Thanksgiving 2015

Dear family and friends,

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you. I hope tomorrow is simply amazing. This Thanksgiving is such a special one for me. As I have pondered what I want to put in my letter I find myself unsure as to where to begin. 

This is Afton's first Thanksgiving. I have been laughing a lot this week because this should technically be her second Thanksgiving... Considering she was due November 23 but did not grace us with her presence until December 4. This time last year I was 200% miserable!  I was so ready for her to arrive, lol.  This past (almost) year with her has been amazing. She is such a joy. I am not exactly sure how I was blessed with a baby who is THIS easy. Sure...we have our rotten days. She has so much sass in her but I love it. She is going to have an extremely dynamic personality. Afton Rebecca has brought so much joy to our family!  I knew I would love my child but I never knew I would love her THIS much. Maybe it's because I wanted to be a mom so badly and becoming a mother was not an easy process for me. I'm so blessed to be her mom!!! This year I am extra thankful that we live in a time when infertility does not mean you will never have a biological child. My journey to become a mother was my own personal hell. But with that said, I am thankful I had an amazing doctor who was willing to do an exploratory laparoscopy and was able to remove the endometriosis she found. I'm thankful she was prompted to suggest we immediately start taking the fertility pills to optimize our chances of getting pregnant. I'm thankful she took the time out of her incredibly busy schedule to call me personally and talk about my monthly blood work and always gave me hope that the surgery and the medication would actually work. Being a mother is such a gift. 

I am not sure how to put into words how blessed I am to me married to my amazing husband. We celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary this past July. It has been the best 5 years of my life. I never knew Married life could be so easy!!  Paul and I are not perfect individuals but we are perfect together. I am so blessed that he has offered to work crazy overtime hours so I can be a stay at home mom to our princess. I am blessed that Paul is not a fighter. We do not agree on everything that is going on in the world but we do not fight. I'm sure we so roll our eyes from time to time when the other isn't looking, lol 🙄. I know people say it's cheesy but he really is my best friend. I ❤️❤️❤️ him!!!! 

My life this past year has not been exactly what what I expected. 2 years ago we were living at his parents house while they served a 12 month mission for our church... And now we are back, lol. Pauls dad has had some health issues come up so we agreed to move in for 12-24 months to help with the happenings around the house while he and my mother in law get him back to his old ( not literally) self. Paul and I have amazing dreams for our family. We know where we would like to be a year from now so I am excited to see what the next year holds.  I don't know if our desires for our future are the same desires that Heavenly Father has for us but we will find out I guess!!! 

I constantly wonder why Heavenly Father has found me fit for the blessings that have come into my life. I often focus more on where I slip up than I do on what I do right... But my life is proof that Heavenly Father finds me more worthy of his blessings than I do. 

I am so incredibly excited to see what this next year will bring. I'm sure it will be just as amazing as this past year. 

I hope this finds you all healthy and happy!  Please be safe as you travel to spend time with those you love!!

Lots of love, 

Liz Quillon 

Happy fall y'all!!!

I cannot believe it is November already!  This year is flying by. Our little monkey will be 1 in a little over a month and I am officially in party planning mode... But at the same time I don't want to think much about what the day represents bc I do not know how I am going to get through the day without a box of Kleenex. I am not ready for my baby to be 1!!!!  

The past few weeks have been a little crazy!  Afton has been having some unusual episodes over the past few months so our pediatrician referred us to one of the best pediatric neurologists in the country. We were sent in for an EEG last week and we are thrilled to say all tests came back negative. It was an incredibly stressful time for several reasons. One reason was bc Paul was out of town while all of this was going on. He was able to meet with the neurologist with me but had to leave as soon as the appointment was over. The EEG took 1 hour and she did not have any episodes while we were at the hospital so they sent is home with a portable EEG monitor. We also had a portable video monitoring system that they wanted on as much as possible. I was SO incredibly thankful when Paul came home!!!!!  

