THE NEELY HOUSE

2011-12-13T15:55:00.001-06:00

So ya'll have been begging to see the inside of this place, furnished and trying to get photos before any given room gets messed up by my rug-rats is near impossible. But today, I did the near impossible. I didn't take photos of their rooms since it wasn't time to clean up yet and didn't want to insight the wrath that would have befallen me for suggesting such a travesty, so that will be another post :) Yes, its Christmas time, so things aren't how they normally would be. More decor than normal, a little gaudier than normal, and some things in the living room have been rearranged to fit our tannenbaum. Poor Eames is stuck in the corner of the dining room... not prime real estate... not the glory you deserve... but alas, here's the link to the interior photos I took today... forgive the faux pas of leaving random things in shots that shouldn't be there... aka the vacuum. :) There's so much more to do/buy/make/mess-up/remake/mess-up-again/and then finally just break down and buy... we'll keep you posted.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS

the brothers Hinkle

2011-11-09T14:18:00.000-06:00

This post is dedicated to my brothers.

you guys never could take a legit photo... nice to know you haven't changed :)

From the farting in my face, to ruining every barbie I ever owned, to practicing your wrestling moves on me, to night-at-the-roxbury-ing me on multiple occasions in inappropriate places... you guys made my world go 'round. I know I was a pesky little sister that always wanted to hang around you guys and therefore put myself in a position to be harassed, but I took what I could get :) I remember telling on you guys a lot but that was probably just b/c I didn't want to get in trouble, and you guys were the more believable culprits. I'm sorry :)

I remember the day I graduated from high school you guys did something you'd never done before... you hugged me. And I remember that day feeling like less of an annoying little sister and more of a friend. Thank you.

I wish we lived closer... I miss seeing your faces. I miss hearing all the stupid jokes and hearing each of your distinct laughs. I miss being absurdly silly with you guys. I miss the familiarity of being around you guys. Seeing you guys at the funeral just brought back such a wave of emotion for me... I feel like I can be 100% myself around you guys and that's comforting.

So all this to say, I love you guys deeply and miss you more.

Chasing the sun...

2011-11-01T12:18:00.000-05:00

I love flying west at sunset...

This past Wednesday, my Grandma passed away. Such shocking news to hear that this vibrant, healthy woman was gone. As many of us wish for ourselves, she had no major health problems and went gently into that good night.

She lived a rich life and always knew how to have a good time. She was the one who introduced me to ballroom dancing. She was a gentle, elegant woman with more class in her little finger than I'll ever have. She was beautiful and always put together. She wouldn't even take the trash out with out fixing her hair, putting her make up on and getting dressed to the 9's. She was gracious and generous. Even though Grandma was a proper lady, she eventually fell victim to my brother's antics... and rather enjoyed them I think :) As Jon, my brother said, I always loved hearing my Grandma laugh. If Grandma laughed, you knew it was funny. Over the last few weeks, even before my Grandma died, I started hearing myself laugh just like her. I hope I can hear that even just a few more times.

Grandpa Joe died 30 years ago. I never knew him. But my Uncle Dan read a song at the funeral, a song that I might have even thought was a little cheesy if I'd heard it on the radio, but that I thought was so pertinent. The last verse is this:
"I know I'm praying for too much,
but could you send back the only man she loved.
I know you don't do it usually,
But Lord, she's dyin' to dance with my father again."
And Uncle Dan said, "So now she gets to dance with dad again." Up until this point, I'd been trying to keep it together for my mother's sake, but that just stole all my composure and I couldn't help but cry. Tears of sadness that she had been without Grandpa for 30 years, but tears of joy at the utter rest and peace she must feel in heaven.

In the limo on the way to the burial, we were all telling stories and laughing. I looked over at the driver and asked,
"Are people usually this talkative and laughing on the way to the burial?"
"Oh, no... people are usually quiet or sobbing or something. I've never had a drive like this!" she said smiling.
I think we were all just glad Grandma is in a better place... glad she is with Grandpa Joe... and glad that she was a part of our lives... and that's not something to mourn, but something to celebrate.

So back to flying west... its like chasing the sun... reminds me of lyrics from the oh so wise Flaming Lips:
"Do you realize that everyone you know someday will die?
And instead of saying all of your goodbyes
Let them know you realize that life goes fast
Its hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun doesn't go down
Its just an illusion caused by the world spinning round."
Death is a part of life and as much sadness and grief as it causes us, its what makes us cherish the people we love. The sweet is not as sweet with out the bitter. So love... and love well... because they could be gone tomorrow.

I love you Grandma. You are one of THE most beautiful women I've ever known. Say hi to Grandpa for me.

INSIDE: THE ATOMIC RANCH

2011-04-23T19:29:00.000-05:00

So here's the inside as I promised. California Redwood... amazing. Don't mind the stuff or my daughter posing :) We move in Monday. If you can help we'd love to have you. We start Monday morning at our old house in Webb City at 8am. I don't know exactly when we'll be at the new house, but I'd say probably around lunch time. Any help is much appreciated!
If you'd like to view more, bigger photos, you can look at them HERE.

BATHROOM ART

2011-04-11T10:58:00.000-05:00

I do NOT claim to be a great painter, but I do enjoy painting. If you don't have kids bumping into you ever five seconds, it can be quite relaxing. When Mystery (our church) renovated the building a couple years ago, we decided to put up a canvas in each of the ladies bathrooms (2). I already had a color that I liked in latex paint, so I decided to just use it instead of acrylic or oil. BAD IDEA. It was VERY thin... not so good. But at the time, we just needed to get something on the wall, so I just left it. I recently took them down to redo them. I had intended to do them both the same, but I thought of something one off that I wanted to try. And I'm proud to say that even tho they are not professional, or perfect, (and I'm sure I didn't use the "right" brushes) that I like them :) I would hang them in MY house, but alas, they will serve as bathroom art for Mystery.

