Wedding Weekend

On the same weekend as William's birthday, Gordon's youngest brother, Grant, got married.  I decided to go ahead and still plan William's party that weekend since I didn't think the Goodings would want to come back to Houston on another weekend in April.  It definitely made for a busy weekend since we not only had wedding stuff going on but lots of family in town.  Dustin and Skye flew into town Friday night and stayed at our house.  Since we had guests at our house and Gordon was going to be busy with wedding events we decided to board Gus for the weekend (more on him later).  My parents got into town on Thursday and my grandparents on Saturday!  I spent Thursday and Friday running around town like a crazy lady trying to get things done for the birthday party and for having company.  My mom and I also made a trip to Babies R Us for one of William's birthday presents.....big boy car seats!  Thanks Nana and Papa!!
Friday night we went to Brennan's for the rehearsal dinner.  We had a great time visiting with friends and family.  Afterwards, we stopped by my old stomping ground, Pub Fiction.  It's safe to say I had too much fun.  I'll spare you the details but I will say I was in rough shape the next day.  Thank God my parents and Dustin/Skye were in town to help me out since Gordon wasn't home much on Saturday.   ~side note~ yesterday after William's music class I went to dinner with some of the moms.  Hangovers got mentioned and we all agreed that we over do it when we drink since we rarely get out.  Oh the life of a mom trying to act young.  haha ~
The wedding didn't start until Saturday evening at 7:30 (and it was a full Catholic mass) so we decided to not bring William.  Things tend to get a little crazy after 8:30 pm (since his bedtime is 8pm).  He would have just cried at everyone and just wanted me (and to sleep).  So, I dropped William off at the hotel with my grandparents around 6pm.  The wedding and reception were beautiful!  At a little after 11:00 I headed to the hotel to get William.  My grandparents loved watching him.  They said it took him a while to get settled and asleep but he did great otherwise.  I'm so happy that he is starting to recognize them.  :)  I finally put baby boy into his crib at midnight, did a few more birthday things and headed to bed at 1am.  *tired mama*

  
From top to bottom, left to right:

• Ready for some yummy dinner!
• The Gooding girls
• As you can tell he was not picture ready even at 6pm
• With my honey
• William with Ashley and Brandon
• At the reception with Dustin and Skye
• William talking to his great grandmother Grace on Sunday morning

Both of the dresses I wore during the weekend were....believe it or not....from highschool!  Gordon was proud of me for saving money and I was proud of me for being able to fit in them post baby.  I wore the black dress to Belle Ball my junior year.  That's right, all the way back in 1998.  I got the pink dress while I was in highschool (from my aunt's store, Swartz) but don't remember wearing it until college for Monmouth in 2002.  When I see pictures of girls prom dresses these days I'm shocked.  They all seem a little riskayyyy.  Thankfully, I picked some simple/elegant dresses that I was able to wear years later. 

As I've mentioned before, this weekend was really stressful for me.  I'm still trying to recover.  That may seem dramatic but after a year of breastfeeding and pumping and never sleeping through the night it all just kinda hit me.  I can't tell you how grateful I am to have been able to breastfeed William for this long.   But it hasn't been easy with work and life.  Keeping the equipment clean, storing the milk and finding the time to pump can be challenging.  As I sat in the church parking lot, in the back seat of my car, in my formal dress, pumping...I realized it was about time to quit.  The next day as I pumped on the way to the zoo for William's birthday party and again in the parking lot of Pappadeaux's before dinner.....it became my final decision.  I produce over 40 ounces of milk a day so I have to pump since William only eats a fraction of that.  It's going to take me a while to wean myself...thinking about it gives me anxiety since I've had lots of issues due to overproduction but I'll get there. 

 

Whenever I go to a wedding I can't help but get teary eyed and think about my special day with Gordon.  So, I posted a few pictures to help me remember!!!  :)  Our photographer, Morgan Lynn did such a fabulous job!!  She is someone I'll never forget...she has captured some of the most precious moments in my life. 