Afton cried and cried and cried when the put the leads on her head. There were 29 of them and they had to glue them on. The entire time the tech kept saying Afton was the strongest baby she has ever seen, lol.  It was an incredibly long first day. My biggest fear was her sleeping and not strangling herself with her "ponytail" lol. So... I slept in her room and checked on her all night. I untangled her twice!!!  She is a squirmy little thing when she sleeps!  

She was actually incredibly happy and for the most part unaware of her head dress for the 2 days we were home with it. I know the prayers of our family and friends got me through those days. Paul was so helpful the 2nd night. He slept in her room that night and at no surprise to me he did not sleep much bc he was up checking on her every hour. 

Friday we went back to UVA hospital and had the leads taken off. It's amazing the sores she had on her head after having the leads glued on for just 2 days. She apparently has super sensitive skin!  She was so incredibly happy when we were leaving the hospital. Her pink pig "piggy" was her reward for being such an amazing little patient. 

Halloween was uneventful. Afton did not dress up this year. Paul had to work a UVA football game so we spent the day with Pauls sister Randi. We did some shopping and assembled some furniture Randi and her husband had ordered. It was honestly a wonderful day. Emily and I love dressing our girls up in matching outfits as often as possible!!!!!  Gosh I love these two girls!!! 

Afton looked so cute in her Halloween outfit!!! 

I'm so happy we were able to get some pictures outside in our yard before we gather the leaves up!!!!! 

Our dear friend Kelley took our family pictures again this year. She takes beautiful pictures!!!!  I'm so happy we were able to capture these moments together as a family. 

I LOVE fall!  It's such a beautiful time of year. I am not a fan of living on the east cost... But it's beautiful here this time of year!!!!!  

Afton is now 11 months old and is getting SO big!!!!!  She is now clapping and blowing raspberries. She likes to pat me on the back while I am patting her on the back! Lol.  She is walking along the furniture and is really wanting to stand by herself but we are just not quite there yet. She will be walking very very soon I am guessing. She has 2 bottom teeth now and her 2 top teeth will probably be making their appearance within the next few weeks. It's shocking how quickly babies change :). She is really mastering "da da". Her favorite foods are bananas, apple sauce and Mac and cheese! She is also figuring out how to dance. I will try to get a few videos posted in the next few days. 

Her birthday is December 4 and her party is December 5. I am so so so excited. Paul will be in Florida the week before her birthday and will fly home the night of the 4th. Thankfully my mom will be here the evening of the 3rd so we can finish birthday stuff before Paul gets home Friday night. I can't wait to see my mom and my niece Liliana. I sure miss my Lily!!!! 

Well...  I think that's all for now. It's almost midnight and tomorrow I start crib training for nap time. Since we have mastered bedtime, it's now time to teach this stubborn little thing that her crib is a safe place during the day too!!!!!  

I hope this post finds you all happy and healthy. 

EQ

10 months old

Well... My little princess is 10 months old already and I can honestly say this has been the most challenging month yet ( besides her 1st month 😂). Afton is either pure joy or pure terror and I am not sure what to do!  She loves to play and she is extremely independent when she is playing. She does very well entertaining herself when I am busy with other things. Sleeping and eating are two TOTALLY different stories. I have never seen a baby  who hates eating as much as this little girl. She has finally decided that shells and cheese are not pure poison so that is what we typically eat at least 1 meal a day right now. She enjoys bananas so that is usually breakfast and she likes crunch berry cereal and Cookie Crisp cereal. I think she has also decided apple sauce is not the most disgusting thing ever... So yay for that... I guess. Sleeping has been HORRIBLE. When she started teething she decided she no longer enjoyed sleeping in her crib so we have been fighting with the "do we force her crib on her and get zero sleep or let her sleep with us and get a tiny bit of sleep?"  We have been trying to do both but tonight we are implementing the Cry it out method. Am I ready for a week of pure hell???  Ummm.... No but neither can I have a baby who down right refuses to sleep in her crib. This mommy is 100% worn out. I feel like a new mom again. In case you do not believe that my beautiful princess has a hysterical side... Here is proof. 