The black and white one, I totally ripped off a favorite fabric print. The tree is an allyson original. any similarity to anything else is a coincidence.

THE NEW NEELY HOUSE

2011-04-04T15:18:00.002-05:00

So the deed is done. TWICE. Lets just hope SECOND time's a charm this time. God has been so gracious to us. From just the right timing to getting the house for much less than we intended, his hand has been upon this, undeniably. So with out further ado, here she is: (scroll down, then come back up... apparently, blogger is flawed and changes the font size after photos to something super tiny... dumb. Or you can go to my PICASA to see bigger photos since blogger won't let me do bigger ones.)

That's it? Yes, its just a sweet late 50's ranch with a walk out basement. Nothing too fantastical. But that's what I like... that's what I REALLY like :) Photos of the inside to come... in a couple weeks. I've struggled with guilt for the past few days about getting something I've wanted for so long (as this has been going on since August '10)... it almost seems like if I like something so much, I shouldn't have it. But there have been so many things that kept pointing us back to this place and after much prayer and deliberation, we just went for it.

After this contract was done though, I just couldn't help feeling guilty... Saturday night as I lay in bed, I started thinking about being in the house and started to really feel guilty... like I shouldn't have something nice. And I started to worry that all my life lived in that house would be a life plagued with guilt. And then the Holy Spirit reminded me... "no you will live a life of gratitude and glory to God." After that I just couldn't stop saying, "Thank you Jesus! Thank you Jesus!" Not necessarily that I got what I wanted, but that he would bless me with a home that will be used to glorify him and just so HAPPENS to be a house that I find artful :) But of course, my crazy brain started in again Sunday morning and during communion time, I asked Jesus for a peace about all of this and the Holy Spirit again reminded me, "I made you the way I made you for a reason. I drew you to this house for a reason. I'm putting you here for a reason. Trust me." As if to say: I didn't put you here for YOU silly... you're just blessed it turned out that way :)

Lesson learned: God is not like Lucille Bluth, aka "Gangy" from Arrested Development. He does not get off on being with-holding.

And I CANNOT WAIT to see what Jesus does. Winning!

STRIP TEASE

2011-03-28T10:06:00.000-05:00

A friend moved to Europe and decided to sell me these amazing side tables. Got a KILLER deal... I'm talking like $5/table. They are so unique. I forgot to take a before picture before I stripped them, but they were in rough shape to say the least. They'd been painted at some point, white and tan, and the paint was in pretty bad shape... you could see brush strokes, it had been slapped on and was starting to peel off in quite a few places. I tried to even just clean them and it wasn't working out so well. So since the paint was already coming off, I figured it would be pretty easy to strip them. I was definitely hesitant b/c the last time I tried to strip something, it was horrendous, but this time it was a breeze! I used the more eco friendly citrus stripper and just left it on for a few hours and it scrapped off like a dream.

I wasn't sure what kind of wood was underneath so I asked a few of my friends, got a few different answers, but I think I landed on poplar. I'm no expert, but it seemed to match. I love the combo of white and medium-dark wood, so I thought I might repaint some of it white and stain the wood a little darker and thought that the contrast would really make the details of this table pop. I don't have a paint sprayer and so I thought better of the painting idea :) After all, I didn't want to do another half assed job. These tables deserved better. And then I didn't want to stain them... as I'm sure you know I'm a bit of a hippie and so I just wanted the wood to be what God created and enjoy it in all its naturalness. So I just put some antique oil on it and it looks great. I love them.

As I said, I forgot to take a before, but the first photo here is as close as its gonna get and you can't even really see it all that well... the wood needs to be sanded still and finished (and the middle shelf put back in!). The next two photos are the finished product...

Asher's new haircut

2011-03-28T09:28:00.000-05:00

Yes, I cut his hair against many of your wishes :) But it was just getting too moppy... and it WAS getting warmer, so I thought what they hey. It'll grow back out in like 2 days anyway. He's such a little love muffin... I just wanna eat his little curious george face.

AD SENSE

2011-03-23T15:41:00.000-05:00

I'm going to try this out for a little while. If it gets annoying to anyone, let me know.

I just died in your arms tonight, Kent Coffey. I'm gonna geek out for a little while.

2011-03-22T12:28:00.002-05:00

Wow. What can I say? I mean I've been craigslist-ing, salvation army-ing, garage sale-ing, etc. and never have I come across the exact pieces I've been searching for... and for an affordable price. But, the vintage furniture thrifting gods smiled upon me this last week. And then smiled again, as a good friend offered to pick these pieces up for me in Springfield (as he travels there for work). Perfection. More on that in a second.

So, if you've been living under a rock, you might not know that I'm a furniture-a-holic. A mid century modern furniture-a-holic to be exact. And on a budget! There's not a lot to be had in these parts. And what I have found has been the cheap, laminate pieces that look terrible all ready or will look terrible soon and laminate is not easy to refinish and/or make look good.

When Md and I lived in Chicago, it was easy to go pick something up at Ikea. But now the closet Ikea is 6 hours away. And frankly, I'm sick of spending money on furniture that is just going to fall apart in 5 years. I can't afford to buy furniture from design within reach, so in comes vintage furniture. A lot of people don't know what they have and some people are just giving this stuff away. GOOD. SOLID. 100% WOOD (not particle board) furniture. So, this has spurred me on to find "the good stuff" and not settle for the first laminate/veneer credenza that comes my way. Restraint is hard yes, b/c as I said, modern lines are not easily found around here. But definitely well worth the wait.

About 6 months ago, I bought an entire bedroom set (dresser, chest of drawers, mirror, 2 nightstands, & a headboard) ALL for $350 (just to put things in perspective, the dresser alone easily goes for $350 in Chicago). Are you serious? I snatched it, sold my Ikea platform bed and side tables for $325. BAM! What a deal. The furniture I bought was solid wood, walnut, and made by a famous mid century modern furniture designer, Kent Coffey (Marquee Modern series). Its gorgeous and its in great shape. I really love it, but there's something about it, that's just not EXACTLY what I wanted. I still love it and find it beautiful. But I thought, its the right era, the right shape, the right quality, the right price... so I did it. And I'm glad I did. its ubber classy.

