busy...busy...busy...

a quick photo update on our busy,busy, busy boy!!

Taking daily baths like a good boy who plays so hard all day!

Loves opening and closing doors in all of his free time!

And we are.....

Off!!! Walking like a champ!

Spending lots of time reading. This boy loves books!

And of course, climbing on everything!

 

 

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Update Status, What's on your mind?

Facebook. Status Update. How many times do you update in one day? Totally random but I was thinking about this in the shower today. Some days I want to update my status like 296 times with all of the remarkable things that happen to me. Talk about "You're so vain" you probably think Facebook is about you.

Here is the thing. I have settled on the following status "...is blessed." It fits the space that the 296 updates would have. But what I really mean is:

• My baby is so freakin' cool!!! He sleeps 15 hours at night and cuddles and talks and says mama when he wants to talk to me and rocks my face off. I love him a million gagillion times to infinity and back and I live for the time we spend together.He is SO cool.
• My husband works so hard for our family and is an incredible provider. Even though we are a total team, I appreciate how much he goes above and beyond for us. We are so lucky.
• They ran my credit at the car dealership and it was top tier! Hell yeah!!! Talk about battling back to the top of the ranks after years of bad financial decisions. If that doesn't make you feel like an adult, I don't know what will!
• My job is incredible. I could not ask for a better place to work.
• This mom of a very busy one year old is in the pool close to five days a week and stronger than ever.
• My sister lives with me. So cool. Ace gets extra love and attention all the time!
• I am down 30 pounds!
• one two Kalamazoo
• Proud Democrat! Thank goodness for my Midwestern friends who are updating their statuses as is too! Sorry Mittens, I have Barak's back.
• Has the most rockin support system of a family. Couldn't ask for better.
• Food allergies and vomit...who cares. Things could be so much worse. Thanking God for good health and praying for all of those who are suffering.
• Pinterest causes me anxiety. I can't be perfect and I don't have time to do all of the projects that I have pinned. But, I do have time to read to my son, hug my husband for longer than two seconds, and I work full time and manage to get dinner on the table by six at least five nights a week.
• I am a good mom.  Scratch that. I am a GREAT Mom.

So...I can be vain and make this blog about me. After all, it is mine. I took the time to write it. And, the thing is, we are all blessed. We just need to take the time to stop and realize it sometimes. Write it down and feel good about it.

That's all.

Eleven Months!

Ace,

In just four days you will turn a year old. Today is actually the day you were due to arrive last year. I can hardly believe a year has almost gone by! This past month has been fantastic! You had so many milestone moments take place and we have been super busy doing all kinds of fun things!

A tropical storm passed by Savannah but that didn't stop us from having fun! We took you out to to Tybee for your very first trip to the beach! With 30 seconds of sitting down you were already eating sand. You loved the water, loved the waves and loved Huca Poos pizza even more! The next weekend, the same thing happened! Another tropical storm passed through. We took you to the beach and you played in the water! Even though it was really windy, we still had a great time!

Your one year molars made their appearance this month! Miss Penny noticed them first and then before we knew it, two were popping through! This brings your tooth total to 10!! You have way more teeth than about 90% of the other babies in your room. This has been a huge challenge this month because you are biting up a storm! We have tried separating you, giving you something you can bite and telling you no. Nothing is really working. You did get bit last week though and I am hoping a taste of your own medicine might help this problem out!

Ace, you finally started crawling this month! I came to see you in your classroom and it was almost as if on cue you just started to go. No army crawling for you, little fella. You were up on all fours like a little bear cub trying to walk for the first time. It was adorable. Within a week and a half of your first try, you turned into a little speed racer. You are all over the place now. You can crawl, roll, and sit up and pull up to get anything you want! Dixie is thrilled!! The other day I came to get you after work and when you saw me you sprint crawled across the room!! So cool!

We have been taking you swimming at the pool every chance we get. We actually joined the pool in our neighborhood so you can play with the other little buddies who live close to us too! You and Garrett are going to have such fun there this summer! We got you a float to sit in and you walk all around the pool like you are in a walker. Mr. Social Butterfly visits all of the other people in the pool and talks and plays. You also have a love of the big pool and know to kick when you are on your back and belly! I just know you are going to be a great swimmer! Seeing you swim might be my most favorite thing ever!

You mastered the sippy cup this month and love eating dinner at the table with Mommy and Daddy. You spend the time telling us all about your day. You say "na-na", "daaaaa", "da-da", "ba-ba" and "zz-ZZZZ!!!" You can guess that the last sound you make is what you do when you are trying to get Dixie's attention. You love her more than anything else! She loves you in her own way but especially loves you now that you purposefully drop food down from your highchair for her! That only took 361 days!!

Ace....I am going to always treasure all of these milestones and firsts! I live for the weekends when we get to hang out all day and play! You sleep a lot on the weekends to make up for your lack of naps during the week but when you are awake, you are such a joy! Everyone compliments how happy you are and how cute your smile is! You make me so proud everyday.

