Grethel Van Epps

We had a wonderful photographer come to our home on Sunday to take Edie's 1 year photos, Grethel Van Epps. I still can not believe Edie is 1!! We had a great time and I would recommend Grethel to anyone. She spent about an hour with us, we did not feel rushed and she had the proofs online the NEXT DAY!! She was even kind enough to give me this photo for Edie's blog header. Don't you love it! She has also worked with some of our friends in our same neighborhood and she will also be photographing our next door neighbors in a few weeks.

Edie was so fun and did such a great job smiling and posing. I think having Grethel to our home made all the difference. Edie was so comfortable and had a blast eating her cupcake! These will be online until February 9th. We hope you enjoy them! http://www.gvephotography.com/ enter site, click clients, password is edie.

Edie and Allie

Edie had a special visitor this Sunday - Allie Lovell. We met Allie and her parents while in the NICU. We had dinner and visited while Edie and Allie played. As you can see they are both very attached to their pink shakers. It is funny that they both have the exact same one. Tim and Sandy commented that Allie has a lot of the same toys too. Not only do our girls share the same toys but they also share the same pediatrician, cardiologist and ENT. Both Allie and Edie were discharged from the NICU on the same day. Afterwards we would run into them at almost every Dr. visit. I know God had a hand in it all. He made the connection and he knew we would develop a really wonderful friendship. And the Lovell's could not be more wonderful.

It was fun to get together with them and share experiences as well as insights and compare notes. Sometimes as new parents it is hard to know if you are doing the right things or not. But it seems as though we are all on the right track. Our babies are doing really great things and making great progress. Allie is 14 months old, you can see more of Allie on her blog which is linked to Edie's. I look forward to watching these two grow up together and knowing that we are all in this together is comforting. It is great to have friends who know and feel exactly some of the same things we do. Sandy is planning to get together a "Mom's Club" to meet every so often just to get together and let our children play with one another. Which I know Edie would love just as much as I would!

Vogue

I am not sure how I got Edie to make this pose - but it is precious.

Edie's First day of Mothers Day Out

I have been so busy with so many things that I neglected to tell everyone that Edie has started MDO at First Baptist Alabaster. This is a photo of Edie all dressed up and ready for her first day of school. She attends Mondays and Fridays from 9-2. She has 4 teachers and around 12 kids in her class. The first day was a little tough. She started to cry once I was leaving the room and I wanted so badly to go back in and get her but I knew I couldn't. She did not eat very well for the teachers and cried a good bit. The past few days have been a lot better. When I picked her up today she was scooting around the floor playing with a toy and smiling at the other kids. The teachers said that she had been all over the room all day meeting everyone. They also said that she plays very well with others and seems to really enjoy being with the other children. I am so glad that she is making new friends. I am not sure if it is the MDO or what, but Edie has been talking up a storm lately! Her therapist at The Bell Center was so impressed with her sounds today. Fridays also make for a verylong day for Edie now that she goes to MDO from 9-1 (I have to pick her up early on Fridays) and then to The Bell Center from 2-3. So far she has been a real trooper. I know I say this a lot - but I am so proud of her. She has accomplished so much this past year.

Our Baby is ONE!

It is amazing what has taken place since this same day last year. I can remember so well how nervous Scott and I were going to bed the night before Edie's birth. We spent the night doing some last minute things in Edie's room and enjoying our last night alone. With little sleep during the night we woke early to leave for the hospital around 10:00 am. I was starving, scared, excited and anxious all at the same time.

We had literally just put our bags down and I was told to change into my gown. I said "right now? Already!" I thought we would have a little more time to settle in. Well we did later among all of the cahos of the prep work. I was wheeled into the very cold, very white delivery room. The epidural was terrifying for me. All I wanted was to hold Scott's hand and see his face. I could feel sweat on my face. I asked Scott if I was sweating terribly and he just replied "you are beautiful".

