Rompers and Ruffles Link Up!

 I follow Kelly's Korner blog (how cute is Harper?!) and today is Show us Your Life Friday! This week's SUYL is "show us what you do/make!" Hello? Could this be better timing? SOOO... welcome fellow Kelly's Korner followers to my blog, Saved by Grace... Maintained by Coffee! Check it out and feel free to follow if you like!

I am the co-owner of Rompers and Ruffles, a BRAND NEW online children's clothing and accessory boutique! My son's Godmother, Tabitha, and I created Rompers and Ruffles after 2 frustrating years of searching for adorable, affordable, quality children's clothes! With the due date of my daughter, Avery Madison, just around the corner in May, our eyes turned to all things, pink, ruffled and girly! We offer adorable, affordable, custom made clothes and accessories for boys, girls and moms! Not a mom yet? Our website is baby shower gift friendly! We can help you pick the perfect gift for the mom or baby-to-be!

  

Our product line includes everything from:

Handmade Beanies

Girl Owl Beanie (photo courtesy of Allison Fowler Photography)

Girl Bear Beanie

Double Pom Beanie. How C-U-T-E would this be on a naked newborn in a photoshoot!?!

Nursing Covers

Roco Beat Paisley Nursing Cover with fuchsia ric rac

 Burp Cloths

Initial Applique Bib in seersucker with polka dot ric rac

 Appliqued and Monogrammed T-Shirts, Bodysuits, Jon Jons, Longalls, and Dresses

Red Wagon Applique Tinker Toy Font

Alligator Patch Applique (and future heart breaker... Parker!)

Airplane Applique, Whoa Nelly Font. Shirt does not come with excessive amounts of dirt... but almost 2 year old toddler boy does!!! Thank God for Spray n Wash, right moms?!

Snack Cups, Sippy Cups and Travel Mugs

Blue lid snack cup with red polka dots, blue thread and Jester font

White Sippy Cup with pink zebra design and purple thread in curlz font

Lime polka dots with pink Abigail font

We currently have OVER 80 applique designs and add more frequently! New items are added all the time so check back regularly! All items are custom made when ordered so if you'd like to change fabric, thread or color you're able to do that when checking out. If you don't see a product that you're looking for, contact us for custom designs!

Beanies: tabitha@rompersandruffles.com

Applique and sewn items: taylor@rompersandruffles.com

Check out our website:

www.RompersandRuffles.com

Follow us on facebook!

Justine, over at Just Another Day in Paradise is currently doing a Rompers and Ruffles giveaway! Hop on over there to enter to win a FREE applique t-shirt or bodysuit of your choice!

Happy Birthday to ME!

It's my birthday....and I'm not a huge birthdayer past the age of 21. Now, it's basically a day where I feel I can ask for a few favors and people can't say no. :) So far today, Daniel got up with Parker so I could sleep in, he made pancakes and he's making burgers for dinner. There is also a Dairy Queen ice cream cake waiting for me in the deep freezer! I bought myself some flowers at the grocery store without Daniel complaining that they're a waste of money (side note: tulips are on sale at Harris Teeter for $2.99!) and Holly delivered me a tasty Sbux frap! I also bought 40 BIG spools of thread (for $50 bucks! Killer deal!) and that came in today so basically, it's been a GREAT day!

You know what's been overwhelming? The 200 birthday facebook posts I've received! I am feeling the love today! You know who's giving me LOADS of b'day love today?

 

This little dude!

He is currently spooning me watching Thomas the Train. It's nap time and he'll crash in a few minutes but for now, I'm cherishing these moments! He's been super sweet, huggy and well behaved! He "baked" me a cake and poured me a nice cup of coffee this morning from his play kitchen. What a perfect birthday present from an almost 2 year old! My heart is full and blessed and that makes today a WONDERFUL birthday!

Want to make my b'day even better? Like Romper and Ruffles on facebook here.

You can also enter the Rompers and Ruffles giveaway over at Just Another Day in Paradise here!

AND don't forget to visit our website!

