Brooke Rainey Photos

I'm so excited to share some of the wonderful photos from our session with Brooke in August! Laney was a little tired so we couldn't get her to smile but she still did great. Brooke knew all the baby photographer tricks, like pulling the paci out her mouth right before the shot. :)

                                    

Yay for October!

HGTV in Mississippi

I'm excited to share that the town where my parents live (and where I got married), Aberdeen, Mississippi, will be featured in an HGTV show called "Hometown Renovations." It's scheduled to begin in January. Celebrity makeup artist Billy Brasfield (his hottest client currently is Lady Gaga, he has done all of her videos and major appearances including the VMAs) is from Aberdeen has restored many old houses, including one where he lives part-time. You can learn more about Billy and his work in Aberdeen in this youtube video.

His involvement with preserving the town's historic buildings is how my mom met him and got to be in the show! The HGTV crew followed Billy for a few weeks as he fixed up a couple of the houses he owns and then worked on his own home. We will (hopefully) get to see my mom as she picks out paint colors and arranges furniture, artwork and accessories at Billy's house. She was also involved with planning a fundraising dinner for Save Aberdeen Landmarks, which brings Billy's friend Wynonna Judd to town.

I may even have a tiny cameo! I sat in the audience at a church dedication (an old church was moved to a new home in town) when I went to visit for a week with Laney. It was fun to watch the producer and crew as they set up the shots. They had huge fans going and drinks for everyone because it was scorching.  A typical Mississippi day in the eyes of America. It should be a fun show...I'll keep you posted.

Here are a few pics that mom got as was show was being filmed..

"after" shot of one of Billy's rental houses

mom said they did this shot of Billy getting in his car over and over and over

the crew at Billy's house (we visited that day! wish i had gotten a photo with laney)

wall of artwork that mom designed

billy

Three Months

I chose this dress because I wore it 30 years ago and Laney may outgrow it soon! She is growing so fast. She's now blowing bubbles, grabbing the toys that hang down on her activity mat (and my hair), and scooting around on the floor and in her crib. And as if on cue for her three month post, she rolled over from belly to back yesterday!!! She hasn't done it since, but it just proves that we are on the fast track to all those 3-6 month developmental milestones.

Here are the pics I took right after she rolled over (I put her back on her tummy for a "before" shot).

More tummy time..

This is where she usually starts on her mat..

And this is where she ends up!

I love this one, it's the first pic that I've actually caught her smiling. I took it with my phone last week when we were shopping with my mom. 

Prayer Request Update

Thank you for your comments and prayers for my Meme! She is still in ICU but is expected to be moved to a regular room in a few days. She had a heart issue controlled by meds before the stroke and they are trying to regulate that and thin her blood before she's moved. Apparently her blood was too thick upon being admitted to the ER so that may have been what caused her stroke in the first place (her meds were not thinning her blood enough). Once her blood is thinned enough, the blood clot should break up on it's own (?) but that's still an unknown. It looks like it will be a long rehab process to regain the use of her left side not to mention walking. Please keep her on your prayer list as she begins this process, as she will need all her willpower and strength to improve. Thankfully she only has physical limitations at this point -- her memory and personality are still in tact!

Prayer Request

Friends,
Please say a special prayer for my grandmother Meme. She had a massive stroke on Friday night and is in the ICU in Birmingham. My mom, my brothers and I were able to visit and talk to her yesterday, but at this point no one is sure how the treatment of the blood clot in her brain will go. We're leaning on hope and prayer.  

Two Months!

It's hard to believe that Laney is two months old (9 weeks to be exact). Since last month's photo, she has really changed from a newborn to a baby. She has found her hands and loves to suck on them, she can push back on her activity mat and changing pad with her feet, and is now smiling and cooing all the time. We try to capture it on video, but as soon as the camera is in her face she stops what she's doing and stares at it. 

In the last month this girl has been on the go. We've been to Birmingham twice, Atlanta, Aberdeen, MS, and (don't get mad Nashville friends) Nashville. We went for a last minute, one-night visit to see a few of Donald's friends so I didn't tell anyone. I will see you Nashville girls in a few weeks when Laney and I come back! So far Laney has been great in the car, sleeping 90% of the time.

Here are some recent photos...

This one cracks me up

Self Portrait

 First time wearing shoes

Coolin' off with daddy. Check out all the cute rolls!