Tis the Season...

Can't believe Christmas is right around the corner!

We have been busy wrapping presents, baking cookies & spending many nights cuddled up watching Christmas movies by the Christmas Tree.  This Christmas is going to be the best one yet b/c this year we have added Miss Payzlyn to the group!  Happy Holidays to you all!! May GOD continue to bless your life.

My Girls

Being a mommy is the best blessing in my life & one look from either one of them & I melt. 

Payzlyn & Paytyn:

I never thought I could love anyone like I love you Paytyn. You have had my heart since before I met you. I remember feeling you kicking my tummy & dreaming about the first time I would hold you. You have grown into a beautiful four-year old & are the best big sister I could ask for! Now, GOD has chosen me to be the mommy to two beautiful girls & I thank him everyday for blessing my life with you both. I look forward to watching you grow up & hope you have a "best friend" relationship. Daddy & I are so blessed to be your parents. 

WE LOVE YOU GIRLS!

Payzlyn Danielle-December

Payzlyn is 8 weeks old this week! Here's what she's doing:

* Feeding about every hour (yes, she's our chunky monkey)

* Can hold her head up for minutes at a time!

*Has started communicating...ooo & aaaahhh are two of her favorites

*What a big girl she is: Weighing in at a whopping 14 lbs :)

*She recognizes mommy & always greets me with a big dimpled grin

*Can stare at daddy for 10 minutes! She loves his deep voice & is so intrigued by it.

*Can push herself up on her elbows during tummy time & her feet go crazy

*I can hold her hands & she will pull herself to her feet & has complete control of her neck

We LOVE you so much sweet girl! You are a complete blessing & your daddy, sister & I can't imagine our life before you arrived!  

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween 

Love--Paytyn & Payzlyn

C Section = Ouch!

Miss P decided to change into the transverse position at 39 weeks, so the doctor thought that based on that and the fact that she was measuring over 9 pounds that a c section was my best option for birth. I did A LOT of research and asked everyone that I knew about their c section experiences...I got a lot of different answers. I decided to go that route this time around because I wanted what was best for my precious baby girl. I went in at 5:30 a.m. and immediately got my blood work and I.V. and anyone that knows me KNOWS that I am deathly afraid of needles. I'm talking still pass out when I'm getting blood work done. So, by 6:00 I was already stressed out and feeling like I should just forget it :) My husband, on the other hand, was suited up and ready!! :) :)

The operating room was FREEZING and anything but calming. I was so cold and had to sit still and get my epidural. Compared to the I.V. that was nothing. The doctors and nurses were great in making me feel as comfortable as possible, and within 15 minutes it was surgery time! I could feel a lot of pulling and tugging, but no pain. Odie was in there and made me feel so much more comfortable just having him by my side. Then, before I knew it...here she was! I heard her cry immediately and any mom knows, that is the greatest sound in the world! I saw her for 5 seconds and then Odie got to take her to get a bath.

I felt okay when I went to my room. Little did I know that the fun was just about to begin. I got to go home in 2 days. I cannot tell you how much the recovery process STINKS! I'm so blessed to have a great family who brought meals and helped me do EVERYTHING! I could not have done any of this without them. It has been 2 1/2 weeks and I'm still slow and I still hurt, but I'm miles away from where I was and I cannot wait to be healed and done with the recovering. I go back in two weeks to see how my incision is healing up.

No matter how bad it was, the end result was my beautiful mini diva Payzlyn. She is a spitting image of her sister and father ( I'm jealous...again )

Introducing Payzlyn Danielle Armstrong

Payzlyn Danielle Armstrong

October 17th, 2011

9 lbs. 2 ozs.

21 inches long

What?

Tuesday was my 39 week checkup to see if I was progressing and how Miss Payzlyn was doing. It started like any other appointment. Measure, check her heartbeat, etc. Well, he could not feel her head this week like he had been able to previously. He immediately sent me to the hospital for a ultrasound. Of course, I began to think "the worst" and just happened to have Paytyn with me. I tried to be calm and make her think we were having fun and getting to see a picture of "her baby" but I was frightened. Well, the ultrasound showed us a lot of unexpected things. First off, my gorgeous daughter was measuring almost 2 weeks ahead of schedule. Second, she's a whopping 9 pounds already! Thirdly and wonderfully, her spot on her left ventricle (EIF) had seemingly disappeared! :) lastly, she is now laying transverse which eliminates having her vaginally :( so, today my doctor called and said I need to have a c-section on Monday morning. So, these last two days have been filled with anxiety and nerves...plus excitement to get to finally see my baby girl. I am putting my faith in God and trusting in his plan for me and my baby. Going to pray like crazy and asking for your prayers this Monday.

