Ta-Dah!

Check out the shinny new grill on the Rock Star!

She's back from the vet and better than ever.  They had to pull 3 teeth.  I am actually very surprised.  We thought she was going to lose a lot more.  The ones they pulled weren't essential teeth either.  The vet said she should have no real side effects from loosing them.

Dr. Cole also suggested we brush Roxie's teeth every night.  Sure, we're lucky to make sure our own teeth get brushed these days, we'll be glad to put the dog at the head of the line.  Roxie will have to wait until Erin leaves for college to ensure daily dental benefits are applied. 

Pearly Whites

I'm a nervous wreck today.  We decided to have Roxie's teeth cleaned.  They have to put her under to do it.  (I'm thinking they should have given me a sedative too!)

The vet has been on us for years to have it done.  Tommy thinks it's crazy to have a dog's teeth cleaned.  The country boy in him comes out and I really can't blame him.  It isn't exactly the most practical thing we could do.  But...

Her last check up showed some elevated liver enzymes and Dr. Cole told me it was because of her teeth.  They really are pretty bad.  When she had her little spell earlier this month I decided to have her teeth cleaned.  I have no doubt she's in pain because of the infections.  So, they are putting her under to clean her choppers.  Not that I didn't trust Dr. Cole, but I called my old Vidor vet, Dr. McGowan, for her advice.  She told me to suck it up and do it.  She said Roxie is getting sick from the bacteria and infection she was swollowing.  So, we did it.

We pick her up at 4:30 this afternoon.  Next week we'll sign her up for a bikini waxing and some blond highlights in her beard to go with her new whiter teeth. 

All kidding aside, I'm praying that all goes well.  She's my Rock-Star!

Picnic Anyone?

This is the table that Pawpaw made for Erin.  Isn't it just the cutest thing?  I can't wait for her to be old enough to enjoy it on pretty days like these.

Right now, he's working on one for the Ammerman Baby when he/she joins the family and one for Jake and Luke.  Pawpaw is so talented.  I think he's looking for a new idea now for his next project.  Retirement has been good to him!  (And the grandkids!!)

Monday Night Football

Da, da, da, da... (That's supposed to be the theme music to Monday Night Football)

Erin watched the game with Daddy while mommy ran errands.  Do I look like my Daddy???  (I'm the one without the beard...)

Then it was bath time and off to bed.

Tummy Time

Okay, I'm sure this video isn't really all that, but hey, it's only 46 seconds long. 

This is a shot of one of our tummy time sessions.  She isn't really pleased with that time of day.  As you can see, her little legs go 90 mph the whole time.  My prediction is that she will be crawling very soon.  Right now, we're just trying to get our head under control.

Parties, Parties and Cousins

We had a busy weekend.  Erin went to her first kid's party.  Hudson and Luke (the twins next door) turned one.  They had a huge party at home and Erin couldn't wait to go.  The 3 of them are/will be best friends and they will rule the cul-de-sac!  The party was great and was total chaos.  There were people and kids everywhere.  It was a little preview as to what next July will look like at our house!

We had Pawpaw's birthday party on Saturday night too. It was just the immediate family. We went to a hole in the wall Chinese place and came back here for cake.  Pawpaw was definitely more interested in playing with Erin then he was with cake, ice cream and presents.

I laugh at myself.  In addition to two birthday parties on Saturday, I also went to a baby shower here on our street.  Lucky for my hips/thighs, I left before the cake was cut.  I had to get home to get Erin ready to go to the twin's party.  However, I did manage to get cake at both birthday parties!  Woo Hoo!  The diet starts tomorrow ;)  

Jake and Aunt Steph came to visit today.  Here's a quick picture I took.  Jake is so funny, he sees a camera and instantly says "cheese" several time until you snap the picture.  I think he "cheese'd" me three times before I could snap this one.  If you look at this photo you can almost hear him saying "cheese".  Too funny.  Luke was at home with Uncle Mark.  (Sorry Luke, you'll get your picture next time!)

Tommy was super sad today that the Texans lost.  As you can see, Erin wore her Texans gear, but she just wasn't able to pull the win out for them today.  (Mommy is secretly a little happy that the Cowboys won!  But we don't say that too loud here!)

A Good Weekend

It was another good weekend for the Mizes.

Erin got quality time with her Grandma and Pawpaw and we got a night out.  Mom and Daddy wanted to keep Erin so we could go out.  Truth be told, they missed her while they were in Washington, so they wanted an excuse to spend the night with her!  We aren't complaining.  We got to go out and we got to sleep in the next day.  Double score!!

They came over and we went to a movie and out to eat.  The best part about her staying with them is that we don't have to worry.  We walk out the door and know she's in the best hands.  It's a comfort and really does allow us to relax and enjoy ourselves while we're out.  Thank you God for good grandparents!!

