christmas tree

We finally moved into our new house the day before Thanksgiving - talk about something to be thankful for! We decided to get our Christmas tree last Saturday, despite the fact that we still had numerous boxes that we hadn't unpacked yet. Luckily we knew right where the Christmas boxes were, so we dug right in and decorated our partially organized house. Reagan had fun helping out...

Picking out ornaments

Helping untangle the lights
Somehow she managed to get herself tangled
Daddy taught her to smell the tree

milestones

I apologize in advance for this post, it is really more for my journal than to entertain readers. My scrapbooking stuff is still packed somewhere, so in the meantime I prefer to keep track of things on the blog so I can't misplace them!

This past month has been a busy one for Reagan, here are some of the highlights:

• At exactly 13 months I finally decided it was time to wean her completely (mainly because I am pregnant).
• At Reagan's 13 month pictures Grandma finally convinced Reagan that it was okay to let go of things and walk on her own. It still took her a few weeks before she realized that walking is the faster form of locomotion. Right now she is trying to master running.
• Sometime shortly after she turned 13 months she cut her first molar. Yikes, that was a pain!
• Reagan developed her first two ear infections, and is now on her third antibiotic trying to get rid of them!
• Her favorite games are naming all of the food she has in her play kitchen. It is quite amazing! Some of her favorite foods to say are: apple, pear, pepper, grapes, potato, onion, orange, and tomato.
• She also loves to name animals. Her favorites include: hippo, doggy, kitty, ducky, lion, panda, zebra, giraffe, dolphin, and fishy.
• She says "amen" after our prayers, and says "thank you" when you give her something.
• Reagan knows where her ears and nose are. I've been working on mouth and eyes, but she isn't as interested in learning those ones yet.
• She likes to say, "shake, shake, shake" while she dances.

halloween

Grandma Miller outdid herself with Reagan's costume this year...

Hermione!

Photos Courtesy of Uncle Jack!

wonderful family

I often have people say things to me like, "I can't believe how well you handle Reagan's CF," or "Reagan is lucky to have a mom like you." Although it is reassuring to hear that others think I am doing a good job taking care of a child with Cystic Fibrosis, I cannot take all of the credit. I am incredibly blessed to have an extremely supportive family! After the past couple of stinky weeks, I have been in a bit of a bummer mood. Then this morning I opened my email and had an message from my niece Nayeli (and her dad, Nick). It made me start crying when I realized just how great my life is. I have the most amazing daughter who fights Cystic Fibrosis every day, and she isn't fighting alone. Hope you don't mind me posting this email Nick!

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"(This is Nick writing for a moment, just to explain this e-mail from Nayeli. As I was walking her to preschool today, she mentioned that she missed Reagan. I told her that we would see her over the holidays, and mentioned that we were going to do a walk for Reagan in the spring. Being her inquisitive self, she asked me all about the walk for cystic fibrosis and I explained to her that we were going to raise money to help cure Reagan's illness. We changed topics as we entered the school, but as she hung up her backpack and gave me a hug, she said: "Can I help make money for Reagan, too, Daddy?" When I told her that she could raise money just like Daddy, she said: "I'm gonna beat you." So now Nayeli wants to compete with me in fundraising for Reagan, and we've set up a site where she can raise money with her little sister, Karyna. I will include the URL at the end of this e-mail, for those of you wanting to donate money to the cause under their names. Now, here is an e-mail that Nayeli dictated to me this evening for all of you to enjoy!)

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Hi! I'm gonna beat Daddy to make money for Reagan. Reagan and Karyna played by the entertainment center. She has cystic fibrosis and eats enzymes. We're gonna make money as the whole family. Daddy, what's cystic fibrosis? Grandma Miller and Grandpa Miller and Grandma Namie and Grandpa Namie and Cameron and Brittany and Emma are going to visit in November! Austin is my best friend. Please give Reagan money so I can beat Daddy. After bed it will be tomorrow. I love you, Daddy. Bye!

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(I might add that she dictated this to me under the heavy influence of Halloween candy!)

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(To donate to the CFF walk in their names, please visit: http://www.cff.org/Great_Strides/NayeliandKarynaMiller)"

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My family is amazing!

st. louis

Two weeks ago we took a road trip to St. Louis to visit Nick, Allison, Nayeli and Karyna at their new home. The trip was well worth it! The car ride itself went smoothly and Reagan was an angel! We arrived in St. Louis around 2 am our time, caught a little shut eye and began our tour saturday morning. We walked to the zoo, which was a little further then any of us anticipated. Here is a picture of the Miller family by the super cool Elephant fountain. The miracle - Nick has a real smile on his face!

Reagan was quite exhausted from the car ride, the heat and the time difference, so by the time we made it to the zoo she had decided to snooze. Good thing I took pictures of the zoo for her, since she didn't wake up till we were done.

There were lots of elephants to see! There was even a baby elephant! Did you know that a baby elephant can weigh 300 pounds at birth?!

After we looked at the animals, Nayeli and Karyna entertained us at the waterfall! I really wanted to join them! Our next stop was Washington University at St. Louis aka Nick's home away from home. We were privileged to see most everything, including the coldest men's bathroom on campus! Rick left the camera in the car on our tour, so we were only able to take a few pictures after the tour. Reagan took a bath with the girls one of the nights, and we of course thought it was a great picture opportunity! Reagan loved playing with her cousins, and missed them once we left! Aren't they too cute for words?!

Nick and Allison are great tour guides! We highly recommend their services - just make sure you wear good walking shoes! Oh, and if you are ever in St. Louis you have to eat at Nachomama's!

uncle john's cider mill

We had a chance to take Reagan to the cider mill with my family on friday. It was a little chilly and Reagan was getting over two ear infections, but it was still fun. Here are a few highlights:

one more thing

I'm pregnant!