Is it time yet?

It feels like I have been pregnant for 2 years! :) I am now 36 1/2 weeks along and cannot WAIT to meet Miss Payzlyn Danielle Armstrong in a few weeks! Paytyn has been so great with her new cousin Haydn, that I am more excited than ever to see her as a big sister. The amount of love and how gentle and caring she is with Haydn almost brings tears to my eyes. She loves with her entire heart and I hope she NEVER loses how strongly she loves.

As for me and how I'm holding up...lol, I am HUGE! By HUGE, I mean HHHUUUGGGEE!! When I was pregnant with Paytyn, I felt great all the way to the end, but with Miss Payzlyn, my back pain is out of this world. She dropped about two weeks ago and since then, I've had tons of painful pelvic pressure and am so swollen. The only reason I'm not a complete wreck is because it will be totally worth it when I get to hold my baby girl. We are all so excited to get to meet our little diva Armstrong in a few weeks.

I went to the doctor last week and was dialated to a _________________....are you ready?.......

A ZERO!!

I was totally bummed out, but like my grandma told me: "When the apples ripe it will fall from the tree!" Guess that's the advice I'm going to be living by the next few weeks!!!

I go to the doctor tomorrow, so hopefully I will hear I am dialated to at least a one...I will even take a HALF right now!



I'm an Aunt...again!

Congratulations to my brother & his wife, Nikki on the birth of their first child! Haydn Talia Sinor was born on September 12th & weighed in at 7 lbs. 11 oz. & was 20 3/4 inches long!  She definitely looks just like Nicole!!

Paytyn with her new baby cousin!! She's going to be the BEST big sister!



The Armstrongs

My Beautiful Family

My Two Favorite People

Mommy & Diva

My Beautiful Big Girl







Arena Bowl XXIV

Well, the season is officially over as of last Friday! The Rattlers finished with a record of 18-3, but unfortunately lost the Arena Bowl with 2 seconds left by 3 points. Out of the three games they lost, their total point loss was 5!  Can you believe they lost three games by a total of five points? What an amazing bunch of guys we met this year...not just people we will remain friends with, but new members of our family. 

 with the WIVES CLUB

 with Odie before the game

Someone made these signs...awesome!

Odie played amazing & had a great end to his season. He scored three touchdowns & blocked really well.  We had tons of people there to support him & watching him play on the NFL Network.  Congratulations to my honey & our Rattlers on a tremendous season!  WE LOVE YOU!!



A Weekend In Dallas

We've been in Oklahoma for about a week & this weekend we went to Dallas to watch Odie's team play in their last regular season game before playoffs.  My parents went & Diva of course & it was so much fun! We arrived Friday afternoon & went shopping! I got a phone case, but Paytyn got all kinds of stuff! Bracelets, a new purse, wallet, watch & new custom made juice cup :) & hats! Every store mom & I went too, Paytyn got something!  She's so spoiled, but is such a little lady & refuses to play or act like a "baby"! I absolutely LOVE this age! Three is the perfect age & sometimes the stuff she says is HYSTERICAL.  I just love that little girl so much.

Friday we went & Picked up Odie at his hotel & took him out to eat & he stayed the night with us. Saturday, he had meetings & football stuff all day, so we shopped some MORE! 

Saturday evening we headed to American Airlines Center (where the Mavs play) to watch our Rattlers take on the Dallas Vigilantes.  We won & finished the regular season 16-2. What an amazing season we are having & this Friday starts the playoffs. I'm so excited that we play in Phoenix, b/c this big momma doesn't know how much longer she can fly!! :) 

We are headed back to Phoenix in the morning to see daddy! Paytyn has been having a really hard time when he leaves to go play, or when we're apart. It breaks my heart when she is sad, but is so sweet to see just how much that little girl loves him. This weekend everytime she saw him he was covered in kisses & hugs. I swear this little girl has our hearts in her hands...