While the nurse talked us through the procedure being preformed I just layed there saying over and over "please God, please God, please God let her be ok, let her cry so I can hear her". After what felt like an eternity I heard my baby cry and it was the most beautiful sound ever. I thanked God for his blessing and for giving us this wonderful opportunity. Scott brought Edie over to me, I touched her face, kissed her on her cheek and then she was gone.

I am not sure how long it was before I saw Edie again. It seemed like days. Scott would come in the room to check on me, give us reports on Edie and back to the NICU he went. He assured me everything was ok, Edie was fine and she was resting. I remember holding Edie for the first time in the NICU. I remember how beautiful she was even with all of those tubes and wires attached to her tiny body. I remember the first time we were able to bring her to our room to nurse her. It was early in the morning and it was snowing outside. It was perfect because we were all together as a family, finally.

The next few hours, days, weeks are now such a blur. I remember the heart ache I felt once Edie was diagnosed with DS, how the news was given to us. I felt like I had failed everyone and most of all I thought I had failed Edie. I was sad, confused, angry at God, wondering why did he choose our little baby, why did he choose us? How are we going to do this? I felt this way for several days until the night Scott and I went home without our little girl in our arms. As we were laying there in our bed - alone again- a calmness came over me. I felt this weight leaving my body and I knew right then and there that we were ok. God was going to show us his plan and was there with us. I also knew at that moment that Scott would take care of me and we - together - would love Edie with everything we had.

Edie quickly became the love of our life from the moment we laid eyes on her. She has given us much more this past year than we could have ever imagined. She has further developed our relationships with God, family, friends, and strangers. She has made life in general so much better because we appreciate the little things more. We are grateful to Edie for everything she has taught us and for everything we have experienced because of her. Edie's smile will melt your heart. Her eyes will light up a room. And her hair will make you look twice! I have never laughed so much in my life as I have this past year. I love being Edie's mom and I am so proud to say she is all ours!

Edie has made being parents so easy for us. She has always slept through the night since the day she came home. She greets us with a smile each morning. She leaves us with a smile each night. She is strong. She is determined. She is smart. She has a great personality. She is the best little girl we could have ever dreamed of having. I am so grateful to God for trusting me to assist him in the miracle of Edie's birth and I am grateful to God for trusting Scott and I to assist him in raising her. Thank you God for our miracle.

Thank you God for our special ladybug.

January 13th, 2008 Waiting for Edie
January 14th, 2008 1:29 pm our Angel arrived
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Happy Birthday Baby!

Happy New Year!

We had a great time celebrating the New Year with our dear friends Ashley and Eric Caldwell and Ashley's sister Jennifer and husband Corey at the Hats and Horns party. Partial proceeds for this event went to The Bell Center - where Edie attends school. I have never been to anything like this for New Years, but it was a blast and we plan on making it an annual event.

I thanked as many members of the Hats and Horns society and Service Guild as I could for their efforts. Scott and I did have the opportunity to go on stage and say a little about The Bell Center, Edie, and to thank everyone for coming. We had several people introduce themselves to us afterwards and tell us how wonderful it is to meet parents like us and how brave we are. All I can say is it is not us - it is our little girl who is wonderful and who is the brave one. Edie makes our job easy. We have been so blessed by Edie in 2008. We look forward to what 2009 will bring. Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

We had a wonderful Christmas with Edie and our families. Edie woke early to see what Santa had brought to her. She loved opening the packages containing tissue paper - so she could eat it! Santa brought her many toys, clothes, and a ladybug bubble wand. One of Santa's little Elf's also stopped by to introduce himself to Edie. He said he would be back next year to visit longer and play games with her. He also said that we could give him a name then too!

After Christmas at our house we headed to Gigi and Giddo's for lunch and more gift giving. We then left for Aunt Kelli's for a "late lunch" and more gifts. Needless to say by the end of the day we were stuffed and our car was full! Some of Edie's favorite toys are her dollie (who giggles), her pop ball toy, slinky, wooden puzzle, wagon and push car. (I am trying to figure out how to upload a video of her in her push car so you can see how much fun she has in it as well)

Gorham's Bluff

We spent the night at Gorham's Bluff on the 23rd just for a mini get-away. Gorham's Bluff is located in Pisgah, AL in the middle of nowhere. It is a lovely neighborhood with beautiful views and nothing to do but relax and just be together. It was a little too cold for us to stay outside long so we spent much of the time indoors. We stayed in a cute little two bedroom white house. It had the greatest wrap around porch and a great view from the master bedroom. It was filled with windows and glass doors. Edie took a swim in one of the two claw foot tubs. We made a fire and had lasagna. It was nice just to all be together as a family and spend some quality time together. We would love to go back once the weather is warmer but we did decide that we would try to make this a yearly tradition.

