Who You Are

Someone shared this video with me today and I thought it was definitely worth sharing with you! Please take the time to watch it!

Snapshots

I didn't really have any great words of wisdom, wait- do I ever? ;) Anyhow, I just thought instead I would just share a couple pictures of my hangout time with my favorite little boy last night. We were practicing sitting up. He can sit up on his own, but only for a little while, before he gets too mobile with his feet and throws himself off balance. Haha. He also decided he wanted to stand up with support. No I had my hand by him the whole time but he was using his arms to support himself most of the time. Little bugger is strong!

It's Official...I am a Hero!!

I know there might have been some misplaced doubt prior to today but fear not, it can now be made official that I am a hero...with a badly bruised elbow! My morning started very similar to every other morning. My sweet boy woke up around 6:00 am, which he has made a habit of doing for the past week or so. I am beginning to think that this may be the routine for a while. My days of him making it to almost 7 are in the rear view mirror. Anyhow, we did our cereal and milk thing and then he plays while I get ready, for a little while anyways.

It always start out really great like this! He is happy as can be for at least a solid 20-30 minutes. Just enough time for me to get my quick shower and some essential grooming done. Then he realizes that he got up at 6:00 and that was awful early, so he should go back to sleep for just a little while. The past couple mornings I have stuck him in his car seat and let him snooze away. This morning, I had a little extra time after getting ready quickly so I chose to snuggle with my boy and let him nap that way, plus I needed a chance to trim his nails a little bit and it seemed like the best option. So after he took his little power nap, I finished getting ready and we headed downstairs to change his clothes and officially start our day.

This is where my heroic act comes in, so imagine some awesome theme music playing! I went to close the door at the top of the stairs before heading down and somehow lost my footing...I know a graceful hero! Anyhow, holding my sweet boy tight- my only option was to break my fall with my elbow and try to stop myself with my feet. I slid about halfway down before being able to stop. End result: freaked out Ian, floor burn on my left arm, badly bruised right elbow, and a sore knee. So, needless to say- my day started with this purchase at the golden pantry.

My elbow is already feeling a little better but every now and then, I forget and go to support myself or my arm on it and am quickly brought back to that painful place. I am glad I didn't scare Ian too badly. He cried a little but calmed down pretty quickly as I tried to sooth him while secretly wanting to cry myself. So the morning has been anything short of dull for us!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

First and foremost happy birthday to the greatest man I know...my daddy! He is a rock and I am so blessed beyond measure to have him in my life. I don't know what I would do without him in my life! He is a stronghold in my life and has always been there when I needed him!! I love you daddy!

Second of all, I promised an update on my sweet boy's doctor appointment yesterday. Well, shots were involved and as you may have guessed- that was the least fun thing for this momma. I hate having to hold his arms and see him scream and cry when he gets pricked. It is heart breaking and they should have heartless people do that for you. Seriously, hire some people with thick skin to come in and do that part. Let us mommies be the ones who come in and rescue and cuddle with them afterwards so that we get to be the heroes!!

My little man is a champ though, so even though his doctor visit wore him out- he went on about his business the rest of the day. He is still measuring on the smaller side of the scales. His weight is up to 16 pounds and 2 ounces, which is in the 25%. His height is up to 26 inches, which is in the 35%. I laughed though and told the nurse that just means he can wear his outfits longer! Although, I do not understand how he is so low in percentage when he is right where he needs to be in clothing size. Maybe everybody else just has big babies, who knows! Either way, my little angel is healthy, happy, and wiggling away every chance he gets. He does this new twist thing that I will have to get on video because it is hilarious!! Look forward to it!

Too Stinking Cute

In case you forgot, this little guy is too stinking cute! He turned six months old last week and we celebrated this weekend! Well, not really him...we celebrated my dad's birthday early. But we did have his pictures made on Friday morning. We had so much fun with Meredith taking his pictures. I have gotten two sneak peeks so far and can't wait to see the rest!!

Soooo precious!! Meredith had some other fun props and things for us to use. I love the little hat we used to get this one.

So thankful for my sister's sweet friend who is so great at this!! :) So, since we were in my sister's domain- we made a day of it. We went to MOPS, which is a great mother support group that my sister is a part of in her town. It was fun and made me wish I was closer and able to come more often. Afterwards, we headed to Chick-Fil-A for lunch.

