So we took Princess A to the E.R. for the first time today. She had a series of coughing fits last night, and again this afternoon. It was something foreign that we hadn't experienced with her before, so naturally we called the Pediatrics clinic. They had zero appointments available, so they told us to bring Ava into the hospital. Our entire visit took about an hour (so pleased about that) I am so OCD about germs, so I used my moby wrap the entire time, and daddy was on diaper bag detail.

The triage nurse was really sweet and made our baby laugh! I wasn't so scared about bringing her in at that point. Her lungs were clear, her heartbeat was excellent, and she wasn't running a fever of any kind. It took about fifteen minutes for them to call our names back; we were pleasantly surprised. The doctor was just awesome. She came in and the first thing she mentioned was how beautiful our daughter was. She told us we did such a good job with her, and commented on how happy Ava was. It was nice to hear such warm comments from a physician. Since everything appeared to be symptoms of a common cold or teething, the physician opted not to do a chest x ray (no need to expose her to radiation) when there was no fever present. We were told to continue with saline, draining the mucus, and the cool or warm mist humidifier. After that, we were all set to go home.

I have to admit that didn't go anywhere near as bad as I was expecting. That's a really good thing though. When we got home, I made all three of us scrub down, and wash down anything we took to the E.R. The whole bringing home germs aspect of going to urgent care really grosses me out. I told Justin I'm glad we can't put Bug in a bubble, but if we could... No! I'm totally joking. This is my life now, germs, germs, germs. Tonight, Ava had her first full serving of avocados. I'd say she's fond of them. She keeps opening her mouth for Justin to feed her, and fussing when he takes too long. I love it! Next on the food list is apples! I have completely delayed Thanksgiving shopping (with the exception of the turkey), so that's on our to-do list this weekend too. Well, it's Christmas movie time, I would say the weekend, but with Justin not having to return to work, it feels like the weekend everyday. Happy Friday all!

Day 22- I am thankful for leaves. When they fall down, I feel total zen.


♥- Leilani

My Veteran and our daughter

BEFORE I POST ANYTHING.. I want to say, thank you. I am so thankful for our military members and the freedoms they allow us. I am completely humbled to be apart of the military community, and I will remain forever grateful for the sacrifices they have made. I want to give a special thanks to my husband; five years and two combat tours later, he's still just as proud to be serving such a great nation.

I realized due to the long weekend, I have been slacking on the daily thank yous. Here they are!

Day 9 - I am thankful I know how to love, and accept love in return.
Day 10 - I am thankful for my marriage. I have never been so selfless in my life.
Day 11-  I am thankful for my pup, Cooper. He has taught me how to get dirty, and like it (sometimes)

This weekend has been a busy one! Between cleaning this house out, and getting Ava adjusted to new changes, I have barely had a moment of free time. I made a video of the past 5 (almost six) months of Ava's life. I wanted to share that with all of you, I hope it warms your heart, as much as it does mine.

If you watched it, you'll see Ava took no time warming up to her highchair, bowls, or spoons. We also gave her one tablespoon of deluded apple juice this evening. She seems to be very comfortable with her sippy cup, and within minutes, she was sipping juice down. It was such a wonderful feeling, seeing my daughter pass this milestone. I'm excited for this week! I get to pick out Ava's first foods, shop for Thanksgiving, and make Bug her Thanksgiving tutu! We made a trip to Carter's today, and purchased some "my first" Thanksgiving accessories. 

This year will be the VERY first time I make every dish myself. I complied a Thanksgiving menu, and I'm hoping all the soldiers we are having over, LOVE my cooking! 

Hopefully tomorrow we hear some good news about where the compassionate reassignment is; we are beyond ready to know the outcome. I really can't believe we are almost halfway through November. the time is moving so very fast. In the spirit of being proactive, I have been looking up ideas for Ava's first Birthday. We know we want a Ballerina theme, so I just kind of pinterested from there. We are wanting to do cake pops, a smash cake, and a decorative cake for all of our family and friends! (if we are in Washington) I found a company in Puyallup, i really love. Here is a few pictures from their work. 

Wanna Cupcake does great work! I'm really hoping we end up at Fort Lewis. Alright, this post was longer than I expected. I'm off for now! I hope everyone enjoyed their Veteran's day! Happy Monday all!

 ♥- Leilani

Sunday Madness

Both of my babies are knocked out right now. Today has been such a "go go go" type of day. Ava still has a cold, Justin woke up with a cold, and I've had to find time to do the grocery shopping, the cleaning, the cooking, school work, AND taking care of my sick babies. The life of a wife and a mother, I tell you it's a busy one. I did manage to snag a pregnancy test from the grocery store today. I bought a cheap one and it was... negative! I was relieved. Justin has been urging me to get blood work done though. He feels like something is going on, and he wants me to get checked out. On a holiday happy note, I am officially stoked for Christmas! I found so many cute little ornaments to add to our tree this year! I'm waiting on our quilted stockings as well. I ordered matching ones from pottery barn kids. I don't think I shared a photo of Ava's ballerina stocking, so here it is!

I love how it turned out. I ended up ordering a quilted train for myself and a quilted Santa for Justin. We had the oddest conversation about what names to use on our stockings. Leilani and Justin.. or Mom and dad. I opted with our first names rather than mom and dad. I did it for the simple fact that when our kiddos are older I can ask them, "Okay, which one is daddy's stocking?" or "Put daddy's goodies in his stocking" may seem silly, but I found logic in it. I even purchased German glitter alphabet ornaments. I bought one for each first letter of our family names including an "H"  for our last name. 

I'm so consumed with Christmas cheer I can hardly stand it. 

Another little thing I thought i'd share would be a marinade for steak. I know, I know, completely random. It's honestly more for me than for you guys! I don't want to forget it. Justin's battle buddy bought these ginormous steaks awhile back and they were delish to boot! I asked what he used to create that marinade so I thought i'd post it here, just in case any of you were interested in some yummy steaks!

Alright guys, I'm off! Ava bug just woke up and she needs her mommy snuggles! Enjoy your Sunday All!