I love you so much, angel!

Love,

Mommy

Ten!!

Ace,

You are ten months old! Ten fingers to show how many months old!

Your tenth month was full of challenges and firsts. First, you got a really bad ear infection. We tried two types of antibiotics and then antibiotic shots. This meant you had a really upset tummy and bad diaper rash too. After the shots failed to work, we tried yet another antibiotic and an ENT appointment. During all of this, mommy had to go out of town for work and you and Daddy stayed back. You were so sick!! For almost five days your threw up after you ate, would hardly eat or drink and were pretty miserable. Daddy had to take  you to work with him at 4:30AM because you were too sick to go to school and Mommy wasn't home.

Finally, we got in to see an ENT. Dr. Poole saw us on Thursday and scheduled you to get tubes on Friday. Your ears were so bad!! We went to Memorial Hospital early Friday morning  and you were so brave! The nurses fell in love with you and walked you up and down the hallways greeting everyone! Your little surgery took about 8 minutes. Dr. Poole said your ears were so bad that they looked like bagels and that if we had waited any longer your ears drums might have burst! The morning was a little rough and you were uncomfortable but by the afternoon, you were a new kid!
Within a week of getting the tubes you could sit up by yourself and even pull up! It was obvious you were just miserable before the tubes went it! Your smile got brighter and you seemed so much happier!

This month we took you to the Tall Ships Festival downtown and you even got to tour a tugboat! The captain let you sit in the big captain's chair and get your picture taken! You started sitting up in your crib and when I pick you up in the morning you are usually in there clapping and playing!  You started eating lots of big boy meals like pancakes, grilled cheese, quesadillas, steamed veggies, avocados with beans and so much more! You are super adventurous eater and will try anything! We went to Charleston to celebrate Spencer's 3rd birthday and you went on your first pony ride too! Your best friend Garrett turned one and you also had a great time at his party! 

This month has been so much fun! You have been biting kids at school, which is a major problem, but I think it is just your way of communicating that you don't like people in  your space. Your social skills are incredible and you smile and talk to everyone. You LOVE to read!  I really love to watch you sit and flip through the pages of a book and talk about it as you go!

Ace, you are getting more awesome by the second! I can't wait to see where month eleven takes us!

I love you a bushel and a peck!

Love,

Mommy

How to Miss a Childhood...

I came across this blog tonight during my evening Pinterest exploration. Needless to say, it made me want to go "bump the crib" and cuddle my sweet Ace. I am guilty of checking email, Facebook or other distractions during the precious time my sweet angel is awake and it makes me sad. This mom makes some really good points. Points I am promising to listen too.

http://www.handsfreemama.com/?p=3942

this summer vs. last summer

i was just working on uploading some photos of Ace's first trip to the pool at the Y and came across this picture. it makes me smile because it makes me look like a total mom. last summer Ace was in my tummy in the big pool swimming laps and this summer we are going to be sitting together in the baby pool. i love being a mom and i will take looking like a mom any day!

Last summer's mom picture...

9 and oh so fine...

My Sweet Angel Ace,

Tomorrow you will turn ten months old. Double digit months. Two number months. How did this happen??? You were so tiny and new and brand new just yesterday. Someone must have accidentally hit the fast forward button because there is no way that time can possibly go this fast!

The month you were nine months old was one of my favorites. Your little personality is developing more and more each day and you are the absolute best thing in mine and daddy’s lives. You greet us each morning with  a full body dance party and a belly full of giggles. This is the same smile, giggle, body dance that you share with others all through the day. You bring smiles and joy to every person you come in contact with. It never fails that when we take you out shopping or walking or really anywhere that you make new friends and people want to hear all about you. You even had a sweet lady call you “Juicy” this month! Our encounters with strangers usually go like this; “Oh he is so cute! How old is he?”. This is followed by our response, “Thank you! He is nine months old.” Their response, “Ohhhhhhhhh he sure is a big boy!!”  This has earned you some new nicknames this month including “Juice” and “Baby Giant”.

You got two more teeth this month taking your grand total up to 8! I have to schedule a dentist appointment for you in the next few weeks because you have SOO many teeth. Like all of your other teeth, you barely made a peep as they were breaking though the surface. You are pretty tough! Although you still aren’t crawling, you manage to get all around by rolling over and over to get what you want. You have also managed to learn how to scoot yourself around in a circle if you need to change directions with your roll. You spend a lot of time trying to roll under furniture. I don’t think it will be long before you actually get up and go but for now we are ok with your rolling.

This month you completely mastered patty cake. Spent a whole week with Gigi while she was here for a visit. Got your first ear infection which has been really AWFUL.  Went to your first football game and loved it. You clapped and watched the whole game. Uncle Stu said we need to start shopping you around to schools already! Tried watermelon, pineapple and cheese for the first time. Went through four different types of sippy cups and you still don’t like any of them. Celebrated your first Easter and loved the plastic Easter eggs in your basket. Weighed 25.2 pounds and measured 30 inches in length at your well baby visit. And…the highlight for mama, learned to waive bye-bye. Your bye-bye is the best best best best best thing in the world! I think I love it so much because it is your own little way of communicating.