These Boots Were Made for Walking

Long story short - our new family at Loading Dock South in Helena donated these adorable boots to several of the girls who attend The Bell Center. They are white, fuzzy boots from GAP. They are a little big right now but Edie will grow into them in no time. For now she just likes to touch and feel them and giggle with excitement! We visited Loading Dock on Saturday to bring them a thank you card and tell them in person how grateful we are. It is a wonderful feeling to know how many people out there love our little babies!

Later we went to The Depot for lunch and Edie had her first grilled cheese sandwich. She really seemed to enjoy it. We have discovered over the weekend that she is not too fond of noodles and pasta. I tried twice feeding her spaghetti o's and then mac and cheese. Edie would suck the sauce from the pastas and then spit the pasta back out. No worries though.......she is still crazy over carrots and green beans.

Our friends Patti, Charles and Bergen Wilkinson came by on Saturday as well for a short visit and to bring Edie the most precious 1st Birthday Crown that lights up for Edie's big bash. Thats right - Edie will soon be one! Can you believe it!! On Sunday, we visited Westwood Baptist Church. Edie slept through the whole service and was a true doll. We bumped into several of Scott's friends and friends parents who were just goo-goo over Edie. But hey, it's hard not to be goo-goo over something so cute!

We are now packing for our first mini family vacation to Gorhams Bluff this week. I will be on vacation for the next few weeks and I am soooooo looking forward to spending a lot of time with Edie and our family(s) before we begin the new year. Our scheduals will be pretty hectic after we return so if I do not blog in the next few weeks please forgive me. I will have lot's of things to share I am sure - Vacation, Christmas, New Year!!

May God Bless you and your family this Holiday Season and have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Edie's Baptism December 13th, 2008

Edie was Baptised at Prince of Peace this past Saturday. It was such a beautiful, moving ceremony. Edie looked like a doll in her white gown adorned with pearls and handmade lace. She wore a satin bow and her Christening bonnet which Gigi gave to her before she was born. She also wore her diamond cross necklace given to her by her great aunts, uncles and cousins along with a cross bib and lace socks (which quickly fell off). Her Godfather, Zach Chastain and her Godmother, Mindy Shunnarah also participated in the service. Nan and Pawpaw gave Edie a beautiful Garnet necklace in celebration of her Baptism. Gigi and Giddo also gave Edie a beautiful etched gold bracelet and Aunt Mindy presented Edie with her first Bible which was engraved with her name.

I am still in awe of how beautiful Edie looked and how perfect the ceremony was. Edie did wonderfully. God truly blessed us January 14th, 2008 with a wonderful, joyful, beautiful daughter - Edith Gabrielle Shunnarah.

My Two Bottom Teeth

Edie does not like to show off her two teeth.....but her they are. I was able to capture this photo by accident. Edie has also started making this new, mean, sour, pouty look. I am not sure where this came from but it is too cute. She does it all of the time just to make us laugh.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

We have been so busy running here and there - truthfully I can not tell you what has happened in the past week. Edie and I visited Nan and Pawpaw over the weekend. On Sunday we all attended our first annual neighborhood Christmas Dinner party. We met several of our neighbors and ate a lot of good food. Edie wore her Santa suite and told everyone what she wanted from Santa. Lots of.......na, na, na, da, da, da, ma, ma, ma. Edie is growing so fast. She now has two very visible bottom teeth and I think she may be cutting a third one. She is chewing and drooling constantly. Edie is doing a great job working on her tummy muscles and building her strength to crawl and pull up alone. I can not believe how strong she has actually gotten these past few weeks! I have a good feeling that by her birthday she will be crawling just fine.