This right here is my life at the moment. Heaven help me. Poor thing cut her first tooth about 3 weeks ago and is getting ready to cut her second, right next door to the first one. I know she is miserable and I hate that there is only so much I can do to help. Being a mom is hard work. I find myself telling Paul more and more that he needs to quit his job and I'll go to work full time if that means I get to be the one who sleeps at night and who gets to start my day by having lunch with my work buddies. 

Setting all the hardships aside, amazing things are happening in Afton's life and I'm thankful I get to witness them.  She is pulling up on everything and she is starting to wave at people from time to time. She is babbling up a storm and we are sure she will have a lot to say when the time is right, lol. She is starting to show some interest in walking with the assistance of us holding her fingers. 

Recently we had Pauls older sister Kaylyn and her 3 girls (Corin, Kendall and Skylar) visit for 2 1/2 weeks from Arizona. I sobbed like a baby when she left a few days ago. I hate having my dear friend so far away. We had such a wonderful time! We hosted a baby shower for my sis in law Randi and I had so much fun making the decorations!!! 

Randi got some wonderful gifts!!!  Baby Elliott is going to be very spoiled 😂😂. I loved having Afton's cousins here. Gosh I miss them! 

Afton and Skylar ready for bath time! 

I will post a few more pictures later this week when I get copies from Kaylyn. We were pretty bad about getting pictures this trip!  We were so crazy busy most of the time!!!  

Well, I think that's all the big news for now. Paul has some training coming up in a couple weeks near Virginia Beach. 

I hope all is well with those who read my blog! 

EQ

9 month pictures!

It's so hard believe Afton is 9 months old!  I could have completed a second pregnancy by now!  Mercy, NOOOO!!!  I love this little girl so so much. Everyone tells me how she has such a sweet personality and a super calm disposition ☺️. She takes after her dad in so many amazing ways!!  As usual, we snapped some pictures and I have to say... It's darn near impossible to get her to sit still long enough to do a 5 minute photo session, lol. We did our best and I love them!  

In the past 4 weeks Afton has learned to crawl and pull up. She is getting into everything, especially the dogs food and water!  She loves when we read to her and she enjoys watching Curious George on Netflix. She also loves The Wiggles!  I have to admit... I honestly hate both shows but I pick my battles carefully,

Lol. She is sleeping through the night for the most part.  Last nights 3 am play date was extremely abnormal and we are praying It was a 1 time gig. She has the most beautiful big smile and her hair is starting to curl is the funniest places. Poor things hair looks like a hot mess by bedtime ☺️. She is saying momma and dadda. Not exactly sure if she knows what she is saying but she is getting better at using the words in the correct context. 

This month I also celebrated my 32nd birthday!  It was a wonderful day!  Paul took the day off so we started the day at IHOP to enjoy a wonderful brunch!  We then did some shopping and when he was done with court we dropped Afton off at my friend Kelleys and we drove to Short Pump for dinner at Olive Garden and walked around the outdoor mall for a bit. We grabbed dessert from Cheesecake Factory on our way out of town too. The day was wonderful and delicious!!  Paul gave me a beautiful card and a gift card for Bare Minerals!!!  Needless to say I took the next available opportunity to go shopping for some new makeup!  

Paul had the change this year to ride his motorcycle to NYC to participate in the 9/11 Memorial Ride which is sponsored by the 9/11 Memorial Foundation. This is the 14th year of the ride and Paul's 2nd year he has been able to make the trip. He hates NYC but loves being with the other motor officers he rides with from Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Afton and I are driving to NYC next summer to watch all the bikes ride into the city. It will be amazing to experience since next year will be the last year of the ride. 

This has been an amazing month. We have made some great memories as a family. I hope this update finds everyone well!!! 

8 months old!

My princess turned 8 months old on Tuesday. The past month has totally flown by!  I hope I can get all the pictures I want posted today!