23 Months Old!

My goodness... Parker Alexander Wise.... you are 23 months old! In 1 month we will be playing in the indoor water park at Splash Planet celebrating your 2nd birthday!!!!!!!

Blurry but cute!

I figured I'd write a post about what you're into but writing one about what you're NOT into maybe be quicker! So.... you don't like having your face washed after a meal, your toe nails clipped or when the dogs try to steal your waffle (which happens EVERY morning so I make you 2!). DONE! :)

Kidding. Ok. You are SOOOO fun! You're high energy and you talk a lot! I don't always understand it and it's usually in 1 or 2 words mixed in with some of your favorite made up words. You love to tackle your dad and I and "bite" us which is where you open mouth kiss our checks. It's gross but I love you anyways. You get SOOO excited to see your daddy or I and you yell our names and "YAY!"

New this month:
*"Choo Choo" You have a select number of Thomas the Train shows you tolerate before wanting Barney again. You mostly just like the theme song.
*It's been nice enough to play outside and you ask to go "wee" (swing and slide) 45 times a day.
*You answer "no" for no and "nom" for yes. It's very confusing. You also say it 2-4 times just to make sure I got it.
*The Curious George goes to the Aquarium book is your new favorite but we can't actually read it. We must explain the pictures and "bite your finger" when the crab bites George's. Daddy doesn't do it right and you stick your finger in his mouth. I love it.
*You got super sick this month so we had LOTS of cuddle time! Now that you're feeling better you are SOOO happy! You got very bored at home and would grab the diaper bag, put it on your shoulder and say "bye bye!"
*You've enjoyed 2 trips to Discovery Place Kids this month (one of which gave you RSV). You LOVE it!
*You WILL not sit in the cart anywhere except the grocery store. You have to stand in the basket part and waive to EVERYONE. You rummage through the diaper bag looking for "yummies" (suckers) and if you find the Flip Video, you hold it up and say "CHEESE!" to everyone that passes us. I think it's ADORABLE!
*Your favorite phrases are "oh no!" "Oh boy" "alright!" "no no no no no" "no mine" "I go wee"
*You find our cell phones and hold them to your ear and talk. You ALWAYS end the call with "ummmm.... bye bye" A calculator also works:)
*You're still pretty easy to get to bed but being sick got you in the habit of crying for mommy and I came... trying to break that now! You took 2 hours to go to sleep tonight!!!!
*I can't thank you enough for not caring what you wear! Mommy started a new business (www.rompersandruffles.com) and it's all about applique! You are my model and you rock my designs almost on a daily basis now. It's the marketer in me. Please never like Buzz Lightyear or characters.

You can buy this shirt at www.rompersandruffles.com! It's the alligator patch!

 Tonight your dad made me make you a shirt with this airplane. I bet you'll be wearing it tomorrow!

Your dad and I LOVE you to PIECES! You're such a fun boy with a sweet spirit. You pray at EVERY meal and it melts my heart! Even though we don't take you to church right now (since you FLIP OUT and you and the rest of all 1-2 year olds have been sick this winter), I love knowing that you're learning how to be thankful to the Lord for your blessings. You are such a joy to us! Happy 23 months!

Need a Good Laugh? ...and an announcement!!!

I haven't had a good laugh til you cry, kind of laugh in quite some time. I prefer for these kinds of laughs to not be at my expense but these days, I'll take what I can get!

Today, I got 2 1/2 heavenly hours out of the house! I HAD to have my gestational diabetes test this week and today was the ONLY day I could work it out. I put Parker down for a nap and headed out (early so I could get about 40 mins of "me time" in first! WHICH... I spent shopping for spring clothes for the kids!) Go figure. 

As usual, when I got to the OBGYN office they had me give them a "sample." You should know this is only the 2nd time I've been to this practice but like the 100th sample I've given in my life....the first 99 all successfully.This time; however, I managed to donate a gracious sample and then proceed to...... yes it is going there........ drop it. I spilled the ENTIRE cup of urine ALL.OVER.THE.FLOOR. 

