Wonderful Wednesday

William and I had a fun day yesterday experimenting with a couple new things.  I made home made yogurt for the first time and William tried out plums.  Since William seemed to have an allergic reaction to yogurt a couple of months ago I thought I'd try to make yogurt using bmilk.  It takes 12 hours to make and then it has to sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours before eating.  So, he hasn't tried any yet.  I'll do a post on the yogurt making process and the final taste test this weekend! 

The only time we got out was to have a quick lunch with Gordon at Jason's Deli.  He had a big meeting at 2:00 and was trying to finish up a project so, we had to make it a speedy lunch date.  We skipped our walk at the park because it was really windy.  We're still all feeling under the weather so I thought staying out of the cold wind would be best.  We went to the grocery store instead for some more baby vitamins, milk and chicken to make for dinner.  William practiced crawling, we read some books, played with lots of toys and he tried plums!  I learned something new yesterday.....prunes are dried plums.  I never realized!  After lunch I gave him some of the plums mixed with cereal and milk and he seemed to like it.  That night I gave him a few bites of just the plums and he started making the funniest faces.  I tried them and they were a little tart (but still yummy).  I think it was a new and unfamiliar taste for him.  I was cracking up laughing at his faces.  Needless to say, I was a giggling mess all night between William and Duck Dynasty!  I guess it's a good thing to have your cheeks hurt at the end of the night from smiling a lot.  :)  SIGN OF A GOOD DAY!

Gordon and I have some fun weekends ahead of us.  We have a wedding this weekend, rodeo the weekend after, William and I have a trip to Midland planned, Gordon has his brother's bachelor party and after that Texarkana.  We are going to be busy!

I still can't believe it's already March and almost spring time.  I'm super excited about the summer being right around the corner.  I'm really hoping to get some color on this body this year!  We already have some fun weekends in the sun planned....a weekend in San Antonio, our yearly trip to Rosemary Beach, we are going to try out a new lake this year with my family, baby's first trip to Galveston and I'm hoping to make it to Austin for some time by the water at Hula Hut and The Oasis. 

• He loves his puppy!
• Funny faces while he eats plums
• Not wanting to lay back in the swing....such a big boy! 

Crawling is right around the corner!

A Gooding Kinda Weekend

The weekend after V-day our house was full with some of our favorite Goodings!  Gordon's brother and his wife came in from Alabama and G's parents drove in from Texarkana on Friday.  The youngest Gooding brother is getting married in April so everyone came in for their couple's shower.  We had a yummy dinner on Friday night at one of Emily's favorite restaurants.  Luckily, little William slept through the whole thing so we got lots of good visiting time in. We really enjoyed having Ashley and Brandon in Houston.  On Saturday we headed to City Center for lunch and shopping.  City Center is a girl's dream....especially a girl with kids.  They have great shops, a Studio Movie Grill, wonderful restaurants and an area for kids to run and play.  The boys went shooting after lunch while the girls did some shopping.  Ashley and I got some new Kendra Scott earrings (LOVE!) and Jackie got some new Lulu Lemon workout attire. 
That night we went to the shower and had some yummy Mexican food and as you can see in the picture below a tasty drink from a super cute "Emily and Grant" cup.  The wedding is right around the corner....it's the day after William's first birthday!  We're excited to see everyone again in April and see E&G tie the knot. 

• Our little family
• Grandad playing with William during breakfast on Sunday
• Aunt Em and William dancing at Lulu Lemon
• The Gooding boys
• A good sign of a fun party is a fun cup!  (William was a little distracted by the fire that was outside)

Wonderful Wednesday (+ weekend)