Just last week I was looking on craigslist in Springfield and found THE pieces. THE Kent Coffey pieces I was looking for (I had a couple series in mind that I really liked after having bought and researched my last Kent Coffey buy.). I called, thinking, oh I'm sure SOMEONE (if not many someone's) has already called and bought it and she just didn't delete the ad, but decided to call anyway, and lo and behold, they were still available! wha!? I could not pass up the amazing deal these were.

And what I love most about mid century modern furniture is that I feel like the pieces are so versatile. The dresser is a buffet is a credenza is a tv stand, and could even go in a hallway... I mean the proportions are always right.
So, before I give you some eye candy, here's my reasons for buying used furniture.

5. money. its less expensive than buying new, no matter if you get average quality pieces.

4. quality. you can get a good-excellent quality vintage piece for the same price as a flimsy Ikea piece... or less! They don't make 'em like they used to!

3. recycle folks. There are plenty of fantastic pieces out there to fit most everyone's style without losing the rain forest. Ok, I know most of the furniture I buy ISN'T actually made of wood from the rain forest, but it just sounds more impactful.

2. sell-ability. So, I paid $350 for an entire bedroom suite. Chances are, someone else would to. And even if they don't, say I have to sell it for $300... I'm only out $50. And if its been in my bedroom for a year, it only cost me $50 to have that furniture. You can't RENT furniture for that cheap. And since I'm a re-arrange-a-holic as well, I can interchange pieces, sell and buy at whim, knowing that I'll recoup most of what I paid for an item.

1. did I already say they don't make 'em like they used to? I'm a HUGE fan of danish modern furniture. now, I live in Joplin... where am I gonna find local, danish furniture, that I can afford? SALVATION ARMY! woo hoo!!!

And without further adieu, I died in the arms of Kent Coffey once again... "The Tableau" series. Oh and I have the mirror to boot! I will be "refinishing" these pieces... they are pretty good, but I've been dying to try out Howard's Restor-a-finish... and these pieces seem perfect. Not too beat up, but beat up enough that a good coat of this stuff should make them look brand new again!

sure hope we find a house soon... they are obstructing my living room a bit... :)

there's always time

2011-03-18T11:46:00.000-05:00

THERE'S NEVER TIME! Whoever said that must have been a bum with nothing to do. No one knows the value of time more than moms. Before I had children I used to dream about being at home with my children and playing with them, leisurely doing housework in heels with my hair done and cute little apron and just having an altogether relaxed life. SNAP! Back to reality. In all fairness, I might need to pare down on some of the things on my need to do list and shift them over to the "only if you have time" list. But to make life easier for me and my crazy need-to-know-everything daughter, I've made a family schedule for the week. From breakfast to dinner, if I'm asked, "Can I....?" or "When are we....," I'm going to say, "Go look at the schedule." Now to teach them about time... such a downer. Probably so b/c I'm NOT a good manager of time. Time feels kind of like shackles to me. I'm such a free bird :) I'm 38% YELLOW for goodness sakes! So now I just need to make everything FUN :) Aaaaand GO!

Alright, its time to kick this thing back into gear

2011-03-09T11:38:00.001-06:00

As we all know kicking things always fixes everything. I want to start this back up to give me an outlet and to document my kids growing up. I should have continued it along time ago b/c I've missed documenting so much of Avery and Asher's lives over the last couple years. Anyway, to catch you up, Avery is 5, Asher will be 3 in July.

THE DAYS ARE LONG, BUT THE YEARS ARE SHORT.

Best standing-in-line-at-walmart-talking-to-the-person-in-front-of-you-because-the-lady-in-line-wrote-a-check wisdom ever. As this blog has so appropriately proven :)

Things that I have realized in the last two years about parenting MY two kids:

Avery is not a mini adult that I should expect to be on my level. about anything.

Avery knows more about reverse psychology than I do.

Avery has a keen fashion sense.

Avery is a daddy's girl through and through.

Avery is connected to the spiritual more so than any child I've known.

Avery will sing you the most theologically interesting song you've ever heard.

Avery is motivated by fun, energetic activities. Yay for gymnastics!

Avery is bossy. I'm clinging to the fact that this will later turn out (with some good direction) to be some kind of leadership quality :)

Asher has me wrapped around his fat little pinky. Every part of him is squishy and I LOVE it. He is definitely a momma's boy.

Asher is funny w/o even trying. He just has the cutest, funniest gestures, mannerisms, faces.

Asher HATES to clean his room and will spend HOURS in his room "cleaning." (Kids aren't allowed out of quiet time until rooms are clean.)

If a normal kid comes into contact with a germ, he gets a cold. If Asher comes into contact with said germ, he gets pneumonia. This kid's lungs have issues. Asthma issues that is. So if you see Asher and he doesn't sound like he's hacking up a lung, consider it a rarity.

Asher doesn't mind if he's poopy. This is troublesome b/c my nasal passages have been so scarred from all the horrid poop I've changed that my olfactory senses have been numbed to the smell of my child's poop. So, sit in it he will.

Asher has the sweetest lisp that I hope doesn't go away any time soon, but for goodness' sake before he gets to middle school.

Asher is happy. Asher means happy. Well done.

Things I've learned about myself and parenting:

There is such a thing as hyper modesty... and Avery's got it... at least on the top half. Avery seems to forget about modesty when it comes to the bottom half but God forbid anyone see her neck or her shoulders.

If I don't make a list or schedule of things to do with the kids for the day, it won't happen. An out-of-sight kind of brain has its advantages and disadvantages.

There isn't a magic gnome that comes and cleans my house while I sleep, as much as I want that to be true. Cleaning throughout the day is much easier to maintain than letting things go for a day... For me, as the kitchen goes, so goes the rest of the house.