Epic  failure. I had 2 options.... cry or laugh. I figured laughing would get me further and would avoid maybe some of the embarrassment of explaining my "situation" to the nurses. The good news: apparently it happens all the time. The bad news: now I'm seriously grossed out that pee is all over the floor on a frequent basis. I figure, now I've made my grand entrance into the new OBGYN practice and it can only go uphill from here, right? BUT then I remembered why I'm there..... childbirth... and I was immediately no longer embarrassed by my clumsiness!

Now... onto more exciting stuff! I have been asked by many people to open an etsy shop. My friend Tabitha and I are SUPER excited to announce that we will be starting a website called Rompers and Ruffles full of bows, beanies, kids clothes and accessories! It's not quite done yet but when it is, I'll let you know! We decided that to drum up more business, we would each also start etsy shops since most people go there to buy custom items. My little shop won't carry the full line of Rompers and Ruffles items but it will have some of the items I'm hoping to sell the most of. (aka... items that take less than 45 minutes to complete...nap time projects!) I'll be adding items regularly and only have a few items currently listed but I'm too excited to not announce it! Soo... without further adieu, I give you my etsy shop: The Polka Dot Palmetto!

New items will be listed regularly so check back frequently or message me for custom orders! This logo will remain on the right hand side of my blog if you ever need a quick access link just click the logo :)

RSV

Never a dull moment in the Wise household! Today has been.... a struggle to say the least. Parker was diagnosed with RSV on Thursday and it's been an uphill battle since to get him to eat or drink ANYTHING. Last night we called the after hours pediatrician line and after a 2 1/2 hour wait were told to bring him in the morning. Daniel and I brought a fairly lifeless and jammie dressed Parker (YES, I, Taylor Wise, took him out in his jammies) to the doctor this morning and he was so super snuggly! He slept in between each test on my chest like he did when he was a newborn. They tested him for mono and other illnesses via blood test, pneumonia with a chest x-ray (holy cow is that contraption they put him in traumatizing... for me and him!) and did a snot test for the flu, strep and RSV. He has a virus that caused his RSV and we're excited to have answers but now we need healing! 

A few pics from when he perked up yesterday!

 He HAD to drink by 3pm... which didn't happen so as we were strapping him in the car seat to head to the ER, he took 4 sips of soy milk (which he's allowed to have... no worries!). Thank the Lord! I drove around the neighborhood with him, hoping he'd drink more or go back to sleep. Neither happened but he did perk up enough to sit in my lap in the driveway for about 45 minutes! It was a much needed breather! 

He didn't eat dinner but he did eventually drink 12 ounces of fluid so we should be good for the rest of the night. We gave him his steroid before he went to sleep at 6:30 and I just snuck in and did his breathing treatment while he was sleeping. He has to have it every 3 hours so I'll be setting my alarm for the next few nights to do it. It's 108.3 times easier to do while he's sleeping so it's worth it to make sure he at least gets a few good treatments in a day! We head back to the doctor tomorrow morning at 9:10 so hopefully he'll be on the upswing after a good night's sleep! Fingers crossed!

As for me... whew.... I have ups and downs. There are moments I'm running on empty and in tears and other moments when I feel at peace and energized. Right now is somewhere in between. I'm emotionally drained from taking care of Daniel and Parker but if given the opportunity to go and be anywhere else, I wouldn't be anywhere but here. I LOVE being a wife and mom... but this isn't the fun part! I'm SOOO ready for spring when the weather is nice, all these nasty viruses are GONE and we can play with friends again without the fear of illnesses!

Happy 100th Post to Me!

Happy 100th post to me!

This cupcake looks really gross but it's a 100th post celebration cupcake so it's gonna have to do. 

This cupcake looks really pretty but I found it on a health food website so it probably taste like cardboard

So let's imagine we're eating this instead. Because, lets be honest, this is the best cake batter ever. (Yes I am still 7 and I like sprinkles on and in my cake).

