Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday Kamryn!!

I can't believe it. My little baby turned a year old. It has flown by so fast! She was truly my little miracle baby! Many of you know, When I was just a few weeks pregnant, I bled heavily and thought I had a miscarriage. Turns out it was just a blood clot. The doctor said it could have been a twin that died! I try not to dwell on it. Actually, I don't at all. It was all a part of God's plan.

The party was great! We were surrounded by family and loved ones, all on board to celebrate. Kamryn was showered with gifts! Unfortunately, her ears were still bothering her a bit. Plus, she seemed overwhelmed by the crowd of people. So, we had a couple of little meltdowns a long the way. But overall, she loved the attention and wonderful gifts.

One thing that was really strange....she didn't like cake and frosting! We ordered a Cake by Judi. Those in the Mobile area know they can't be beat. But when she tried to eat the frosting, she looked like she had just had a shot of tequila! She is really weird about textures. If it's not formula or baby food, she has a hard time eating it. (Suggestions from mothers, please!!!)

I want to thank all of my friends and family who have helped us over the past year. As you know, we had a rough go of it when she was first born. The hours of endless screaming, spit-ups and major acid reflux....it was very trying. But she has been the biggest blessing God could ever give us. And we couldn't have gotten through it without you! We love you!!

Feelin' a Little Better

Well, three hours after taking her medicine, she actually started playing again. This is great, because a few hours ago, she was miserable! You can see her left eye is still red and swollen. But she's doing better.

My Baby is Still Sick!!

No pictures this time. I don't think Kami is in the mood for cameras. She woke up this morning with yellow goop in her eyes. This has happened before, and we already have medicine for it. So, I wasn't freaked out. But a couple of hours later, the day care called. Her eye was gooped shut, and she had 102 fever!

I took her back to the doctor and apparently the medicine she was on for her ear infection didn't work at all. Now, she has two infected ears and an eye infection. The doc said the second eye wasn't in good shape either.

This is so distressing because she was just at the doctor a week ago today. This should have been taken care of. I am really losing faith in the medical system. The poor thing has had it ROUGH! She looks so sick, every one who has seen her says, "oh that's a sick baby."

No doubt!!! Say a prayer that she gets better before her birthday Saturday.

I'm a Big Girl Now! (sort of)

Well, it seemed that Kamryn was getting a little too big for her infant tub, so yesterday I put her in the adult bathtub. Boy, was she a handful! It is Kamryn's first instinct to pull up on anything so she can stand up. The bathtub walls were no exception. She kept trying to pull up on them and stand up in the tub. I just looked her in the eye and calmly told her no, and sat her back down. Of course she tested me......over and over. All of my friends who are mommies tell me consistency is the key. So, I would always just sit her back down and tell her no. She did not like this! Thankfully, daddy came in and she was side tracked. She smiled for his camera. I think she knows exactly what a camera is. I'm not sure if I'm ready to put her back into the adult tub. Whew!

Kami's First Santa Pic!

I have to say, I was very nervous about Kamryn's first photo with Santa. Josh went with me to Colonial Mall Bel Air. But believe it or not, we were the third ones in line for the day, and Kami didn't make a peep the whole time! But she couldn't keep her eyes off him. She would hardly look at the camera. So, we snapped a shot of her looking at him. I thought it was too cute!!

My Sick Little Baby

Earlier this week, I got the dreaded daycare call. Miss Mary said that Kamryn had 101 fever. I wasn't really that surprised. The night before, she cried all night long. Josh and I got about three hours of sleep.What's even scarier, it was possible she had RSV, a virus that can cause lung problems. Two of the other babies were already diagnosed with RSV, and it is very contagious. We took her to the doctor, and thank God, no RSV. She does, however, have an ear infection. But shortly after she took her meds, she was back to her old self.

I took these pictures right at bedtime. She loves her Fisher-Price Jungle Soother. The sound of waterfalls, crickets, frogs and music just keeps her mesmerized. Josh would kill me if he knew she was photographed with an Ole Miss pacifier! It was a gag gift from her pa-paw. Maybe that's what caused her sickness! Ha!

Brrrrrrrrrr!

It's been quite a weekend at the Rowell household. When Josh and I got home from work on Friday, the house was freezing. The heat would not come on. We had been having trouble with our AC unit since a lightning strike. We called a professional, and he said our 18 year-old unit was kaput, and he couldn't install a new one until Tuesday. So, to keep warm, we've been dressing like we live in Antartica. Friday night, Josh, Kami and I all slept in the den by the fireplace. We were so cold Saturday morning, I put long-john's on, two pairs of socks, and four layers of long sleeve shirts and sweaters! We also bundled little Kami up. Thankfully, Josh went to Lowe's first thing Saturday morning and got a really good space heater. Don't worry. We know all of the dangers of space heaters and we are taking all of the proper precautions.

The picture is one we took of Kami before we got the new heater. Doesn't this make you want to have a bowl of chili and a cup of warm hot chocolate?

Da-ddy! Da-ddy!

Okay, Kamryn has been saying da-da for awhile, but for the first time, I think she finally knows what it means! Kami was laying on Josh's stomach, when she pushed herself up and proclaimed da-ddy, da-ddy da-ddy...like she was chanting his name! I said, "that's right, Kamryn, that's your daddy!" She smiled and said, "Da-ddy! da-ddy!" again!

Then, I looked at her and said "Ma-ma! Ma-ma!" She just gave me a confused look and went about her business.

Fun at Pops and Grandma's House

Kamryn is Queen B at Bonnie and Ken's house. Here are some cute snapshots!

Kami is an Animal Lover!

This picture was taken at our friends Drew and Jenn's house. This is their dog Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi was so curious, and had never seen a baby before. Believe it or not, Kamryn loved the attention! I know animals are unpredictable, so I was extremely cautious about letting the dog near Kamryn. But everytime the dog licked her, she just laughed. She wasn't scared at all!

Rewind to October, Kami is a Cowgirl!

Back in October, Kami met Li'l Joe the horse for the first time at her paw-paw's ranch. She wasn't scared of him at all. She was in awe! As you can see from the other picture, she wasn't too fond of paw-paw's hat! My Aunt Mary Jane also got to meet Li'l Joe. The Hrdlica-Rowell clan posed in front of the bass pond.

Rowell Holiday Picture

This picture was taken on Thanksgiving by my mother. Isn't Kami a natural in front of the camera?

I Love to Help Daddy Build a Fire!

Decorating is Fun!!

Thanksgiving Weekend!

This was truly a blessed thanksgiving. It was special, first and foremost, because it was Kami's first thanksgiving. Also, this is the first thanksgiving I have had off in years. Usually, I spend thanksgiving reporting for the news station. But now that I have switched jobs, I have holidays off. I can't begin to tell you what this means to me. When you get older and have kids, you appreciate each and every moment. Chasing down stories and being on television just isn't important any more. God has truly blessed us!

Also, our entire family on both sides came over. My parents, sister, Josh's mom, Josh's sister and her family...Mike, Kendall, and Jordan. Believe it or not, there was no drama and everybody had a blast! Of course, Kamryn loved being the center of attention. We will spend Christmas with Josh's dad since we were unable to see him for thanksgiving.

Finally, Kamryn watched gleefully as I decorated for Christmas. She is precious!