Introducing Jackson~

After 9 long months of waiting my Godson,  Grant Jackson Boseman Jr. finally arrived this week! He was born at 10:11pm Monday April 5th, 2010 weighing 8lbs and 13 oz! He is perfect! Anna-Grace is still a bit jealous, and HATES for me to hold him, but I think she will get used to him over time. He's perfect and Amanda is doing great already a perfect mom!

Anna-Grace Update

I took Anna-Grace yesterday to have her Renal Ultrasound and VCUG Tests done to see what if anything was causing her repeat bladder infections.

Her Renal Ultrasound came back great! Her kidneys looked good and they saw no abnormalities. She did amazing, she laughed the whole time and told the ultrasonographer that she was tickling her, and kept asking her if she could see the chicken nuggets in her belly!

After we were done there we then headed to another room to have the VCUG test done. This one was a lot harder for the both of us. They made me take her clothes off and lay her on an x-ray table. They brought in a lady who was equipped with toys and games to keep Anna-Grace distracted and while she was distracting her and I was helping keep her still they cleaned her up and inserted a catheter. She cried for only 2 seconds and went right back to playing with her toys. The doctor came in a few minutes later and they began filling the catheter with the dye and started taking pictures. She did great through this process. She laid very still and when the doctor needed her to roll to either side she did just like he asked. All of the nurses and the doctor were raving about how great she was to only be 2 years old.

The next part was the hardest. After they were finished taking pictures they took the catheter out and wanted Anna-Grace to go potty so they could take more pictures as she was emptying her bladder. This is when the crying started. She kept saying "Mommy I can't pee-pee on the table I have to pee-pee in the potty"! She kept crying wanting me to pick her up, she would NOT go tot he bathroom on that table. The nurse even filled a thing up with warm water and poured it over her and she still would not go. Finally the nurse went and got a small bed pan and I told Anna-Grace it was a baby potty and that she could go in that and the second they put it under her she went to the bathroom! I was so proud of her being so brave and couldn't have asked for her to be any better than she was. Some days I think she is stronger than I am.

The doctors office was closed so I asked the Radiologist if he could share with me what if anything he found and he said that he did see where she was suffering from Stage 3 Vesicoureteral reflux. Which means that her bladder is allowing urine to flow back up into her kidneys causing bacteria to get into them, which is causing her repeat bladder infections. He said there are 3 options 1- is to closely monitor her and see if she outgrows it, 2- is to keep her on a constant round of antibiotics (though this option worries me and Chris a little bit that she might develop immunities to the antibiotics and continue to get infections that could damage her kidneys)and 3- is to refer us to a urologist and see if they want to perform a surgical procedure on her to fix the problem. From what research I have done online it seems that they only do this in Stage 4 or 5 cases so I am hoping this is not the route we have to go.

The good thing the radiologist did say yesterday is that the infections she has had so far have not done any damage to her kidneys, so it’s a good thing they went ahead and sent us for these tests before it got too bad.

Chris will be taking her to the Ped's office on Thursday to follow up with the doctor and put a plan of action in place, so I will update again when we know more. For now just make sure to say a little prayer for her!

Easter 2010

This Easter was a bit bittersweet for us. We were sooooo happy to be back home with our monkey after being away from her for a week, but as I was downloading her pictures realized that this time last year was some of the last healthy memories we have with Anna-Grace with my Grandmother and Chris's Grandpa. I know they were still watching over her yesterday though!

She was so excited for her Easter Basket and loved everything in it. She was even more excited when her friend Ashlyn came over to hunt Easter Eggs and eat some Easter dinner!

4th Anniversary Trip to The Bahamas

For those of you that don't already know the story....while Chris and I were on our honeymoon in Jamacia we met a couple who had also been married on April Fool's Day, Chris and Kara Morgan. We hit it off right away and ended up spending most of our days by he pool and bar hanging out with them.

We have kept in touch over these past 4 years(they did live in Indiana but have relocated to Tennessee) and even have little girls that are a little over a month apart. With our 4th anniversaries approaching we decided to get together and go on a cruise sans kids to celebrate!





We left NC a little after 9pm after Chris got off work and headed to Cape Canaveral Fl. It rained the ENTIRE time we were driving down there. We met the Morgan's early Monday morning, after 2 hours of sleep and boarded the Monarch of the Seas. Chris and I did this cruise about 6 years ago aboard the Soverign of the Seas, but everything was so similar you could hardly tell the difference. Out itenerary had us cruising all night Monday night then stopping in Coco Cay Tuesday morning, however the seas did not cooperate with us. All night long the boat rocked and swayed and since there is not an actual "dock" in Coco Cay we ended up sailing all day long and arrived in the Bahamas Tuesday around 6pm. We ate dinner and celebrated our anniversaries and headed to Senor Frogs where we quickly noticed a bunch of drunk 18-19 year olds that were going to be making a lot of bad decisions! LOL



We headed back to the ship and Kara and I danced the night away forgetting that we had to be up early for our Parasailing Adventure the next day. We did make it though and WOW was it amazing. Such beautiful sights so high up and the water was soo blue I swear we could see straight through to the bottom! We then grabbed the boys and headed to Atlantis walked around for a bit, ate some lunch at the Atlas Bar and Grill then we headed to the beach where our wonderful husbands treated us to massages on the beach!