Your ninth month was one of the best ones ever! As you learn more things and pay attention to more and more things I know they are only going to get better. You are so smart and silly and have the best qualities from your dad and me. You have a little temper which I am sure came from me but you rarely throw fits, cry or give anyone any trouble.

I almost forgot. I want to remember how you stretch your neck to see things that are just almost out of your line of sight. And how you peek around the walls to see who is coming in the room. And how you open your eyes real big while you are doing these things as if that will help you see a little bit better.

I love you so much, Ace! Here we go to the 10^th month!

Love,

Mom

8 and oh so great!

Ace,

Here we are at the beginning of the last week of you being 8 months! Time is FLYING by and we are enjoying every minute of it.

You are such a social, happy little person. You giggle with your whole body and laugh at the most random things. Last week  you learned how to fake cough and every time I faked your cough, you cracked up! Your smile lights up a room and you smile at just about everybody who looks at you. You even had your picture taken with Mr. Randy for the YMCA Annual report. Ace, you are all business when it comes to being cute!

You are eating finger foods now and are a pro at getting food into your mouth. You have mastered puffs, mum-mum cookies, bananas and most recently toast. You like to hit the food and move it all around your tray before trying to eat it. We will work to add more and more things to your list of foods since you are so good at eating just about anything. This morning we weighed and you are a solid 25 pounds which is larger than several 2-year-olds we know!

For the last few weeks you have been sleeping mostly on your belly. This created a new problem because now you wake up with wet jammies after 12 hours of sleep. Even when we change your diaper at 10 you fill it up before morning. We had to buy you size 5 night time diapers and they seem to be capable of keeping you dry until morning. I have also found you peeking over the bumper and under the bumper of your crib when you are waiting for mommy or daddy to come and get you out of bed.

You are still not crawling but you are rocking. You even started rocking in your jump jump which makes me worry that it is going to collapse! When you can't reach something that you want you will roll to it but you are starting to not hate being on your tummy so much. I bet by this time next month you will be crawling.

Ace, you are quite the little talker, too. You jibber jabber to yourself in the mornings and I really enjoy listening to you through the monitor. You say "ma ma ma mama" and "buh buh buh" and "ba ba ba". I told daddy today that I am positive that "da da" will be next. On the way to work the other morning you were even singing along to the radio in the backseat. You don't seem to be identifying anyone with your little words but they sure sound cute coming out!

The weather is getting warmer so we will be spending more and more time outside in the coming months. We spent pretty much all day outside on Tybee yesterday for the parade and you loved it. I am looking forward to watching you explore the world!

I love you so much, Ace!

Love,

Mommy

7

Ace,

Here we are at seven months. This is really bad but I actually got really behind writing your monthly letters and now here we are, the night before you turn eight months old, and I am finally catching up. There is so much I want to capture about you at this age. Thank goodness I write in your journal every night to help us remember!

You are such a big boy, Ace! At seven months old, you are wearing 12-18 month clothes and size 4 diapers! You only have two sizes left before they don't make diapers in your size so I hope your growth slows down soon. Last week you weighed 23.5 pounds and you are solid. You are a super good eater and you now eat broccoli, carrots, blueberries, avocados, mangoes,summer squash and so much more. You love Mum Mum cookies and can pick up the little puffs like a pro. You are so big that you now sit in the big boy car seat in the car because your feet were hanging over your baby seat! Daddy also hung a really fun swing in the backyard for you and you love that too! See, being big has some advantages!

When 7:00 PM rolls around, we had better be near your bed. Like a little clock, you are ready to sleep at 7 and have been sleeping until 8-8:30 am! I still get you up for your night time bottle and to change your diaper but you go right back to sleep. You can also sleep anywhere. We had an overnight in Spartanburg, SC this month for Paige and Austin's wedding and you let Aunt Pat put you to sleep without a problem.  Napping is still a challenge to you and you have been taking more naps this month with mom and dad holding you than ever before. There have also been a few times when we have found  you asleep on your tummy so you are starting to roll around at night more. When we go to get you out of your crib in the morning you are all smiles and make a dance party with your whole body in excitement to see us! This is my favorite part of the day.

As far as your mobility goes...well, let's just say that your whole world is about jumping. If you could get around the rest of your life like a kangaroo, you would be set! Anytime your feet are touching something you can get leverage from, you jump. This includes the bathtub, mom and dad's lab, etc! You even bounce in the sitting position. You even think your walker is for jumping and jump and move backwards all over the house! You are also a really good roller and will roll to get what you want. I think you might be one of the kids who skips crawling all together.