Praying with my children and hearing them pray is the sweetest part of my day. That and watching them sleep... all the annoying things of the day melt away for me at those times.

We are homeschooling Avery and thus Asher until we think they are ready to go to school, if ever. This is going to be the big one for me. This is going to be my test of faith in Jesus and his power to overcome my sin and selfishness. Go team Jesus.

I love my friends. I have never had better friends than I do now. Real friends. Real relationships. Real love. Between Mystery Church and Christ In Youth, I think we'll be here in Joplin with this group of people for a long time. And that makes my heart smile. Yeah I know... hearts don't have mouths. shut up. you know what I mean.

sorry if you've subscribed to this... I'm testing something...

2010-01-29T15:07:00.000-06:00

So I made Avery a dress... and now I want one :)

2009-04-30T10:11:00.001-05:00

I made this for her the other day. I was so excited. I did this out of my head - no pattern (as I typically sew...) so it took me a little while to do. So when I went to show Avery and have her try it on, she didn't want to wear it b/c the ruffles around the neck bothered her... :( Are you kidding me!? I'm so heart broken! I wish I could just magically make it my size! I love it! I told Md maybe I'd give it to someone else... have someone else get some use out of it. But he said maybe she'll wear it one day... so we'll keep it for now. And dang it, I really wanted to make the tie out of the stripe fabric, but I didn't have any left (after making the ruffles and hem on the bias) and the fabric is discontinued. So, red ribbon it is! If I can ever get Avery to put it on for more than two seconds, I'll try to get a picture of her in it... so cute! Fashion = pain Avery. Learn it now. :)

Yay!

2009-03-20T10:31:00.000-05:00

For those of you who have been praying for Asher to start sleeping better, your prayers are being answered! Yay! He's finally sleeping longer stretches... he's only waking up about 3 times a night now! He usually wakes around 10:30-11, 2-2:30, 6, and then wakes up for the day around 7-7:30. Yay!!! I know for some of you, you're probably saying, "You're kidding me, right? That's an improvement?" Hey, waking up twice (b/c I usually wait until after his first feeding to go to bed) is HUGE! And has been such a good motivator to get things back on track with the house, kids, friends, etc. He's been sick for the last week (what's new..!?) so sleeping hasn't been on track and neither has eating for that matter, but overall, we're all doing well! Ash has an appointment with a pediatric ENT at the beginning of April b/c he has this cough that just doesn't go away... hmmm. So, hopefully we'll get some answers on that soon! Also, Ash is getting really close to crawling. He's getting on all fours and rocking... very funny to watch :D

Ok so I've been super bad at blogging

2009-02-26T13:46:00.000-06:00

But I must say, life is definitely hectic right now. I remember life when January and February were so boring and just dragged on and on. But here we are and its almost the end of February... and I have no idea where the time went.
So onto the good parts! (This photo is about a month old btw.) Asher's sleeping actually got worse for a while and now is starting to get back to every 2-3 hours. One problem that we've always had is that Asher is a total Mama's boy. He won't be soothed by anyone else but me (or he just screams til he's too exhausted to keep it up!). But the other night I was NOT feeling good and just needed some sleep so I told Md to go calm him down and put him back to bed and it took a LONG time, but he did it (thank you my sweet husband). So, Asher's schedule at night seems to go like this: to bed at 7:30, 9:30, 12:30, 3, 5:30, 7-7:30. Md goes and calms Asher down at the 9:30 (or so) wake time w/o feeding him. So hopefully sometime in the next week or two Asher will just stop waking up at all for the 9:30 slot. I think he's doing better sleeping b/c he's sleeping on his tummy now. And he is getting better at calming himself down too. Oh and sometimes he falls asleep with his little baby booty high in the air... so cute! So, the journey toward one to two wakings at night continues...
As for Asher during the day - he's a good, happy baby really. He gets frustrated a lot, but once he starts crawling, that will go away (or at least mostly). He's eating lots of different foods and loving most all of them. He laughs, yells, babbles and is rocking back and forth... just waiting for him to start crawling. Although any semblance of a life I had will then go away, I know it will help him be less frustrated and burn off some energy (so maybe sleeping better at night!).
Avery is as rambunctious as ever and is always changing her clothes claiming, "I'm just freezing for this mom!" or my favorite, "I'm just hot for this mom!" I've had to put a lock on her closet door to keep her from rummaging through her clothes all day. Asher sure loves his big sis. He gets really excited when he sees her in the mornings... oh its so cute! And of course she loves him right back in her intense, rough, clumsy way. So I'm sure Avery will love the mama's boy right out of Asher :)

You gotta watch this!

2009-01-09T09:38:00.000-06:00

01.08.09 - Asher laughing at Avery from M.D. Neely on Vimeo.

This is so hilariously cute. If you don't laugh, you have no soul.

Note: Yes, that is rice cereal coming out of his mouth as he laughs at Avery :)

Aaaand I've neglected the blog.

2008-12-07T13:26:00.001-06:00

...with good reason. I'm still getting up 3,4,5 times a night. And now that we've all been sick for just over a week, the blog has definitely been last on my priority list. So this isn't a cool blog that tells you how Asher and Avery are doing and I'm not going to tell you we have a bunch of cool pictures on our picasa (although that really is coming soon), this is to tell you that I know I've been bad and I WILL blog soon, for those of you that do actually care :) For now, I'm going to attempt to get a few hours of sleep before the beast awakens. Pray for my soul. :)

Week Fourteen

2008-10-22T20:57:00.000-05:00

Look at that sweet chubby little babe! I love it! He's so fat! He is smiling so much more and Md has him almost laughing now. Its so sweet! I love that sweet gummy grin :) He's definitely a much happier baby these days. He still has his days/times of day, but overall he's much more fun to have around. Except at night... he's STILL waking up 3-4 times a night. Example: goes to bed at 6:30, wakes up at 11, 2, 4 and at 7 he wakes up for the day. Are you kidding me???? I think he just likes his mama. Although at night is the only time I feel like I'm sure he's getting enough calories. So I let it continue and hey, this is my last one right? I might as well cherish the time because all too soon he'll be yelling, "NO!" at me and then going to school, driving a car, and then I'll hand him off to some other woman! So, I will enjoy what I have while I have it. I will slap that sweet baby bottom and kiss those perfect little lips while he will let me :) Ok, enough smooshy stuff. By the way - I'm trying to get him to sleep with out being swaddled and with out the boppy. So pray it works!