We left the Bahamas that night and headed for a 2nd try at Coco Cay. We were more successful this time so while everyone else was waiting in long lines to get to the island we stayed on the ship where we pretty much had the whole boat to ourselves. We cruised all night long Thursday night and arrived back in Florida on Friday and said our goodbyes. We had such a blast with the Morgan's and will definetly make sure we get together more often than every 4 years! I only posted a few pictures since I took 227! LOL

Visit with the Easter Bunny :-)

My mom and I took Anna-Grace to see the Easter Bunny this afternoon, and as you can see she hammed it up for him. I swear she did all but flutter her eyelashes. It has been so nice this year now that she's not so deathly afraid of the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus.

Time now to rest up and finish packing!!

Bittersweet Day.........

Today will be another busy day in the Williford household! A lunch me, my mom, and Anna-Grace are headed to see the Easter Bunny, then tonight after Chris gets off work we will be headed to Florida!!!

We are soooo ecited about meeting up with friends we haven't seen since our honeymoon, and celebrating our 4th Anniversaries together, but it is going to be sooo tough to leave our babygirl!

I know she will be well taken care of while we are gone, but it is still going to be hard to be away from her for a whole week! Hopefully she doesn't take it as hard as I will!

Stay tuned for beautiful pictures from the Bahamas!!!

The Latest on Anna-Grace

As most of you are well aware, Anna-Grace has been suffering from repeated UTI's and bladder infections. Her last one being the worst one yet (in terms of causing her pain). We took her back to the doctor yesterday and they just called me this morning to let me know her culture came back negative, so we have cleared out the infection. They are putting her on a 30 day supply of anit-biotics so the infection does not return before her appt at the hospital which they informed me would be the Monday after we return from our vacation.

She has to be there at 8am and will have 2 seperate tests run the 1st will be a Renal Ultrasound (see description below)to see if they can see any form of blockage in her kidneys.

Ultrasonography is the first imaging test used in evaluation of an infant with a urinary tract infection or as postnatal follow-up to known prenatal hydronephrosis. A renal ultrasound is a non-invasive test in which a transducer is passed over the kidney producing sound waves which bounce off the kidney, transmitting a picture of the organ on a video screen. The test is used to determine the size and shape of the kidney, and to detect a mass, kidney stone, cyst, or other obstruction or abnormalities. The kidneys, ureters, and bladder should all be surveyed.

The second test will be a VCUG (again see description below) and that will be done immediatley following the renal ultrasound.


Most children with urinary tract infections, especially if they are younger than five years old will need some testing done to make sure that they do not have urinary reflux, or vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). This is a condition that causes urine to move backwards from the bladder, through one or both of the ureters, and up to the kidneys. It is especially important to test children under 2-5 years old with a UTI and older children that have more than one infection. Up to 50% of children with a UTI may have reflux on further testing.



Vesicoureteral reflux can either be primary, due to an intrinsic anatomic deformity of the ureterovesical junction (where the ureter enters the bladder), which is usually congenital and eventually resolves spontaneously in most cases. Vesicoureteral reflux can also be secondary to other abnormalities, such as posterior urethral valves or neurogenic bladder or other causes of bladder outlet obstruction.

Children with antenatal hydonephrosis, usually diagnosed on a prenatal ultrasound, are also at risk for vesicoureteral reflux.

The tests that are done include a sonogram (ultrasound) of the kidneys (to look for hydronephrosis) and another test called a VCUG (voiding cysto-urethrogram) that involves placing a catheter in to the bladder and then injecting a dye. X-rays are then taken to see if the dye moves up towards the kidney.


I am a little worried about how she will do with the catheter, but she's such a trooper I am sure she will be fine. I will be sure to keep you updated :-)

Annual Trip to the Daffodil Farm!!!

It's really funny how every year since we have had Anna-Grace the second I see Daffodil's starting to pop up I immediately begin to plan Anna-Grace's outfit and look for just the perfect day to take her to snap a few pictures.

With the beautiful weather we have had the past week or so, I noticed it was time. We will be leaving Sunday to head to FL for our cruise and thought if I didn't go ahead they would all be gone by the time we got back (or at least not as pretty). We decided to go on Sunday and boy was it crowded. We went around 10am thinking most people would still be in church but boy was I wrong. Most of the pictures you can see several people in the background but hey, it's a very popular place.




