Happy 9 Months!

Wow! On Friday, you turned NINE MONTHS OLD!!!!! 

This age is so much fun. It's a lot of work

Keeping an eye on everything you do but I love seeing you figure new this out and explore your little world. 

We have travelled quite a lot this month. We have gone to Florida, charleston, and the Lakehouse. The car rides have definitely gotten harder, but leaving during nap time and a little Mickeys Clubhouse go a long way!

You have learned to crawl on all fours. No more scooting around! It's really hard to catch you once you get started!

You learned to pull up on everything. And I mean everything!! You can also take steps while holding our hands. It's crazy to think you will be walking in no time! I feel like you are still a teeny tiny baby! But I guess I will always feel that way! 

You can climb up stairs and up up the ledge in the playroom. Which gives mommy a mild heart attack when you turn trying to come back down!

You can say "MA MA" and you say it over and over and over!!! Anytime you are sad or want something you say MAAAA MAAA!!!!!! 

You are in size 9 month clothes and size 3 diapers still. I'm not sure how much you weigh, we are going to the doctor on Thursday so we will find out then!

You just have the two bottom teeth. One came last month and the other popped up in Florida. The first one was pretty traumatic but the second didn't seem so bad. You have started drooling and sticking your tongue out more so I think the top ones are starting..... 

Being on vacation so often this month kind of messed up your sleeping. You did not sleep through the night at all when we were out of town but at home you have a few nights. We are slowly getting you back on track. It's a little but harder now that you stand up as soon as you wake up!! 

You are still eating the same foods as last month, just larger portions. A whole new list of things you can eat begins now at nine months. So get ready!! 

You are beginning to experience some separation anxiety from us. Anytime we leave the room you freak out! Or if someone you don't know comes up to you, you get shy and hold on tight to us. The other day I was walking you in your trike and our neighbor came up and said hello to you and you started crying and saying ma ma!! I want to try and start putting you in the nursery at church but it makes me so nervous that you will get upset! 

We have had such a fun month of travelling and watching you grow. I feel like you have learned so much this month and I can't wait to see what you learn next month. We love you with all of our hearts and are so proud of you. You are such a gift to your daddy and I. 

Family Play Day!

You got to meet your sweet cousin, Naia today! She is about 8 months older than you are. It was so fun to watch y'all interact and play together!

She kept giving your Paci and then taking it away to give it back again! It was so cute!

She loved to play with you in your jumpy. She even got to try it out!

We also learned today that her mom, Cali, is expecting another baby! So you will have a little baby cousin!!!

We had so much fun playing with them and will get to play again tomorrow.

You were so tired from your play date that you fell asleep on the 3 minute ride back to our house! After we got you in the crib, you woke up and made a little noise and I looked at the monitor and saw this!

Looks like we will be moving that, and lowering the crib AGAIN!! 

After nap time, your daddy and I took you to the park for the first time! 

You swung in the swing and loved it! We just had one scary moment when you lifted your legs up in the swing and tried to stand up!!!

You even went down the slide sitting in mommys lap! 

It was such a fun day and we were so happy that daddy could play with us. We will both be ready for the end of June when his schedule goes back to normal and we have more time to be with him. He makes everything so much more fun!!!

We love you so much sweet baby! 

Reece's Wedding

We spent last Saturday in Charleston for Reece's wedding!

We had a fun but very long day!

It was Harley Week that weekend so we left early to try and beat the bikers.

We did beat the bikers but despite leaving at naptime, you barely got any sleep. 

When we arrived at Aunt Sis's apartment we got you changed and fed and headed to the farmers market. 

We put out a little blanket and had so much fun with you! 

I wish we could do that every weekend. You really enjoyed being outside and seeing all of the people and other babies!

 

We tried to walk around and shop but you really wouldn't fall asleep and I knew 

that you had a big day ahead, so we headed back to aunt Sis's apartment.  

You napped for a little bit and we had lunch and then headed back to Marion square. 

You did so good spending time on the park. I wish we could do that all the time!!

Nana and Grandbuddy finally arrived so we headed back and got ready for the wedding. 

This is the first wedding you had ever been to and I was nervous!!!!!

Thank goodness aunt sis was there or I would have gone a little crazy!!

You wore a dress that Grammys friend made just for you. It is so pretty and was just perfect for the wedding. 

The wedding was at Francis Marion, just around the corner from the apartment. 

We just carried you at first and brought your sakura bloom sling just in case. 

Aunt sis was so nice and walked around with you outside during the ceremony. 

The ceremony was beautiful. 