 

Some people go into marriage thinking the relationship is going to get better or be more fun.  I'm not one of those people.  I've always known that the easy times were behind us and that things weren't always going to be sunshiny and happy.  I knew marriage would take work and patience.

After you get married there are constant changes in your life and you have to learn to adapt and change together as a couple.  When you're newly dating, not living together and just thinking about all the possibilities ahead of you there's less stress.  It's a bit easier.  Now two and a half years into married life, a baby and a mess of a dog....I have to remember our happy wedding day and make time for our relationship because unfortunately it's not always first on our list. 

Gus, our French Mastiff, is having serious health problems.  Money is flying out of our pockets in record time and he's a peeing pooping mess.  Poor Gordon spends all his time at home on his hands and knees cleaning up after Gus.  When he's done doing that he's bathing Gus and washing towels and blankets to put downstairs that just get peed on again within minutes.  Yep, that's right.  Gross.  Gus is having a nearly $400 ultrasound tomorrow so hopefully we'll know more about what's causing this problem soon. 

Anyways, Gordon and I are trying our best to keep everyone happy around our house.  :)  Thankfully, he and I got some movie time in this weekend and are looking forward to our trip to Midland in a few weeks (we're recruiting Dustin and Skye to babysit over night.  haha).    

The link below is from a blog I read (The Bachelor Sean's sister).  She did a series on marriage that I've been reading some so I thought I'd share!  At the end of the day....as long as the person laying next to you has your back and supports you I think you can get through a lot.  For me, going to church and talking to Gordon about my feelings makes everything better.  Some days are better than others.  Some are overwhelming stressful and some are blissfully happy and calm.  ...but like G says, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

 

http://www.shullfamily.blogspot.com/search/label/Marriage%20Series

 

I sure do love this man!

 

12 months old

12 months old

Weight- 17 lbs 1 ounces (~10% on preemie chart and 0.3% on regular)
Height- 28.25 inches (~50% on preemie and 8% on regular)
Head Circumference- 19.99 inches (~50% on preemie and 29% on regular)

