Where Did December GO??

Well...December has come and is almost gone and I never got a "B 'n Me" post in.  But we had a bit of a distraction for 14 days..and it wasn't about B 'n Me...it was about Bella, Mommy and Daddy. But things are back to normal now...Bella is home, feeling great and Mommy and Daddy can take a step back and relax!

This week Uncle DanDan came home for Christmas and Bella is beyond excited. I am so happy to have everyone home for Christmas!!  We have had a wonderful time with him home and Bella has just loved it!

We saw "Rogue One" together today..great movie! The Christmas decorations will all come down this week and the house will return to normal. Danny gets to stay until January 4th so we will get LOT'S of Danny time in.

So here is my one and only December post.  Thank you for all your love and support during Bella's two week hospital stay. Our goal now is to keep her going in the right direction, healthy and hospital free!!

Home!

Thanksgiving

Just us pie bakers!

Although little Miss was coughing (still fighting her lung congestion) she had a great Thanksgiving. We all had a great Thanksgiving. So much to be thankful for.  Love my family beyond words.

Bella had fun getting ready for the holiday..baking pies, watching her favorite musical (Phantom) and just hanging out. I'm so glad we took her into the Clinic before the long weekend so she could get started on antibiotics (and now steroids). This episode will hopefully pass quickly and she will be back to her normal little self again.

In case no one noticed I finished Bella's Great Strides 2017 campaign video. She selected the song "Human" by Christina Perri. Maybe 2017 will be the year we find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis!


Now we will start really getting serious about Christmas!! Her school Christmas program will be Dec. 6th. I can't wait!! I'm such a mush head that I will probably get all teary-eyed when they sing. Oh well!

Thank you Kathryn for the porch ideas!

Bella and Daddy Date

Today is Bella's Kindergarten Thanksgiving Party and Daddy has taken the day off so he can attend. When I told Bella last week that Daddy was going to be the one coming to her party she almost had tears in her eyes.."I just love my Daddy too much!" (And he loves you Sweet Pea).  

So today Daddy is taking her to school, having lunch at school with her and then checking her out of school for the afternoon and they are going to go see a movie. She is beyond excited!! "Grammy..I remember when I was like 4 or maybe 3 and you painted my toenails and fingernails and curled my hair and I got to put a tiny bit of blush on my cheeks and I got all dressed up and then my Daddy picked me up and we had a movie date! I remember that!! And we are doing it again!! I love my Daddy!"  (You have a very special Daddy! I love him, too!)



Today will be a catch up day for me..I'm going to finish  putting up Christmas decorations outside and start planning our Thanksgiving dinner!

Thumbs UP, MeMe!!!

Carol's surgery went very well! As a matter of fact she is back home already!! We are all so very proud of her and her determination to get back on her feet. YOU ROCK, Carol!!!   Bella (and all of us) loves MeMe so much and was very worried about her.  She was very excited to hear she was going home last night!

Silly Time

Well...I posted so many pictures and videos on FB last week that I thought I had posted my weekly B 'n Me post!  OOPS!!  Grammy is getting old!

Bella and I had a great week...she got to spend the night Friday when Mommy and Daddy went to see Billy Joel. We all went out to eat with our good friends and the kids all had a blast. AND Bella ate like a CHAMP!! Taco meat, beans, queso, chips, cheese, drank a full Pediasure, and ate a chicken tender!!! That is such an accomplishment for her!! Take that CF!!!  Saturday was play with Burkley and boy-howdy did they play!  Watching those two girls come up with ideas is comical!  Of course she and I had to hunt down zombies before Burkley got here!


Bella helped me put up all the inside Christmas decorations..she also went shopping with Papa and me and picked out three more musical/animated toys for the house!  Outside decorations are almost all completed as well! Papa lit the pilot lights and all the fireplaces are up and ready. I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME!

Back to Normal

Fun times at the airport!

Mommy and Daddy got back on Wednesday and Bella was way beyond happy! We had such a great time with her while she stayed with us but there is nothing like having Mommy and Daddy home!   I must say though that our house has been very quiet without her!

Just enjoying the day, today!

 Bella came over today so she helped me put away the Halloween and Fall decorations and we started bringing all the Christmas decorations downstairs! She is excited about putting up trees soon! Won't be long!!

Walker Stalker

This has been a crazy and busy week. So this blog is just a few days late!!

This has been a fun week for Bella...lots of activities at school for Red Ribbon Week.

