Who's in Charge?

It certainly isn't Charles! Sorry, I've been watching that new Scott Baio show and couldn't resist the Charles In Charge reference there. Anyway, we've come to realize, that this little adorable princess is in reality the ruler of this kingdom. This princess is not afraid to let you know when she wants something, when she's mad, when your not doing the right thing or when you are just too freakin' slow! This little princess cries jump and we ask (with a smile on our face) how high!

I had to get a photo of her letting us know she was mad. We had put her in her crib and she was contently playing for a little while, just watching the mobile and playing with her little Winne the Pooh musical nightlight. When she decided it was time to come out, this is the face I got.

Princess J is doing really well. I can't believe how fast she is growing and how quickly she's mastering new things. The thing she's really working on right now is trying to sit up and becoming mobile. This makes sense, since from the look on her face in this photo our efforts to move her where she wants to be is not quite fast enough for her!

In this photo, you can still see remanents of the rash on her cheeks. It appears that she is allergic to not only the standard formula, but also to the Soy formula. So for now, we are on this super expensive special formula. She is worth every penny though. This little heat wave we've got going on isn't helping it heal any faster, but it is much better than it was just a couple of days ago. The worst part though, is that we've had to keep little baby mittens on her to keep her from scratching. Those little nails are sharp no matter how often we cut them, and she comes out looking like she was in a cat fight! That poor beautiful baby skin!

Like I said before, I can't believe how fast she is growing, I already miss my itty bitty baby! She is just beautiful and I can't get enough of her! So, to answer the question, Princess J is in charge around her for now.....and it's fine with me!

Yo! Gabba Gabba Party In My Tummy

This is the video that should have been attached to the last post! Make sure you read the last post for an update on Little J's campaign.

Awareness Update and then some.........

So, it's been awhile since I updated about Little J's campaign to raise awareness for Angelman Syndrome. I didn't want to be asking all the peeps for donations everyday! Anyway, Little J's badge is way out of the top 10 now. We need your help to get him back on the board. Right now he is 31 donations out of 10th place and 79 donations out of 6th place which is where he needs to get to earn the matching donation from Hanes. If you or anyone you know would like to donate please do!!! Please!!! This program runs through September 15th. Pass on the word!!!

I do want to thank all of you who have donated and slapped Little J's badge on your blogs and MySpace pages! Your support of Little J, our family and raising awareness for Angelman Syndrome are appreciated from the bottom of our hearts.

In other news, there is this new show, called Yo! Gabba Gabba that has started on Nick Jr. The first time I saw the preview of it, I was a little scared. Little J however loves it! I think it's the cool beats, all the colors and the catchy tunes. Here is a preview of the song that is making him dance and me laugh!

Laugh Big!

The other day, Erin posted about good friends and things that tell you that you have them. One of the things she posted was that you know your good friends when you laugh until your sides split, and that no matter what you say, there is no filter ever and it is totally okay. I've been thinking a lot about this lately, and this photo just made me crack up! When it comes to having a good time this kid has no filter. It is just out there for the world to see. How lucky is he!

I am so lucky that I have such good peeps to call my friends. I may not see them everyday, I may not talk to all of them everyday, I may not have grown up with them since childhood, but I feel like I've known them forever. I feel like even if we went a month or two months or longer, that our friendship would pick up right where it left off. Like we had just seen eachother yesterday. I am so thankful for these ladies Erin, Suzy, Lizz, Krista, Rocio, Angel, Carole, and Michelle. They are always super supportive no matter what I'm going through whether it is good or bad. There is no filter! They are not fairwhether friends who are only your friends when things are going well, or it suits them, they are your friend in good times and bad. You ladies all rock! I hope you all know that I am here for you if you ever need anything at anytime...good or bad!

Some days, you just have to go out and turn off the filter. Let your joy, happiness and even sadness just spill out. It's really the good to be your authentic self!

A Quick Update!

Wow! I can't believe it's been a week since I've updated the ol' blog! This last week has been crazy busy though, so something had to give.

Friday the kiddos and I headed out to the scrapbook expo with Krista who is so stinkin' cute and we can't wait to meet her new little one who will arrive any day now, and Michelle. I did really well and stayed within' the $40 budget. I spent exactly $40 including entry fee! Yay!! Then we all headed over to see Suzy at Picture Me Perfect. I'd been there earlier in the week, so I kept the wallet closed there. I did take the time to feed the little ones while we were there.

