A year later

This time last year our house was filled with our family and friends for our gender reveal party!  I was almost 17 weeks pregnant and we were so excited to find out we were having a baby boy.  I had started feeling the little guy wiggle around in there before Christmas and was loving how real it was all becoming.  The clothes shopping and nursery decorating started the very next day!  ....now a year later we are a happy family of three.  We had a fabulous day laying around the house.  G cooked breakfast and then we all headed to the couch in our PJs to watch a movie and take a nap.  Gordon and I watched Snowman and the Huntsman while W took his morning nap.  This afternoon we cleaned out William's closet (tear), finally unpacked all our bags, made W some food for this week and I made Gordon's favorite...potato soup!   William tried peas tonight and wasn't too crazy about them (honestly who is?).  We'll give it a try again tomorrow night.  Now we're all back on the couch having a good night bottle and then this mom and dad are watching The Next Iron Chef.  These are some of my favorite days.  :) 
Last year I was wondering what kinda baby boy we'd get....I honestly couldn't have dreamed of a more perfect one.  Blue eyed and happy happy happy!  I love him to the moon and back. 

THEN

NOW

Mommy Moments

As 2012 comes to an end I find myself so amazed at all the things I've learned this year!  It really has been an unforgettable year.  Here are some of my "mommy thoughts"...things I would've never thought of (or felt) before.

• Cutting a 4 pound baby's nails is terrifying.  They are the tiniest things ever (and they grow so fast)! 
• I'm obsessed with keeping William's nose clean.  Not good for me or him during this snotty cold season. 
• Who'da thought putting makeup on in a normal mirror would become a luxury?!?!  Now it's a little powder, a swipe of mascara and some lip gloss on the way to work (and anywhere else). 
• My new seat in the car is the backseat next to William.  It's just so much easier to buckle him up and just stay back there until G gets us to where we need to be! 
• A sleeping baby is like a ticking time bomb....you just never know how long you have.  :)
• My heart has never hurt worse than when William cries in pain.  Thankfully, this hasn't happened much.
• Every little boy I see at the hospital is William.  I put myself in the parents shoes now more than I ever have before.  I thought my heart ached as much as it could over the past 8 years as a pediatric oncology nurse.  Becoming a mom turned it into a whole new ballgame. 
• Having a store clerk say, "Oh no is He okay?" no longer alarms me....I now know to expect some sort of bodily fluid to be on me when I look down.  haha
• I live in a sports bra and don't know if I'll ever go back!
• My anxiety level triples before we leave for a trip.  Driving or flying.  I worry about how William will do and if I've packed everything.  4 flights and 5 roadtrips have gone GREAT...I need to stop freaking myself out! 
• It still sounds funny to hear "Are you William's mom?"  It's music to my ears!
• I've gone so long without a full night sleep that it doesn't even bother me anymore.  I'm the most tired in the mornings but overall pretty well adjusted.  Not in a million years did I think I'd be able to handle it so well. 
• I still love my husband as much as I did the day we got married.  Yes, things are different...but better.  There's nothing better than watching him with William.  I crave alone time with him and really look forward to date nights.  Guess this is a good things since he'll still be around when our kids are grown and out of the house. 

Night out!

 Some older pics...

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Wonderful Wednesday Christmas Style

Last Wednesday was a getting ready for Christmas kinda day!  William and I hung out at the house all day baking cookies, listening to Christmas music, making him some food (including pumpkin & apple which he didn't love too much) and wrapping up gifts for his teachers and friends at school.  We only left the house once to pick up a few things at Target.  By the time Gordon got home the house smelled delicious, all the laundry was done (and ready to be packed up for Midland) and the house was clean!  William and I had a productive day.  :)  That evening a couple of my friends came over for a little girls night.  Gotta love pizza + wine + a Christmas tree!  William hung out with us until it was his bedtime...then upstairs he went for boy time with daddy! 

Clockwise from top left: 
~ Gifts wrapped and ready under the tree!  ~ Helping mommy wrap up cookies for his teacher's brunch the next day.  W got his teachers a Kate Spade coin purse and HEB gift card and his Nana & Papa gave them a Target gift card.  We love how much they love him! ~ Santa's Little Helper ~ Daddy's new truck in front of our house ~ Sitting up like a big boy while mommy bakes ~ Bachelor Button and Snowflake Sugar Cookies!

Christmas time has been so much fun with William.  He may not understand what's going on quite yet but it's neat to think about all the years ahead of us!  Gordon and I have noticed so many changes in him over the last week.  Everyday he is a little more aware of his surroundings.  He went from being interested in touching our faces, to what was in our hands and now EVERYTHING.  He's so curious!  I told Gordon to get ready....we are about to have a mover on our hands!

8 months

Although I do miss my tiny baby I have to say this stage is super fun!!  His little personality is really starting to show and Gordon and I LOVE it!!  William is just so happy.  He is such a breath of fresh air....his little smile lights up a room.  He can turn a bad day around in the blink of an eye.  We couldn't have been blessed with a better baby. 

8 months old
Weight- He's hanging out around 14.5 lbs
Eating- His eating is pretty much the same.  4 oz bmilk every 3 hours or so (during the day).  He has a bottle at 6am, eats fruit/cereal, has 3 bottles while at school, a bottle when we get home, has vegetable/cereal and a bottle at bedtime.  He's still waking up around 2am to eat.  I'll talk more about that in the sleep section!  We've added oatmeal, apples and avacado to his food list and tonight he's trying pumpkin!
Sleeping- We've finally moved William to his crib!  There have been a few nights we've kept him in our room (in his bassinet) because he's been sick and all his coughing wakes him up and makes me nervous.  Like I said earlier he is still waking up at 2 am to eat.  People keep telling me that he's not hungry that it's just a habit now.  Maybe so but the poor little guy wakes up mad (which is unusual for him).  I BF him and he's back to sleep within 15 minutes.  Maybe one day I'll try to stop but right now I feel like he's still small and he's only drinking 24 oz of milk a day (which is the lower limit of what's recommended).  I also keep reading that babies his age should sleep 12 hours a night.  Well, that doesn't happen in this house!  I'm all for reading "those" books but honestly you just never know what kinda baby you're gonna get (so...new moms go into it with an open mind!).  Everyone (every baby) has their own personality.  William sleeps about 10 hours a night and takes two naps during the day that last an hour and a half each (give or take).
Development-  The biggest change is he can sit up on his own!  He loves to sit on the floor and play with all of his toys.  When either Gordon or I walk into the room he smiles so I know he recognizes us.  He talks alot but I don't know if I'd call it babbling?!?!  He can move toys from one hand to the other (I really don't know when he started doing this...could have been last month and I just noticed him doing it more now).    
Clothing size- Size 2 diapers and most things 6 months.  9 month stuff swallows him up! 
Things mommy loves- I love how he looks and me and studies my face.  He's becoming so observant.  I'm so glad he's mine. 
Mommy stuff-  I still have my linea nigra.  It's lighter of course but still there.  Maybe I'll always have it?!?!  I wouldn't mind.  :)   I'm having an ultrasound tomorrow to see exactly what's going on with my uterus.  I can hardly wait to find out. 
Things WJG loves- He discovered his tongue this past Saturday.  It's pretty funny to watch him stick it out.  He loves to be tickled too!  He just giggles and giggles.  He's finally not afraid of the dancing dog and wants to touch everything that's in your hands.  He loves chewing on his fingers, jumping in his play thing, and looking at himself in the mirror (eventhough I'm sure he has no idea it's HIM).         
Things WJG doesn't like-  He's still easy going and rarely cries in the car seat these days.  The only time he really gets mad is if he's hungry.    
Funny daddy stuff- William had a nasty diaper the other night...it got everywhere...including his PJs.  Gordon had to wash them out before we could put them in the washing machine.  If you know G you know he hates smelly stuff...especially poop!  He did it but afterwards said he was done for the night...he had to end on that note and take a shower.  :) 

William did really well with the pictures today.  Until the end......

Nap time followed shortly after this! :)

Hugging Our Sweet Baby Boy Tight

There's truly nothing better than being able to love on your baby.  I've always known I wanted to be a mother and knew I'd love my children to pieces.  I had no idea just how much my heart would grow and how much I'd adore our child.  I guess that's why the Connecticut shootings have been so upsetting for me.  I cried off and on Friday night, I cried in the car while we ran errands on Saturday....no sound, just tears rolling down my face.  Poor Gordon didn't know what to do so he just held my hand.  Not only will those families have a huge void in their life's FOREVER everyone else that was at the school will be haunted by nightmares and be afraid of a place that should hold happy memories.  The entire situation is beyond me.  My heart hurts.  I hurt for the way our world is now.  For the things William will have to face in his life time.  I don't believe it's about gun control because crazy people will always find a way.  I really think these "shooters" have severe mental health problems.  I truly believe it begins with the parents.  I pray that Gordon and I will always hold William accountable, that we will be his parents first and then his friend, that we will accept him for whoever/whatever he is....good and bad.  Not all children are perfect.  Not close...and that's okay.  I think some parents are afraid to admit when there is something wrong.  Children (and adults) with mental health problems deserve to be treated AND need to be treated.  It's not something that should be ignored.  There's been an article floating around Facebook written by a mom with a young teenager with some sort of mental disease.  Fortunately, she recognizes that her son is similar to the shooter in Connecticut.....and that he needs help. 
So, I'll continue to pray.  For the families, for our future, for our precious baby boy's safety.....

I am leaving you with a gift- peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  So don't be troubled or afraid.  John 14:27

This is my command- be strong and courageous!  Do not be afraid or discouraged.  For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.  Joshua 1:9

Wonderful Wednesday

Well, I know it's not Wednesday anymore but again...better late than never!  Wednesday seems like forever ago!  I can barely remember what we did.  haha.  Lack of sleep does funny things to your body. 
I had to go back to the dentist on Wednesday so baby boy went to school for a few hours.  Before heading to the dentist this mommy went and got a much needed mani/pedi (while drinking a delicious peppermint mocha....man did I miss coffee when I was pregnant!).  My dentist appointment only lasted 30 minutes so I was able to get William and meet Gordon for lunch before noon.  After that we dropped some Christmas PJs off to be monogrammed and ran to the bank before heading home.  After that we just did our normal cleaning, eating and getting ready for bed.  Oh and making baby boy's food....he tried avocados this week and seemed to really like them.  I really don't know what I'd do without this day off during the middle of the week!

 

• The picture of William and me was actually on Tuesday morning.  Doesn't he look excited to be getting kisses :)
• Sitting up all by himself like a big boy!
• With daddy before work (he wouldn't stop staring at his stocking)
• In his Christmas PJs (he got to wear these to school this week for PJ day with Santa)

Thanksgiving Part 2

I know this is a little late but I figured it's better than never!  Here's a few pictures of William leading up to Thanksgiving.  The first picture has to be the cutest art project I've ever seen!  Love those tiny hands and feet.  :)  Dressing the little guy up for the different holidays is so fun. 



We had a pretty uneventful Thanksgiving weekend in Texarkana.  It was so nice to just relax and get to visit with both my parents and Gordon's.  We watched lots of football and I even got a nap in (...and I got to put makeup on more than once in an actual mirror while someone watched William!).  Gordon was able to go hunting and spent some time with his high school buddies.  I think one of those nights I was already in bed!  Ha.  Yes, 90% of the time I pick sleep over a night on the town.....and I love every minute of it.  I knew this is exactly how it would be.  That's why we waited to have a baby until we were 30 and done with the bar scene.  :) 

 

 

Gordon and I try to switch the holidays each year...going between Midland and Texarkana.  It's nice going to Texarkana for Thanksgiving since all his brothers are there AND the weather is beautiful!  In the next few years we may start staying in Houston for Thanksgiving day so we can do fun stuff like the Turkey Trot and then head out of town the next day.  I'm really looking forward to starting some of our own family traditions soon.  :)

 

• My parents with William on Thanksgiving day
• Gordon and Grant showing their dad how to shoot the bow
• Sitting with his Godparents, Emily and Grant, after lunch

We are so thankful to have such loving and supportive families. We couldn't feel more blessed after the last year we've had.

Wonderful Wednesday

Today was a get ready for Christmas kinda day!  After lunch with daddy I dropped William off at daycare so I could go to the dentist.  Yuck.  I hate the dentist.  After that I ran by the post office to get some Christmas stamps, got William's teachers Christmas gifts, picked up a chicken at the grocery store, picked up William, went to Home Depot to get a wreath and then headed home.  We finished Christmas shopping for almost everyone on Gordon's side of the family.  Only a few more people to go and then the wrapping begins!
Little buddy didn't take a very good nap today so he's been kinda tired.....but he did love his new jingle bell from his Aunt Emily and Uncle Grant!  Our tree has been up since Sunday but I never had time to decorate the poor thing.  I finally got the lights up and all the fall decorations put away!  I also made some yummy snickerdoodle cookies for the mister.  I have off again tomorrow so all the Christmas decorations are going up! 
William is asleep in his crib and we are watching some Duck Dynasty.  I am laughing my butt off (like always).  Uncle Si has got to be the funniest man on the planet and Willie's dad, Phil, is such a sweet husband.  The poor guy walked around for hours looking for the perfect Christmas tree with his wife.  Kinda reminded me of a couple I know. :)

• At Daddy's work in front of the big tree
• Shopping for a wreath with mommy!
• Sweet kisses from Daddy during lunch
• Playing with his new toy while Mommy decorates

Mom Stuff

Over the last seven months I've really had to reevaluate some of my pre-mommy opinions.  I used to say, "I'm not a mom yet.....but I'm pretty sure I'll _____."  The first one that comes to mind is wanting to travel and have weekends away with Gordon and/or girlfriends.  I guess this comes to mind first because when William was only 2 weeks old I remember telling my mom "leaving William for a weekend sounds like the most terrible time ever!"  YEP, I sure did.  Maybe it sounded so horrible because I was already having to leave my baby at the hospital and had never had him home.  Since having that conversation I think I'm getting closer to being able to leave him over night.  But, at the end of the day being home with W and G is my favorite place on this planet!  There's nothing better. 


I mean who wouldn't want to see this sweet boy EVERYDAY?!?

I also always thought putting our baby in his own room would be a piece of cake.  I've always believed that you can teach your baby to be comfortable with certain situations.  I'm not saying you can make them like something...more like train them to not know the difference.  I've tried to let others help me with William....feed him, bath him, play with him, change his diaper....so that he wouldn't only want me.  So far I think it's worked well.  He will go to anyone and rarely cries.  I know most of that has to do with his easy going personality (we are truly blessed).  BUT, one thing that hasn't gone so well.....moving William to his crib.  It's my fault.  I've been struggling with separation anxiety.  haha.  Having him in his crib means he is growing up and it's just happening so fast!  I figured we'd move him from his bassinet to the crib when he was 3 months old.  But, he was only 9 lbs and waking up a couple times a night to eat (we really still had a newborn baby on our hands).  So, I told myself when he was bigger and sleeping through the night we'd make the move.  Well, he's still not sleeping through the night and he's 7.5 months old and only weighs 14 pounds.  To tell you the truth I've loved having him in our room.  When I wake up his sweet little face is right there, it's easier for me to pop his paci back in his mouth or pick him up for his 2am feeding.  But, it's time.  We are getting to the point where habits are forming.  I feel like the longer we wait to move him to his crib the harder it will be.  I have two days off work this week so I figured this is the best time to be exhausted.  :)  So, last night was the night.  I almost didn't do it because baby boy has been sick (more on that later....he had his first fever on Monday!).  But after his 8pm bottle he seemed to be breathing easily and not coughing so in the crib he went.  He woke up at 10 so I fed him.  This was followed by a coughing fit and William vomiting on me.  Lovely.  I didn't let this discourage me......he fell back asleep right away so back in the crib he went.  He did some coughing and fussing until 11:30 or so but did okay.  He woke at 2:30.  I went in and Bfed him in the glider and then back to bed he went.  I didn't hear a peep from him until 6:45 this morning.  YIPPEEE!  Way to go baby boy.  Night #1 in the crib was a breeze!  I have a funny feeling it won't always be like last night but that's life as a mommy. 

His last night in our room!

There he is sleeping in his crib like a big boy!  Yes, I did take the bumpers out.  I was also able to see his other monitor flash everytime he moved/breathed.  That made me feel better too (yes, I worry a little).  Gordon's brothers and our sister in laws gave us this Summer Baby Monitor.  So far I've really liked it.  It's easy to set up, has great sound, you can scan the room and you can see everything clearly.  If you don't have one get one!

I did a post a while back about things that make our life easier....I thought I'd add a couple things to that list!

First up is the Baby Breeza.  I can't say enough good things about this thing.  It is so easy to use and doesn't take up much space in our cabinets.  Last night I made apples, pears, apples w/bananas, pears w/bananas and squash.

My mom just got me the Cooking for Baby cookbook.  I can't wait to read through it and get some ideas.  The storage containers on the bottom are Babies R Us brand.  I like the size but I have to tape them shut.  They were cheap so I guess it's to be expected.  The Baby Breeza storage containers are nice but they don't have measurements on them like the others.  I know you can put the BB containers into the BB to defrost them.  I've just been heating up a little water in a bowl and putting the containers in there to defrost (it only takes 10 minutes or so).  Our favorite spoons are by NUK and Dr. Brown.  I bought some others that were too wide for William's little mouth...maybe we can use them when he's older.