When I started this blog, I never knew how "into it" I'd get but this has been such a positive experience! I've loved cataloging our lives and sharing it with you...the good, the bad, the funny, the mundane...all of it! I've always been an "open book." Certain events in my very public life have caused me to want to retreat and be much more private but at the end of the day, I enjoy "doing life" in community. 

I wish I had this blog when I went through cancer or when Parker was in the NICU. We truly witnessed the power of prayer, support and encouragement during that time which we walked through very publicly via facebook and email. I can't begin to imagine how many more prayers and stories of encouragement we would have received if I'd blogged then! On the flip side, we'd get a few extra crazies who share their dead relative/baby stories (seriously... this happened ALL OF THE TIME in the grocery store etc) but you commit to taking the good with the bad when you live your life publicly.

I know blogging is controversial and people are very quick to give their opinions on them (the majority without ever reading it!) ... so for the record.... I am pro blog! I've thoroughly enjoyed having an emotional outlet, a baby book, a scrapbook, a support group and a way to stay "in the loop" all in one. If you don't personally have a blog, try it... you may find you really enjoy documenting your thoughts, happenings, feelings etc. I bet we'll all really enjoy reading back through them when we're old!

Here's to 100 more blog posts!

Blog Makeover!

How do you like it? Pretty huh?! In honor of my 100th post, I wanted a new, snazzy blog template and searched all over the web until I found this one! Originally I wanted a header with a picture BUT how am I EVER to choose one picture and when I want to change it, how in the world do I do that?! I'm certainly NOT a tech guru! At the end of the day, I'm definitely happy with the results I got! This blog certainly does NOT lack pictures so I doubt you'll be jonesing for one in the blog header ;)

This was supposed to be revealed on the 100th post (woo hoo!) BUT Alicia at Dreamlike Magic Designs is SOOOO fast, she installed it today, making it my 99th post! I found this template on etsy and was immediately drawn to the polka dots, colors and swirls! How very girly and whimsical, I thought. You know, I'm all about the whimsy. haha. Anyways, she was a breeze to work with, super affordable AND she installed it for me which is what sealed the deal! Check it out... I have a button. I have no idea what you use it for but apparently is has a code... and you grab it. I don't know what you grab it for... but grab away! It's cute! PLUS, check out that snazzy signature. How very bloggerish of me, right? I feel so legit now!

Mono Man-Child

Did I really just order Parker's 2nd birthday party invitation?!?! Yes I did... holy moly time flies.
This sweet little face will be 2 in March which sounds forever away but it's just next month! 

Can you tell we took him to the park the second he woke up from a nap?! Major bed head!

Thankfully, it's not until the end of March because I'm not ready for him to be 2. I cried a good portion of the day he turned 1. This is making me anxious so we have to change subjects!

I suppose I need to fill you all in on the ups and downs from Thursday-Saturday with Daniel. The saying "life is a roller coaster" was written about my life. You thought it was about yours? Nope... Where did I leave off? Basically, his ultrasound came back that he had an enlarged spleen and liver. His test results confirmed mono which was the BEST CASE scenario and we were praising God (and still are) for that diagnoses! The next day (Friday) his lever function test came back that he had elevated uric acid and LDH levels. SO the doctor wanted to have a full body CT scan to look for lymphoma and leukemia. Breathe in, Breathe out! While this was tough news, Daniel and I both had peace about this. We figured the scan would come back clean but if it didn't... we'd deal. We've conquered cancer before and if we had to, we'd just do it again. THANKFULLY, Saturday afternoon, the doctor called with the GREAT news that his scans were clean! PRAISE THE LORD! He'll have a few more blood panels run throughout the coming weeks to make sure his uric acid, liver enzymes and LDH all go back to normal. So for now... Daniel is like a newborn (great practice for Avery!).... he sleeps, eats when he wants, whines (only occasionally), poops then goes back to sleep!

All things considered, the events of this week have definitely made me realize that I will take my mono ridden, man-child of a husband ANY DAY over the thought of life without him! Prayers for continued strength for Daniel, rest and healing. For me... patience, empathy, sympathy, strength, the ability to handle everything that Daniel can't while he's sick, super mom abilities, a maid (what? how did that get on my prayer list?!) :) Thank you again for all of your prayers and sweet messages throughout the last week! I think we're finally off the major scary roller coaster and back on the kiddie one!