Just Like Daddy

This is a silly little video I shot yesterday while trying to get the smiley video. Tommy and his dad almost always sneeze three times in a row. It appears that Erin is following in the Mize tradition.

Smiley Girl

Today's happy face was brought to you by Erin Grace Mize!

The New Look

Anyone who knows me knows I get bored easily.

I started out by wanting to add a picture of Erin to the blog, and then next thing you know, I've totally revamped it. Yes, I had to do this at 2:00 am. For one, I was awake and secondly, it's the only time Erin would let me do it yesterday. (The Princess is napping right now - soon to wake up to eat.)

In the tradition of hearing a good idea and adopting it as your own...I'm going to have my blog published in book form. It sounds like a great way to keep a "copy" of all my past posts. I started this last summer, so my first book will be from July to December 2009. A lot happened, so it should be a fascinating read! :) It's a little project putting the book together, but hey, I have the time after midnight.

Thanks for reading this blog. I love doing it.

Eight Weeks Old

I can't believe two months have gone by. I think I blinked and missed it. It seems like such a long time ago we were in the hospital. The next thing you know, Erin will be driving me to doctor's appointments!!!

We had a visit with the nurse at Dr. Elahee's today. We've been concerned because the spitting up hasn't gotten any better and we're still on the two meds. They wanted to weigh her to make sure she was tracking and gaining weight. We got there, stripped her down and she went from 10.6 lbs to 11.0 lbs. That's roughly an ounce a day and that's exactly on target for a baby her age. The doctor basically told me that some babies just have a reflux problem that even the meds don't fix. She said there is a sphincter between her stomach and esophagus that just isn't staying closed yet like it should. In time, it will strengthen and stay closed. Until then, we keep having 5 wardrobe changes a day!!

Erin is super excited to see Pawpaw and Grandma tomorrow. It's been two whole weeks. I've texted them daily pictures, but I think they are counting down the seconds until they can hold her again. I'm sure there will be bickering over who gets to hold her first and for how long. I wouldn't be surprised if "Paper, Rock and Scissors" doesn't come into play.

Erin has really started smiling a lot. She's a very happy baby in the mornings. We get the most smiles then. She's cooing a lot too and when she smiles it seems like she's trying to giggle at the same time. It's just so cute. I think I text Tommy a smile picture just about every day. Most days he doesn't like to leave the house until she's given him a smile. It's amazing how that can just make your whole day!

Roxie is also glad they're coming home. Since Fritze has been gone our little Miss Priss has enjoyed being an only dog. Max has been here and it's really cutting into her alone time. He spends most of the day in her kennel. She's already told me we're going to have to wash the kennel linens to get the "boy" smell out of her house!!

Uncle Baby Erin

Yesterday was the Mize's 40th Anniversary. To celebrate, we all went to Centerville. The guest list included 7 adults, 4 dogs and 3 kids under 3 years old. (I have taken the liberty of editing the keg stands and "girls gone wild" moments from this video.)

I brought along the camcorder and got this cute video of Jake with Erin and Luke. It was the first time he got to meet Erin. You can hear Tommy in the background teasing Jake.

Warning!!! This video may only be cute if your last name is Mize! :)

My BFF and Me

Here's a quick shot of Erin and Roxie.

In my mind, they love each other. In real life, not so sure. Roxie is shaking like a leaf while I was taking this. She gets nervous now when I do things with her and the baby together. Erin was spitting up all over, but all in all it's a cute picture.

I think Rox will appreciate Little E more when we move on to table food! :)

Seven Week Itch

Today is Erin's seven week birthday! Woo Hoo!!

I was reading about her developement and she's doing great. She hears well and thankfully can sleep thru Roxie and Max having a bark fest. I'm seriously hoping this is something that continues later on. She's a nice sound sleeper like her Daddy.

If you've seen Erin in person, you know she is constantly in motion. If she is awake, she's kicking and moving her arms. When we have tummy time she kicks and scoots her legs. I'm thinking she'll be crawling early. Not that I think she's a super genius, but because her legs never stop moving and she's bound to take off in a crawling sprint any day now!!

It's pouring here today. We were going to have an outing to Target, but that's been cancelled. The weather is making us both sleepy. Erin is in her swing now in the living room and I'm about to go lay down on the couch and nap. Lazy days for sure!

Lost and Found

Today was a good day at the Mize House.

For those of you who know Tommy well, you know he looses EVERYTHING. On a weekly basis his keys, phone, work phone, wallet and pocket knife are lost countless times. We will search the house, car, garage and 50 mile radius of the house. We always find them and they are usually in the most obscure places. His biggest loss to date is his ipod. It's been gone for about a year. He jokingly blames it on the maid every chance he gets. He always says Letty stole his ipod. I had written it off to having been left on the machine at the gym never to be seen again.