Eating- His eating is pretty much the same.  He does seem to have more of a routine lately.  He either nurses or has a bottle at 6am, eats fruit/oatmeal at 8am, has a 4 oz bottle at 10, lunch at 11:30 (vegetable), another 4 oz bottle at 2:30 and again at 5 or 5:30.  We feed him dinner around 7:00 (vegetable/meat and rice) and I nurse him before bedtime (around 8 or 8:30).  So, he's dropped one feeding in the evening but is eating more at night (around 6 oz).   Over the last month he's tried blueberries, raspberries and apricots.  I added carrots back into the mix and he seems to be doing okay with them.  He has finally started eating some real food that's not pureed.  He tried some squash and has eaten a few puffs.  He's still a little skeptical but at least he's willing to give it a try. 
Sleeping- Every night is different.  He wakes up every night around 3am and seems to be wide awake and ready to go.  Some nights it's easier to get him back to sleep than others.  When he's sick I give in but we are trying really hard to not pick him up and just tell him "night night" and pat his back for a minute.  Most of the he just has to cry it out. 
Development- He's on the move!!  Baby boy is doing a funny monkey crawl!  It may look funny but it gets him where he needs to go.  Separation anxiety is still going strong.  I look forward to that getting better.  :)  If you throw a ball in his lap he will throw it back to you.  It's not the best throw but he understands the concept.  He pulls up on everything and is happiest when he's standing.  If you hold onto his hands he can walk pretty fast.  His crib is now on the lowest level and you are guaranteed to find him standing up, looking around at 3am.  He still loves bath time and can sit up in the water on his own (he was a little wobbly until now). 
Clothing size- Size 3 diapers. Still mostly 9 month stuff.  In BabyGap 6-12 month. 
Things mommy loves- Seeing his big cheesy smile.  He is easily amused and constantly smiling.  When I pick him up from school he gives me the biggest smile and crawls as quick as he can over to me.  Melts My Heart!!! 
Things WJG loves- His favorite toy is still his blocks and he loves books that have textured surfaces (like the Feely Bug book).  He is obsessed with his stackable rings that he's holding in the pictures below.  As soon as we get into his room he is searching for them.  It's pretty hilarious. 
When we are at a restaurant he loves playing with spoons and straws.  His favorite bath toys are the foam alphabet letters. 
Things WJG doesn't like- Getting out of the bath.  He screams!!  He just loves bath time and doesn't want it to ever end.  :)  He's also getting a little grumpy about getting in his car seat.  Once he's in there he does fine....I think he's about ready for a big boy car seat! 
Funny Dad Moments-  The other day William had food all over his face.  Gordon said, "At what point in life do you realize oh shot I have crap all over my face, I should wipe it off!"  haha.  I told him I don't think kids care (especially boys) until much later in life!
First time- Over the last month William celebrated his first Easter and had his first stomach bug that caused vomiting/diarrhea.  He's also been to lots of 1st birthday parties!
From the Doctor-  I asked Dr. Freedman if I had to start giving William whole milk since we have a ton of frozen BMilk and I'm still nursing him.  He said the new recommendations are to breastfeed until 2 years (yikes!) so I should give him bmilk for as long as possible.  He suggested that I not give William whole milk for another couple of months since he was born early.  At one year babies can try honey, egg and peanuts.  So, yesterday morning I gave William the tiniest little taste of egg.  He spit most of it out and then started coughing.  He coughed and coughed so I tried to nurse him but he continued to act funny.  I sat him up and saw that his lips were red and swollen and he continued to cough.  He was obviously having an allergic reaction.   I ran upstairs and grabbed the benadryl.  When I got back downstairs William started vomiting.  We gave him a dose of benadryl and tylenol.  He vomited some more (but not the pink benadryl thankfully) and then had diarrhea.  We got dressed and ready to go to the ER.  By the time we got downstairs he stopped coughing and seemed more comfortable.  I then proceeded to cry.  It's just so scary to think of what could happen.  I now know that when you're ready to try out eggs give them the yolk only.  We won't be trying either in our house for a while.  :)  I'm hoping the doctor will give me an EpiJr pen once he reaches the appropriate weight.  Even if I never use it....I'd feel safer having it in our house for a real emergency. 

Having William in our life for the past 12 months has been such a joy.  I just don't know what we'd do without him.  When crazy stuff happen like the egg allergy I am terrified because he's our everything.  I hate to see him anything but happy, happy, happy!!!!   xoxo

Wonderful Wednesday

Exhausted.  That's the word I'd use to describe me lately.  Honestly, I can't even remember what we did on Wednesday.  I do know that I was super grateful to have off after the terribly busy weekend we'd had!  William had his one year well baby check up at 10:00.  Things went great at the appointment (besides me spilling an entire cup of coffee on myself while we were waiting).  Dr. Freedman is always so impressed that William holds still while he exams him.  He didn't even cry when he had his fingerstick done.  After the fingerstick he had to get 4 shots.  :(  That did make him cry but he stopped as soon as I give him a bottle.  While we waited for the CBC results I started getting a little anxious.  I know the most precious baby that was diagnosed with cancer after this test at the one year check up.  Luckily, the nurse came back with the results within five minutes and everything looked great. 
After the doctor's appointment we headed to lunch with Gordon and then did a little shopping for some big boy clothes.  We went home after that for nap time and to do laundry. 

Regardless of my tiredness....we had a great day together.  I've been trying to go to bed earlier so hopefully I'll be caught up soon!

ONE year old photo session

A few weeks before William's first birthday, while we were in Midland, we had his ONE year old photo session done.  We went on Friday morning to take pictures but poor little William did horrible.  He just kept crying and reaching for me.  Our flight hadn't gotten in until 10:30 the night before so he was super tired.  Thankfully, Kristi let us go back the next day when he was in better spirits.  They turned out wonderful and the chevron backdrop went perfect with his birthday party outfit!

 

Arvella did a fabulous job with his cake (and it was delicious)!

I'm gonna get you mommy!

He's got his daddy's eyes

Lovin' on his nana and papa

Dustin and Skye got to join in at the last minute too!

He thinks uncle D is pretty funny!