Saturday, the kiddos and I just hung out and got some things done around the house and ran some errends. Sunday though, it was back to Picture Me Perfect for the SIStv SISters crop! It was so much fun! I got to hang with som many of my peeps and met a few new peeps too! You have got to check out this awesome SISter Michelle Hill! She is super sweet! She is super creative and just an awesome person! She has an etsy shop where she sells monthly scrap kits that look scrumptious! Check them out in her etsy shop Life is Good. You will not be disappointed!

Early week is very busy for us with Little J's therapy appointments. He has 2 full hours of therapy on Monday's. Thank goodnes they come to the house! On Tuesday, we take him to his physical therapy appointment. This week, was the first week that he met his new PT from California Children's Services. His original PT Jessica came to this appointment to help transition him to his new therapist Sherry. We are so sad to be losing Jessica, she has been working with him for over a year now and he has made such incredible progress. We are happy to have Sherry on Little J's team now though. I think it will be a good change in the end, but when people invest so much time and their professional help in your child, it really feels like your losing a member of the family. This last month or so has been a lot of changes in Little J's therapies. Almost everyone working with him now is new within the last month or so.

As for our campaign to raise awareness for Angelman Syndrome, Little J's badge has fallen out of the top 10. He's out of 10th place by 11 donations. In order to get the matching funds from Hanes, he needs to be in the top 6, which he is out of by 49 donations. If you feel moved to donate or help his campaign, it just takes a minimum donation of $10. The funds go directly to the Angelman Syndrome Foundation. This foundation, funds lots of research and clinical trials. Little J is getting ready to participate in the Natural History study, which will follow him and his progress and medical needs until he is 5. This will give researchers the ability to come up with ideas of how to treat medical issues and hopefully someday find a cure. He may also participate in a vitamin therapy program. While we may not see a cure in our lifetime, all the information they collect can only help and may one day provide a cure. Little J's badge is located on the side bar near the top of my blog. Just click on the "donate" button and it will take you to the Network for Good website. If you can't see the badge or it doesn't seem to be working for you, just leave me a comment and I will send you a link.

Now that I've asked for your help again, I do want to really thank everyone who has donated already. Some of you I don't even know in real life, only from message boards or just reading eachothers blogs. Some of you have a connection to Angelman Syndrome like we do and others just read Little J's story and donated. Thank you so much! My friends who have donated, you know you all mean the world to me, and that you take the time to help us raise awareness, and always offer your time and support for us and Little J just makes me so happy. I'm so glad you all are my peeps! You all know if you ever need anything, I am so there for you!

Hmmmmm....so this wasn't so quick afterall........ :)

There's Some Scrap Happy Fun in the Near Future!

Yay!! This weekend, I will be getting my scrap on! Friday, I'm loading up the kiddos and braving the Scrapbook Expo in Santa Clara! Obviously, since I'm taking the kiddos, I'm not taking any classes, just going to look around....okay, maybe a little shopping too! LOL!! We'll see how taking both kiddos with me goes. It seems like it's getting easier for me to cart the two little ones around together. Although, it always comes down to, that I just have to make it work, because I'm not one to sit and home all day.

Sunday, I'm going to be scrapping with my homies for most of the day and night! I am so excited about this! Tomorrow, I'm going to try and spend the day organizing my scraproom (in between kid feedings, diapers and play time) and putting some ideas together on paper to complete at the crop! So excitied to hang out with Suzy, Erin, Rocio, Lizz, Carole, Angel, and Michelle. I know it will be a good time. I've gotta take some new photos of the kids too! Oy, so much to do to get ready for all the fun!!

In Little J's endeavor to raise awareness for Angelman Syndrome, he's still on the move upwards! He is still sitting in 9th place. He's only 21 donations out of 6th place right now. Everytime I open up this blog, I am so excited to see his total going up and up and up!!! I know is infectious little smile can keep those donor numbers going up! Thanks again to everyone who has been supporting his campaign!!!

If I get those photos taken tomorrow, I'll make sure to post some! Princess J is growing and changing so fast. Everyday, it seems like she's doing something new and amazing. I can't believe she's already 4 months old...it still seems like just yesterday I was pregnant with her. I already miss how tiny she was the first week! It's so funny that is seems like I just brought her home yesterday, but it also feels like she's been here forever at the same time! I can't imagine our family without her!

A Small Step Forward....

Little J has moved into 9th place on the Top Ten Badge Board! Yay!!! To all of you who have donated thank you!!! I am so grateful for all of your support! I am so happy, that we are raising a little awareness for Angelman Syndrome and a little money for the Angelman Syndrome Foundation. In order for Little J to get the matching donation from Hanes, he needs to get to the top 6 badges. Right now, he is 24 donations away from taking over 6th place. Obviously that changes daily based on donations being made to the other charities. So keep spreading the word for Little J!!