This past Wednesday was cool and rainy so we didn't get to go on a walk at the park.  But, we did get to eat lunch with Gordon at Barnaby's!  Afterwards, William and I headed to Bering's to get his birthday invitations made.  I've also ordered the party favors, have someone lined up to make a cake and have the table decorations ready to go.  I even ordered some cute stamps to put on the invitation envelopes.  ....things are coming right along in the birthday department!
William tried peaches for the first time on Wednesday and he loved them.  It has definitely been moved to the favorite list.  This morning he had apple/banana/peach and he gobbled it right up (I tried it and it was pretty yummy). 
Our weekend was pretty boring.  Gordon and I talked about going to the BBQ cookoff but he ended up being really sick (fever and all) so we just did a lot of lounging.  We did make it to the Galleria on Sunday so Gordon could get some new jeans.  I never thought the day would come that he'd wear anything but Levis but ladies and gentleman...it has.  He is now the proud owner of Banana Republic jeans!! 
The little man and I went on a couple walks around the park this weekend.  I figured a little fresh air would be good for both of us (and I can always use the exercise).  We also signed W up for a music class this spring at a nearby church.  He loves banging things around and making noise so I'm sure he'll love every minute of it!  Two of his school friends go to this music class so there will be some familiar faces.  :)  We also registered him for a mommy/baby swim class.  William has some fun times ahead of him!

 

Here we are having a little date at the park together while Daddy napped.  I can hardly believe how much hair he's gotten over the past 2 weeks.  I'm happy and sad all at once.  Bald babies are just so darn cute!  I was bald forever so I'm a little surprised his is growing so fast.  

From left to right:

• Baby boy loves peaches!
• They really are two peas in a pod.  They even sleep exactly the same way. 
• Getting ready to make some babyfood (...and yep that's a new food maker!)
• This picture's actually from V-day.  William was helping me mail our 3rd box of milk to the NICU babies.
• Playing with Gus at the pond behind our house.  William was cracking up. 

Maybe I'll do another post on "things that make life easier" one day soon.....and include why we have the new baby food maker.  There really are some baby products out there that are a must and some things that work better than others.  We used the nap nanny ALL the time until recently.  When we first started feeding William he didn't do well sitting up so we fed him in the nap nanny until January when we moved to the highchair! 

Playtime

William got a dance and play puppy from one of our Texarkana friends and he has mixed emotions about him!  When he was 6 months old he was terrified.  He would cry hysterically when it started "singing".  Around 8 months old he started to warm up to the puppy.  He would reach for him, touch his ears and even laugh.  He's kinda reverted back to the scared stage.  I got him out on Wednesday and as you can see in the pictures he was a little timid.  He would look at the puppy like WHAT THE HECK and then look at me for reassurance that things were okay.  Then he'd look back and his eyes would get huge.  In the picture on the bottom left he was doing his "shy thing"....if he lowers his head surely it won't be able to see him (and maybe it will go away!).  In the middle picture he is riding on his rocking lion from his nana and papa.  He could see it in his closet and kept reaching for it.  He definitely has the rocking motion down.  SO big and ready to be on the move!

10 months old

10 months old

Weight- 16 lbs
Eating- William is now eating "food" 3 time a day.  He has a 4 ounce bottle when he wakes up, 3 bottles at daycare, 1 when he gets home and a night time bottle (usually only 2 ounces).  I usually nurse him when he gets home from school and in the morning when I'm off work.  Over the last month he's tried green bean, zucchini, grapes and eggplant.  Pears and avocado are still his favorite. 
Sleeping-  Things have been going much better in the sleeping department!  He still wakes up randomly around 11pm and sometimes 2am crying.  Some of the time he puts himself back to sleep and sometimes we have to go in and put his paci back in or give him a little pat and kiss (but we never have to pick him up).  The little buddy sleeps on his side now.  He turns over immediately after being put in bed on his back and most mornings is turned the opposite direction in the bed when we go to get him up.  We've finally stopped swaddling him.  He loves sleeping with his hands behind his head so now we just put him in a sleep sack.  Things are definitely moving in the right direction!             
Development- He shakes his head yes and no but I'm pretty positive he has no idea what he's doing (it's pretty cute though).  He can get up into the crawling position and rocks back and forth.  Crawling is coming soon!  When I clap his hands together he actually opens his hands up.  He's always kept his hands in fists so now he think the clapping noise is funny. 
Clothing size- Still size 2 diapers for another couple days. Size 6 month onesie and 9 month pants.  The pants are pretty long but seem more comfy.   
Things mommy loves- Hearing him giggle.  He thinks it's hilarious if during diaper change you say "shoooweee!"  He just giggles and giggles.  I guess he thinks it's funny that we have to clean his stinky hiney.   
Mommy stuff- The pumping is starting to wear on me.  The only time I really mind it is at night.  I'm having to get up between 11-2am to pump and I'm tired.  Simple as that.  But, that's life as a mom.  My plan is to keep doing what I'm doing for another 2 months and then start weaning myself so I'm done in June.  I'm so happy to be able to help all those NICU babies and feed William (he'll probably get bmilk until he's two...no joke....we have that much).   
Things WJG loves- Sleeping on his side, his paci, watching Gus, walking at the park and riding in the car puts him right to sleep.  He gets excited every time you turn the water on because he thinks it's bath time.  His blocks are by far his favorite toy. 
Things WJG doesn't like- He HATES having his nose cleaned and doesn't like when I leave the room.  He doesn't cry when I leave him at daycare but he does when I run to the bathroom and leave him in the bouncy seat (spoiled?!).  If we are around people that he doesn't know or if he doesn't like something he gets very quiet and puts his head down.  His head will be down but you can still see his little eye balls looking around trying to take it all in.  He's definitely have a "shy stage".
First time-  We had to sign our first accident report at daycare on William's 10 month b-day.  He fell forward and bumped his head (you can see the bruise in some of the pictures).  I know this is the first of many to come.  This month was his first Valentine's day and his first trip to the zoo. 