I don't know about this cake thing guys?!?

Not only are the pictures adorable but we made great memories while having them taken!!  He is such a sweet baby.  :)

Dear William

Dear William,

I dreamed about you years before you were conceived.  I prayed that God would bless me with a baby one day and He answered my prayers on October 5, 2011.  A positive pregnancy test!  6 months later, on April 19th at 6:21am, I heard the sweetest sound of my entire life....YOUR little cry!  You may have come a little early but you were a fighter.  My life changed in an instant.  You are everything I've ever dreamed of but a million times better.  Words can't explain the amount of love I have for you.  My heart is so full.  I could (and do) stare at you for hours.  I kiss you a billion times a day.  You, William James, have made me a better person.  I thank God everyday for choosing me to be your mommy.  I still don't know how your daddy and I got so lucky. 
You are a tiny little thing that can bring me to tears in an instant but make me smile ear to ear the next.  My heart hurts when you hurt.  I can't imagine my life without you.  You have a contagious smile, your giggles can make a bad day the best, you're so curious and ready to explore the world.  You pull people in with those big blue eyes and sweet personality.  Everyone adores you. 
Every night I pray for one more day with you.  Each day is a blessing.  I day dream about all the things we'll do together, what your little voice will sound like when you're really talking, what sports you'll want to play (if any), or if you'll be a reader like me!  I can't wait for everything that's ahead of us.
Thank you William for making life so sweet!  Though I dread the day you graduate high school and leave for college....I'm excited!  Excited about watching you learn, grow and fall in love one day.  You've given everyone in our family so much hope and joy. 
There will come a day when you tower over me.  A day when you say "I do" to a very lucky lady.  But, no matter what, you will always be my little 3 pound baby boy.    

I love you to the moon and back,

Mommy

Has it really been a year?!?!

A year ago today was a tough day for Gordon and me.  We were told that William had dropped even further down on the growth chart which meant he was considered to have Intrauterine Growth Restriction.  I tried to stay positive but I was so scared.  We went to eat lunch after the appointment at Ruggles in Rice Village...I cried the entire meal.  That evening Gordon and I got a couple things organized, I did a little blogging and then headed to bed at 11pm.  Little did I know this would be my last night to be pregnant.  On my way up the stairs I took a quick picture of Gordon lounging on the couch and sent it to my mom.  She said he needed get lots of that in before baby boy arrived.  :)  The next time I talked to her it was 2am after my water had broken and we were headed to the hospital. 

Last baby bump photos at 32 weeks

As soon as my water broke I started praying.  I prayed he'd be healthy, for a safe delivery and that one day we'd bring him home with us.  My prayers were answered and there is nothing better in this entire world than being a mommy.  .....365 days ago I had no idea how much my heart would grow and just how precious our little boy would be!  I knew I'd be in love....but never dreamed it'd be this great. 

Highchair

I've had people ask me about baby products I like so I thought I'd share my thoughts on a few different highchairs! 

 

The first is the Chicco 360.  My parents have this at their house in West Texas.  It's perfect for their home and easy to store away when we aren't there.  They have a long island in their kitchen that is perfect for the rotating chair.  We can face William towards the sink so he can watch us cook and clean or turn him the complete opposite direction so he can see what's happening in the living room.  You can use it for kids up to 37 pounds (so we still have 20 pounds to grow!) and it's only $70.  We got ours at La BeBe baby boutique in Midland. 

 





I promise he liked it more than this pic shows!

The second is a traditional highchair that his mimi got for their home in Texarkana.  It goes great with their decor and is small so it will be easy to tuck away while we aren't there.  I'm sure you can find this type of wood highchair at lots of different places.  I'd love to get an old "antique" highchair when we move to another home for baby #2! 

 

The third highchair is ours!  It's a Graco 4-in-1 chair.  It has worked perfect for us and you can find them at Toys R Us, Amazon, Target, etc.  They are about $180, easy to clean and it blends in well with our kitchen table.  The back can recline which I never realized we would need.  We started feeding William when he was 6 months old and he wouldn't eat sitting straight up in a highchair so we fed him in the nap nanny.  Eventually we moved him to the high chair and laid it back a bit until he was ready to sit up all the way.  My favorite part is that the chair comes off and can be strapped onto a chair like a booster seat.  He'll be a big boy in the blink of an eye!!