You can never go wrong with that choice! We then went back to her house where the little ones napped and my sister went to go pick up my oldest nephew from kindergarten! We played and enjoyed cousin time before meeting up with Ian's grandparents in Cornelia for dinner and a little visiting before heading back home for bed. We wore him out!

Saturday, I decided to strike against the idea of going to the football game where it was highly likely I would get soaking wet and decided to stay home with the boys and Mema. We enjoyed watching the game from the dry and comfortable couch at home! :) 

Ian and big cousin Jack enjoyed playing and watching movies. Eventually the fun got the best of Ian and he had to take a nap. He pretty much slept the whole second half of the football game and was not particularly pleased that I woke him up to go to an early dinner for Pop. 

He forgave me later although there was almost a death in the family this weekend. Haha. My dad requested red velvet cake for his birthday cake. So my mom decided to have this lady in town make her one. She makes delicious cakes and they are a pretty penny. Anyhow, my mom was getting everything together; the cake, candles, and homemade ice cream while the rest of us were in the living room when I hear her yell my dog Trooper's name. I come into the dining room to discover Trooper had hopped onto a chair and begun to help himself to some birthday cake. I could tell mom was fuming. I felt awful. I banished Trooper to the laundry room for the rest of the evening and gave him a spanking. Mom proceeded to cut off the section Trooper had dug into, therefor explaining the shape of the cake in the picture above. 

It didn't put a damper on the evening too long. The cake was delicious though and afterwards, my brother-in-law joked that he bet Trooper was in the laundry room thinking, "It was worth it." haha. Here is our picture from Sunday morning. Ian had his 6 month check up this morning which meant shots, ouch! But I will update about that tomorrow!

On the Drive

On my drive into work today I was listening to "The Message" on Sirius XM. (Sidenote: my trial subscription will expire soon and I will be devastated to go back to regular radio!) Anyhow, a song from Mercy Me came on. It was a song I have heard countless times before but this morning it truly spoke to me. I have been struggling as of late with the desires in my heart. I tell myself after everything that has happened in the last year that God is in control and I know He will give me strength no matter what. There are times where it is easier to remind myself of that, and times where I need to tell myself that constantly. I truly hope and pray that God brings someone into my life that I can love the way He has called wives to love their husbands. I know that if that never happens, that I will continue to serve the Lord and look to glorify Him in other ways. Anyhow, all this to say- it has been a struggle to remind myself that even though that is something I long for, it is not something that makes or breaks my life. In praying this morning I asked God to continue to remind me that there are few things that matter on earth. It only truly matters if it is doing something to further the kingdom of God. I was blessed when the song "Beautiful" came on as I was thinking about all these things.

Days will come when you don't have the strength

And all you hear is you're not worth anything

Wondering if you ever could be loved

And if they truly saw your heart they'd see too much

You're beautiful

You're beautiful

You are made for so much more than all of this

You're beautiful

You're beautiful

You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His

You're beautiful

Praying that you'd have the heart to fight

'Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight

For all the lies you've held inside so long

They are nothing in the shadow of the cross

You're beautiful

You're beautiful

You are made for so much more than all of this

You're beautiful

You're beautiful

You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His

You're beautiful

Before you ever took a breath

Long before the world began

Of all the wonders He possessed

There was one more precious

Of all the earth and skies above

You're the one He madly loves

Enough to die

You're beautiful

You're beautiful

In His eyes

You're beautiful

You were meant for so much more than all of this

You're beautiful

You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His

You're beautiful

You're beautiful

You're meant for so much more than all of this

You're beautiful

You're beautiful

You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His

Not only was I reminded that my calling is for far greater things than these little moments, but I was reminded that I do have a love in my life. A love far greater than that of any mere person. I am so grateful of these gentle reminders and the love my Father showers on me daily!

Half a Year

Half a year...6 months...26 weeks...184 days...that is how long I have been on this journey of motherhood. It is true what they say, you can never imagine what it will be like. You can never imagine how even though you have lived all these years...it is hard to remember life before you. Then again, it becomes harder to remember things in general! ;) I never could have imagined how overwhelming it was to hold you for the first time.

I never could have anticipated the feeling of terror and panic when I couldn't get you to quit crying for the first time. The utter feeling of helplessness as I was well aware that I am in charge of this little being and you were letting me know I was clearly not doing something right. I never could have anticipated the elated joy that would come when I learned what each little cry means and how to soothe you.