Boot day at school so we both wore
boots!

We had fun playing with her new
make-up!

Neon Color day!

This week also saw us making another doctor run. Bella just hasn't been able to shake her ear infections and we were pretty sure she was having belly issues again. And we were right. So hopefully this round of antibiotics will knock the ear infections out. We are slowly getting her belly problems resolved. She is feeling much better.

More make-up!

Last Christmas we gave Jessica (and of course Bryan) a trip to Atlanta to attend Walker Stalker. Thursday Bryan and Jessica flew down for a week of zombies and fun. Bella is with us for the week. Thursday was hard on her..not only did Mommy and Daddy leave town but her teacher is gone until Monday. She misses all three of them and was a little teary eyed on the way to school.  Friday I picked her up early as her belly was really bothering her...so a little TLC and FaceTime with Mommy and Daddy and she did fine.

She is practicing her Harley Quinn make-up!

Halloween is Monday and it is also 50's day for the Kindergartner's. Bella is ALL ready for it!

We have loved getting all the pictures from Bryan and Jessica. Bella has recognized almost every celeb!! Can't wait to see what other fun things they do while in Atlanta!! Enjoy your trip kids!! Love you!

Orange day!

Report Card

Bella received her very first report card...she is doing so good! We are so very proud of her!  It's hard to believe that the first nine weeks is over already!
She sure loves her school, Mrs. Kornegay, and Ms Ginger.

We made little pumpkin projects...we took floral wire and made them! Of course we had to make one for LOTS of family!  She is so sweet. "Grammy we have to give one to Meme & Pappy, Nanny, Jill, Uncle Tim, Mommy & Daddy, you and Papa and Grandma Betty, too!"  (I hope we made enough! LOL!)

We also painted pumpkins. She created a Bride of Frankenstein and a Scary House pumpkin! (Bath's were required following painting! LOL!)


Bella has been talking a lot about CF lately. She has certain toys that now have CF along with her. Of course they all have to take their Kalydeco, too!  They are very "brave" and "do their treatments", too.


I love her so much.

Pumpkin Patch

Bella and I headed to the Pumpkin Patch this afternoon...time to stock up on some pumpkins! She wore her mask (other then for quick pictures)..too windy and too much hay around!
She had fun running around, picking out her favorite pumpkins and gourds and hiding in the hay bale maze!

She also got to experience another first...nature called and she had to use a portable toilet.

"Grammy?? This doesn't flush?" (Nope) "It just goes down there?" (Yep) Looking around.."Well..they have lots of toilet paper!"  (Yep!) "Do you have 'hanitizer (hand sanitizer)?" (Right here!!)..and we used a lot!

Wheels On the Bus

Loading the bus for her first school bus ride!

Friday was Bella's very first school field trip!  To say that she was excited would be an understatement!! It was a BIG day! First trip on a school bus, first school trip...she had a BLAST!  Of course she sang "Wheels on the Bus", said the bus was loud, and of course "Grammy we didn't have belts on our seat!" She is very safety aware! LOL!  The Aquarium trip was a huge success, followed by a picnic and playtime at the Park. Papa and I had a great time as well!!

Very proud of her school shirt.

Papa and Bella

This weekend is another weekend of firsts...she is going to her very first non-relative birthday parties!! "Grammy...this is my first real friend party!"..when she received Elli's invitation (Friend "4")..and then she received a second invitation!! Kindergarten is pretty cool!

Me and B!

I Need A List

Waiting to go to doctor's

What a week!  Bella felt terrible this week..fever, sore throat, headache, earache..Picked her up early from school.

Doctor visit Wednesday showed she was fighting something (elevated white blood cell numbers) so it was a wait and see situation to see what would transpired over a 24-48 hour period.  Sure enough..after a sleepless night for Mommy and Bella, we took her back in today.  Her ear hurt, her head hurt..she was not happy..She actually started asking to go to the doctor about an hour before her appointment!

Fever broke..so we made a
Toilet paper roll Jack-o-lantern!

      But this time Bella wanted to be sure and not forget about everything that was hurting..."I need a list!"...so we made one!  When we arrived at the doc's office she handed the nurse her note we wrote. She read it over and said to be sure and give it to the doctor.  When the doc came in and asked what was going on Bella very quickly walked over and handed her her note. The doc read..."left ear hurts..then my right ear hurts..hurts back of my ear and neck,  head hurts..hurts/stops/hurts/stops..my ears hurt when I burp..jaw hurts..inside cheek hurts right here and write down my ear hurts".. She took a good look in her ears and her mouth! Prescribed antibiotics for her ear infection and asked if she could keep the note!