TCH Guest Blogger

Never will I ever….. That’s one of the things I used to say about my life after our baby arrived. Never would I ever stop having date nights with my husband.
But, let’s be honest, things do change. Your life is busier, you’re more tired, and there’s way more that needs to get done. You are after all trying to keep a helpless little human alive, well and loved 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That’s time consuming!
So, how have I ensured that my husband and I spend quality time together?  It may sound cheesy but there is one single word that I try to keep in my mind….I remember. When exhaustion is setting in and our comfy bed is calling my name I think back to the day I met Gordon. Back to the day I walked down the aisle to his big happy smile, to our lazy days in Hawaii during our honeymoon , to the first kiss he gave me after William was born and the way he held my hand when I went to the NICU to meet our baby boy for the first time. When I close my eyes and remember all of these precious moments I get a burst of energy and dinner and a movie with my best friend sounds much more appealing. I truly believe that to be the best parent to your child you have to be happy with yourself and your relationship with your partner. I’ve only been married for 2 ½ years and I’m far from perfect, I’m by no means an expert, and I’m definitely not a marriage counselor but so far this works for me. So, to all you soon to be parents out there….know that things will change but you can still make time for each other. Make it a point to eat dinner together every night. Find a weekly show on TV that you both enjoy. It will give you something to look forward to! And, every once in a while dial that babysitter or grandparent up and schedule a date night. Get out of the house for a few hours and talk about something besides that beautiful baby (you can talk about them some of course!).

Remember. Remember the couple that you were before and the couple that you are now and be proud of yourself for spending some alone time together! Sometimes you have to put the vacuum aside and let the dishes sit for a few more hours, because you know what it will all get done eventually! So, have a little fun with that mommy or daddy that helped bring your beautiful baby into this world!



Always laughing!

 

....and loving



....even when things are scary & not how you planned.

** I really enjoyed writing this blog!  Like I said, I'm no expert but everything I wrote is how I feel.  Life is tiring and it's hard to keep up sometimes.  Working full time, being a full time mom and wife takes every ounce of me.  But, I wouldn't have it any other way.  This is how I envisioned life.  Crazy busy!  Gordon and I always find a way to cuddle and watch a movie together (it took us 2 nights to watch Flight...better than nothing right?!?).  My new favorite time with him is while I'm cooking dinner.  He used to come home after work and then go to the gym so he wasn't home while I cooked.  Now he goes to the gym from work and then comes home so he's there when I'm cooking.  He talks and plays with William, I cook and we talk about how our days went.  It's so funny to watch William and Gordon together.  Melt my heart! 
Every stage in our life has been so happy and full of fun.  When you get engaged you have so much to look forward to and are so excited.  Once you're married things settle down and you have all this time on your hands to just chill and live life.  Then you are pregnant and fantasizing again!  In some ways parenting ages you (lack of sleep. ha.) and in other ways it makes you younger and so excited about life.  :)   We have so much to look forward to!