Weeks 12 and 13

2008-10-16T20:57:00.000-05:00

Wow, so the last couple weeks have been crazy. I definitely have neglected the blog. Asher has been having some tummy issues. I'll spare you all the poopy details but he's been doing better, so thank you God for sleep and smiles! He's a sweetie. I feel like at 12 weeks he kind of hit this turn around where all the sudden he was more awake, more smiley and generally more... predictable. That's always nice, especially when you have another child to deal with. And a crazy go nuts child at that :) He loves playing under the play gym, in the exer-saucer, and just lying on the floor kicking those sweet chubby-thighed legs of his. Ahhhh, blessed peace. ... for 15 minutes or so anyway!

And picture coming soon... I promise :)

Week Eleven

2008-10-01T20:17:00.000-05:00

We have officially moved everything Asher (including Asher) into his room now. Yay! Mom and Dad have their room back! He's been doing very well, except that he got sick again. A week or two ago Md came home with kind of a cold but it never really developed into anything too crazy. Then last week Avery got it and now this week Asher's got it. I'm the only one left :) And my odds don't look too good! So, the last couple days, Asher's been getting up a lot in the night. It stinks on many levels. The main level being that he awakens me out of a dead exhausted sleep. The second being that I can't let him cry it out. Once I hear even a faint whimper I must LEAP out of bed with amazing energy to get to him before he goes all out and wakes Avery up. So, exhausted I will stay... picture coming soon!

creation according to avery

2008-10-01T15:25:00.001-05:00

enjoy this new video! password is the same as the others.

09.29.08 - Creation According to Avery from M.D. Neely on Vimeo.

WARNING: Attack of the purple people eater!!!!

2008-09-24T23:20:00.000-05:00

Well, not really. Asher has thrush and it wasn't really responding to the meds prescribed to us by his Ped. So, they told me to try Gentian Violet. Oh my word is it ever messy! And it was SUPPOSED to be inside his mouth and on mama, but when I went to nurse, it ended up all around his mouth... hahaha! Md and I just look at him and laugh, poor kid. Looks like he went face first into the blackberry cobbler! Oh but its so adorable b/c of course he has absolutely no clue why we're laughing at him and he just sits there and smiles back, cooing all the while :) So, laugh it up everyone. We sure did. strike that... We sure DO!

Week Ten

2008-09-23T14:14:00.001-05:00

Ok well, things are slowing a little. Not too much on the Asher front. Although I will share a cute quote with you.

Avery: What's Asher doing?
Daddy: He's being pacified.
Avery: I'm being facipied!

Week Nine/Month Two

2008-09-16T15:57:00.000-05:00

I'm looking at a very content and happy baby right now! He's sitting in his bouncy seat just kicking and ... well bouncing :) He loves it. We actually call it his pooping chair b/c every time he sits in it, he ends up pooping. In fact, I just heard some little toots as I typed that last sentence! He's just smiling away! Kicking and tooting and tooting and kicking! Asher did very well over the CIY staff retreat in Branson. It was like he wasn't even there! We had lots of help from our friends though, so thanks friends! He's really cooing now and will have a "conversation" with you sometimes. Its so cute! Ahooo!

We went to his Dr. appt Monday and he's a whopping 13.5 lbs (50-75 %) and 23 in (25-50%). I have a feeling he's about to grow a little taller here soon :) He's so big! He's still not sleeping through the night yet (technically that's 6 hrs... are you kidding me?). He does a 4-5 hr stretch usually when he first goes down, but after that its about every 2-3 :( Just when I want to really sleep he wakes up a bunch. That's life though I guess! So all is well on the Neely front! Picture coming soon!

Week Eight

2008-09-09T21:44:00.001-05:00

I'm going to say what I say at every blog post, "Things are getting better." And they are, but not without taking a couple steps back, so basically its all the same :) Here are some highlights of this week: Asher is having much more peaceful play time. He's actually laying there just kicking his legs like crazy, smiling and cooing. Its so cute! "A-oo," he says. Like most babies, Asher is absolutely enamored with our ceiling fans and our black and white photography. What can I say? The kid's got taste. And he can roll onto his side. He's pretty husky. Not fat, just... sturdy maybe. ? . He just keeps getting cuter and cuter. I'm in love with his reddish hair. I just hope and pray that he has blue or green (or blue/green for that matter) eyes. That would be so handsome! Well, I guess that's all for now. His 2-month appointment is this coming Monday (the 15th), so look out for that post!

