Happy Birthday Jenni Anne!

I have been meaning to post this post for about 2 days now, but we have been too busy celebrating. My sweet baby girl turned one on Thursday. That's right she is a July 4th baby.

Now, her journey to being a little firecracker was not a smooth ride. For starters, I had four doctors tell me that I was unable to have children, but God had other plans. The day we found out we were pregnant with Jenni Anne was one of the happiest days of our lives. It was an amazing journey, but it was not an easy one. I went into preterm labor at the beginning of my third trimester. So, I spent all of June on bed rest. I wouldn't have made it through that month had it not been for my amazing husband, family, friends, and some Saved by the Bell, Army Wives, and Nicholas Sparks.

Jenni Anne wasn't due until August 5, but here came July 4 at 2:45 am. I woke up for my usual midnight snack and bathroom break, when I realized that my water might have broke. I wasn't quite sure right away, so what did I do? I went to the kitchen, opened the cabinet, got my usual scoop of peanut butter, poured a glass of milk, and prayed to God that I would know what to do. I wasn't scared of the baby coming or my water breaking. What scared me was that it was still 1 month away. She would be considered a preemie for another week. I called my mom, woke Caleb up, called the doctor and headed to the hospital.

When they confirmed that my water broke and I was officially in labor, I looked at Caleb with a mix of joy and fear in my eyes. We were so excited to meet our baby that we have prayed for, but we just wanted everything to be okay. The labor part was a little more complicated than what was expected, but I still had faith that God was going to let everything be ok.

When Jenni Anne finally arrived into the world, she wasn't breathing. I was too worried about what was going on with her to know that I was losing a lot of blood. Come to find out I almost had to have a transfusion, but I had no clue. My mind was focused on what was happening with my baby girl. Why wasn't she breathing? Why wasn't she crying? Was she ok? Why wasn't anyone telling me? All the why's were flowing through my head for what seemed like eternity, but what was actually less than a minute. They gave her a few breaths of oxygen and she was great. She was perfect. All 4 lbs. 13 oz. and 18 in. of her. Absolutely perfection.

We were worried about her heart, lungs, and everything. The nurses looked at us and said, "You have one strong baby girl. She is a fighter." Those words are still true for this little girl. She has been through it all.. staying in the NICU after we had to go home, RSV, MRI, eye surgery, acid reflux, reflux in her kidneys, hospitalized 2 times, multiple ER visits, febrile seizures, glasses, torticollis, delayed on crawling and walking, and those are just what I can think of off the top of my head. This baby has been through more than any child should have to go through in the course of a year. Many people would ask how could God do this? and I have to admit, I have thought why so much, but the truth is that He is preparing her to be a strong person. All of these struggles this young are building her up and I can see that now.

The day Jenni Anne was born.

5 Days old in the NICU

12 Days old

1 Year Old

New Recipes+Crafts+Amazing Friends= One Great Pinterest Party

Do you ever get on Pinterest and pin so much stuff, but never actually follow through with making it? That is definitely me. I love me some Pinterest, but mainly because there is so much on there that could make my life easier. Great organization tips... New recipes, so that Caleb doesn't have to eat spaghetti or roast every night... Creative ideas for my classroom... And the overload of crafty things to do. With all of this in mind, I decided to have a Pinterest party.

The point of a Pinterest party is to make a recipe that you have found on Pinterest to share (preferably one that you have never made before, that way you can cross it off your want to try list) and the materials that you need to make a craft or DIY project. This way you get to mark some things off of that Pinterest- To-Do List. 

Here are a few of the recipes that we had. Click on the link to send you to the recipes:

Mac-N-Cheese Muffins- Liz

Nutella Turnover- Tessa

Beer Dip- Beth

Individual 7 Layer Dip- Katie Dale

I made:

Barbeque Pizza

1 Pillsbury Pizza Crust (or another crust of your choice)

Sticky Fingers Sweet Carolina BBQ Sauce

2-3 Cups of Shredded Beef (I used a chuck roast cooked in the crockpot)

3-4 Cups of shredded mild cheddar cheese

1 Vidalia Onion Sliced

Spread Sauce over pizza crust (save some for the top), add beef, onions, and cheese. Top with remaining BBQ sauce. Follow the directions on the pizza crust.

The Sarasota

1 bottle of Barefoot Moscato Wine

1 can of frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate

1 Liter of Ginger Ale

Crushed raspberries

Mix together and enjoy! P.S. this is SO delicious!!!

They were all delicious! I cannot choose which one that I liked better. 

These delicious recipes came along with amazing crafts.  

Two of my sorority sisters, Tessa and Beth, came and made Chalkboard painted wine glasses. They turned out great. Here is the like for them:

Liz made precious cards that she is going to use to give as gifts. I wish I would have thought of that. She also made hair bows for her daughters.

Katie Dale printed out 3 5x7 pictures and painted an 8x10 canvas. She then Modge Podged the 5x7 onto the 8x10. She made 3 of these and gave them as gifts. They are so pretty!

I did something a little simpler. Jenni Anne's 1st Birthday is coming up and I got Quart sized wide mouthed mason jars and tied red chevron around them. I am going to use them as the center pieces for her birthday party. I am so excited about it.

Have you found anything good on Pinterest that you would like to share? Leave your comment!