My Big 30th Birthday...that was not so fun!

Lauren and I went to visit the family in Coeur d'Alene over the weekend to spend my 30th birthday on the lake and have a bit of a vacation together. We went up Thursday evening after I got off work and we made it there by around 9:30. Of course Lauren had slept almost the entire way so when we finally got to Kelli and Barry's house, she was wide awake and ready to entertain. We tried to stay awake and wait for Papa Mike to get there, but by midnight we were exhausted.
Friday afternoon my Dad and I and Lauren ventured off to Cabela's in Post Falls. Lauren was really into checking out the fish in the big aquarium, but was not too sure about the stuffed bears and deer and elk in the middle of the store. Dad and I thought they were pretty cool though.
Brandon and Angela and I decided to got to the casino on Friday night, so Brandon's friend Austin met up with us and we rode the free bus from the parking lot at the movie theater. We had so much fun! Angela and I played the penny machines for a while and then decided to give up and go drink instead. We caught the bus home around 2:30 and called my Dad to come pick us up at 3 a.m.!
On Saturday (the 4th of July and my 30th birthday) we headed out to the store to get food and snacks for the boat, since we were going to be out there for a while. Barry was able to get a great deal on a boat slip in the Silver Bay Marina so that we could be on the boat to watch the fireworks and not have to load it back on to the trailer later. We were out on the boat for a few hours and I was starting to feel really light headed and tired, so I packed up Lauren and we headed to the house to cool off for a bit.
We went to go have dinner around 7 at Tony's on the lake and when we got there I was so nauseaus and dizzy that I had to leave the restaurant and go lay in the car while everyone ate. I didn't make it too long before I text my Dad and said we had to go. I ended up sleeping all night and missed the fireworks.
Woke up Sunday morning and was feeling pretty good. Had some strawberry shortcake for breakfast (which was supposed to be my b-day dessert) and got ready to hit the road. On the drive home, I started feeling ill again and had to pull over in Ritzville to throw up. Needless to say, by the time I got home I was wanting to die.
All is better now and Lauren and I are headed to South Carolina tomorrow!

Other Fun Stuff

One of the things Lauren got for her birthday was a water mat play thing from Gramma Debbie. We got it out last weekend and she had a blast playing in it. Travis pulled her around in her wagon for a while and then we turned on the hose and watched her go to town on the mat.

Lauren's First Birthday

We celebrated Lauren's first birthday with a party here at our house on May 9th. It was so much fun and we had so many friends and family here...it was great! We missed Kyle and Courtney and Mia though (Travis' cousin, wife and baby) but maybe next year the girls can have a joint party or something.

On Lauren's actual birthday, I got off work early and we spent the evening playing and she got to open her present from Mommy and Daddy. We got her a red wagon and it was the highlight of the day!

We cannot believe she is 1 already and where did time go? She is an absolute joy to us and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect little girl. Did I mention she started walking the night before her birthday party?

Been a Rough Road...

As many of you know, I have been battling post-partum depression for almost a year now. At first I was scared to admit that that's what it was, but I have decided to embrace the issue and tackle it head on!

It started out as that feeling of overwhelmingness (is that even a word?) and progressively got worse. I haven't wanted to go out with my friends, I feel out of control when the house gets messy, I have irrational fears of losing the people I love, and so on and so forth. It has been really rough on me and Travis and Lauren, but I am now seeking help and I'm slowly starting to feel better.

My life is beautiful and while I may not live in a fancy house or drive a fancy car or make a ton of money, I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a husband who loves me very much (even though he can be a pain in the butt sometimes), and BEAUTIFUL daughter who makes everyday worth living for, and a dog who thinks I can do no wrong. I have 2 healthy parents who I see often now, and the rest of my family is pretty great too! So I had to have a new outlook on things and it really put my life into perspective.

If you have ever gone through this and need help, I know a great person to talk to. Also, please feel free to ask questions because I am willing to share my experiences with you and get feedback as well.

For those of you who have helped me in any way, thank you so much for your love and support. I don't know what we would have done without you!

Welcome Little Man!

My sister-in-law Heidi and her hubby Mark welcomed their little guy into the world last night. Michael Bradley Law is now here! Can't wait to meet him...

And Stephen's sister had her baby too last night just a few doors down. Congrats!

Lauren's First Easter

Lauren is sick...again...

My poor baby girl is sick yet again. I got a call from her daycare yesterday around noon and they told me she was running a 103.1 temp. so I went and picked her up. Made a call to the doctor and had her checked out (since she just got off antibiotics on Friday) and he's convinced it's just viral. Brought her home and she slept for 3 hours, woke up and ate some dinner (at 8:00 at night), had a tubby, hung out with mom for a little while, then had a bottle and went back to sleep until 4:15 when she woke up with a fever again.

Today has been the same. I give her tylenol, it breaks the fever, then as soon as it wears off the fever is back. Looks like we will be home again tomorrow...wish me luck!