Week Seven

2008-09-02T13:57:00.000-05:00

First off - YES THAT'S A SMILE! Or at least the tail end of one! I have a feeling some would call me a "hippie" when it comes to parenting. I exclusively breastfeed, use cloth diapers, a sling, demand feed my baby, and in general try to do things "naturally." So when demand feeding wasn't working... I wasn't sure what to think. So, I've cracked down and put Asher on a schedule/routine. In order to help his tummy and help him eat a full feeding, I'm really trying to keep him at eating every 2.5-3 hours. He's done really well so far. I haven't gone as far as just laying him down and letting him cry it out for naps, but when we've done this routine long enough for him to know what to expect, I hope he just does it... (wishful thinking I know). But he's just such a screamer... holds his breath, coughs, chokes, gags... I can't just let him cry it out... maybe one day ;) He IS sleeping a nice 4-5 hour stretch through the night. So I can't complain. He sure is sweet when he's awake and not in pain, hungry, trying to poop, poopy, wet, or tired - so like 5 minutes a day :)

Week Six

2008-08-26T14:16:00.000-05:00

So, let me just start this by saying that over supply is a very real and hard to handle problem. If anyone reading this thinks they might have/had this or want to talk about it, please let me know b/c it really is a serious problem. But I think we finally are getting the hang of how to handle this. And that's made for some more tame days. He's always been fine at night... just the days sometimes were really bad. Lots of crying. Lots and lots of crying, not enough sleeping. But now for the last few days he's done REALLY well. Easily nursed and gone to sleep (IN HIS CRADLE!). Since he was sick for so long, I think he really got used to sleeping on my chest (b/c that's the only way he'd sleep w/o choking and gaging on the mucus in his nose/throat) so I've been a little worried that I would have a problem on my hands... but he's done amazingly well. And he's been doing this long stretch in the evening/night when I first put him down for about 4-5 hours... glorious! Its not so glorious when it starts at 7 or 8, but hey, at least that gives me time with my hubby :) So, all in all, Asher is doing well and gaining weight like crazy. Be sure to check out picasa for some new pics!

Week Five

2008-08-20T13:48:00.000-05:00

Week five has been worse and better all at the same time. Luckily, better is the latter of those two. The first days of the week (starting last Tuesday) were very hard. Poor baby just could NOT breathe! Very scary! I'd just sit there and watch him at night making sure he didn't stop breathing! But we went to the Dr. on Monday (PS I called the Ped three times last week but they told me there was nothing I could do as he was too young) b/c this was getting to the point where he'd had it for 7 days and I just wanted the doc to check him out and make sure it wasn't something more serious. Well, he prescribed him Amoxicillin... whoa! We went from "there's nothing we can do" to amoxicillin! That's pretty potent stuff! So potent in fact, when Avery was 5 months old we had to go to the ER b/c she wouldn't stop crying and they said she had "gut rot" from it! So I was a little dismayed that my doc would prescribe such a harsh antibiotic. And plus I'm a nursing mother! Sooner or later hes going to get the immune factors he needs to kick this. So, anyway, I made the executive decision NOT to give it to him. I love my pediatrician, but not this time. I'd rather deal with a stuffy nose and wheezing than with the screaming from gut rot! Not to mention, he's doing much better! The last few days his breathing has gotten much better and I was actually able to suck out all the stuff from his nose with the bulb syringe this morning. (Normally I'd use the bulb syringe a couple times and there'd still be junk up there...) So, basically breastmilk is amazing... and much better than amoxcillin. So on to the last few days... he's been great! He's awake more and also more interactive! He's just so stinkin' sweet! He's been smiling more too! And laughing in his sleep which is incredibly precious! We're starting to get a semblance of a routine down and that makes it so much easier knowing (or at least knowing what to guess) what to expect. Oh and his hair is really starting to look like mine. Maybe just a little darker... I love redheads!

asher is one month old!

2008-08-15T22:21:00.001-05:00

well our little guy is officially one month old. he's still battling his cold and crying a lot during the evenings...and sometimes during the day.....ok he cries all the time. but we love him and can't wait for him to get bigger. we'll keep you all posted. all 5 of you. -md.

Week Four

2008-08-12T11:40:00.000-05:00

Asher's First Bath! How cute! I went ahead and put his pacifier in at the beginning so as to avoid the screaming. He did really well! I'm not sure he would have even screamed had we not. He's just chillin' - hangin' out in the bath hammock. On a sad note - Asher has his first cold. Its really pretty scary. He chokes and gags on the snot in his throat... and he can barely breathe through his nose. Poor lil' guy. He HAS actually smiled at me though. Few and far between, but he has. I look forward to more little toothless gummy smiles :) For now, I must go change the explosion in his diaper. Yay!

Week Three

2008-08-06T17:10:00.000-05:00

Week three has brought its share of challenges. Asher's reflux and my oversupply have brought us some frustrating days and some late, sleepless nights. We went to the doc today so I think we'll have things under control by next week (lets hope!). The good news: I think he smiled at me today! He usually smiles in his sleep, but I THINK he was awake today. How precious! Oh and his stats from his appointment are: 9lbs 15oz and 21.5 in long. He's gained 2 lbs and 0.75 in since he was born! And more so if you count it from when we left the hospital. He's a heartbreaker!

Week Two

2008-07-31T21:45:00.000-05:00

So Asher turned two weeks old Tuesday. This last week as brought us more of a challenge than we'd thought. He's turned up with a little acid reflux and has not been sleeping as well. We have him sleeping in his bouncy seat to keep him propped up, but how comfortable can that be when you can't really move your head and it just slumps off to the side? So, poor kiddo, poor parents. But we're adjusting. I'm basically eating the same few bland things over and over in an effort to not irritate his little esophagus/tummy. I'm sure with time it will go away but for now I'm trying to eliminate anything that might make him scream! On a good note - he's smiling in his sleep and is as sweet and cute as ever. He's so handsome! But I guess I'm a little biased...

Week One

2008-07-23T15:13:00.000-05:00

Well, Asher is one week old yesterday and all has gone surprisingly well. He's a pretty good, easy baby. Or maybe its just different the second time around. We went to the pediatrician on Monday for a check up on his jaundice and everything is great! He's back up to his birth weight plus 1 oz. Yay! Breastfeeding is going well. I have to wake him up to feed him half the time. He's a sleepy baby! He's so precious and we can't wait until he's more interactive. He's only awake maybe 20 minutes tops/day. Oh and we gave him his first bath last night and mohawked his hair. He's going to be a lady killer!

Avery holds Asher for the first time

2008-07-16T07:23:00.001-05:00

07.16.08 - Avery holds Asher for the first time from M.D. Neely on Vimeo.