In other news, Princess J is doing well! She had her 4 month checkup today. It seems like she's been here forever, yet only arrived yesterday....if that makes any sense! She is doing so well with her milestones! She's even accomplished a few things that are generally achieved around the 6 month mark. With everything that has gone on with Little J, I am so anxious at every doctor visit following Princess J's progress. I know she's fine, but just need that reassurance. She's on track to be a tall girl, right now her height is in the 85th percentile! Grow baby!!! Yay!! Her rash seems to be clearing up, she's been on the hypoalergenic formula for a week now and we are continuing it for another week. If all goes well, we'll be introducing her to a soy formula and then on to rice ceral! Wow! Solid food already! I just can't believe how fast she's growing and how much she changes everyday!

Hopefully I'll get to do a little scrapping in the next few days...or at least get a few new pictures of the kiddos. I'll definately be scrapping on Sunday! Can't wait to get together with my homies and just hang out for some good times!

Slipping a Little

Little J is still in the Top 10 for his charity badge! Yay Little J!!! He has 11 donations totaling $320! Thanks again to all of you who have donated! Thanks also to all of you who have slapped Little J on your blog or your MySpace page! I think there are at least 5 other places besides this blog and my MySpace page where Little J's smile is beaming from!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!! We have until September 16th to keep this going! I am still hoping that we can get Little J's badge at least into the top 6 so the Angelman Syndrome Foundation can benefit from the matching donation from Hanes. I still have hopes that he can be the top badge, but we are a long way from there. I think the top badge has about 110 donations! So, keep slapping his badge up on your blogs and keep spreading the word! Afterall, that is really what this is about. Raising awareness and seeing what one Little boys smile can accomplish....with a little help from Mommy and some great supporters!If you haven't read our story, please see post from July 28th 2007!

On other fronts, Little J's sidekick Princess J is struggling with a bit of a rash. We think it's a combination of milk allergy (since her daddy and I both suffered from this when we were wee little ones) and a bit of heat rash. She's been on this really nasty smelling formula for almost a week. Her doctor warned us that the smell was awful and told us we could try the soy formula if either we or Princess couldn't handle the other stuff. Well, since the nasty smelling stuff if supposed to be the gold standard when it comes to the milk allergy, G and I are determined to put up with the smell. Especially since she doesn't seem to mind drinking it down. she goes back to the pediatrician on Monday, so we'll see how this all works out. If she clears up, then we'll try the soy formula and see if she has any reaction to that. The soy formula would be much better for our wallet.

I have been lucky enough to get a little scrapping in too! Yay me! I've been so happy with my mojo lately! Although sometimes, trying to think outside the box and come up with ideas makes my head hurt!! LOL!!! Everything I came up with this time was girlie too, so Princess J is the headliner of the scrapping this time around. To anyone who is worried that I'm neglecting to scrap Little J, don't worry I just developed several new photos of him and have a few ideas I've jotted down.....now if I can just find the time to implement them!!

Little J is in the Top 10!

Only a few days after making the badge for Little J, he has 8 donations for a total of $250! Thank you everyone who has donated and who has sent words of prayer, love and support. We really appreciate it. We also want to thank those of you who have slapped Little J's badge on to your blogs and Myspace pages!! Very awesome! Not only are we raising money for a great organization that really supports families of this rare neuro-genetic disorder with contacts and lots of education. They also are the primary fiancial support of research to help find medical treatment and hopefully someday a cure! We are also getting the word out about this disorder. One of the things that I hear from other parents and I've experienced myself is that many have not heard of this disorder and many in the medical community are not familiar with it. It is so frustrating to go into an ER with your child sick and the medical staff has no idea what your talking about when you tell them your child has Angelman Syndrome. Even better, is when you tell someone and they look at you like you have 10 heads! Thankfully, that has not happened for us at our local medical facilities. Currently Little J's badge is sitting in the #8 spot. In order for him to get the matching donation he needs to be in the top 6. There is a minimum donation of $10, but again, it is the quantity of donations not the total dollar amount that they are counting.

If you do not know our story or have not yet read our story, please do so below. I will continue to update Little J's progress here periodically along with that of his new sidekick Princess J!

Thank you again for all your continued support both with this campaign and for all your prayers and support.

If you would like to post Little J's badge on your blog, just let me know and I can forward the HTML codes to you!! We'd love the help! Thanks so much!