TEAM TEO

Meet Mateo ("Teo")! Isn't he just beautiful!!!  I remember seeing his picture months ago and thinking he was one of the cutest little boys I had ever seen!  I'm a sucker for baby rolls!  Look at those legs!! :)

Teo was born with achondroplasia.  Babies born with achondroplasia can have many medical complications.  Some babies with achondroplasia require more medical procedures than others.  Teo is needing more help from specialist and has spent a large portion of his life in hospitals. 

I know most of you are probably reading this post thanking God for your healthy children!  But, what if you could do more?  What if I could do more?  What if we could all come together and really make a difference?!

What if we could make a difference for this family?

I'm asking you to donate to the cost of Teo's medical needs and expenses.  His family has tens of thousands of dollars to pay for his treatment. Imagine if everyone just gave five dollars!  Five dollars is less than a drive through lunch or a car wash!  What if you just skipped your daily intake of Starbucks today and gave to this family?  YOU can make a difference in someone's life! 

Being on the other side is hard sometimes.  Feel blessed that you live the life you do and then bless someone else!  Be the miracle for a very deserving family!

Please visit Team Teo and donate today by clicking here!  Or, visit http://www.youcaring.com/fundraiser_details?url=teamteo&fundraiser_id=5133 .

8 Months Old

Reid was 8 months old on June 25th.  So, as usual, I'm a little behind in posting. ;)  Reid is doing great!  He is waking up once a few times at night for a bottle.  It really depends on who you ask...We put Reid to bed around 8:00 and he wakes up at 11:00 for a bottle.  However, we are still up so I say that doesn't count.  He then sleeps until around 1:00 a.m. and then wants another bottle again at 5:00 a.m.  Rico has started taking most of those 1:00 feedings! :))  He is taking two naps a day and both are usually 30-45 minutes long.  Reid really enjoys his cereal in the mornings mixed with some sort of fruit, bananas being the most popular, and he has a veggie and fruit for lunch and in the evenings.  I didn't get too many smiles from him this time but here's our guy at 8 months. :)

8 Months:

20" head circumference

25" height

16 lbs. 8 oz. weight

We decided to have Fairbanks hang out in this photo session.  Fairbanks and Reid are big buds.  He's around for a lot...naps, playtime, cuddling, car rides, etc...  It's only right that Fairbanks finally make his debut on the blog!

I've been wondering if Reid would have fair skin like Spencer and I or have that darker complexion like Rico and Briggs.  Well, lately I've been looking at his photos and I think he's going darker.  I'm excited about this because poor Spence and I usually burn once a summer before we tan.  Rico and Briggs? Don't even get me started...I'm so jealous!

We go to Charleston, SC soon for our annual family vacation!  Reid is ready to go with his hat on!  I just got his seersucker pants in the mail!!! :)

Fairbanks is stylin' also.

Happy 4th of July!

This 4th of July was very low key for the Chmielewski/Ridley family.  We hung out at home and had NanaBug and GrandDadE (my parents) over for some supper and fireworks! :) I took pictures of my little man in the morning.  I think he thinks we are a little nuts when we put him in that same chair as usual and act the fool to get some smiles! ;) Love him!

Ready for some fireworks!

Reid and NanaBug

Reid stayed up waaaaaaaaaaaay past his bedtime!  He was trying to watch the backyard fireworks through the window but you can see he was fading fast.  He was sleeping about 10 minutes after this. :)

BULLET Proof...I mean BOY Proof!

"OMG!! You have white furniture?"
"What are you thinking with three boys?"
"You are SO brave!"

This is what I hear sometimes when people come to our home.  Ready for my dirty little secret? White bleaches!  My white furniture is completely WASHABLE! Ahhh yes I've wanted white, washable, slipcovered furniture for quite some time and now we finally have it.  I LOVE IT!  It's actually white denim and we all know how strong denim is. ;)  So....washable + denim = Bullet Proof and Boy Proof! 

My filthy precious little boys are always plopping down and kicking back on this furniture which is exactly how it should be.  I don't want my kids growing up thinking they could never sit down.  However, I have steared them in the direction of the pool for a quick splash off after a game of basketball before.  Don't judge...they were drenched in nasty sweat.  You know the kind that shows how dirty they are?  It turns to mud across their cheeks as it drips down from their foreheads....Oh yeah...that is nasty sweat!

When the dirt does show, and it will, this is what I find...

I have a chocolate milk drinker in the house! ;) 

Here is my muscle!  I use bleach to clean a lot of my white in our home but the Oxi Clean is really working the best on the slipcovers.  I go around and pretreat any stains before I rip the covers off and toss them in the wash!  Clean, bright slipcovers = Happy Mom! 

I thought we would probably need to wash the slipcovers once a month...WRONG!  I've been washing them at least every other week, sometimes sooner.  Good news!  They are holding up great! ;)

Other bullet/boy proof furniture should look like this!

I love this old dresser that sits near our kitchen area.  The top of it is so worn there is hardly any paint left and the wood has aged so that it resembles something that was left outside for ages.  My kind of furniture!  I like things around our home that look better after my boys have gotten to them.  Our floors are another example of that.  One day our guys will grow up and leave the nest and I'll always be able to see the dings and scratches that meant a family full of boys were raised here....driving toy cars around, walking in ball cleats, and bouncing balls all over the place. 

Oh, by the way Mom, Nanny's pan made her pound cake recipe perfection!!!  It came out flawlessly!  I'm tossing the other pan...should have known it would have to be done in her pan. 

Going Through The Process

My brain has been going crazy lately with deep thoughts and so much that I should probably let pour out of me.  I've recently read Bloom by Kelle Hampton and even though our children do not share the same exceptionality there are raw emotions that really hit home.  I really enjoyed the book and truely feel like this is a journey I am on and that I am being molded into a new Me. 

For now....I think I will crawl into bed and turn on a little "feel good" T.V. and post more later.  However, I will leave a few recent photos of my men!