July was a crazy busy month for us. Paul had normal work stuff and a consistently abnormal schedule. His NORMAL hours are Monday to Friday 12:30 pm - 8:30 pm. He has worked a lot of daylight shifts and I'll admit it's been really nice. Our county had 5 (it may have been 4) fatalities in just 2 days so his traffic unit (the motor cops) have been running around like deliriously fools trying to get paperwork done in the event that charges are filed. It's a lot of driving around looking at cars, talking to people and reconstructing the accident. Things are finally slowing down... Just in time for the motor officers to head to NYC for 4 days at the end of the month for the annual 9/11 memorial ride. I believe next year is the final year of this event and since my dear friend Stephanie will be living in NYC, my goal is to drive there and enjoy the festivities (and much needed girl time). 

This past week was National Night Out and I was so happy Afton and I could attend. I was toooooo sick last year to go. 

I was annoyed with myself that I forgot to get a picture of Paul and I while I was ther. Next year!!! 

Like I said before... I cannot believe Afton is 8 months old!!! She is ALMOST ready to crawl.  We give her tummy time every day and although she has perfected going backwards, she has not really grasp the idea of moving forward.  I am so anxious to watch her crawl but I know I wont be able to keep her confined to one place without gates, lol.  In our current living area, crawling will be... interesting. 

Afton is learning how to play peek-a-boo with us. She pulls a towel over her face and then yanks it down and giggles when we say "boo".  She did it for the first time while she was in her stroller at the mall.  At first I could not figure out what she was doing.  Once I realized she was wanting to play, we had a great time together!  She now grunts at us when she gets annoyed, lol.  Is it sad that we find these moments hilarious????  Yes, I laugh at my child when I probably shouldn't.  Oh well!  :)  Afton's sleep pattern has changed drastically the past month.  Before we left for Missouri we had done months worth of sleep training and had it down to a science.  We would give her a "night time" bottle (formula with cereal) at 8:30 or 9:00 and we would rock her to sleep.  She has always been a pretty good sleeper but has still woken up at least twice throughout the night.  Never for long though (thank goodness).  Well, when she and I returned from Missouri we went through about 4 nights of hell.  She would fight and fight at bedtime.  She wanted her bottle but did not want to go to sleep.  We would rock and rock and rock until she finally went to sleep and then she was up every hour throughout the night wanting to be held, or fed, or just awake.  Paul was working mostly daylight hours that weeks so I was exhausted to say the least.  About night 5 I was so fed up.  I told Paul we were going to let her put herself to bed.  We let her stay up until she was totally exhausted.  Finally around 10:30 she was sound asleep and we were able to lay her in her crib and she only woke up once during the night.  It was a miracle.  We have done that every night since and we have had a very happy baby since.  I've realized that although sleep training is a good thing, you have to roll with the punches when they decide to change their sleeping habits.  I did not have the energy to fight with her every single night.  She really is one of the happiest little girls I have ever seen.  She is still taking 1 long nap during the day and maybe 1 little power nap around 5pm. That schedule works well for us right now since Paul is working until 8 pm for the time being.  We take her to see Dr. Hawkes September 10th and I anxious to get her measurements and discuss our food issues with him.  Afton does not like most foods. She hates the texture so she is very reluctant to eat anything that is not formula.  I don't want my princess to grow up any faster than necessary but I will be so happy when we no longer have to buy formula!  Afton's hair is finally starting to come in and it's beautiful.  She has this awesome curl on her forehead and I can already tell the rest of it will be quite curly.  She is quite blonde with a little hint of red when she is in the sun.  With her blue eyes and fair complexion she is going to be so pretty! 

Afton and I also spent 10 days in Missouri in July. I loved seeing so many family members!!  Especially my aunt and cousin who were here from China. They teach school for an America college in China and are only able to come back for a few weeks in the summer. They brought Afton a beautiful teapot!  

I will do a blog post just about our trip when i can fish out the laptop. It's too much to write using my phone keyboard! Lol. I'll post pictures now though :) 

Uncle John and Aunt Megan were a huge hit with these two little girls.  They loved spending time with them at their house in Moberly.  Uncle John is a firefighter and I cannot wait until the girls are old enough to go to his fire house and see the trucks.  We spend several days with John and Megan and we are already getting excited about next years trip! 

Afton had such a blast swimming in the pool John and Megan got for the girls.  They thought the pool they were getting was much smaller but this one was perfect because they were able to get in with the girls and really have a good time!!!!