This month you had really bad diaper rash that required you to have a lot of pants off parties. We still are not sure what caused it but we found out about clemoseptine so we are armed and dangerous now! You also got RSV which is a really dangerous cold for a little person. Dr. Stone let you play hooky from daycare for a whole week! You are still recovering but I am glad it wasn't any worse.

Ace, you are such a super fun kid. Your smile is contagious and you laugh from your belly. Your personality is huge and your character is sweet and charming. Each day you are learning and doing more and more new things. Watching you watch the world is the coolest thing in the whole world! I live for the weekends when we get to spend two whole days together.

Daddy and I love you so much, Ace!

Love,

Mommy

Halfway to a Year!

Ace,

You are a half of a year old. How did that happen? It seems like we just blinked our eyes and here we are a half of year as  your parents. Honestly, it has been the best six months of our lives.

This month was very very busy for you. On top of it being busy, Savannah has been experiencing record breaking heat! There have been days when you were just in your shirt sleeves and we have had to turn the air conditioning on. It has been so warm that even OG and Grampy are having a lack of snow at their house. So much for your snow suit!

During your sixth month we celebrated your very first Christmas. We made the long drive to Indiana/Michigan for the second time in your short life! We spent time with all of our great grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. You were such a good boy and enjoyed all of the attention. You and I spent an extra week in Michigan and you got to meet lots of my friends, too. You were asleep at midnight on New Year's Eve but enjoyed playing with your cousins that night before you went to bed. We had a great visit and Aunt Biz even came back to Georgia with us!

You got not one, not two, not three but FOUR of your top teeth in the same week while we were in Michigan. True to your sweet and laid back self, you never let out a peep. With all of these teeth you now require a tooth brush!  We have to get you off on the right foot with  your dental hygiene. You are also a big growing boy! At your sixth month appointment you weighed in at 21 pounds 13 ounces and were 28 inches long!

Daddy started a new job this month which will for sure make a huge impact on your life. Not only is it a big promotion for him but he will be home a lot more than he was before. This is awesome! Right before he started this new job he got really sick and Uncle Stu had to babysit  you so mommy could take Daddy to the hospital. You were a really great little buddy for your very first babysitter!

The highlight of this month for me that stands out above everything was your very first swim! We took you to the pool at our hotel on Christmas Eve and your LOVED it. It was as if you knew that all the time I was pregnant with you that we were swimming. We laid you on your back you were not even scared. I know this will be the start of a life long love of the water and that makes me so happy!

Can't wait to see what the second half of this year brings us!

Love,

Mommy

5 months!

Ace,

Time has gotten away from me! I have not had a chance to write about little you at five months and your sixth month birthday is creeping up on us! Luckily, I keep a journal all and write in it everyday to help me remember.

Your fifth month was quite an adventure! It included your very first Halloween (you were a duck), a visit from your Grandma Sharon, two Citadel football games, the Rock and Roll marathon in our neighborhood, the suprise arrival of Aunt Biz, a bad upper respitatory infection and the arrival of not one but TWO teeth!! You are are incredibly social and adaptable and so much enjoy conversation and spending time with people. It makes taking you places so easy and so much fun. At 5 months, you weigh 17lbs, 14oz. This means you have gained ten whole pounds since you were born! You can also roll from your belly to your back.

Your daily routine consists of waking up between 6-6:30. You are all smiles when I pick you up out of your bassinet. At five months, you were still sleeping in the bassinet in mommy and daddy's room. You take a bottle in the morning then hang out in your seat in the bathroom to get some steam to help your never ending conjestion and then play in your jump jump while mom gets ready. We leave for the Y around 8:00 or so and you always fall asleep as soon as we turn into Kensington Park. I carry you and your HEAVY seat into my office where you usually nap for about an hour. Next you head to your classroom for the day. I always come and spend some time with you right after lunch. We head home around 4:30 and just like our way in, you fall asleep as soon as we turn on DeRenne. You sleep in your carrier for about another hour in the evening while I clean your bottles and get chores done. You usually wake up around 6 or so to eat dinner which is cereal and a 6 oz. bottle. Dinner is followed by a bath, some play time, story time and cuddle time with mommy. Then as if you are a timer, you are sleeping by 7:00-7:30 at the very latest. I pick you up for a bottle around 10 but you stay sleeping all the way until the morning!

The night you got your first tooth is one for the record books. We were in Charleston at Dan and Stef's for Citadel homecoming. You were your normal self during the day and ate your dinner like a champ. I put you to bed with no difficulty and you were off to dreamland. When we got you up for your late night bottle, you fussed a lot before laying back down. You were up again at midnight. Daddy and I thought you were hungry so we fed you again. Then at 1:30, you were up again....screaming! Not knowing what was wrong, we tried a smaller bottle to see if that would pacify you. It worked until about 4 when you got up again! We prepared yet another bottle, you drank the whole thing but then just would not calm down. Finally, daddy put you in your seat and drove you around so you could sleep. It wasn't until we got home to Savannah and touched your gums that we realized we had mistaken hunger for a tooth!!