I never could have imagined how tired I would be those first few weeks when you didn't want to sleep anywhere but my arms. I never could have known that while I longed to sleep in my bed just me, that I also didn't want to let go of this little person who so longed to feel the warmth of my embrace.

I guess I could have imagined how much you would hate baths as a newborn because I have certainly heard stories of how I did not like baths when I was that little. I have heard how people thought my mom was torturing me the way I screamed when she gave me a bath. Although, I don't think I would have imagined that weeks later, baths would be something you love and enjoy. Now, when I give you a bath you love it. In fact I am wondering if I should just wear my bathing suit from now on because as much as you splash I don't stay very dry!

I did always hope that when I had kids someday that I would have a boy first. Honestly, I was terrified at the thought of having a girl. I was pretty much a tomboy myself growing up and I am not all too sure that I would know what to do with a girl who would no doubt my a girly girl! So I have to agree that boys are awesome! I have no idea what I will do when you are all the over place and running wild except to stand nearby ready with kisses and band-aids.

I never could have imagined how my heart would melt like chocolate in 90 degree weather when you look at me and smile so big that it takes up your whole face. I still love getting you up in the morning and seeing that big grin come across your face when you make eye contact with me. I never could have imagined how great it would feel to pick you up in the afternoon and see the smile spread across your face when you recognize that I am there to pick you up.

I never could have hoped or imagined that the Lord would bless me with such a blessing as you! You bring happiness to everyone around you. You are such a great baby and I love seeing your personality coming out more and more everyday. 

I never could have imagined how much delight you have brought me by giving me the title mommy. I look forward to discovering more about this adventure. I have no doubt that I will have more slip ups and mishaps along the way. Be patient with your mommy as she learns things as she goes! I love you sweet boy!!

Rock n' Rattle

So thankful my sweet boy is feeling a little better. He is still runny nosed and coughing but not as bad as he was yesterday morning! This is a little video I did this morning. He does this every morning when I give him his rattle while I fix his cereal and milk! So cute!

Manic Monday Strikes!

Well my poor little guy started Monday with a bang! He has been hit with a runny nose and cough and he was downright pitiful this morning. I took the morning off to take him to the doctor to make sure there was no infection. He was good to go and had perked up a little as we were leaving the doctor's office. Thankful for that!

This weekend was a whirlwind. It was a week off for our beloved bulldogs, which was good considering this little guy spent Thursday in a little outfit with an alligator on it, and a bib that is blue and orange. I know!! CRAZY!! But I got to save his GA attire for gamedays!!

Friday we put on our red, just to ease any doubts about where our allegiance lies. He looks much cuter in red...I must admit! ;)

We made a trek to the Sham to pick up an Initials Inc order and made a pit stop for lunch with Laura and Sam. Sam is already anxiously awaiting the day he turns 16! He had fun starting my car, since all you have to do is push a button. He was funny at first, looking for a place to put the key. My sister said that later when they got in their car to go home that he said, "I wish you could be 3 to drive."

We decided to take in a little football game of my cousin's. He made a great catch for a large gain the first play of the game. It was pretty slow after that. We enjoyed the game, but left not too long after the first half as bedtime was fast approaching for little man!

Saturday I had a vendor event at a consignment sale. I found a few cute things for Ian, but this was by far my favorite find! It was only 75 cents!

All spiffy for Sunday morning church!

His pitiful state this morning before we went to the doctor. 

Sleep?

So, due to circumstances beyond my control: this will be a pictureless post. (ok, I lied. there is one- but it is an older one!)

Yesterday was a rare mid-week day that I got to spend with my boy! His normal sitter was sick so I stayed home with him. It was a nice and relaxing day! He is all over the place rolling and scooting! It is making sleeping a little more challenging. Now that he is more mobile, sleeping in his swaddle is coming to a close and I am dreading what that means for my night time bliss! I don't even want to talk about that time because it makes me so anxious and stressed! That wonderful little swaddle keeps my little man from waking himself up with his flailing arms. But now that little swaddle also restrains my little man from being able to roll around freely in his crib. You might think, well that is good, right? Hmmm, jury is still out on that one! He can still roll over in his swaddle, which I am not a big fan of. So I usually end up putting something, a blanket rolled up, on either side to constrain him to one area. I know, it is evil and horribly wrong to put blankets in the crib with your child...do me a favor and save the lecture for another day when I am less stressed. This seemed to prolong the need for a solution to this night time problem a little longer. However, last night- there were four separate times I had to go downstairs throughout the night and put his paci in because he had inevitably lost it and was getting restless not being able to roll around freely. This may not be such a huge ordeal if my room was on the same floor as his...it isn't, just in case you were wondering. I am so NOT the kind of person who can just go right back to sleep. It takes me a little while and so four interruptions through the night wreaks havoc on the sleep cycle! I posted a picture a couple days ago on my instagram of one of the mornings he had managed to escape from his swaddle.