Bella did my make up!

Boo!!!

Hopefully she will be feeling much better by tomorrow.
She has not liked missing school.
She misses her teacher!

We made a ghost when her head
and ear stopped hurting!!

Just a few Bella-isms:  
"Grammy..why are the trees still green? It's Fall. We made Happy Fall hats, too! Aren't they suppose to be yellow, red and orange now?" "It's Fall aren't they suppose to be falling now??"  (It won't be long before they turn and fall)

Friday was wear orange day and although she didn't go to school she wanted to be sure and wear orange..so we picked out a shirt we thought looked orange until daddy sent his picture of his orange shirt (he is her twinkie on Friday's).."Grammy I think there might be something wrong with my orange shirt...it's pink!" (Oops! It was sort of dark in your room when we picked it!)

"Grammy?" (yes?) "Did you know I have an ear infection?" (Ahh..yes..I went with you to the doctor!) "Okay..I just wanted you to know!" (I know. I'm sorry, too) "I love you, Grammy." (I love you, too.)

Learning

School pictures came in!  I love her little smile!

She was singing me a song she learned at school yesterday. I asked her what was the one thing she loves about school..."Learning! I love learning!!"  
We practice her site words and have fun doing her homework together.  She is trying very hard to sound out letters to be able to read. Her main goal is to learn  "writing in cursive and reading!"
LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK..TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!

Love you "Harley Quinn!"

She does her own make-up! LOL!

Today I got to hang out and dance with Harley Quinn!

  Tonight The Blacklist starts back up..she was disappointed that she won't get to watch it ..school night plus it doesn't start until 9:00 and she is sound asleep by 8:00!  But I told her I would keep her updated until she could watch it on Netflix with me!

My Belly is a One

"My belly is a one right now.".... I had to think a moment when Bella told me that...why was her belly a one? And then I realized what she was explaining... I'd asked her how her tummy was feeling.  It hurt today (Wednesday)..barely ate breakfast, didn't eat lunch. She laid down in Nurse Ginger's office during recess and Mrs. Kornegay said she spent a long time in the restroom. So at the end of the day when I picked her up and asked her how her tummy was feeling she was describing the "One to Ten Pain Scale"

 As the afternoon progressed she moved it to a three but back down to a one.    She said when she laid down in the nurse's office her belly was a five because her face was like this ..and made a very sad face.  She told me when her belly was "really bad like when we stayed up way late until all night was gone..and daddy rubbed my belly...that was pwobably (probably) a ten because I cried."

What five year old knows what a Pain Scale is? And what is so sad is that she knows the levels.  

I HATE CF.

Bella loves taking the Jeep
and it's her job to unlock it! 
(she has her "estimating" cup
..it's a homework assignment)

 

Ice cream picnic! She wears it well!

 At last we know who friend "Four" is!! Bella kept telling me it is was sort of like "Burkley's momma's name Kelly but not Kelly"..so I tried every combination I could think of but it was always "no..that's not it"..so today we found out (via a birthday party invitation) that her name is Elianna but she is called... "Elli"!  Welcome Elli to the circle of friends!  LOL!

A footnote to this week's blog...a certain audio/video van was back in the neighborhood...working once again on a certain house...Bella said.."oh no..not again!! Those poor people. "

We Love Negative!!

Bella's swab tests/cultures came back with negative growth!! Happy Dance time!!

Another week of school has come and gone and Bella is still excited about it! That makes us all very happy!  She loves learning new things! She is continuing to make new friends and just loves her teacher and nurse!

She has homework now every night..just 10 or 15 minutes worth..but we sit down right after school and have a snack and get it done before any playtime.  

She's had some belly issues this past week. Increasing enzymes created a bit of a backup, but she has weathered this storm like a champion. Things are moving and she is feeling much better. 

We spent some time Wednesday baking a giant cinnamon roll out of pizza dough...not only fun but VERY tasty! 

Getting ready to bake!

Step one..pizza dough!

Ready to bake!

She is spending the night tonight...first time since school started! She was sound asleep by 7:45! Learning is very tiring. Learning while struggling with a week long tummy issue is tiring (she even told me that it makes her extra tired). Love her so much!

Butter spread..now time
to sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon!