Wonderful Wednesday

It's been forever since I've done a Wonderful Wednesday post....but we've still been having them!  I know I've said it before but life just got a little busy with moving, then the holidays, then really getting the house organized, our grown up vacation to Colorado, birthday party, Easter, beach, etc, etc.

Back in February William started Little Gym classes.  He really loves running around, crawling on everything, chasing the bubbles, playing with balls and getting a stamp on his belly and feet at the end of class.  This past Saturday was his last class.  He made so much progress in four months!  I think it's great to have him interact with new children his age (especially when mom and dad are around).  His balance improved and he loves doing back rolls now!  The little man is super strong like his daddy and is even good about waiting his turn to use the different equipment.  He still doesn't have jumping down but he's trying.  I'm hoping to sign him up for classes again in the fall!  Until then our Saturday mornings will be spent at swim class.     

{Getting his ribbon on the last day of Little Gym} {He can hang like this forever! So strong}
{Swimming + Friends = Fun Summer} 

{Daddy went fishing at Grant's and caught this gator.  Boys will be Boys}

Last Wednesday I had a dentist appointment in town so W went to daycare until naptime was over.  Mommy and Daddy had a lunch date (and I did some shopping!  check out my Instagram account THEGOODLIFETHEGOODINGS to see one of my purchases).  That afternoon we had a swim party with the Wilsons!   

{splash splash} {relaxing Memorial Day weekend, at home watching the rain}
{He reads with Daddy every night} {Silly boy in his bubble bath}

William and I had a great day yesterday!  We went to the YMCA so momma could get a work out in, we got a new floaty at Target, had Chick Fil A for lunch and then had the best nap together!  We even found time to go swimming, do laundry and make some yummy soup for dinner.  I LOVE these days together!
   

Wonderful Wednesday Week 3 and 4

As always, I’m a bit behind in the blogging world because of all the traveling we’ve been doing!  Here's what we were up to at the end of January.


“WEEK 3” 
We headed to Texarkana for a long weekend to visit Gordon’s parents.  It had been nearly 9 months since we last visited Texarkana!  We try to make it there at least a few times a year but things got so crazy with moving and family vacations that it just never happened. 

Our weekend was jammed full of fun stuff!  Gordon got to bow hunt, we met baby Charlie, had a night out with some friends, had a playdate with Haven and her kiddos, went to church/lunch with our favorite Ms. Carolyn and did lots of playing.  We’re already planning our next trip back this coming April! 

{Being silly with his daddy} {William got a new “beep beep”} {Playing out on the golf course after lunch at TCC} {He loved going down the hill on his “beep beep”} 

“WEEK 4”
I was so glad to have off on MLK day.  It’s always nice to have a day off after being out of town (to get all the “normal” stuff done).  William and I went to the grocery store, did some laundry and of course played, played and played.  William is still such a happy, fun loving little boy.  He has really started to love books so we do lots of reading.  Balls and cars/trucks are a close second and third.  He hasn’t quite mastered catching a ball but he can sure throw one!  Since I had two days off work that week the other day I took William to daycare for half a day so I could clean our garage.  We still had random boxes to unpack and lots of organizing that needed to be done.  Things are really starting to come together at the new house {my closet is even super organized!}.  .Next on the home improvement list.....painting.  Let me know if you have a favorite color that I need to check out.  :)

{A very messy spaghetti eater.  Note the yogurt melts in his hair} {Playing with his trains.  Look Mom, a ball!!!}  {Baby boy last year at the doctor’s office with his first fever/ear infection}

  

WEEK 5 will have to come a little later.  We went to Austin that weekend and I left my camera in my mom’s purse.  L  More on our fun wedding weekend in Austin when I have pictures to share!!

Wonderful Wednesday + Dinner

I've been bad about doing my weekly "Wonderful Wednesday" post.  :(  To be honest our days off are jam packed with chores and to do lists.  I'm hoping things slow down a little bit so we get back to our lazy days off together.

Yesterday I got to meet my friend Anna's baby boy.  Talk about getting baby fever!  He was just the cutest thing and so tiny.  It's hard to believe W was 3 lbs smaller than him.  You really do forget how little bitty they are.  William went to daycare for a few hours while I visited Anna.  It's good for him to play with his friends and get some energy out.  I also figured my little snotty nose baby didn't need to be around precious little Jon Bradley.
 
That afternoon I picked up a few things from Pottery Barn and W and I went to the grocery store.  We did lots of playing when we got home and practiced reading from our "First Words" book.  We are proud to say that William can say banana and deer (I'm sure his papa is thrilled that one of his first words was deer....typical Hattenbach/Gooding)!!!

For dinner we had my version of taco salad.  Growing up my mom would mix ground meat with ranch style beans and put it over lettuce for taco salad night.  It was always one of my favorites!  Here's my version....

What you'll need:

Ground turkey or beef
Taco Seasoning
Black Beans
Chopped Green Chiles
Red Enchilada Sauce (comes in mild, medium and hot)
Jiffy Corn Bread (milk and 1 egg)
Shredded Cheese
Lettuce
Catalina Dressing and/or Salsa

Instructions:

• Make the jiffy cornbread as instructed on the box.  After mixing and spraying the pan with PAM I spread the corn bread mixture over the bottom of a pan.  It barely covers the bottom but as you can see in the picture below it works out great.  I cook the cornbreat at 400 degrees for 12 minutes.
• Brown ground turkey/beef until cooked. 
• Drain. 
• Mix in taco seasoning.
• After draining black beans add to meat along with green chilis and 3/4 of enchilada sauce (you can add more or less depending on how juicy you want it). 

Once your cornbread is ready spread the meat mixture on top and then add as much shredded cheese on top as you want!
Put back in the over at 350 until the cheese is melted.
You can eat this yumminess over lettuce or just by itself.  I like to put some catalina dressing on mine but salsa is also yummy.  If you want a lower carb option you don't have to eat the cornbread.  :)  It's a win win for everyone!

It's quick, easy, pretty healthy, tastes yummy and makes great leftovers.  Can't beat that!
 

Wonderful Wednesday Plus Some

So, I'm a little behind on my blogging....we just seem to stay so busy and most nights movie time and sleep wins out to blogging.  With interest rates being so low Gordon and I have been playing with the idea of moving out to the burbs!!  YIKES!  So scary and yet exciting.  Our original plan was to stay in our current home for another year....but, it's kinda hard to pass up the low interest rates and the thought of having more space for William (most importantly a backyard) is appealing.  Sometimes God leads you down a path that you weren't expecting.

When we haven't been house hunting here's what we've been up to.....

The weekend before last Gordon was out of town so William and I just did lots of cleaning and playing.  We did get out on Sunday and do some fun stuff!  William had his second swim lesson, we went walking at the park and met Gordon there to hit golf balls and eat a burger for dinner.  Grant and Emily also met us for dinner.  We hadn't seen them in 2 months so dinner was long over due. 
This past week we had vistors!!  My parents came into town on Wednesday for the Fleetwood Mac concert.  We had such a great time and were able to relax and enjoy ourselves knowing that William was in good hands at home with his favorite teacher, Ms. Melissa.  He loves her so much.  I'll admit I'm a little crazy about William's safety....for example there aren't a lot of people I would let give him a bath when I'm not around....but I trust Ms. Melissa 100%. The concert was great!!  It didn't hurt that my mom got us fabulous seats on the 8th row!  I have so many childhood memories listening to Fleetwood Mac so it was fun to be there with my parents and hubby.  It's crazy to think that 90% of the songs I love were written before I was even born.
My parents visit came at a perfect time....William's daycare was closed on Thursday and Friday so they were able to stay in town and watch the litte guy on Friday while mommy and daddy worked.  We had a lazy day on Thursday and that evening we all went to my APHON meetings at Pappadeaux's.  While I was in my meeting my parents hung out with William.  I was re-elected to the secretary position and we got to see Stacy and Anna....and Anna's baby bump.  :) 

Memorial Park with his daddy -- William loves sleeping with his butt in the air  -- Saying bye to his nana and papa --  Ready for Fleetwood Mac -- I was almost named after Stevie! --  Thanks for the fun night Mom and Dad -- Playing with his new BassPro hat!

We are looking forward to Father's Day weekend!  Besides swim class and a play date we should have lots of down time to get the house organized and hopefully relax!!!!

Wonderful Wednesday and One Year Anniversary from the NICU

Man, I feel like Wednesday was forever ago!  We've done so much since then. :)  I used to have the best memory.....I still do to some extend but days just seem to run together lately.  I do know William and I were really busy this past Wednesday.  We flew to Midland on Friday so all the laundry had to get done and we had to run by the grocery store after lunch at Barnaby's with Daddy.  I made two dinners on Wednesday night so I could freeze something for this week.  I also made cupcakes to take to William's school to celebrate baby boy being home from the hospital for one year!!

Thursday, May 16th, was William's one year anniversary from leaving the NICU and coming home with us.  I will never forget this day!!  Thankfully, the majority of families get to take their little baby home a couple of days after giving birth....there's a small percentage of us that don't.  I think it makes that home coming day even sweeter.  We were so excited to finally have him home with us.  I was ecstatic about the simple things like getting to use my own bathroom/shower, being able to do laundry with William laying right there, eating a meal at home and laying on the couch with my husband again (and baby!).  While we were in the NICU people kept telling me to get ready for real life, the "hard" part was coming.  Let me just tell you they were wrong.  Of course I've had hundreds of sleepless nights over the past year.  What parent doesn't??  I woke up with William every 3 hours for the first 2 months of his life and just recently stopped nursing him at 2am.  But nothing has been as exhausting as our time in the NICU.  So, if you're a parent of a preemie that's in the hospital and people are telling you to get ready for things to get "real"....blow them off.  They've probably never had a child in the hospital.  :)  

I look back now at our time in the NICU and realize how lucky we are.  William was one of the healthier babies and I thank God every day for that.  But, we were still scared.  That first week was the toughest.  He couldn't breath on his own, they had a hard time getting him intubated, he was getting nutrition through an IV and there were so many tubes and wires even I was reluctant to hold him in fear that I was hurting him.  When Gordon and I talk about having another baby I can't help but wonder what God has planned for us.  Will we blessed to even have another baby?  Will the next be a preemie too?  As much as we'd like to move to a smaller town....we can't.  Not until we are done having babies.  The best hospitals are here.  So we are staying for now!  Maybe we'll stay forever.  I know that God has a plan for our family and we'll follow that.  Staying in the Houston area forever means great health care and great jobs for both G and me.  So, thanks again Texas Children's for taking care of our little buddy!!!!

• Look at those big blue eyes!  I melt.  Baby boy trying out a celebration cupcake (good news...no reaction!).  I can hardly believe he finally took a bite of cake.  :)
• One year ago.  Finally home from the NICU.
• Bath time!  Chewing on a foam letter....maybe teething is coming soon?!?
• Look how much he's grown since last year.  It's so amazing how much they change.
• All buckled up in his carseat and ready to head home.
• Laughing at mommy before bedtime.
• He's a crazy little buddy. 

Up next....our quick trip to West Texas for a little Duck Dynasty action.  It may have been a short trip but it was probably one of my favorite trips home.  :) 

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!

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!!! 

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!

Wonderful Wednesday

I told Gordon the other day I feel like I'm finally starting to catch up on sleep and I have more energy (most days)!  Yesterday I felt like we had so much time to get things done.  Getting better sleep at night really makes a difference!  The first 6 months were tough for me since I was basically up every 3 hours to pump and feed.  I didn't sleep for more than an hour at a time while he was in the NICU so I definitely had some catching up to do in the sleep department.  This past week is the first week I haven't had to go into his room in the middle of the night to put his paci back in to help him fall back asleep.  YEAH for self soothing! 
Anyways, the point to all of that is, I got a lot done yesterday and didn't feel so rushed.  During William's morning nap I had some coffee, did laundry, cleaned up the kitchen and blogged.  Gordon came home for lunch and then William and I headed to the park to walk.  It was SO nice outside.  Afterwards, we headed home and did a little art project and then drove out to Katy for William's doctor appointment.  I had noticed Tuesday night that W had some dried drainage in his left ear that was kinda green (gross I know).  I've always known it'd be hard to tell when he had an ear infection because A) he always plays with his ears and B) he's a good, laid back baby that doesn't really complain a lot.  Luckily, he hasn't had a fever but I did notice that he was crying a little more than normal when we laid him down for bed on Monday and Tuesday night.  So, to the doctor we went and sure enough he has a little ear infection in his left ear.  More than 50 % of babies will get an ear infection before the age of one!  So, I kinda expected it to happen eventually.  Really, William has been a pretty healthy baby.  No fever until 9 months old (and the sickness ran it's course on it's own) and a small ear infection at nearly 11 months old.  The American Academy of Pediatrics has some new guidelines for ear infections that I think are great (click on the link to read more).  Once we were done at the doctor we headed to the store to pick up baby boys ear drops and a few things for dinner.  I'm so glad we are just doing antibiotic ear drops versus oral!  William seems to be feeling good and that's what matters. 

• Homemade chicken strips are my favorite!
• I gave William some unseasoned squash.  He just played with it and then looked at me like I was crazy when I tried to put it in his mouth.  :)
• This was William's fourth outfit of the day. 
• Yummy blueberry muffins.   

He is such a sweet little buddy!



Wonderful Wednesday

So, this week instead of being off on Wednesday I was off yesterday.  It ended up working out well since I wasn't feeling good at work on Monday.  Getting an extra hour of sleep in the morning does a body good!  We also got to go to DefineBaby before meeting Gordon for lunch.  Unfortunately, they only have the baby class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  Hopefully I'll have off the first Thursday of every month so we can go to Define and I can make it to my APHON meetings in the med center in the evening.  Our Define workout went great yesterday.  We had a super cute preggo instructor that was due to have her baby today!  She looked fabulous and William thought she was pretty funny.  He did great during the class and even tried to imitate what we were doing towards the end.  I guess I got a good work out in because I can barely move today.  :(  Being this sore just makes me what to stay more on top of it so I don't have to hurt like this again.  yuck.

After a healthy lunch at Chili's (haha) with G, William and I headed to Berings to pick up his birthday invitations (which turned out super cute).  We also got his Easter basket presents and have ordered his Easter outfit!  I can do some serious damage in that store.  yikes!  We headed home after that so I could catch up on babyfood making while William took his afternoon nap.  He tried strawberries for the first time and seemed to like them okay.  We did some laundry, sorted through clothes that don't fit him and practiced crawling and pulling up!  He's getting to be such a big boy.  Last night I was holding him on my chest and I realized how long he is now.  Seems like just yesterday I could scoop him out of his bassinet with only one hand and his little body only took up a foot of space on my chest.  xoxo.  He sure does make me one happy lady!  His little smile is contagious. 



 



Today was Rodeo Day at William's school.  He wore the cutest little outfit my mom got him in Midland.  I'll post pictures soon!  We're sad to say that William had to get a new afternoon teacher at school.  Jessica, who worked from 2-6, is pregnant and was told by her doctor to not lift anything more than 10 pounds.  We will miss her! 

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!

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! 

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!

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.  :)

Wonderful Wednesday

Since the little guy was finally feeling better and had been fever free for more than 24 hours he headed to daycare yesterday morning so I could run some errands.  I figured getting back to our normal schedule would be helpful too!  G dropped him off at daycare and I headed out to grab some coffee, drop off dry cleaning and get my car's oil changed and carpets cleaned.  After all of that I headed to the nail salon in my sparkling clean car.  I was in desperate need of a pedicure!!!  At 11:30 I picked William up so we could go get daddy for lunch.  After having some yummy enchiladas William and I headed to a little play date with Emersen and Rachel.  I trained Rachel at M.D. Anderson 3 years ago and we became fast friends!!  Her little girl, Emersen, is 16 months old and she is due to have another little girl in March.  We took advantage of the beautiful weather and played at the park before walking over to the yogurt shop.  I'm sure Emersen will enjoy William much more when he can actually play with her!  At least the mommys have fun catching up with each other. 