Don't Take My Starbucks!

On Friday, my mom and I made a quick trip to Target. Of course, no trip to Target would be complete without swinging through the in store Starbucks! Parker knows Starbucks all too well and starts yelling "BOBBY" (which is what he calls soy milk... weird, I know) when he sees any Starbucks. I was trying to search for a cute maternity top and Parker was being fidgety in the cart so, being the mother of the year I am, I handed him my Starbucks (cold drink, obviously!) for a second so I could try on a top and entertain him at the same time. I quickly learned that the apple didn't fall far from the tree when it comes to the love for all things coffee! See for yourself!

If you're having problems viewing it here, you can watch it on You Tube here.

Personal Victory Celebration!

In the busyness of life lately, I forgot to CELEBRATE a huge personal victory! On January 31st, 2008 I finished my LAST CHEMO!

Yes... this is possibly the WORST picture of me EVER... but it was a day for celebrating, even though I felt like death. We PROBABLY should have taken the "yay it's my last chemo pic" prior to receiving 6 hours of chemo and turning yellow. On the left is my oncologist and on the right was my infusion nurse. Big cheerleaders of mine!

It's insane how much life has changed since then! I have a baby I shouldn't be able to have and another miracle on the way! My hair is (let's be honest) pretty amazing, long and full of life and body (I can brag about this right?) Looking at me now, 3 years later, the only visible sign you can see is my port scar and 95% of people just think I was knifed instead which is WAY more gangster and it makes me laugh.

There's definitely been a change of heart. I became hard and cold to other people's problems during my cancer. It was tough to be compassionate and it's something God is really working on me with. I'm starting to see change, albeit S.L.O.W.L.Y! Sympathy, empathy and compassion are all qualities I have never had in abundance but pray to learn and feel. I see this change in my new found heart for preemies and young children in terrible circumstances. Hopefully, it continues to flow to other areas as well!

So today, despite whatever Daniel's test results are (we find out at 11:45)... today is a cupcake and sunshine day because we have SOO much to be thankful for and today we're claiming victory in that! Amen!

I leave you with this video: Healer by Hillsong. Yes, the man singing (Mike) faked his cancer and this should infuriate me but that doesn't negate the fact that this is an AMAZING song and God worked wonders in me through the lyrics of this song. This song gave me the words to claim in the name of Jesus for healing of my body and I pray and sing the same lyrics over Daniel now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_MQtokXCb4
Unfortunately, blogger is being silly and it won't let me add the video so you can watch it here but you can click the link and it will take you to it.

"For NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE for YOU! YOU hold my world in YOUR hands!"

Do you have a personal victory you're celebrating? We'd love to celebrate and praise Jesus with you! Leave a comment below!

Daniel update

We're back from the ultrasound and Daniel is "resting" as he calls it.... he tells me this every night since he's been sick(between 5pm and 6pm) and then I wake him up the next morning when the alarm (that I set) goes off. According to Daniel, the ultrasound went well. They focused on his liver but also scanned surrounding organs and in between his ribs. He said he felt tender in some places so I'm assuming something is probably swollen... but that's my very non-medical degree assumption.

After the ultrasound he asked to go to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant since he hasn't been allowed to eat all day. He ate a few chips and about 5 bites of his dinner and said he was full and was getting hot flashes so he drove himself home while I paid the tab and went to go pick Parker up. I won't lie... I'm worried about him BUT being able to see him (since he's been at work all day) is comforting. I like being able to look into his eyes to gauge if he's telling me the truth. I like the jokes he said at dinner and I knowing he isn't overdoing himself. If it were up to me, he'd stay in bed until I we had appointments so I know he isn't stressed and where he is!