Wonderful Wednesday Valentine's style

On Wednesday William and I had our usual busy day together.  Before heading to lunch with Gordon we stopped by Michael's for some birthday party supplies.  That's right folks, William's first birthday will be here before we know it.  Since it was Ash Wednesday we went to Berryhill for some yummy fish tacos.  I love me some Berryhill!  We don't go very often but during lent it's our Friday night spot. 

After lunch William and I went on a walk at Memorial Park and then headed home for nap time, laundry, and cakeball making!  W tried eggplant for the first time and seemed to like it a lot.  A couple of weeks ago we tried grapes and he loves those too.  I mix the grapes with pears, apples and/or bananas since they are so watery. 

For Valentine's Day William gave his teachers and friends some yummy red velvet cakeballs.  They are time consuming to make but every bite is worth it! 

 

My cute Valentine shirt!



Wonderful Wednesday/Weekend

Last week I had four fun filled days off of work!!  My dad had a hunting trip planned near San Antonio this week so they decided to swing on over to Houston for my birthday weekend! 
My mom and I did some shopping on Saturday while the boys went shooting.  We found some great stuff for their new house and we got a fancy new Starbucks single cup coffee maker!  (I'm hoping this little shot of extra caffeine in the AM will get G moving a little faster.  haha)  That night we headed to Tony's for my birthday dinner with some of my favorite friends.  Things have definitely changed over the years....we went from juggling margaritas to juggling kiddos.  It was pretty comical.  Kami brought her husband and 2 kids (Paige-2 and Griffin-9 months), Rachel brought her husband, her 34 week baby bump and daughter (Emersen-18 months), Tina brought Alex (12 months) and Stacy brought her 2 girls (Emery-6 and Ellery-3).  YEP, that's a lot of kids.  My parents loved it, Grant and Emily got a good dose of birth control and Anna got a little glimpse at her future. It was so funny to look down at the table of kiddos and think about "how they became".  There are a couple "whoops" babies, 2 invitro babies, and a couple planned babies....and they are all 100% adorable. 
Thank you to all my friends and family that made my birthday so special!! 

From left to right:

• My sweet family
• Aunt Emily with William and daddy
• Uncle Grant holding W
• The gang
• Nana and Papa with W
• love!

Happy LOVE day!!

We had a pretty uneventful Valentine's Day around our house since we were busy getting ready to have house guests this weekend!  William's aunt and uncle (that live in Alabama) will be in town this weekend as well as his mimi and grandad.  William did get a new puzzle from us and a couple sweet cards from his grandparents and great-grandparents.  The little buddy had baby gym day at school so he was exhausted when he got home.  .....we did manage to get lots of kisses in for his first love day!

Thanks again to my bff, Alison, for the sweet Valentine's pictures!

George Strait

I've been meaning to write about the George Strait concert for quite a while now!  I have loved George forever.  My memories of him go all the way back to first grade....driving to school listening to "The Chair".  The year I was born he had his first number one "Fool Hearted Memory".  In high school I had "Baby Blue" set on repeat in my car.  Around the time Gordon and I started dating "I Saw God Today" became a hit and I couldn't help but be excited about where our life together was going. 

This was my third time to see ol' George and it was by far my favorite!  He talked a lot about the things that were going on in his life when he released each song he sang...he was funny and just seemed so content and happy out there singing.  He sang Amarillo By Morning :).  The Lubbock show was the kick off to his last concert tour (big tear).  I really hope that one day he'll show up at the Houston rodeo so William can enjoy listening to his music live!  By then I'm positive William will know his songs by heart too. 

     

Martina McBride opened for GS and was fabulous.  She sings so many songs that really "speak to me".  I love one of her new songs "Anyway".  I try to live by this song...I pray, I love and I believe.  My next favorite is "Wild Angels".  I can't help but think there were wild angels involved with my relationship with G.  It's such a blessing that he was brought back into my life when I was 25. 