We enjoy your giggles, your smiles and your super sweet personality! You are such a happy baby and we so enjoy being your parents!

Love,

Mom

i love you stinky face

have you read the book, "i love you stinky face"? my mom gave me the book after ace was born and we brought it back to savannah and stuck it on the book shelf. the other night i found it buried back behind a few other  books and remembered that we had not read it yet. the book is about a little boy and his mom. as the mom is putting the little guy to bed at night, he is asking her all kinds of "what if i were a..." questions. for each question she has a sweet and loving response to reassure him that no matter who is or what he is, she will always love him and take care of him. such a wonderful message. needless to say, it is my new favorite book and i have read it to ace for the last few nights straight.

see here is the thing, being a parent will rock your world. there are so many ups and downs in a twenty four hour period that sometimes your head feels twenty steps behind your body. ace is a buddy of many personalities. he laughs, he screams, he laughs, he doesn't want to be put down, he laughs. etc. but, in any of those scenarios, i love his stinky face so much. i love him so much it isn't even funny. i love him so much it scares me. afterall, he is the only person in this whole world who knows what my heart beat sounds like from the inside. i would do anything for him. comb the snarls out of his hair, build a house by a swamp if he turned into a swamp creature, give him a bath and brush his teeth if he were a smelly skunk. i love his stinky face so much!

being a parent rocks my face off! it is the the most awesome rollercoaster that i was afraid to ride but now that i am on it, i never want to get off. i can't thank God enough for Ace and all of my blessings. i find myself completely overwhelmed to the point of tears when i think about all of my blessings and the amazing things in my life. how did Aaron and I get so lucky?

4 months

Ace,

As I sit here trying to remember all of the wonderful highlights of your fourth month, I can hardly come to terms with the fact that four months of time have passed since you entered our lives. You continue to amaze me everyday with your evolving little personality.

Sadly, you have been sick for most of your fourth month of life. You had a cold and we thought it went away. Then, you got sent home from daycare because your eyes were a total mess and you were extra fussy. I took you to see Dr. Stone and he determined that you had a sinus infection. We got you some meds and you started to get better. Then, the meds caused you to have thursh so we went back to Dr. Stone. You also got new symptoms of a new cold! More medicine! I have to say though, you remained quite happy through the whole process and being sick didn't really seem to bother you.

Ashley, Lyla and Neil came to visit us at the house one afternoon. You loved all of the attention! You also started a new daycare at the Y with mommy this month. Now you come to work with me everyday and your little classroom is right down the hall. This last week was the first week that room was open and you LOVE it! You came home so tired every night and were in bed before 6:15! Your teachers, Miss Krista and Miss Andrea are great and I am so happy that you are in the building! I even rocked you to sleep one afternoon and then went back to working on my reports. We are really blessed.

You are still nursing and taking a bottle at most feedings. Your bottles are 6oz now though! You are a very hungry little boy and you are not afraid to tell us! You are even beginning to try to hold your bottle on your own. Your sleep schedule is AMAZING. We put you down around 7:00 pm each night and you sleep straight through to the morning with just a little wakeup for a late night bottle.

Daddy and I bought you a jump jump this month and you LOVE it. You love to jump up and down and get quite excited when the music plays. I noticied the other day that you are now noticing how the different toys on the jump jump operate too! You also love your play mat and play very nicely on your own for quite awhile when we put you down to play. You can grab toys and shake them too!

Ace, this was the month that you started to laugh out loud and what a joy that brought to Mommy and Daddy. You laugh at yourself in the mirror, at the funny faces mommy and daddy make and often times at nothing! You are such a happy little boy! Everyone at the Y comments on how social you are too! Daddy and I call you the Mayor of the Y. Dad thinks you are going to be a politician because you like to give little speeches to anyone who will listen to you talk.

This month you have been in LOVE with your hands. They are always in your mouth and you are always chewing on them. You love love love your hands. Your feet are also becoming a favorite. One night in the bath tub you were sitting leaning forward trying your hardest to figure out exactly what your feet were. So cute! You can roll from your back to your side but are not quite rolling over yet. Ace, you still really hate tummy time but we do our best to get some in everyday. Your teachers at daycare have been working on it with you too. Sometimes we fly you around the house like an airplane and do tummy time that way.  You blow raspberries and bubbles and are generally happy all day long.

You are learning and changing more and more everyday. I love to watch the world through your eyes because you are seeing so many things for the very first time. I feel so lucky to be your mom and thank God for you every night before I close my eyes.

I love you little buddy!

Love,

Mommy

3 months = 1 year

Ace,

You are three months old! I can't even believe it. I feel like I just blinked my eyes and time flew by. You are getting bigger and bigger by the day. Putting you down to sleep at night I find myself wondering if you will look different in the morning.

At three months old you are more talkative then ever. You spend a lot of  your time awake talking away. Sometimes the sounds are more like cooing and sometimes they have definite meaning and purpose to you. Robert at my office has a granddaughter who is two months older then you. He has a video on his cell phone of her talking in her crib and when he plays it for you, you talk back! I guess you get the drift of what she is saying.

You are a very social little person. I can hand you off to anyone at work and you don't cry or fuss. You especially love Susan and she spends a lot of time talking  with you. I suspect this social behavior comes as a result of your time at daycare. I want you to be aware of strangers but not be afraid of other people and we seem to be headed in the right direction on this.

You have a little yellow blanket that you have grown very fond of. You love to pull it up to your face and then pull it back down over and over again. It is the only "toy" that you are playing with. Your eye and hand coordination are really starting to develop now and I don't think it will be long before you are shaking toys and holding on to things. In the morning before we leave you do like to grab on to my hair and my clothing while you are laying on your changing table.

Sleep is one thing that you are very good at and we could not be happier. We have you on a pretty good sleep schedule and I think that helps. You go down for the night every evening between 7:30 and 8:00. Most mornings I have to wake you up between 5:45-6:00 and I usually have to go in and wake you up. The only time you don't like to sleep is during the day. We struggle with you to to take naps but the teachers at day care get you to sleep for close to 3 hours most days. You really are a puzzling little person.

You got sick for the very first time this month too. We took you to the doctor for a checkup on your neck and you were running a little fever. That was on a Thursday and then over the weekend you developed a cough. The cough was terrible and when you cough it effects your whole little body. It has been about three weeks since the cough first started and it is just now starting to get better. You were a little trooper through the whole illness which  Dr. Stone said was just a little cold.

Ace, you  had a really great third month. Spencer and Aunt Stef came down from Charleston for a sleepover. You went over to Lila and Duke's for a cookout. We watched the 10 year anniversary of the September 11th attacks on television. I hope you never have to experience something like that in your lifetime. We went on walks because the temperature is finally starting to cool down. And, you spend a lot time smiling.

My favorite part of your third month was the smiles.When you smile, you smile with your entire face. You open you mouth really wide and even smile with your eyes. I find you smiling in the morning when I go to get you out of your bed. I find you smiling when I check on you after I get out of the shower. You smile when I pick you up from daycare, change your diaper, and put you in your car seat. You are such a happy baby!

We celebrated your three month birthday with a little birthday party. We adopted and adapted a Korean tradition to celebrate because you are not technically a year old. I can't believe that a year ago you were the size of a grain of rice and growing quietly in my tummy. We took three envelopes and put money, ribbon and paper each in an envelope. We let you choose with your little hands and the envelope you picked had a ribbon in it. This represents a long life. What more could a mama ask for!

I love you so much, Ace! Here we go to month 4!

Love,

Mom

my little guy

my little guy is so sweet! this morning i got him out of the car when we got to the Y and he was sound asleep. i took him inside to his little classroom and he was still sleeping. i handed off his bottles, diapers, bag, paci and instructions for the day. i looked down at him and he was staring up at me and smiling. MELTING MY HEART!

two months old.

ace,

time is getting away from mama so quickly. it seems like i blinked my eyes and here you are, 10 weeks old. your second month of life was so much fun and i want to make sure that we take a second to remember all of the little things about two month old you.

you are an all business baby. from smiles to serious faces, you change in the blink of an eye. you really started to smile while we were on our trip home to Michigan and Indiana. I can't think of a better time for you to have started with your extreme cuteness. you greet mommy in the morning with a face full of smiles but are all business when it is time to eat or hang out in your swing.

we spent two weeks up north when you were five and six weeks old. you were such a trooper! the car ride was your favorite part and you travelled over 2500 miles in a two week time period. mountain pressure change didn't even bother your little ears. you slept the majority of the trip waking only to eat or have your diaper changed. you were so lucky to spend time with all of your great grandparents, hang out with lots of aunts and uncles, meet your GRAMPY and aunt biz, take a big over night trip to Mackinac Island and have two parties that were all about you. daddy and i decided that we will try hard to take you home every summer because summer time in the Midwest is the place to be!

it was when we were home that you started sleeping through the night too. you take a bottle and nurse around 9:00 pm and then sleep all the way until 6:00 am! the parents of your other little buddies are jealous. you are such a good sleeper! you are still sleeping in your little bassinet but i think you will be heading to your crib soon. i am just not ready to let you go yet!

one of the biggest adventures of your second month was going to work with mommy! after eight weeks of mama and ace time, we had to venture out and rejoin the real world again. you go to mother's morning out in the morning from 8-1 and then hang out with mommy in the afternoon. you have been such a trooper! you hardly ever cry and are very social. two to three days a week i have been taking you to full day day care at the west chatham ymca. i miss you terribly while you are away but you seem to be adjusting well. you were to tired the first few days i took you out there that you could barely stay awake to eat at 6:00!

