BIG hair

One thing I discovered this weekend:  DO NOT brush Layla's hair when it is dry. 

Result = BIG hair

Apparently she likes it........

Slacker

I feel like such a slacker lately when it comes to being a mom and capturing all of Layla's fun little quirks on camera, etc.  She is growing up soooo fast and I feel like I'm missing so much.  She's going to be 11 Weeks old tomorrow..... WHAT?  

So this is what she's been up to lately:

• Layla LOVES to try and stand up.  She thinks it is the best thing ever.  Seriously.  If she won't stop fussing, I let her stand up and just use my hands to balance her and she gets soooo pumped. 
• She's trying really hard to figure out how to laugh. When she is happy or thinks something is funny she kind of forces this weird sounding laugh out.  Then she gets mad because it doesn't feel or sound right.
• She spends a lot of time playing with her baby einstein mat and toys. 
• She sleeps through the night!  Enough said....
• She's just now starting to fit into her 3 month clothes. 
• Layla's eating a whopping 5 ounces at a time now.  We'll move up to 6 once she hits the 12 lb mark.
• She weighed in at 11 lbs 2 oz at her last appointment.
• Layla has taken a liking to hair.  She likes my hair, her grandma's hair, and her own hair.  Her favorite activity is to pull on said hair.  Every once in a while she will get a grip on her own hair and give it a yank and scream bloody murder.  It hurts so she pulls harder...... She only quits screaming when you pry her fingers out of her hair.  Genius.
• She can roll over from her stomach to her back easily now. 
• Her hair is still super soft, but its VERY curly.  Ringlet curls too.
• Layla loves music, especially Dave Matthews Band.   I have no idea why....

And the winner is.........

Nathan and Kit!  Which is kind of weird because I thought that they were going to win by default as they were the only ones to enter until like 2 days ago....  But regardless, they are the winners!

Thanks to everyone who entered!  Let's keep spreading the word!

Crash and Burn

So when I decided to do a giveaway on this blog, I thought for sure that I would at least get a 4 or 5 entries, and hopefully a couple of new followers.  I mean seriously, who doesn't want free stuff.  And an itunes gift card is good for EVERYONE, not just my adoption friends.  I've pushed this and pushed this, but as the clock ticks down and I have to draw a winner tomorrow I'm starting to feel like a total failure.  Kudos to Nathan and Kit for entering!  They may win by default.....

Then God punched me in the face....

This whole thing has been about my own pride.....

I want more people to read my blog; more people to like me; more people to swoon over Layla; and more people to decide to donate money to V4V because of me.....

It's pathetic how I can so easily change something that has nothing to do with me into something that brings ME glory.  Even now, I catch myself pondering some new scheme to get people to follow my blog, etc. 

"I am a whore, I do confess.  I put you on just like a wedding dress and I run down the aisle.........."   Derrick Webb

Giveaway!

Our first Giveaway is finally here!  Voices 4 The Voiceless needs your help to build an orphanage in the D.R. Congo.  So please help me spread the word!  The prize is none other than a $25 itunes gift card.  Woot Woot!

So here's the deal:

You get ONE entry PER item you complete.   

I will randomly choose a winner on Saturday, October 1, 2011. 

1. Become a follower of this blog (or let me know if you already follow us)
2. Become a follower of Voices 4 the Voiceless's Blog
3. Become a fan of Voices 4 the Voiceless on Facebook
4. Buy a V4V t-shirt! (you get 3 entries for doing this one!)

Remember: You NEED to leave me a comment telling me which items you've completed in order to be entered to win.

GOOD LUCK!

We have a Court Date!

It's true!  Our court date is set for December 5, 2011.  Layla will get to celebrate her adoption day right before Christmas every year.  She is currently punching me in the throat, so I'll leave you all with her first video clip. Enjoy!

Stop, Collaborate, and Listen....

Ice is back with a brand new addition....." 

Sorry I got carried away with that one.  I'm not completely sure why I started singing that song, but I do have some news about a couple of things.

1) We're postponing our trip to the Congo until Fall '12.  A couple of things fell through for the March trip, and honestly it just wasn't the right timing.  I'm dissapointed that we aren't going in March, because I CAN'T WAIT to get over there and love on some kids that are so desperate for attention.  BUT, logistically it is better for me to wait until next fall.  Layla will be a year old by then and I will be completely done with school (HOORAY!)  I've also felt a real burden to push fundraisers for the actual building of the orphanage and not so much for my own travel.  I know that pushing the trip back a bit so we can focus on giving those kids in Kinshasa a place to sleep at night is the right thing to do.  But don't worry,  my heart is definately still here:

2) My little booger turned 2 months old yesterday, and 9 weeks old today!  Her daddy took her to the doctor to get her first set of vaccinations.  :(  I'm not going to lie, I'm glad I wasn't there.  I'm going to take and actually hopefully post some new pictures of her tomorrow or Sunday.  I just got this AMAZING new photo editing software so maybe they will actually look good.