 

My grandparents watched William while we were at the concert.  We took a party limo bus to Lubbock, had a nice dinner and then headed to the concert.  I'm so glad William got time with his great grandpa and GG.  I always feel sad to leave him but feel happy to have him build relationships with his family! 

 



Birthday Fun

Today was my 31st birthday!  I had a fabulous day off work with baby boy.  Gordon took us to get donuts this morning which is my favorite splurge.  Afterwards, William and I headed to get new tires for my car, to the post office, and then to DefineBaby.  I was so nervous about going back to a work out class.  I haven't done ab exercises since October 2011 so I had a reason to be nervous!  I told the instructor to not be concerned if I sat down at some point. haha.  I was pleasantly surprised....I hung in there, it felt great and William loved every minute.  I had him in the BabyBjourn and he thought the whole thing was hilarious.  Nothing makes working out easier than seeing your baby laughing.  Afterwards, Gordon met us next door for lunch. 
William and I headed home after lunch and took a 2 hour nap together.  BEST DAY EVER!  William and I played, I made baby food, he tried zucchini for the first time and then I headed to my monthly APHON meeting where I got to see Alison and several other girlfriends. 
Life is good.  I couldn't ask for any more.  :)

• Photo shoot with babyboy before my meeting
• I need to learn how to set my timer to take photos!  We ended up getting an okay pic of us :)
• I came home to this surprise, a hilarious card and a sleeping baby.  He's a sweet man.

Here's a little flash back of birthdays past!

26th Birthday!  Gordon and I started dating right after my 25th birthday.  This picture is from my 26th birthday with my girls!  Gordon was still living in Austin so I had a girls night out.  We had dinner at my favorite, La Griglia and then went to Pub of course.  Alison was pregnant with Hunter so she skipped the bar!  

27th birthday!  We all went to dinner at some place downtown (can't remember the name anymore) and then we headed to midtown and eventually Pub of course.  Alison was pregnant again with Parker.  LOL. 

28th Birthday!  Gordon and I had just gotten engaged!  We went to dinner at Pappa's Steakhouse and then met up with some friends.  The next day I had a painting party with my girlfriends on Superbowl Sunday. 

29th Birthday!  This was my first year as a married lady.  My parents were in town.  We all had dinner at El Patio and then headed to Pub of course. 

30th Birthday!  This was my first birthday to ever be a preggo lady.  HAHA.  I was about 22 weeks pregnant and Gordon took me to my favorite....La Griglia.  I ate so much that I felt sick to my stomach (and we did not head to Pub)! 

I'm a lucky girls!  I have great friends, a great family and a fabulous husband.  I love thinking back to all my birthdays.....my oh my how things change.  Life has a funny way of changing and just getting better and better.   

Now and Then

A year ago today I got a fabulous early birthday present....we got to see our little peanut on the big screen.  William hadn't been very corroborative during the 19 week anatomy scan so we were asked to come back 2 weeks later to have his C-spine measured.  I remember the appointment like it was yesterday.  The Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor said William was a pretty baby with a beautiful heart, a healthy cord, I had a nice long cervix and we found out I had a bilobed placenta.  We got some great pictures of baby boy.  His little feet were only 3.4 cm long!!  SO little.  In the ultrasound pictures it looks like he's sucking his thumb.  I thought we would have a thumb sucker on our hands (like his daddy was) but we don't.  He does love having his hands by his face (like the top left picture).  My mom used to think I posed him in pictures.  Nope.  He just loves those hands by his face! 
Now, a year later, we have the most precious baby in the world (at least we think so).  My little cuddle bug loves bath time, playing with his blocks, peek a boo with daddy, eating avocados and a paci at night time.  It still amazes me just how much I love him.  I probably kiss him 1 trillion times a day.  Honestly, every day is better than the last.  I used to think I'd be sad to see the "baby stage" go away but I'm really not.....watching his little personality form is just so fun.  We are constantly laughing at him.  I know that he'll just get funnier and funnier. 
I'm guessing next year on February 6th I'll be talking about our wild man that only runs, doesn't walk, loves swinging at the park and has made my heart grow even more!