 



When you are choosing these baby items (before your baby arrives) you don't realize how fast they grow and how many changes you'll make in a short time. I was fortunate to have lots of baby experience since I worked in daycares, church nurseries and am a pediatric nurse.  All three highchairs are great!  I guess it depends on your house, the amount of space you have and the look you're going for.  Our highchair is very practical and I know it'll be used for many years!

 

Almost One

I'm still in disbelief that our baby will be one in just a few days.  We had a busy weekend getting ready for the big birthday weekend!  Besides birthday preparations we made a stop at the vet, home depot and William had a birthday party for one of his school friends (whos mom just happens to be my sorority sister).  AND our little buddy is officially on the move!  He's been moving from place to place by scooting around on his bottom but on Saturday he took the plunge and started crawling.  His crawl is a bit monkey looking since he won't put his right knee down.  Either way, it works! 
Yesterday we did lots of house cleaning and then William and I went on a short walk before heading to his first music class.  He was very skeptical and shy for the first 15 minutes but by the end he was laughing and crawling around.  I'm so glad we decided to sign him up.  I think it's going to be great for him.  I really think it's important for kids to learn to socialize with other kids while their mom/dad are in the room (especially during this stage of separation anxiety).  He does great at school but I'm not around...things definitely change when I walk in the room.  Swim class will start in May and we are also looking into a little gym class.  Fun times ahead!  After music class we headed to the Barteau's for fajitas and friend time.  His little friend Claire was there and she was cute as ever.  Needless to say, baby boy was tired by the time we got home!  I can't wait for Sunday at the zoo with all of our friends and family.     

   A year ago today was the day I had my emotional breakdown over baby soap.  I just knew William was coming soon and we didn't have anything we needed!  I guess I didn't think about Gordon and/or my mom being able to get that kind of stuff for us while we spent time in the NICU.  :)  While we're on the subject of flashbacks.....my sweet grandma H passed away 5 years ago today.  I'll always be sad that she couldn't meet our sweet baby William but I know she's watching after us up in heaven. 

Wonderful Wednesday

This past Wednesday I was so glad to have my HAPPY HAPPY baby back.  The poor little guy had been sick since Saturday (I'll do a post on all of that soon...I have lots of good info for other moms out there)!  He's still pretty happy even when he's sick so I can't complain much.  The worst are the evenings and nighttime (things are pretty rough then and it breaks my heart).  

Since he was finally feeling better I decided we should get out of the house.  We went to eat lunch with Gordon and then ran a couple errands.  I'm still trying to finish up stuff for his birthday party that is next weekend.  OMG.  Baby boy's sickness slowed my progress down a bit....but, a mommy's got to do what a mommy's got to do. 

When we got home William laid down for a nap while I took care of some nursing/BF issues.  Maybe one day I'll do a post on nursing and pumping....unfortunately, I've learned more about it than I ever cared to know due to complications (mostly from over producing).  We played the rest of the afternoon and made chicken strips for dinner.  In the evenings, once William is asleep, I try to work on a little something for the birthday party.  I'm hoping to get it all wrapped up this weekend!  

 

Baby boy loves standing up and practicing walking.  Everyday we have some playtime in the crib.  William loves this because it's easy for him to pull up to the standing position and I can get laundry done a little easier.  The last picture is a little sneak peek at one of his birthday party projects!! 

My brother in law is getting married on April 20th so we have lots of family members coming into town for that and the birthday party.  Everyone will start arriving to Houston on Thursday so we have lots to get done this weekend.  Skye and Dustin will be staying with us so the guest bedroom needs to be freshened up, I have lots of party stuff to do, Gus needs to go to the vet, William has music class on Sunday and a birthday party for one of his buddies tomorrow.  We are going to be busy bees!!! 

