Did someone say "free?"

THAT GUY will run for three things:

(1) Good food

(2) Good beer

(3) And free stuff!

So when I read about Shutterfly GIVING AWAY FREE CHRISTMAS GREETINGS? You better believe I told him about it right away.

The bonus is two-fold:

(1) I get to send out adorable greetings to friends and family we rarely get to see!

and

(2) I get MAJOR bonus points with the hubs for not spending lots of moolah!

Wife. Win.

SCORE.

Now, I have used Shutterfly for a lot of things over the years. They always have great customer service; their website is super easy to navigate; and their products are always of great quality.

The grandparents all received photobooks last year for Christmas...and guess what? For the rest of my life, I am obligated to get them one every single year. Seriously, it was the highlight of their lives...seriously.

They've even got lots of cute new designs for this year's gifts: http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books

Shhh, don't tell them though - it's a surprise!

Also, Kurt's dad, Tol, always gets a calendar for Christmas from us. Usually it's a Far Side calendar; but I'm pretty sure he'd prefer one of these with Knox's sweet face on it:

http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/wall-calendars

http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/calendar-poster

Oh, and we're hosting the UAB Blazers Track & Field and Cross Country Christmas Party again this year...how cute would these invites be?!

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/all-occasion-invitations/berry-dots-party-invitation-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=60535

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/all-occasion-invitations/deco-noir-party-invitation-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=60535

And, finally, my favorite part - OUR CHRISTMAS CARDS! Which should I get??

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/scrapbook-style-sage-christmas-card?sortType=1&fa=8&storeNode=93496&fe=16

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/merry-moments-stripe-christmas-card?sortType=1&fa=8&storeNode=93496&fe=16

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/elegant-modern-collage-christmas-card?sortType=1&fa=8&storeNode=93496&fe=16

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/cinnamon-candy-lace-christmas-card?sortType=1&fa=8&storeNode=93496&fe=16

I like the ones with lots of pictures...because, well, let's face it: I have a cute kid who gets LOTS OF PICTURES taken of him :)

I'M PUMPED! Thanks, Shutterfly! This promotion finally got me in the Christmas Spirit!!

(not a very) Happy Birthday!

This year, I celebrated my 28th birthday very differently than I had planned. Let me explain...



Wednesday morning, we were out of Knox's usual breakfast items (bananas, waffles, yogurt, etc.). So, we (really I) decided to scramble up an egg and give that a try. I know that eggs are considered one of the higher risk foods as far as allergies are concerned, but since I used eggs in his birthday cake and other things, I assumed we were in the clear for that allergy.



BOY. WAS. I. WRONG.



He immediately had some redness in his little bottom lip and chin, but it didn't seem to be progressing. I laid him down for his morning nap at 10:00, and when I got him up at 12:00, he looked AWFUL. His entire face and body were covered in whelps, hives, rashes, and his left eye and right ear were completely swollen. The sweet little guy that he is didn't really seem to be bothered by all of this...that is until the doctor told me that I needed to give him the epi pen and take him to the ER right away. If any of you moms out there have ever had to use an epi pen on your baby, then you know how unbelievably difficult that was. I KNEW it was going to help him (even save his life), but I also knew that it was going to hurt him so bad. And his screams and tears definitely let me know.



Somehow, I made it to Children's Hospital. I'm not really sure how because I was sobbing uncontrollably and praying ceaselessly. Once we arrived, they took us back immediately - which told me that his situation was indeed very serious. My poor guy was stuck innumerable times with needles and IVs, and had countless nurses and doctors inspecting him all over. He was, needless to say, scared to death (I really wanted to curse right there...but I shall refrain), as were we. They finally seemed to get the swelling and rash under control, but because of the sheer amount of drugs they pumped into his little body, they required us to stay overnight at the hospital in the Special Care Unit.



Of course, by this point, my mom, my dad, and my sister (Jackie) had all arrived in Birmingham. Unfortunately, there wasn't much any of us could do because of their visitation policies, so I sent Kurt and my dad home to get some rest, while my mom and sister stayed up all night long with me in the waiting room. At midnight, my sister surprised me with my first birthday gift in hopes of cheering me up and lightening the mood.



Knox was able to get a few hours of sleep despite being hooked up to all sorts of IVs and monitors. I was thankful for that.

And the nurses and doctors were all so wonderful. They definitely made this frightening experience much more bearable.

We were finally discharged early in the afternoon on the day of my birthday. We all immediately came home and took naps. My dad and Jackie had to leave; but I convinced my mom to stay awhile. She and Kurt made me dinner that night, and we were all in bed before 9:00 pm. Sounds like one exciting birthday celebration, huh?? :) Oh and get this...just to top off the birthday week, I woke up at 1:30 am on Friday night/Saturday morning with a vicious stomach bug...I'm talkin' throwing up all night long. I spent all day Saturday asleep and all of today resting on the couch. Quite a happy birthday!

Thank God, our little boy is a-OK today. He had a day or two where he was a little out of it - not really hungry and very sleepy. But he seems to be doing MUCH better now. He finished another round of steroids, so hopefully they will work their magic, and we can get back to life without the fight of giving medicine each morning.

I'm feeling rather exhausted - emotionally and physically. I am anxious to meet with the allergist in December to get to the bottom of all of the food stuff. I don't want to live in fear of what I can and can't feed my kid. I used to think that kids with food allergies were just weak or weird...but man, was I wrong. I have no idea what has caused this; I have no idea if there is anything I could have done to prevent it; and I have no idea if there is a cure for any of it. But I will never again think of a kid or a family as having done something wrong to have developed a food allergy. I am actually ashamed to even admit that I had at one point thought that in the first place. All I know now is that I am boldly pleading with God to heal this for Knox. He works miracles. And I am absolutely choosing to believe that He can work a miracle in Knox's little body.