As usual Anna-Grace hammed it up for the camera. I take a picture of her every year next to the "Don't Pick the Flowers" sign, and it's strange to look back and see how much she has grown! This year they even had a new sign in place :-) Her hair is getting soo long and curly and I swear it gets more red every second! Not quite sure what I am going to do without her for a whole week :-(

Our Little Model!!

A friend I went to school with, is one of the craftiest people I know. She has recently been asked to sell some of her wonderful kids clothes at a clothing store here in town. She drafted a pattern on her own that she was not sure would fit a 2T, so she asked if Anna-Grace could come try the outfit on to make sure (it fit her 12 month old daughter as well so she was a bit worried).

Of course we were more than happy to help, and went by her house for a few minutes on Sunday. She took a couple of pictures for her Craft blog and this was by far my favorite. I mean how much sassier can you get....she's got her hand in the pocket, one hand on her hip, and those eyes make her look like she's up to something. She's just rotten :-)

T- Minus 31 Days and Counting

Until we board this ship bound for the Bahamas ------->


It has been a very stressful year for our household, work's been crazy and Chris and I thought with our upcoming 4th Anniversary that we needed some time away, just the 2 of us! We met a couple while we were honeymooning in Jamaica that we had a blast with and they are going with us. Chris and I are beyond excited (though we are DREADING leaving Anna-Grace for a whole week). Stay tuned for pictures from Paradise, and be sure to pray out boat doesn't sink and we don't get attacked by Pirates!! LOL

Jackson's Shower!

Today was a day to shower Amanda and spoil my Godson Jackson! I can't believe it's only a month and a half away! We all can't wait to meet him....Anna-Grace especially, though we keep trying to explain to her he won't be able to play with her as soon as he comes out. I think she may be a little disappointed, but I am sure she will love him just the same!


Amanda got some great presents and I am sure she is at home right now trying to organize it all. Who am I kidding, I bet by now she has almost all of it put away!

Let it Snow 2k10!!

Finally for once this year the Weathermen got it right, and Eastern NC finally got some snow. We tried to let Anna-Grace stay up late last night so she could see it, but we finally gave up and put her to bed....of course right after she fell asleep the flakes started falling!


THE PICTURE BELOW JUST SHOWS A SMALL HINT OF THE EXCITMENT SHE SHOWED WHEN WE WENT OUTSIDE!!




We woke up EARLY this am (Chris still had to go to work) to a Winter/Ice Wonderland! We played in the snow for a little bit, but it quickly turned to ice/sleet so we came back inside!





It's supposed to start up again around 5pm (just in time for it to get bad again before Chris has to come home from work :-( ) so maybe we will get to play some more!

Introducing "Tiny"

A special visitor from The North Pole arrived at our house right before Thanksgiving. A special Elf from Santa tasked to keep a direct eye on Anna-Grace and report back to him her good and BAD behavior!

We had to give him a name and once we convinced Anna-Grace we didn't need to name him Elfy the Elf (everything like like that right now, she gets a stuffed dog and wants to name him doggy the dog...a stuffed cat....kitty the cat, we're hoping she gets a bit more creative with age)we decided on Tiny! He watches her all day then flies back to The North Pole at night to give Santa the head's up ( I think she frequently moves from the Nice to Naughty list). When he returns he is in a new place in the house. You just never know where he will land next!

Professional Beach Pictures

While we were in Myrtle Beach, we scheduled to have some professional pictures done. Since we have not taken any "family" pictures since Anna-Grace was 2 weeks old I was extremely excited and even more excited when the pictures came back......I couldn't be happier with them. Here's a few of my favorites!

Another Angel Part 2

So this week I was looking forward to blogging about our recent vacation to Myrtle Beach and sharing the AMAZING photos we had taken, intstead I have to post about how Anna-Grace got another Guardian Angel Tuesday evening.

As you all know my Grandmother has not been doing well and my mom tracked me down at the beach to let me know that she was not doing well and she thought it best if I come home. We quickly packed and headed to Fayetteville. We got here around 5:30 and I got to spend an hour and a half with her until she took her final breath. When we got here she was mumbling and groaing like she was trying to tell you something but you just couldn't understand. Finally about 6:45-6:50 she stopped mumbling and got really quiet she lasted till 7:00. I have never watched anyone die and I can imagine in some circumstances it's tough to watch becuase the person suffers so much. Not my Grandma, she just close her eyes and took her last breath. She looked so peaceful and beautiful all at the same time. I would swear she had make-up on. It doesn't make it any easier.....it sucks that she's gone and I hate more than anything that Anna-Grace will never know her like I do. I hate that when Chris and I got married 3 years ago we had 4 Grandparents and now we have 1. But I have to take comfort in the fact that she lived the life she wanted. She spent money when she wanted to, she went where she wanted to go and she loved unconditionally. And she passed away in the comfort of her own home surrounded by her friends and family.

Sorry to go off on a tanget, but I have a lot on my mind, and this was just the less emotional way for me to share it!