Pumpkin Bread

A few years ago I discovered a yummy pumpkin bread recipe that people are constantly asking me for.  So, I thought I'd share it with you!!  Gordon loves anything with pumpkin so this is definitely a hit in our home.  This past Thanksgiving I made William's friends and teachers pumpkin bread in these cute little dishes from Michael's.  You can see the Thanksgiving post here.  In the past I've just baked the bread in disposable pans, wrapped them in cute fall fabric and tied a bow around it for our neighbors and friends.  Either way it's delicious!!
I know it seems weird to talk about Thanksgiving now but let's be honest....it will be here before we know it so you might as well start planning.  :) 

Pumpkin Bread Recipe:

3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
4 eggs
16 oz pumpkin
2/3 cup water
3 1/2 cups flour
2 ts baking soda
2 ts salt
1 ts baking powder
1 ts nutmeg
1 ts allspice
1 ts cinnamon
1/2 ts ground cloves

-Mix sugar and oil.  Add eggs and pumpkin.  Mix well.  Add dry ingredients and water.
-Pour into well greased loaf pan
-Bake at 300 degrees for 1-1 1/2 hours (or until toothpick comes out clean)

*I don't always have allspice and ground cloves....when I don't I use a pumpkin spice mixture I found at Krogers. 
*If you're going to bake smaller portions like I did in the pictures above only plan to bake your pumpkin bread for 45-60 minutes (kinda depends on how full the pan is!). 

Our little pumpkin!!!

Wonderful Wednesday on a Friday

This past week I had off on Friday instead of my usual Wednesday.  Gordon went to a work/charity shoot at lunch time so William and I were on our own all day.  We had an uneventful morning, nap time around 11 and then we headed out to run a few errands.  First stop was Central Market.  I wanted to check out their organic fruit/veggie selection for baby food making.  While we were there we sat outside so we could enjoy the beautiful weather while I had some lunch.  I was surprised to find that Central Market doesn't have that much more than Krogers in the organic fruit section.  They did have organic strawberries and raspberries which I've never found at Krogers.  I still haven't been able to find organic peaches, grapes, or blueberries.  Have any of you moms out there ever found these things?  I'm really not a crazy organic eating person....as a matter of fact Gordon and I rarely eat organic.  But, I feel different when it comes to William.  I just want him to be as healthy as possible.  That's one of the reasons I make his baby food.  Not only is it cheaper but it's not as wasteful and no preservatives!  Can't beat that.  :) 
After Central Market we went on a walk at the park and W tried blueberries for the first time.  It's days like these that I'm thankful for living in a big city with a beautiful park and fun markets.  You can always find something fun to do in Houston!

Friday evening things went down hill....baby boy is sick.  I'll post more on all of that soon!  We were supposed to take family birthday pictures with Alison on Saturday (thus the balloons) but had to cancel.  So, daddy snapped a few pictures.  Baby boy is going to the doctor tomorrow.....wish us luck!

Baby's First Easter

We woke up Sunday morning to the wonderful sound of thunder and rain!  We hurried and got everyone ready for church and were surprisingly on time.  William did good in church.  He is starting to get more wiggly and I'm always afraid he's going to start tossing his toys around like he does from his highchair....but, so far so good.  After church we headed to the TCC for lunch with William's great grandmother Grace and a few other close friends.  As you can see in the pictures below, the rain and clouds cleared out and it was a beautiful sunny day!  William loved watching all the kids running around on the golf course.  You can tell he's dying to get out there and play.  We can't wait to see him hunt for eggs next year.
In the past, we would hurry home so we could get on the road.  Things are a little different now that we have a little one.  We decided to take our time and leave later so he didn't sleep all day in the car and then want to stay up all night.  So, we got changed into our comfy clothes, packed up, William played with all his new Easter goodies and the grown ups had an Easter egg hunt (courtesy of Mimi).  Watching four grown adults chase after eggs is pretty amusing...and makes for great memories.  The first time we did this (years ago) Emily was casually walking around looking for eggs.  I told her we could tell she was an only child since she had no competitiveness in her!  haha.  She usually wins too.  At 5:00 we hit the road and at 10:00 pulled into our driveway. 
We had such a great weekend.  We really are so blessed to have such sweet families and wonderful grandparents for our baby boy.  I couldn't ask for anything more.  The long Easter weekend left me feeling rested and rejuvenated.  AND....William has been an excellent sleeper since we've been back home.  (knock on wood.....) 