we went to your two month appointment last week with Dr. Stone. you now weight 12 pounds 10 ounces and are 24 inches long! Dr. Stone said you are very healthy and growing nicely. You are in the 66% percentile for weight and the 80% percentile for height. When Nurse Lynn came to give you your shots you were just talking away. As soon as she jabbed you with the first needle you let out a huge scream but she was quick. As soon as she finished, I picked you up and you were all done crying. So brave!  I think it might be from the orange socks I put on you to give you super powers.

ace, you are such a joy! daddy and i love you more and more and more each day. we are eating up everything little thing you do. you get more and more independent every day but you still love to snuggle and love on us whenever we want!

month three will surely be packed full of great adventures!

i love you!

mommy

ace..how are you a month old already?

ace,

how can you possibly be one month old? you are growing up too fast already! every day we learn more and more about each other. not knowing this kind of love was even possible, my love for you grows bigger and bigger with each passing day.

you are so independent! you want to help hold your bottle, put your paci in and hold it by yourself and even try to get your arms through your onesies. i see so much of my independent spirit in you already! i love to watch you figure things out and take charge considering that you are still so brand new and teeny tiny!

temper and impatience are also two words that describe your one month old personality. if there is something that you want but are having a hard time getting, you have no problem screaming and grunting to let us know. you have a distinct "i want something and i want it now" scream. same goes for when you need your diaper changed. the minute the deed occurs, you scream bloody murder until you are dry.this includes turning completely red and gasping for air. your lungs are FULLY developed and work very well! i guess you get that from both mommy and daddy.

you have a million faces. there is that adorable little bird face you make after eating. the wide eyed good morning look. the sweet little smiles during bath time and tummy time. gosh, there are so many. don't worry though, mommy takes about 60 pictures of you a day so i am sure all of these faces are documented. your sweet little personality is really starting to shine through. as much as i don't want you to change and grow, i can't wait to watch this personality evolve. i wonder so much about what you are thinking.

you love to swing right now more than anything. the first few weeks of your life you loved to sit in your lamb seat with the vibrations. i am sure this will continue to change but the second you get in your swing, you fall asleep. you are also a great night sleeper. you will even go down in your bassinet and fall asleep on your own. such a big boy!

you eat between 2-4 ounces each time you eat. lately that has been almost every 1.5 hours. you have been going through a growth spurt for a couple of weeks! but, you are boy and i guess later in life you will be eating us out of house and home! you are nursing and taking a bottle at each feeding and do a great job going between the two. when you are hungry you let mommy know!

when daddy comes home from work, you hear his voice and turn to look for him. it makes me remember being little and waiting for my daddy to get home from work. you love your daddy! he can get you to do anything!

ace, you are such a wonderful little boy! your first month of life has been such a treat for us. i have enjoyed every moment of being home with you and watching you grow. i will miss your first month of life now that it is over but i am working so hard to cherish every moment, the quiet ones and the the moments you are screaming! basically, you rock my face off! here we go to month two!

i love you!

mommy

Baby B is Wallace Rudolph

i need to spend some time writing about baby b's arrival. the wonderful care we received at candler hospital in savannah, ga, the tremendous support from family and friends, baby b's entry into the world and the first wonderful days of life. but, i am afraid i am going to forget all of the other things that have happened in the past month. so, i want to write down all of the things i want to remember from baby b's first month of life.

i want to remember...

-the moment my water broke in the hospital and i thought i wet the bed and didn't know what really happened.
-the granola bar i threw at aaron during a contraction when he was snoring.
-the benadryl nap...best nap ever!
-the patience and support of aaron while i labored. he sat at the foot of my bed and watched me sleep. i would open my eyes and he was there just waiting.
-the moment the nurse said "you are complete" and i asked, "now what?"
-those final moments with aaron. just rachel and aaron. you know, before our lives changed forever.
-the songs that were playing on the ipod when it was time to push...world on fire, how to save a life, grace is gone.
-asking the doctor if i was actually pushing.
-the moment when dr. smith said "ok,one more half push"
-the hand squeeze from aaron.
-dr. smith pulling out baby b...and aaron announcing..."Its A BOY!!!"
-the first time they laid the baby on my chest. the proudest moment of my life.
-the moment baby's looked into mine and his little hand grabbed my finger. breathtaking.
-the excitement in aaron's eyes as he became a daddy.
-our first moments as a family.
-telling dr. smith that the labor and delivery wasn't nearly as bad as i thought it was going to be.
-breastfeeding for the very first time.
-the ride down the hallway in the bed because my legs were so numb and heavy from the epidural
-the first few hours in the hospital, so full of excitement.
-the wonderful support from family and friends on ace's birth day!
-the diaper incident with stefani
-our first night together as a family. watching aaron rock Ace to sleep.
-watching aaron watch ace. he waited so long to meet him!
-holding my sweet baby close to me. listening to him breathe. the shallow little breaths he was taking almost like sighs of relief that his delivery was over.
-the look on my mom's face when she got to the hospital door.
-the moment we got ace home.
-the first night. sleeping in our monster of a bed with such a tiny little person in my arms.
-the second night....the long long second night.
-the first time we realized little boys pee a lot!
-the devastation  of knowing that i have chronic low milk supply and can not exclusively my son . the victory of knowing that i still have a nursing relationship with my baby and the victory of pumping two ounces up from just 1/4 of an ounce the first week.
-the sweet little faces ace makes after he eats and when he wakes up. kind of like a little bird.
-how curled up ace is when i get him out of his car seat and how he stays in a little ball for awhile afterwards.
-watching ace stretch out completely, arms and legs, like he is going to do a pin drop off a diving board.
-the quiet moments when we rest together in the afternoons.
-our first day home together when i had no idea what to do.
-the first time ace really noticed my face and locked in on it.
-the independence of ace at two weeks old. holding his own bottle with his hands cupped around the top. holding his pacifier with his hand.
-the sweet sounds ace makes while he is eating and when he is falling asleep.
-the lump i have to swallow every time i look at my son and realize that he is the miracle that aaron and i made out of love.