Payzlyn Danielle Armstrong

I can't believe that I haven't posted about little Diva in so long. I am 27 weeks along now & am hitting the "uncomfortable" stage already. It's amazing how much different this pregnancy is then my pregnancy with Paytyn. My first one was so "easy" compared to this one. At my 20 week U/S they discovered that we were having another girl, but also discovered that she had an EIF on her Papillary Muscle in her left ventricle of her heart. I was shocked & so worried about what exactly that meant for my baby girl. We were referred to a specialist in Oklahoma City, but since we live in Arizona I had to wait a total of five weeks before we could get the level II U/S! 

The last five weeks have been filled with moments of: Okay I can handle whatever comes my way & then the next minute filled with my just freaking out! I cant lie & say it wasn't on my mind the entire five weeks because it was all I could think about.  I know GOD never gives you more than you can handle & I have a great support system in my husband & the rest of my family. I have been blessed with many many prayers for my health & the health of my new miracle. 

I guess I should explain what exactly an EIF is...it stands for Ecogenic Intracardiac Focus. That is a fancy word for "calcium deposit" it causes no heart defects & is found in 3-5% of normal pregnancies. However, it is a "weak" marker for Downs Syndrome. I was referred to a specialist & last week finally got to have my level II U/S. I was a nervous wreck, but new prayers were coming fast & strong. Bottom line is: I wanted her to be healthy!!

Well, the EIF was still there, but the doctor said that because of how much advancement there has been over the last decade, they are finding things on U/S that they couldn't see before. He measured her entire body & checked for other signs of DS, but found no other markers for it. Praise GOD! My chances are 1 in 3000 that she will have DS & the doctor said that he thought I had nothing to worry about. She looked perfect in every way & I could tell by the 4D U/S that she has Odie's nose!! :) 

GOD answers prayers & no matter what, "normal" or with DS, we are going to love this little one all the same. But, he said since that was the only "soft marker" found that he thought my chances increased less than 1%. So, to say I was relieved was a complete understatement.  I go tomorrow to get my gestational diabetes test, so that means I'm getting closer!

Sorry this post is SO long, but I wanted to keep everyone posted! She is going to be perfect & I am getting excited about her arrival in October! We also decided on the name Payzlyn. We wanted to keep it   a "P" name & after LOTS & LOTS of "discussions" came up with this one! We love it & are getting so excited. 

Independence Day 2011

GiGi & PaPas visit also included Independence Day! We spent the day swimming, cooking out & later lit some fireworks then went to watch the city fireworks! We had a great time & this was Paytyns first year to actually ENJOY them. 

 Sparkler Time with Daddy

 GiGi took her pictures...if I would have known I would have fixed her hair! :)

 She said she was trying to make a heart

 On a walk with her favorite PaPa

Playing in PaPa & Daddys Fourth of July box :)

GiGi & PaPas Trip to AZ

My mom & dad flew to AZ for a few days to come & spend some time with us. We love love having them come visit & Paytyn gets spoiled rotten! While they were here, we did a lot of swimming & eating! We had not had a home cooked meal in awhile, so mom did a lot of cooking...yummy! We went shopping, to a pool party for Odies team & then they got to go watch one of Odie's games. They also got to experience there first EVER Arizona dust storm & boy was it a doozy!!  Overall, we had a wonderful time & are so thankful to have them in our lives!!

 Heading out...don't forget your shades PaPa

Swimming with GiGi

 Paytyn got a new Barbie scooter

Ready for her daddys game

 My Diva & I

 Daddy signing autographs with his "helper"

The Armstrongs

 At the Rainforest Cafe

Mommys LOVES

Father's Day

I'm only like a month late, but I definitely wanted to give a shout out to the fathers in our lives!

I'm blessed to have an amazing father who is a strong role model in my life, my husbands life & my daughter!

My husband also is THE BEST father! He adores Paytyn & how blessed are we to have him in our lives!

We are blessed to have both my grandfathers around & boy, do they love my Diva

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful men out there!

Happy Mothers Day

My grandma Humble & my mother 

My grandma Sinor 

My beautiful daughter, Paytyn.