Our day didn't end there.....we then headed to William's 9 month check up.  Dr. Freedman said his ears looked good and his lungs were still clear.  I guess he just had a little virus.  He's feeling much better today and not nearly as snotty.  A resident saw William first and said he was a very well behaved baby.  :)  He lets them look in his ears, listen to his chest, press on his stomach and everything else without shedding any tears.  After the doctor we finally made it back home (thank goodness for my portable Medela pump).  This mommy popped some chicken in the oven, made some potato soup, we read some books, W had a short nap and then we called it a day!!      

• Smiling at his daddy who was playing peek a boo with him.
• He loves touching the water during bath time.
• Snoozing in the morning (love how he sleeps!).

We are looking forward to this weekend....his Mimi is coming to town and Aunt Emily is having a bridal shower! 

Wonderful Wednesday + Weekends

With the holidays behind us, we are finally starting to get back into the swing of things.  It's crazy how quickly William's schedule gets messed up when he's not getting up early in the morning and going to school while we work.  He started sleeping in later (not a bad thing) and staying up a little later.  We finally got back on track....and then baby boy got a cold!  NO fun.  :( 

 

The weekend before last we had an early dinner at our favorite Mexican food place with the Wilsons.  Afterwards, we came back to our house and watched a little football while the kids played.  They were so cute in their PJs.  The next day we went to church and lounged around. 

 

Here's a little update on William's new year's resolution....

Until January 1st William had been waking up around 2am and I was still nursing him.  He would wake up screaming....a hungry cry.  Well, I started noticing that it wasn't such a mad cry anymore (more of I'm awake cry) so I figured I'd see what he'd do if I didn't feed him....I was pleasantly surprised.....he did great.  I just put a paci in his mouth and back to sleep he went.  So, he's still waking up but usually going right back to sleep.  One night he did cry for an hour.  I tried the "cry it out" thing but after 40 minutes went in and put a paci in his mouth.  That worked for a few minutes and then he was back at it again.  After another 30+ minutes I gave in and picked him up and rocked him.  I had to work the next day and was TIRED.  I also figured if he stayed up all night crying he would just end up sleeping all day at daycare?!?  The two nights following that he slept through the night!  Now he has a cold so he's waking up every hour from his coughing, sneezing and yucky nose.  Poor little guy.  But, at least we are making positive progress.  I'm sure people think I'm crazy for still doing a night time feeding with a nearly 9 months old.  And to that I say, I think our situation is different than most.  Gordon and I had a newborn baby for 4 months.  That's a long time to get no smiling, no cooing and be doing constant feedings.  At 4 months William only weighed 10.5 lbs.  Some babies are born that big and most weigh that by 2 months.  In the end, it will all work out!  One day we will have a baby that sleeps through the night.  Really, all that matters is that the three of us have survived...and happily at that. :)  

 







Wonderful Wednesday!  The litte guy and I had a pretty uneventful Wednesday last week.  It has been rainy and gross outside lately so we just stayed home all day.  I organized one of the kitchen cabinets that we keep all of our spices in.  After that I did some organizing/rearranging in the laundry room and last but not least Gordon's closet.  I got lots of laundry done, made salmon for dinner and was even able to take a morning nap with William. 

How funny is the picture of William in the bathtub!?!?!  He cracks me up!  I think he was starting to not feel good on Wednesday because he was a bit clingy to mommy....or maybe it's just a stage.  I hear separation anxiety is around the corner.

 

Playing with my remote control!

We had another calm weekend here at the house.  Lots of cleaning, movie watching and book reading.  We did get out and meet the Zitos for some yummy pizza at Collina's on Saturday night.  Their little girl is precious!  I can't wait until William can play with her. 
This weekend we have something super fun planned so I'm hoping William starts feeling better soon!!! 

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)

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