i almost wish i could have video taped the whole first month. i never want to forget these days. the love that i have for Ace is unlike anything i could have ever imagined. i love him more with every passing second. my tummy feels so strange without him in it and i still can't believe he was actually in there for nine months. the shock of his gender has still not worn off!

my life is truly blessed. i have never been happier in my whole life.

our last weekend as two

it's our last weekend as two. seems weird that we know we will be having a baby on monday. i hoped it would just happen because the schedule is a bit tough on me. but...so is life.

so it is our last weekend as two.

we went out to dinner at 7:30 last night. got home at close to 11. stayed up watching tv until after midnight.

slept in until 11:00 a.m.

sunbathed and read trash magazines in the backyard all afternoon. swam in the little pool.

took a nap in the middle of the day.

went to a movie.

wasted time walking around the store.

let's put it this way. this mama is somewhat of an emotional wreck at this point. i am all over the place. i can't stop cleaning. how am i ever going to be able to sleep tonight? what are we going to do until 2:45 p.m. tomorrow?

goodness!

baby b...we are waiting for you!

well, june 16th came and june 16th went. not surprising for a first child, i know. i have been to the doctor twice this week. on monday, i had not dilated at all and baby b had not had made any progress from the week before. our favorite nurse practitioner, leah, decided it would be a good idea to an ultrasound to check the size of the baby. good thing she did. after fetal monitoring and an ultrasound we learned that baby b weighs 7 pounds and that his or her amniotic fluid levels were low. this meant bed rest for this mama. not just bed rest but laying on your left side most of the day bed rest. bummer!

fast forward to yesterday, june 16th. baby b's official due date. we had to go back to the doctor for a repeat BPP (ultrasound, fetal monitoring and check). this time the ultrasound showed that the fluid level had not gotten any worse but, it also had not gotten any better. baby b was too sleepy during the ultrasound to be a star student. this meant that he or she did  not pass the fetal breathing test. i never knew this but a baby's breathing in the womb is a reflex and not something that they do all the time. during the test the sonographer needs to see at least 30 seconds of constant breathing. baby b just couldn't be bothered. dr. smith checked my cervix and found that i had dilated 1cm. yes, 1cm is progress but not quick enough progress for him to be comfortable with. he was not too concerned with baby b being delivered immediately, but, he did tell aaron and me that we would need to help baby b along by the beginning of the week if he or she did not decide to exit on his or her own.

so, it's friday at 5:06 p.m. i am not officially on maternity leave. thankfully i have a very flexible job that allows me to work from home which i have been doing all week. we are still waiting for baby b. i would love for my little angel to decide to come this weekend. we are totally ready. our house has never been cleaner. the guest room is ready for guests. there are towels clean and folded for our out of towners and 24 rolls of toilet paper in the closet. all of the laundry is clean and put away. the base boards have been scrubbed, the shelves dusted, the floors vacuumed (i do this once a day anyway). baby b's co-sleeper is prepared and ready to slide next to our bed. the camera batteries are charged. my hospital bag has been packed for weeks. the ipod with a special play list for baby b's birthday is ready to go. i have never been so prepared for something i am so unprepared for!

if baby b is not here by sunday at 2:45 p.m., we will be checking in to the hospital for an induction. while this isn't exactly how i wanted everything to happen, i know it is best for our baby. i want our little angel to come out and breathe with his or her beautiful lungs which we got to see fully developed and ready to go this week. they will start my pitocin drip at 4:00 a.m. on Monday and if everything goes as planned, baby b will be here on Monday afternoon. seems weird to know the date but so is life. daddy hopes baby b comes on monday since it is the last day in the zodiac calendar for baby to be a gemini. for those of you who know my aaron, you know he is a true gemini. and for those of you who know my aaron, you will know where the hard head our baby already has comes from!

keep our little family in your prayers as we travel through this exciting time in our lives. i get tears in my eyes just thinking about what the next few days are going to be like.