Tomorrow is my birthday and I have officially started my 4 day weekend!  YIPEEEE.  William and I have a busy day tomorrow.  We are going to get new tires for my car and I'm headed back to Define for the first time since bedrest last March.  The best part is it's a Define Baby class!!  I'm sure I'll be unable to move on Friday.  But, you've gotta start somewhere!!  So, cheers to lots of time with W, G and my parents who are headed this way on Friday. 

 

~ The center picture was taken by my best friend, Alison Wilson.  Stay tuned for the rest of our Valentine's Day pictures and more infomation on how to book Ali for your next photo shoot.  She'll be doing William's 1 year pictures before I know it AND his birthday party.  Time sure does fly by.....

 



Wonderful Wednesday/Weekend

I didn't get to stay home with William this week so instead of Wonderful Wednesday I thought I'd do Wonderful Weekend!! 
Last week was super busy so I was extra grateful for the weekend to finally roll around.  Alison and I did have a little girls night on Wednesday.  My birthday is this week and she won't be able to make it to my b-day dinner so we decided to celebrate a little early.  :)  It's always nice to have a little girl time with my bff.   When I got home that night I found a poopy outfit on the changing table and a trail of diapers to the bathroom.  I could hear Gordon in the bathroom bathing baby boy.  Things always seem to get a little crazy when I'm away (I still have no idea why there were clean diapers everywhere).  :)  haha
We had a really fun and busy weekend!  After our weekly grocery store trip we headed home to clean and I made a ton of babyfood.  The little guy tried grapes for the first time and seemed to like them.  We've even tried some new food combos over the past week....apple/peas and butternut squash/green bean.  He gobbles it all up so it must be good.  Later in the day William and I went on a walk at the park before heading home so mommy could get ready for date night with daddy.  We had an engagement party to go to and afterwards had a cocktail at a new bar down the street.  I think it's great for us to have time together and also great for William to feel happy and comfortable with our babysitter. 
Today was full of firsts for William!  We went to the zoo and it was Superbowl Sunday.  It was nice to get some fresh air and Vitamin D at the zoo but honestly baby boy didn't really know what was going on.  We have a zoo membership so we have lots of zoo time ahead of us!  Grant and Emily came over to watch the Superbowl and have dinner with us.  William really showed off and was talking, laughing and smiling up a storm for them. 
I'm of course sad to see the weekend come to an end but happy to only have a three day week ahead of me!  YAY for my birthday week.  :)

TCH Milk Donation

I got the sweetest email from Texas Children's the other day thanking me for all the milk that I've donated.  They even sent me a picture of the milk after it is processed and ready to give to those precious NICU babies!  So far I've donated 5.6 Liters of milk which is about 200 ounces.  The TCH NICU in Houston gets the milk in 4 ounce bottles, which in most cases, can feed two or three babies (remember William started out eating 5 cc each feeding and went home from the NICU eating about 30cc, which is only ONE ounce). 

 

If you're interested in donating please know that it's SO easy!  All you have to do is fill out a form with about 50 questions of past medical history, have blood drawn, test your freezer temperature, and start collecting milk.  Once I've collected the milk I request a FedEx delivery box.  It's sent to my house within a week.  All the instructions are inside the box....you freeze some ice packs for 48 hours....after that, call FedEx to schedule a pick up, load up the milk and the freezer packs and tape up the cooler and box!  Simple as that.  I've sent two boxes so far, have one to be sent this week and need another one!  I have been blessed.  I have been able to feed William, donate to TCH and help feed some family members twin babies.  I cried when I got the email from TCH.  It makes my heart so happy to know I'm helping all those precious little babies.  I would do it forever if I could!  To be honest, I would love to be a surrogate mother someday.  I don't know if it'll ever happen since I have a "funny body"?!?!?  To think that I could help someone have a baby makes me smile.  Even before I had William I knew that being a mother was priceless and there would be NOTHING better in this world.  I was right.  He is everything to me and G.  I know 9 months of pregnancy is a lot but it's nothing if I could give someone a lifetime of happiness! 

Love this little man!

Finally trying out the highchair