One of my dear sweet friends mentioned that once her daughter started doing that, they quit swaddling her and she was totally fine! Ah, don't you just love when you hear a success story from someone and it makes you feel so much better. Anyone...why do I hear crickets? My little boy, as sweet as he is...needs to be swaddled in order to go to sleep. I have tried letting him go unswaddled...haha you want to talk about fun! He was out, dead to the world, put him down...AWAKE!! Oh it's playtime in the crib! He just rolled all around and kicked his legs. I left him in there for a while, left, came back...he just looked up at me like, "hey mama, I am having fun!" lol. Little booger! Anyhow, I know it will all work itself out in due time. I am just having one of my moments where I picture my sleeping nights going out the window for a while and that makes me sad! :( I am not ashamed to admit it either! However, I know there are so parents who struggle getting theirs to sleep all through the night much more than I have so far, so I reminded to be grateful at the same time! Maybe, the transition will be smoother than I anticipate once he is ready!

Scooting...

I am officially in for trouble soon! Good trouble I guess! My little man is scooting around and once he figures out those arms...it is all over! His little legs go non-stop. He started at the end of this blanket and eventually scooted his little way all the way to the other side. He pulls in those little legs and just pushes!

As always, Fridays are a day off for me and I love my Fridays with my little man! We decided to go swimming this Friday, just us! It was fun and I actually managed to get a little bit of sun while still loving on my sweet boy!

Friday night, I got the chance to go out to eat with my Sunday School class. We went to a place called FATZ cafe. We were laughing because they have cotton candy on the dessert menu. I asked our waitress how often it gets ordered, and she said it varies but that she had to admit- she makes a mean cotton candy! So one of our classmates took her up on that offer! Look at that cotton candy! It was only 99 cents too!

My little escape artist still manages to get out of his swaddle sometimes. I was proud of him this time, because I gave him his paci and left him like that. He ended up sleeping for another two hours until about 8:00! I was so incredibly grateful because I didn't sleep great that night and was not ready for the day to start at 6:00! Thanks little man! 

Saturday was the first home game of the season!! I love college football and I very much intend to pass my love on to my son! We got our UGA gear on and went out to lunch with the family before the game. My mom and sister-in-law graciously kept the boys, mine and my sister's, while the rest of the crew went to the game. 

I love it here! The game was great, especially since we won! It was definitely a wonderful feeling to beat South Carolina again, it had been a long three year drought! It was definitely hot but lots of sunscreen was applied and the new feature of bottomless drinks was a great help!

Sunday morning was the usual staple of church, lunch, relaxing, and then back to church. I LOVED the outfit Ian wore to church this past weekend!! It was too gosh darn cute!! Little plaid pants, white shirt, and vest!! He was just looking all spiffy!! Such a doll!!

It was a great weekend and sad to be back in the grind of the weekday but so thankful for every moment with my family this past weekend.

I'll Need This Someday!

It is hard to think about my sweet baby boy being a toddler, much less a teenager! However, I know the time will come all too quickly!

The mornings where I go to get him out of his crib will be over all too soon. The proud smiling face that is happy to have gotten a hand out of his swaddle will eventually turn into a grumpy boy who just wants five more minutes of sleep!

Especially if he turns out to love sleeping in as much as his big cousin Sam!

Soon, his cousins won't have to bring him the toys he "wants" because he will go and get them himself and no doubt make just as big of a mess.

I hope he never forgets where he comes from, Bulldawg country! I know he will go to many games!

I know we will still go to church every Sunday morning that we are able. I am not sure how much longer I will be allowed to take the ritual Sunday morning picture though! Any guesses on when he might get tired of that? :)

Soon light up toys will be a thing of the past and it will be all about video games and sports. I say all this because I read a fantastic article today about a mother of older boys. She shared how she prays for them and tries to help them grow up to be the kind of men a mother would be proud of. I know I will need that guidance someday and I hope I remember her words of wisdom. But just in case I forget, I am leaving it here...because I'll need THIS someday!