Asher Michael Neely arrives

2008-07-15T12:16:00.000-05:00

7 lbs, 15 ozs, 20 3/4 inches long. avery is doing a great job being a big sister! momma is doing well, hopefull we'll be out of here soon!

Asher on the way...

2008-07-14T17:08:00.000-05:00

I had my 38 week check up today. 3-4 cm and 80% effaced. Its a wonder he hasn't just fallen out yet :) But my doctor had mercy on me and stripped my membranes. I've been having labor contractions (not braxton-hicks) ever since, but they haven't regulated yet. So we'll see! Hopefully we'll have a baby by tomorrow morning! Keep checking the blog for updates and pictures of Asher when he gets here!

Avery's First Haircut

2008-07-08T18:30:00.001-05:00

So Avery had her first haircut this afternoon. She was PETRIFIED. She had to sit on daddy's lap, then even had to sit on mommy's lap. Oh and no cape... it freaked her out too. What kid doesn't like capes? Anyway, we needed to cut her hair b/c Avery's hair is short and curly underneath and long and straight on top, so we got it cut to all the same length. I really didn't want to cut it but it was starting to look like a weird rattail haircut... So be sure to check out the pics on picasa.

38 week check up and a hilarious video of Avery

2008-07-07T15:47:00.000-05:00

"2-3 cm dilated and 75% effaced. Your cervix is soft and pliable." I asked her, "What does that mean to you? What's your best guess?" "Anytime w/in the next 10 days. You MAY make it to your next appointment (next monday), but you won't make it far after that. I'll see you next Monday if I don't see you before then!" So yay, that's good news. Just as I thought - probably sometime this weekend. Maybe even on Jeremy's b-day (the 13th). We'll see!

And for those of you who haven't seen this video of Avery- its hilarious. Its password protected b/c we don't want any crazies watching our lil princess, so just email me and I'll give you the password.

06.21.08 - Avery sings stuff from M.D. Neely on Vimeo.

Prego Pics

2008-07-04T09:36:00.001-05:00

Here's one of the prego pics we took a couple weekends ago. We have a few more but here's one for now.

Asher's Room

2008-07-02T21:48:00.001-05:00

For those of you who have been asking me what Asher's room looks like, here ya go! Just a few more finishing touches and it will be done. Be sure to visit our Picasa page for more pictures! And for those of you who don't know, there's a link on the left hand side of this blog to Picasa also.

By the way - it looks just like regular baby blue, but its more of a bright robin's egg blue... for those of you who care ;)

Week 37 check-up

2008-07-02T21:46:00.000-05:00

All's well on the Asher front. I'm 2cm and 75% effaced. It's still too early to tell when he'll come, but at least I'm full term now. So if I should go into labor tonight or something, he should be a whole baby :) I did have more actual "labor" contractions last night. They were pretty strong for about an hour or so, but nothing more than that. Stay tuned for more updates on the arrival of our little man.

34 and 35 week check up

2008-06-18T11:00:00.000-05:00

Let's start out with 34 weeks. I didn't actually have a check up scheduled but went in for some issues I was having. She checked me and surprisingly I was 1cm and 60% effaced. I was kind of shocked, but didn't put it past this baby b/c he's been riding low for a while. So 35 weeks. My appointment was originally tomorrow (Thurs 19th), but last night I had STRONG contractions. These were not braxton hicks contractions. These were contractions with a purpose. At one point, I almost packed my bag for the hospital, but decided to ride it out, see what happened. Well, since they were so long and strong, I decided to call my OB this morning and ask if someone would check me. I wouldn't have been so paranoid except for the fact that I'm only 35 weeks and do NOT want a baby in the NICU. So they saw me this morning and I'm now 2cm and still 60% effaced. So, progress... I guess we'll see what happens by next wednesday to be able to make any calls about whether is even a possibility that I'll go into labor early. But for now, I'm expecting I'll go around 38 weeks with the way things are progressing. Now we just play the waiting game!

33 Week Check up

2008-06-05T22:00:00.000-05:00

We went for my check up today and all is well! The baby's heartbeat was surprisingly strong (don't know why, but my OB looked shocked that it was that strong....????). And all my questions were met with, "Yeah, everything happens earlier the second time around." Yeah, I know, but can't you just sympathize with my pain for just a second? No really, she's fabulous (and she's right). So, I will have my next appt. June 19th and from then on, I'll go every week! Yay! 6 weeks left!

Go without it. I dare you.

2008-06-03T21:12:00.000-05:00

Hey, I know this is probably the last subject everyone wants to hear about, but I thought I'd pass along my findings. And no, that's not my underarm, thank you google images. A couple months ago, I started noticing my poor underarm skin really drying out, so being a stay home mom I thought, "Well, you stay at home. No one's going to smell you or see you sweating. Just go without for a couple days and see if your underarms get any better." And I haven't worn deodorant since. Its amazing. I don't stink; I rarely sweat except when exerting myself physically. It's crazy! I think I actually sweat LESS when I'm not wearing deodorant (except when doing something physically demanding such as working out - then its about the same anyway). I'm no hippy, but if I can avoid clogging my underarm pores with potentially harmful chemicals headed straight for my lymph nodes, I'm all about it. That said, you should just try it for a few days... maybe not in the summer. Maybe when it cools down a bit this fall or something. But I'm telling you - its probably not as bad as you think. And just when I think I'm even STARTING to smell a tinge, its about the time I'd get a shower anyway. And if you're out and you feel like you might be stinky, baby wipes work wonders. You can get unscented ones so you don't smell like a baby's bum. That will usually take care of it if you had to run a mile or something strenuous and you have some place to be after that.

So its official. I dare you to go without deodorant for a few days and see how you do. (just a warning - that first day or two, you might feel sweaty and stinky, but just go with it and the next day will be better.) So, please feel free to comment and let me know how it goes for you.

You got it!