We have been trying a lot of new foods lately. Edie loves to feed herself, she has become very independent. She loves to eat carrots and green beans. She still loves her veggies! I really do not mind the squishing of the food between her fingers and in her hair and on her face. I love to watch her experiencing new things. However, I know it will not be long before we have to begin to teach her that she can not mash sweet potatoes in her ears. She is just so cute doing it!

Our Many Blessings

We had a great Thanksgiving with Nan, Paw Paw, Gigi, Giddo, Uncle Zach, Uncle David, Aunt Kelli, Wyatt, Wesley and Great Grandaddy. Everyone joined us in our home for lunch. Scott and I had a turkey cook off. Scott fried a turkey while I roasted one. They were both very good. Especially to have been my first ever roasted turkey! Everyone brought the side dishes and we ate until we were completely stuffed. Edie even ate some sweet potatoes, green beans and cranberry sauce with us. She seemed to like everything. Especially the green beans! Later we played at the playground and while Nan and Gigi cleaned the kitchen (Thank you Nan and Gigi!)
Scott and I loved having both of our families over for the holiday. It is always great to have everyone together. We have so many blessings to be thankful for this year. I thank God each day for Scott and Edie and for a wonderful, supportive family. I thank God for Edie's health and for the progress she has made. I thank God for Scott's love and patience and for joining me together with such a wonderful husband and even more wonderful father to Edie. I thank God for Gigi and Giddo who take such great care of Edie while I work. I thank God for the great family and circle of friends he has surrounded us with who love and support us in so many ways. We thank God for all of his many blessings.

Dear Ladybug

Dearest Edie,

This weekend we hosted the First Annual Ladybug Fundraiser in your honor. Over 100 friends and family joined together to celebrate you and The Bell Center where you attend school. You laughed, played, went from friend to friend without fussing one time, until you fell fast asleep in Giddo's arms. You were an Angel as always. We are so proud of you and all of the things you have accomplished these past 10 months. We are also so grateful to you for giving us this opportunity to come together. You are so loved, by so many people and this event reminded us of that.

In just a few months Daddy, Aunt Mindy, Mr. Jimmy, Mr. Eric and Mr. Matt will be running in a Marathon of Love. For you and for all of your friends at The Bell Center. And we will be there together again with so many loved ones cheering them on!

We are so thankful that God sent you to us. We have been so blessed by you, your smile, your laugh and your love. You have such a wonderful personality that captures everyone you meet. You have won over so many hearts all around the world. You are our perfect little ladybug. We look forward to the future and seeing what a wonderful lady you become. You have made such an impact in so many people in just 10 short months. We can not wait to see what you do next! We love you so much!

All of our Love,
Mommy and Daddy

First Annual Ladybug Fundraiser 2008

What a wonderful night! We believe we had around 100 people who came out to support this wonderful cause and the best part is we raised over $7000.00!!! Friends and family are still continuing to make donations online as well! The food was wonderful, as was the entertainment and company. It was a perfect night. We can not wait to tell The Bell Center the good news!!

You have no idea how grateful we are to everyone for making this all possible. Chad Stubbs of Reflex Blu who created Edie's Ladybug logo. Stacey Day who created the invitations. Chris Poole with The Cajun Steamer who provided the food. Gigi who made the wonderful cake balls (that everyone loved!). Greg Rains with Alabama Crown Distribution who provided all of the beer and wine. Our friend Sam Shober who entertained us with his wonderful talents. Aunt Mindy who solicited and collected over half of the items for the Silent Auction. Family and friends who helped to set up and clean up. To EVERYONE who contributed .......we thank you and we love you!

We were overwhelmed by EVERYONES generosity. From those who made donations for the silent auction, to those who bid on items and won, and those who made cash donations. We thank you! We hope you had as wonderful of a time as we did. I wish I had gotten some better pictures from the party. My mind was on so many things I did not do a good job at capturing the night. Lesson learned and I will have someone designated next year!