKING FORWARD to a home

And I tag: Carrie, Courtney, Jessie, and any one else who wants to

Two Month Check-Up...A Little Late

Vanessa finally had her two month check up. She is actually closer to three months...oops. But she is doing great and the doctor said she is really healthy. She is now 22 1/2 inches long and 11 lbs. 14 oz. Her height is about the 26 percentile while her weight is somewhere around 55 percentile. Hm, do you think she has short parents?
She also got her first immunizations. I'm slightly paranoid about the whole vaccine ordeal so we are using Dr Sears alternative vaccine schedule. She gets all the shots, just not as the American Academy of Pediatrics has you do it. So this visit she got the rotavirus liquid and DTaP shot. She's had a rough night and mostly wants to be held but we're getting through. We have to go in a month to get the other shots she didn't get this visit. I guess we'll see if this works out for better or worse. The idea is that the reactions are less severe, you know which vaccine they are having a reaction to, and they get less aluminum at one time. But maybe the trauma of having to go in every month will be too much for me :)

My first video post

This is Vanessa doing the chicken dance at the Real Soccer game on July 3rd. Our pre-4th party. She loved the lights, hated the fireworks.
Um...video post taking ten years to load...

Vanessa's "newborn" pictures

Live and Learn. Next time I'll know to do these a lot earlier, like two weeks. She wasn't as cooperative at six weeks. They still turned out amazing though. These are the only ones we've seen so far, my cousin took them and is still working on the rest. Her website is littledreamerstudios.com. She is amazing.

Randomness and pictures of Vanessa

I loved this outfit. It's getting small now though. I can't believe she is already outgrowing her newborn clothes! Thanks Steph for the gift :)




Vanessa is a pretty good sleeper. She does still prefer her belly and she still sleeps with us at night sometimes, more for my own sanity than her lack of willingness to sleep in the crib. I really enjoy my sleep. But isn't it so cute when she takes naps with daddy?!

She smiles all the time and we absoutely love it. She even coos. I'll put a video up sometime. I have to learn how first :)

Fourth of July

She was very patriotic and did great hanging out at the parade all day!

Vanessa's Blessing

We blessed Vanessa at my parents home on Father's Day, June 21st. Jon gave an amazing blessing. He is such an amazing person. I love him more everyday. Vanessa is a really happy baby but for some reason, she was not happy this day. She is crying in all her pictures, except the one where we finally got her to sleep for a few minutes...thanks Matthew :) She hasn't had a day like that since so I don't know what it was. Maybe the dress was itchy...

Confessions....

Let's all be honest, parenting is tough work. I question myself all the time and I really hope I'm not the only one. At first, I felt all this pressure becaue EVERYONE gives advice. It wasn't pressure to do what other people thought was right, but not wanting to screw up my child because what they said to do was completely opposite what I was doing. Well, I have finally come to the decision that I can't care what other people say, or what advice they give. And for my own sanity so I don't go crazy wondering if what I am doing is going to make bad habits or cause permanent damage to my child, I sometimes find myself tuning people out. But here are my confessions of things that I do "wrong"
Vanessa often sleeps in bed with Jon and I
When she isn't sleeping with us, she is sleeping right next to us in her cradle that is literally and arm's length away.
I let her set our schedule. She eats when she wants, she sleeps when she wants and I try my hardest to oblige.
She sleeps on her belly, she absolutely will not sleep on her back
As long as the diaper is only wet, not messy, it stays on all night. It doesn't get changed until about 7am.
I hold my baby a lot...if she's awake, she's probably being held.
She hates her carseat so she's only in it when we're in the car. I use a sling or carry her at the store.
I try not to let her cry. "Crying it out" was harder on me than her.
She's healthy and happy and I'm actually surviving so it can't be all bad. I'll deal with all the bad habits when they come.

More Vanessa

Two Week Checkup

We went to the pediatrician yesterday and here are the stats...
She is now 8 lbs 1 oz (the goal by two weeks is to be back at birth weight...7 lbs 6oz....but she was way over that and chubbing up!
She is 20 1/2 in long...she has grown an inch!

Length she's in the 57th percentile
Weight she's in the 35th percentile
Head circumference she's in the 37th percentile

She also had to get her 2nd PKU, which she hated. It was rather sad. But the doctor said she is very healthy and doing great!
We also had to ask about sleeping on her stomach...she hates sleeping on her back. She wakes right up whenever we lay her down but if we put her on her stomach...she can sleep like a champ. I have been terrified of putting her on her stomach though because of SIDS. The doctor said he did have to say back is best, but some babies really do prefer their stomachs. No one really knows what causes SIDS, we just have a bunch of "risk factors" and "they" say belly sleeping is one of them. He felt like having your baby too warm and having things in the crib were bigger "risk factors" though.
So today we tried out the belly sleeping for the first time. Jon put her down around 9:30 and she slept until noon! That is 2 1/2 hours! She hasn't slept in her cradle for that long ever! Granted...I only left the room for about ten minutes because I'm paranoid and had to watch for her breathing and listen for her noises. And I wanted to see if she would move around a lot. I guess we'll give it a try tonight and see how everyone sleeps.

Welcome Vanessa Brady!!

After a week in the hospital our little girl was born on May 20, weighing 7 lbs 6 oz.

This is her favorite place to sleep.
Vanessa is already being spoiled by her grandparents.
She is definitely a momma's girl.
She also has a bit of an attitude and is grounded for this one.

We spent a total of 11 days in the hospital but finally were able to come home. Thanks to everyone for all of your thoughts and prayers; despite the circumstances we feel that we have been tremendously blessed. Lynette's blood clot is not getting any worse and the doctors are confident that with time it will dissolve completely. Vanessa is healthy and beautiful and we couldn't be happier.