Left to right, top to bottom:

• Family photo after lunch.  Right after this picture was taken William some how peed all over Gordon.  I still don't understand how it happened but it did.  I've never laughed so hard in my life.  Poor Gordon was soaked.  Needless to say, we headed home right away. 
• William with his Godparents
• Mommy and baby before church
• William's cute Easter basket
• Love those chubby hands and monogrammed shoes
• He loves to stand up!
• More Easter fun.  The bunny basket was from Emily & Grant....and filled with the cutest stuff!  I can't wait for him to wear his little monogrammed shorts to the beach. 
• With his grandad and mimi
• Lots of new books from Mimi (who'd have thought one child could have 7 different Peter Rabbit books before the age of 1).  He's gonna be a reader like me! 

Easter Part 1

Well, as always things have been crazy busy around here!  Luckily, we had a long weekend to get a little R&R time in.  Since William got an ear infection he had been doing really bad at night.  Having a four day weekend really helped this mommy!  Before we left town on Thursday I was able to get ALL our normal weekend chores done.  I finished the laundry, washed our sheets, went grocery shopping, made baby food, vacuumed the house, went on a walk with W after we had lunch with Gordon, and I packed us all up for Easter weekend in Texarkana.  Coming home to a clean house is so much nicer (especially when you have to go back to work the next day). 

William did great on the drive....he just slept!  Friday morning we lounged around and showed his mimi all his new tricks (ex: standing up like a big boy).  We had some yummy catfish for lunch before heading to see the Easter Bunny at the mall.  To be honest, the bunny was pretty scary looking.  Luckily, William wasn't upset...he wasn't happy either.  He just kinda sat there like mom pick me up.  That night Gordon and I had a little date night.  We went to see Olympus Has Fallen and then met some friends for a cocktail.  We hadn't been to a movie since December!  I think that's the longest we've ever gone.  The movie was pretty good.  I will say that I'm hyper-emotional since I had William.  I cry about everything.  Fiction and Non-Fiction.  Every little boy is William.  Every family is us.  Every soldier in the movie I could see as my baby boy when he's all grown up.  Yep, I'm crazy.  Regardless of my craziness, it was great to get out with G!   

We had a super relaxing day on Saturday.  We slept until 8:00, took a couple of naps and went on a walk.  Gordon watched William while I napped in the morning and that afternoon he golfed and William and I napped together. :)  Naps are heaven!  That evening we all went to an engagement party.  William got to meet lots of people and we ate some yummy BBQ.  Gordon's parents put William to bed that night so we could met up with some of Gordon's buddies and their wives.  We had so much fun visiting with everyone.  It's so nice to talk to other mommies and Gordon had fun playing poker and catching up with the guys. 

 

Pictures from left to right (top to bottom): 

• Easter presents for William's friends at school (read below on how to make)
• Mommy and baby after one of our walks
• Emily and Me at JK's engagement party
• He loves to stand up!
• Napping with Daddy
• Hanging out with Mimi at the party
• Watching the rain
• Baby boy is ready for Easter!

William gave all his friends a light up chick and their parents some yummy chocolate pretzels.  The pretzels are so easy to make and super cute!  All you need are pretzels, hershey kisses, and M&Ms.  I like to use the Snyder square butter pretzels.  This time I used the kisses with white chocolate in them and peanut butter M&Ms.  You can also use rolos in the middle!  I line a baking sheet with foil, spread out the pretzels, put a kiss on top and pop them in the oven at 350 degrees for 2-3 minutes.  Once the chocolate is soft (but not melted) take them out of the oven and smooch a M&M on top.  Yep, that's all you have to do!!  At Halloween I used a candy corn on top.  You really can't beat the sweet and salt combo.