I'm not saying I never loose things. Case in point, my Ironman watch has been missing for months. I love that watch. I lost it the weekend we went to South Shore Harbor, so I assumed I accidentally left it there.

Surprise! We found the missing ipod and watch today. They were actually together!!! Who would have thought it.

I got the cleaning bug today and cleaned out the kitchen cabinets, pantry and junk drawer! Ta-da. There they were, laying in the junk drawer. The best part is that we have both looked in that drawer for the ipod and the watch about 1,000 times. And, we use that drawer daily. Neither one of us ever saw them. The ipod was buried under the pens and pencils in a little container and the watch was tangled in my old phone charger cord.

The down side is that we had already replaced both of them. I got Tom a new ipod for his birthday or Valentine's Day or something. I bought myself a new watch because I just couldn't be without the Ironman.

I'm not sure if I'm more happy that we found our stuff or worried that we lost them in the first place and were looking right at them for months. It doesn't bode well for Erin. We might lose her one day, but I guess on the bright side, we'll find her again eventually!!

A Bad Morning

It started off rainy and hasn't cleared up. Erin has had better mornings. She asked me if this was Monday instead of Friday.

We had our doctor's visit bright and early this morning. We were running a little late because of the weather. Turns out, everyone was running late. We had to wait over an hour to see the doctor. Not easy to do with a 6 week old baby!

We had a little check up with Dr. Elahee. Everything looks good. While she was examining Erin, she spit up all over. This is "normal" for Erin. She spits up like Old Faithful. In addition to the Rx we got last week, we got another one today. Dr. E said some babies just don't response as well without something to boost the meds along. So, we got a liquid medicine to go with our Prevacid. Hopefully this will do the trick for us. I just gave her the first dose and she seemed to like it okay.

Here are her stats from today:

Weight: 10.6 pounds (55%)
Height: 22 inches (50%)
Head: 15.25 inches (75%)

She's still got a big brain. I suspect that will never change :)

We got our first round of shots today too. It was so sad. We had to hold her down while they gave her 3 shots in her leg and an oral drop. She didn't mind the oral stuff, but the shots were not her favorite. I have to say, she's tough. She screamed while they were giving them, but I picked her up and she cried for a minute then went to sleep when they were done.

I think it was almost as hard on Tommy and Angela as it was on Erin. I know it's for her own good, but man, it was hard to see her hurting like that. The good news is now we have to give the meds a week but then we can be out and about with other kids. She'll finally get to meet her cousins!

Jake has been asking about her and can't wait to meet her. Next weekend we'll all be in Centerville at Grandpa and Granny's for their 40th Anniversary. It will be a good time - 6 adults, 4 dogs, 2 babies, 1 toddler and about 25 cows/calves. Ready or not, here we come...

Better Video

Sorry, not sure what I did on the last post. Here's the video in better size.

God Has Blessed Us

I had my 6 week post baby doctor's appointment today. All is well with me. I got the green light to start exercising again. Now I just have to fit it into my day. The good news is that I lost 25 pounds in 6 weeks. The bad news is I have lots left to go...

While I was gone, Tommy stayed with Erin. I got him and he had filmed this video. Erin is so happy and smiley in the mornings. It's just a quick glimpse of a smile, but you get the picture.

Roxie got a haircut today. She's completely back to herself now, but tried to play the sickness card to get out of her bath/haircut. It didn't work. Max is funny. Every time Erin gets cranked up and cries really loudly, he goes up to her to check her out. It almost looks like he's trying to make her feel better. It's very sweet.

Roxie Report - Good News!!

Had to take the big girl to the vet yesterday. She had blood work done and got an anti-biotic shot. The vet called today and spoke to Tommy. (This is always for the best when they talk to him instead of me. I dwell on the negative and always think the worst. I get upset in general when I talk to the vet and end up crying.)

Dr. Cole said the blood work came back better then it was when she had her check up a few months ago. This is very good news!! They don't really know what was wrong with her. His best guess is an abscess tooth. The anti-biotic shot seems to have worked. On Dr.'s orders last night I cooked her boiled chicken and rice. She ate like a prisoner and begged for more. The doctor told Tommy to add her food back into the chicken mixture to get her back on dog food again. We're suppose to watch her and if she goes "anorexic" again, we're suppose to call them.

I've attached a picture of her. You can see she's very stressed out about life right now. :) The funny part of this picture isn't Roxie laying all sprawled out. It's the fact that she's on the floor!! She almost NEVER sleeps on the floor. Dogs do that, not queens! She's usually in one of the living room chairs holding court.

Also (not pictured, but just as relaxed on the couch) is Max. He's our guest for the next two weeks. Momma and Daddy went to WA and Max is staying with us. I didn't think it was possible for a dog to be more spoiled then Roxie, but I stand corrected. Max is the most spoiled dog in the world. I don't think he's figured out yet that Grandma and Pawpaw are spoiling Erin more than him.