John wanted to show Afton what gardening was all about.  He told her all the plants that were growing and he gave her a fresh green bean to chew on while they were working together.  She sat so still on her chair and watched everything he did. 

We were given this floaty before Afton was born and it is AMAZING. It allowed Afton to float around the pool and have a little independence while doing so.  Lily's floaty popped but we eventually found a replacement for her.  Until then, she had to make do with the green ring.  She was such a good helper when her and Afton were swimming!

John and Megan bought the girls matching Ninja Turtle shirts and socks!  They looked so cute in their matching outfits.  I know these girls are not sisters but they are BFF cousins and my sister and I LOVE dressing them in matching outfits.  It will be a while before my sister has another baby and a LONGER (if ever) while before I have another one so they will grow up the closest in age... by far. 

During our entire trip Lily kept wanting to give Afton kisses, or chew on her toes!  Afton did not seem to mind either, lol.  I love watching these two girls interact. 

Drakes was AMAZING!  I had been waiting months for this meal on our trip.  I was so happy to be able to spend time with my grandma Becky.  Afton had such a great time siting on great-grandmas lap.

Our last day with John and Megan was so sad for me.  I hate living so far away from these two.  They love these little girls and the girls love them.  Saying goodbye after this visit broke my heart.  Megan kept saying she was not going to cry... I wont lie, I did when I got in the car. 

One of the days of our trip we went to visit some good friends.  They have a little dog who is not used to having little girls around.  Lily pulled the dogs tail and tried to give it a kiss and the dog ended up biting Lily on her cheek.  It could have been a LOT worse but it freaked us out just the same.  She was a trooper and after a little loving from mommy and grandma she was back to her spunky self. Mom and Em did take her to the ER since it broke the skin on her nose. Dr. said everything looked good but gave her some antibiotics as a preventative. 

Emily, mom and I went to Nauvoo to watch the pageant.  It was a beautiful day but HOT.  We kept the girls as cool as possible but they ended up throwing in the towel sooner than we would have liked.  We made it through the first 30 minutes of the pageant and Lily was D-O-N-E.  We made it back to our hotel in Hannibal sometime around midnight and realized maybe it was a blessing she was ready to go home b/c Emily could not stay awake the entire trip home and I was lucky to make it to the hotel without having to pull over. Funny side story:  I am not as familiar with the area of Quincy we drive through coming home from Nauvoo since I was living in Kirksville when we would make the monthly trips so I was trying to get directions from Emily.  The directions were not making any sense.  She kept telling me to take a right when I KNEW I needed to take a left.  Finally I realized she was giving me directions in her sleep......  We woke up enough to get us where we needed to go.  LOL

A few pix of the girls in Nauvoo.

One of the best days of our trip was going to the STL Cardinals game!  It was very hot and we were VERY high up in the stadium but the seats were still amazing and we had a blast.  I learned this year that next year I am getting a babysitter, lol! 

The day mom and I headed to STL for me to catch my flight early the next day, we went to my Aunt Kate's for a family bbq.  It was so wonderful to spend a little more time with the Blessing clan before heading home. 

Mom, Afton and I took flowers to Erin's grave.  Emily and I spent a long time picking out the perfect flowers for her.  September 4 will be 31 years that she has been gone. Its strange to miss someone you have never met (I was born sept 1, 1983 and she died sept 4, 1982) and yet I miss her every day. 

My sweet cousin Adria met us in STL at Vivianos for a quick minute before mom and I headed to our hotel in St. Charles.  I love her and wish we lived closer.  There is the same distance between Adria and I that there will be between Lily and Afton. 

Traveling home we were both TOTALLY EXHAUSTED.  I could have cried when Paul picked us up from the airport and we were finally on 29 South. It was a long 10 days and I decided next years trip will be 5 days.  I cant be away from home that long again.  Its too hard on me, Afton and Paul! 

I hope this entry found everyone well.  Life for us is wonderful.  We cant wait to see what the next month is going to bring! 

Love,
EQ