Reece is Mrs. Vicki's son. Mrs. Vicki was the most amazing, loving, funny, caring second mom to me. I wear a "V" on my charm necklace along with your "H" for her.  

Unfortunately Mrs Vicki lost her battle with breast cancer a few years ago. It really hit all of us hard. My family grew up with Reece and his family. We would take trips together and camping every year. I have so many funny stories of mrs Vicki and I'm sure you have heard most of them or will hear them over and over in the future!!!

I can't imagine how Reece was feeling without his mom there to see him get married. It was laying heavy on my heart all day.

As soon as the ceremony started the room filled with a loving calm feeling. I had never experienced something like that. You could truly feel her presence in the room. It was amazing.

Dr. Crimes said some loving words about Mrs. Vicki and I'm sure there was not a dry eye on the grooms side. It was one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever attended. I'm so thankful to Reece for including us in his special day and allowing us to experience something so amazing.

(This is you with Mrs, Vicki's mom, Mrs. Funderburk. She loves you soo much!). 

You did really well considering it was bedtime and you hadn't really napped all day. But aunt sis and I decided to leave the reception pretty early and Grandbuddy and nana stayed to finish dinner and have cake!

We were going straight from the wedding to the Lakehouse so we wanted to go ahead and get on the road hoping you would fall asleep and sleep for a while!

We had a crazy busy day but it was so much fun and I'm so glad you got to attend your first wedding. And what a special wedding to make your first! You did sleep pretty much the whole way to the lake which was such a welcomed blessing!! ;) 

Mothers Day 2014

Today was my first Mothers Day with you here in my arms!!

It was pretty amazing to wake up this morning and hear you say, "MA MA"!!! 

Our day started off a little ruff at around 5:30! You were an early bird this morning and I was not prepared!

Unfortunately we didn't get to go to church this morning because you were sleeping. That really kind of through my morning off. I was so looking forward to church this morning and I was extremely sad when we couldn't go. But it's ok, I watched our cousin Dan preaching on tv and that helped a little bit. 

We went to lunch at pine lakes with my family. Daddy's parents were in Charleston so they didn't get to come. 

We had a great lunch and afterward we went to nanas house for dessert and presents. 

As soon as we got there, Aunt Sis surprised me with this amazing cake!! 

Yes, that is a CHOCOLATE cake with M&Ms and KIT KAT all over it!!!! It's literally the greatest thing ever. Sooo yum!! I can't believe she made that all by herself! Oh and she made Rice Krispie treats!! Ya know, in her spare time...

She also gave me this amazing painting that you both did together. It's sooo sweet and I will treasure it forever!!

Unfortunately daddy had to go to work pretty early today so we all went home and he got ready for work and you took a nap!!

This afternoon we had some excitement when Sadie ran away for a little bit... She was gone for at least 3 hours. It was pretty nerveracking for everyone but Grandbuddy finally found her soaking wet.... I guess she found a place to go swimming!

To end the night nana and aunt sis came over for dinner and we had fun just hanging out. It was such a fun and relaxing day!! 

The only thing that would have made it better is if daddy would have been able to spend more time with us. He did spoil me this Mother's Day with a new comforter for our bed and a subscription for a bouquet of flowers EVERY MONTH!!!!! I'm so excited and can't wait to receive a special surprise each month. 

Even though you have been here for 8 months and will be in my life forever, it's still so hard for me to believe that you are all mine. That my life is forever changed for the better because of you. Sometimes I look at you and just am so overwhelmed with the feeling of love and certainty that I am meant to be your mom. 

Thank you for giving me the title I've always dreamed of. Thank you for making my imaginations and dreams come to reality. Thank you for making your daddy and I parents and for giving us the greatest jobs on earth. We love you with our whole hearts. 

Thank You

We are on vacation right now in Florida and we have had the best time. I promise to update on it and post pics soon. Right now I just want to say Thank You sweet baby. 

You have turned my life upside down. And I love every minute of it. We both have our hard moments where we feel like we can't handle anything else but somehow we make it through. We also have our perfect life moments where everything is just as it should be and I hold tight to those precious memories and feelings.

You complete my heart and everything that I am. You give me a true purpose and a reason to make my life better. You teach me so many things each moment of your tiny life.

I'm sitting here in a hotel room holding you so tight and not wanting to put you in the crib just yet. I want to remember this moment and these feelings forever. I want to remember how warm and cozy you are and how you smell so perfectly like "you". I want to remember your tiny hand holding on to my side and your head pressed against my chest. 

I wanted you for so long and I'm just so amazed, in this moment, that you are here and that you are mine.

I love you.