The doctor reffered us to the Mayo Clinic site to give us an idea of what elevated liver enzymes mean and what they're going to be testing for. Some items are already ruled out and others are not but I'm not sure what they are. Tomorrow morning I plan to take this list to the doctor's appointment with us to cross off each one that's been ruled out. Each one that isn't ruled out yet needs a "plan of action." I have a feeling this doctor may get irritated with me but I bet if she were in the same situation with her husband, I bet she'd be just as proactive. Elevated liver enzymes can often resolve themselves and be minor. This COULD be the case along with a secondary infection that's causing his other symptoms but then we'd have to start the hunt for the other infection and finding his elevated enzymes would have been a fluke from checking his blood work. SO... they're going the path of the infection and elevated enzymes being caused from the same problem. I'll keep you all informed about the results tomorrow! Prayers until then!

To lighten the mood... while we were in the hospital, Parker was giving himself and a female companion a bath! Apparently Holly had Brooklyn, Piper and Parker all upstairs and Piper and Parker climbed in the tub fully clothed and gave themselves a bath! haha. I wish I had a picture of that! Thankfully, I packed him a 2nd outfit just in case of an accident but i wasn't expecting that to be the accident!  Silly boy!

I promise this blog isn't going to turn into a caring bridge site. It will resume to its usual lighthearted banter and pictures of my silly boy soon but this is just where we are in our lives right now. My life isn't all cupcakes and sunshine but I certainly prefer the days that are! I appreciate everyone's sweet messages and prayers while we go through a little "brussel sprouts and rain." Maybe brussel sprouts doesn't make sense if you like them... but you get the point!Tomorrows forecast: Hopefully back to cupcakes and sunshine!!!

Calling on my prayer warriors!

I should be sweeping... or dusting...or doing laundry but none of that seems near as important as this. I need help. I need prayers and I will be the first to solicit them when needed. My life and my children are without a doubt the result of the power of prayer. SOO... without further adieu, I'm calling my prayer warriors again (who at this point should have skinned knees as much as I've had my prayer warriors on them in the last 3 years!)

As you may know, Daniel has been sick for over a week. He can usually rally during the day but is in bed within 30 minutes of being home/done with work. He's fatigued, feverish, has no appetite, has night sweats and feels in general yucky. He had a chest x ray that came back normal but his blood work came back abnormal. Daniel JUST called me (as I began paragraph number 2) to tell me that he called the doctor to discuss in more detail what exactly was "abnormal." Apparently his liver is producing more enzymes than it should. I have no idea what they means but Daniel told me it was not a huge deal. I'm 95% sure he told me that because I just puked in the toilet because I'm anxious and he wanted me to feel better but either way... it's worked. My heart feels somewhat less heavy after hearing that we at least know what "abnormal" is.

This morning I made the HUGE mistake of "web md-ing" his symptoms along with why they would ultrasound a liver and pretty much got the resounding answer of "liver cancer." I'm praying that elevated enzymes isn't something that would lead doctors to think "liver cancer" but I promised Daniel that I would stay OFF web md so I can't check.

Enough speculation... as it isn't helpful... at all! So here's the deal. I'm soliciting prayers for the follow:
1. Healing from whatever he has.
2. A quick diagnoses
3. Wisdom for the doctors
4. Peace for my spirit and Daniel's (who acts like everything is fine but I don't think he believes it.. such a strong man!)
5. That I'm able to stay calm for Avery. My blood pressure can't go up because once it does, it doesn't easily go back down which could lead to pre-eclampsia again and we're just NOT having another preemie birth!
6. For Parker that he stays ignorant to anything going on.. I don't want him to worry. He's at my amazing friend Holly's house (not napping and torturing her with Barney) so I can be with Daniel. I can't thank her enough for her help!
7. That I can be sympathetic, empathic, patient, compassionate and all things that I'm not. I'm a pull yourself up by your boot straps kind of girl and I know these are areas where God is growing me. Poor Daniel has to be my guinea pig.

That should be good for now... Thank you in advance for your prayers! I'm off to meet Daniel at the hospital. We have a 3:30 ultrasound today and an 11:45 appointment tomorrow to discuss the results.