 
Here's William's school stuff!  The "diaper bag" is from ThirtyOne (gift from a friend).  It's perfect because it's light weight and has the two side pockets.  I keep a couple changes of clothes in it, a nose suction thing, pedialyte, a swaddle blanket and a burp cloth.  The bag on top is for his bottles and is from Pottery Barn Kids.  It's easy to clean out when the bottles leak and fits 4-5 four ounce bottles easily. 

I originally didn't think we needed one of these cover things for the carseat handle but after rubbing my arm raw one day I decided it was a must.  It has two hooks on either side that you can hang toys on.  Perfect!  William loves playing with them.  If you take the cover off it unrolls to a big circle that can be used as a changing pad or tummy time mat (it even has a "mirror" on one side).  It's also been  really helpful to have 2 carseats (Gordon and I each have one in our car).  This way we don't have to lug the carseat into and out of daycare everyday! 

So, besides the BOB stroller we have this Peg SI lightweight stroller that we got from W's Mimi and Grandad.  You can put the carseat in it or just the baby.  William is just now getting big enough to sit in it without being in the carseat.  It's easy to open and close, doesn't take up much room, has a good amount of storage space on the bottom, has two hooks for your purse/diaper bag on the handles, is easy to push and turn and is light!  I highly recommend getting one.

Behind the stroller is my first shipment to Texas Children's milk bank (oh and a nosy doggie).  I was only able to fit 25 of the 50 bags I have for them....looks like I'll be calling them today for another box!  If you are a new mom and making extra milk I encourage you to donate!  Those tiny babies need some good mommy milk.  Once I had collected 50 bags I emailed TCH and they sent this package to our house.  It included two huge freezer packs that I had to freeze for 48 hours.  This morning I called the FedEx company and arranged for a pick up time, put a freezer pack on the bottom of the cooler, followed by 25 bags of milk, another freezer pack and then the lid.  I taped it up and put the already included shipping label on the top.  DONE and so easy!  The box will be overnighted to California where testing is done on all the milk.  They will do testing on each bag of milk before it is sent to Houston to be given to the babies.  Included in the testing is a DNA match.  To become a donor you have blood work done as well as a DNA test (you swab the inside of your mouth with a Q-tip).  The DNA testing is done so they can make sure the milk is really from me, the donor.  William only had to get one day of donor milk before my milk started coming in.  Thankfully, I have been able to provide William with all the milk that's he's needed...but had I not it's nice to know there are moms out there that could have helped our baby out during those critical days.  Unfortunately, some women just aren't able to produce milk for whatever reason.  I know I'm very blessed and so glad to be able to help out!

I better run....looks like I have a book to read to someone!  Happy Wednesday!!!

Guest Blogger Take 3

The last two guest blog posts I did for TCH included some pictures that Alison had taken of William.  So, this latest post included a little something from Alison as well.  She talked about turning a hobby into a little something more.  Here's my little portion of the post....

'Tis The Season For Holiday Cards

Lindsey: It’s my favorite time of the year! You know the time when we’re all running around like chickens getting all our holiday stuff done. There’s nothing better than the smell of a fresh cut tree, lights on all the homes, buying the perfect present for our loved ones, baking cookies AND my personal favorite, getting all those adorable holiday cards in the mail.

I usually dread checking the mail and sorting through everything but not in the month of December. I’m especially excited about our family holiday card this year! It’s still so hard to believe that this year we get to add a name to our card….WILLIAM!

The last two blog posts I wrote included some pictures that my best friend Alison Wilson took. Alison and I were college roommates and have worked together for the past six years. She is such a huge part of my life and has been right there with me during our “baby journey.” She took the picture we used on our holiday cards last year that announced when Baby Gooding was due, she was there for the gender reveal party, the day William was born, the week he came home from the hospital, at 6 months old and now in his adorable little Santa outfit. It has been so great to have my friend be able to snap a few pictures in between some fun girl time together. We obviously feel super comfortable with her and little William thinks she’s hilarious! Double bonus for this mommy. Now, I just have to get to addressing all the cards that need to be mailed out in the next two weeks!!! Like I said, this is my favorite time of the year. :)