Odies mom Doris

Happy Mother's Day everyone! I included pictures of the mothers in my life. I am so blessed to have these women in my life & have them be a big part of my daughters life. Thank you to these women for being role models & for teaching the young women in their lives to be respected & giving & to be the best mothers we can be. GOD has blessed me beyond belief. 

I also included a picture of my daughter. 

Paytyn, being your mother has been the greatest joy of my life. I watch you & know that I am raising an intelligent, caring, sharing & most importantly loving little girl. You are my baby & I don't know what I have done for GOD to bless my life with you, but I thank him everynight & don't take a minute for granted. I love you Paytyn Za'Miah Armstrong. 

Happy Mothers Day to ALL the mothers out there. May your day be filled with gratitude to the mothers in your life!

Caught on Video

PaPa & Paytyn trying to copy a video on You Tube...

I couldn't stop laughing...

Oh yes, she is an ATHLETE in the making!!

Our first fish on the line!

Doctors, fish & worms?

Fishing at Uncle Chris' pond

Dirty & tired, but my girl can still strike a pose!

We arrived here on Monday & have not slowed down since! We have made the rounds between seeing my OBGYN & getting adjustments from the best chiropractor ever...my Uncle Chris. We've also been to both sets of great grandparents. It is so nice to be able to see Paytyn get the opportunity to LOVE her great grandparents & we truly never take a second for granted. So many great memories are made just playing tea party, or baking cookies... :) 

We got to go fishing today at my Uncle Chris' pond. Paytyn had been fishing before, but was way too little to really "get it". However, today she went & LOVED it! She caught 9 fish in about 30 minutes & when she got tired she played with worms!  Can you believe MY CHILD likes to touch fish & worms?  Haha...I sat in a lawn chair & took pictures!  Lol...

We have about three days left here before we fly back to Phoenix on Monday. We miss daddy very much, but love coming back to visit & stay connected with my side of the family. Tomorrow we are hitting up some garage sales & then grilling steaks before we watch daddys game in San Jose on Nifty. 

What a fun trip filled with great memories! 

Baby Update May

We flew back to Oklahoma Monday for my monthly doctors appointment. I am 16 weeks along & this visit I got my blood work done & heard Baby A on the doppler...again. Frankly, I'm getting tired of just hearing my baby, but it is definitely making me more excited to see him/her next month. We find out (hopefully) if Baby A is a boy...or girl June 6th! I will be 21 weeks. It's difficult to make it back to Oklahoma every month, so we are having to wait a little longer than we want to find out what we are having. Baby A's heartbeat was 156 beats/minute & all seemed well. At first, I was so surprised about this baby that I hardly had time to ENJOY this experience again, but now, seeing how excited Paytyn is to be a big sister, Odie and I are thrilled & cannot wait! So, June 6th will not come quick enough for our family...

OKLAHOMA here we come!

I had my second visit to the doctor yesterday afternoon to see how baby A was doing.  Odie got to come home with us this time because this week is his off week from football! After about 10 minutes of searching...and searching...and searching we finally found a heartbeat! 150 beats/minute & the doctor said I am 12 weeks along! I am showing so much more than I was at this time with Paytyn, but the doctor said that was completely normal...whew! Odies mother said I'm having twins...I would freak out!  But, healthy is what my goal is, so if it's twins God wants to bless me with then, bring em on! Haha...

Paytyn is so excited to be a big sister! The baby will not be here until she turns four, so everyday she asks me if today is her birthday so the baby will get here! :) She's a princess!

We came home so that I could go to the doctor, so we are back in Oklahoma for three days! We fly out Friday morning, so this will be a very short visit. I don't know who has had more fun: Paytyn or Odie! Odie has spent everyday fishing & golfing (yes, both in one day) and Paytyn has spent every second busy as a bee with GiGi! Tonight we are going for her favorite "chicken & dippy" which is what she calls chicken fajita nachos! 

What a great week this has been, although it has been wayyyy to short. Paytyn & I will be back in May for my next appointment! 

We are so blessed to have the best family!! We miss them everyday we are gone & count the days until we see them again!!!!

I have been so horrible at posting pictures lately, sooo...here some are! Of course for our family, right now it is football season. Our lives consist of either going to daddys games or watching daddy on t.v.! His team is 4-0 & he is doing great (as usual)! 

All three of us after daddys team WON...again!

Me & Diva before heading out to the game!

Good game daddy!

Our little princess!