2008-05-31T21:15:00.000-05:00

I know we said we weren't going to register, but with so many of our relatives out of town, I figured this might be the easiest way to go. So, there's not a whole lot on there, but I hope this helps those of you who've been asking what we need! :)

Thank you!

9 Weeks Left to D-day...

2008-05-20T14:15:00.000-05:00

So Asher will be here in 9 weeks. That doesn't seem like very long. I have my prenatal appointments every two weeks now until 36 weeks and then every week. Wow! He's definitely creeping up on me! We'll let you know if my OB says anything noteworthy. For now we'll just be trying to make sure we're prepared!

Monday

2008-05-19T15:12:00.001-05:00

Avery was very sad to see Daddy go to work this morning. She's such a Daddy's girl. I love it. She's been doing well on just Ibuprofen during the day and some stronger meds during the night. So overall, I think she's doing well. Her fever is persisting and Children's Mercy says that's ok as long as it does get above a certain degree (and it hasn't) then that's ok. Its really just mostly at night. So, we're just praying for her fever to go down and stay down.

We are so blessed to have you all as friends and family!

home!

2008-05-18T08:57:00.000-05:00

hey everyone, we got home last night. avery did pretty well last night. she is on pain meds and antibiotics, but only for about 3 days. unfortunately she won't eat anything this morning, but we're working on it. thanks for your prayers and concern!

Hospital Test

2008-05-17T14:04:00.000-05:00

here's a quick video we shot w/photobooth just messing around.

Phew...!

2008-05-17T13:35:00.000-05:00

Well, Avery has started drinking and eating more and is generally in a better mood. She's actually interacting now... talking, commenting, pointing out people's flaws. They took her catheter out about 30 minutes ago and she's already peed. So that's a good sign. The only thing they have to make sure of before we go home is that her pain is controlled... or more specifically, that she's keeping her oral pain meds down. (She threw it up yesterday). But now that the catheter is out, she seems much better. I think the soreness of her incisions is much more tolerable than the burning/pain she was having with the catheter. So, yay! Hopefully we won't be spending the night here!

saturday morning.....

2008-05-17T10:31:00.000-05:00

avery is struggling to eat and drink. she is incredibly "emotionally fragile" and cries a lot for us even when we're holding her. please pray that she will eat and drink. it was a long night for all of us. we're already getting cabin fever! more later today.

Goodnight

2008-05-16T21:36:00.000-05:00

Well, its been quite a day. Right now Avery is crying because we took her "slip slops" off. She's still in a lot of pain, especially anytime she moves or coughs :( It shouldn't get too much worse though. Again, thank you for your prayers and we love you all!

Observation

2008-05-16T14:53:00.001-05:00

Welp, all is going well. Avery looks terrible. Very groggy and lots of tubes going in and coming out. Its so hard to see your baby in pain... but she's a trooper.

The nurse asked Avery, "Do you have an owie(sp?)?

Avery: "yeeaaahhh."

Nurse: "where?"

Avery: "where my slip slops? (flip flops)"

Thank you Jesus for a safe surgery!

And thank you all for your continued prayers!

recovery

2008-05-16T11:22:00.001-05:00

just got out of a meeting with the doctor, avery is in recovery and will be for another 45 minutes. the doctor said the surgery went well and is slightly concerned with infection in the future. she has a catheter that she'll have overnight.....praise Jesus everything went well.

Just got a call from the nurse...

2008-05-16T10:43:00.000-05:00

Avery's been in surgery for 1 hour and 45 minutes now. We were starting to get a little worried, but the nurse just called and let us know everything is going ok, they're just still working... so we're just still waiting. We'll let you know when she's out.

surgery begins...

2008-05-16T09:04:00.000-05:00

we just parted ways with avery. she left with a nurse in a wagon ride. as we were walking away she kept asking the nurse, "where mommy and daddy go?". ouch. we have received much encouragement from people praying and we know that Jesus is in ultimate control of avery's life and ours. we should know something in 1 to 2 hours.

Surgery Day is finally here!

2008-05-15T14:23:00.000-05:00

For all of you who aren't our parents, this is the only way you'll know whats going on with Avery's surgery. So, check it out often. By the way, that guy over there is Avery's surgeon. He looks like he'd do a good job... right? ;)

We need to be at Children's Mercy at 7:30 tomorrow morning, so needless to say, we're driving up tonight.

Her surgery will be approximately an hour and a half after that... so around 9am and they should be done between 10am and 11am.

We appreciate all your prayers and are looking forward to getting this behind us!

Cinco de Mayo

2008-05-01T19:21:00.000-05:00

Well, I will be spending Cinco de Mayo in a courtroom. I have officially been summoned. I guess I kind of thought it was just a formality and that I'd never really get called. But hey, I guess I'll make a little extra money right? Wish me luck!

Juror #0871

2008-04-21T10:25:00.001-05:00

Well, its finally happened. I've been summoned for Jury Duty. I'm now officially as cool as Pauly Shore.

Ahhh, Spring has Sprung

2008-04-07T14:59:00.000-05:00

Thank you God for warm weather, sunshine and beautiful flowers! Doesn't warm sunshine just put a little spring in your step? Its like bizaro world. Everyone's a little friendlier, more motivated and more forgiving. "Oh, you want to pull out in front of me as I'm going 50mph? Sure, why not? Its beautiful outside!"

Avery's Surgery

2008-04-06T23:14:00.000-05:00

Avery's surgery will be May 16th at Children's Mercy Hospital in KC, MO. We won't know what time until the day before.

She is doing great with little to no pain right now. Let's pray she stays well and pain free until surgery! Thank you all for your prayers!

So I've decided to start blogging...

2008-04-06T23:10:00.000-05:00

We need a way to communicate with family and friends other than photos... a way to update you on what's going on. So I figured this would be the best bet. This blog will mostly be about Avery and Asher, I'm sure. And I'll make sure there's a link to our picasa site over in the sidebar for all you oogling grandparents ;)