*Anniversary*

Four years ago, today, I married my best friend.

He is the greatest daddy to our baby boy,

and the best hubby in the whole world!

Happy 4th Anniversary, James!

I Love You!

You know you are a Momma when...

Many people say that giving birth doesn't make you a mother.  I couldn't agree more.  Motherhood is so much more than childbirth.  While that is a BIG (and painful) part, there is so much more to being a Mommy to a sweet, cuddly, little baby.  Sometimes it is quite comical to think about just how different my life is now that I'm a Momma, which brings me to these next few points:

You know you are the Momma of a baby when your idea of a perfect Saturday night consists of playing on the floor with Bubby and Daddy while watching a Disney movie, and topping it off with bedtime at 8 p.m. sharp!

You know you the Momma of a baby when your idea of a great book has the words "baby," "breast," or "childbirth" in the title! LOL My current favorite reads: Super Baby Food, Baby Sign Language, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, Ina May's Guide to Natural Childbirth









You know you are the Momma of a baby when you can't remember if you shampooed your hair this morning or yesterday morning... hmmmm, which was it?!?!?!? LOL  BUT, you always remember to shampoo someone else's hair:

You know you are the Momma of a baby when you FORGET to eat!!! You'd think all the baby weight would be gone and I'd be in super shape because I forget to eat ALL THE TIME!!! AND let's not forget that I carry around 25 pounds with me everywhere I go :)  (Thanks Bubby!) but no such luck for this Momma!  However, I ALWAYS remember to feed my little guy! :)

Don't worry... Bubby share's his food with me.  See.  :)  Hahaha

I have a million more of these, but I'll leave you with just one more for now...

You know you are the Momma of a baby when you are thrilled to get a wake-up call (over the baby monitor) EVERY morning at 5:30 a.m. just so you can see this precious face waiting for you:

I love you Bubby!

Time Flies When You're Having FUN!

It seems like time has flown by in hyper-speed the last few weeks because Connor is LITERALLY doing something new EVERY SINGLE DAY!  One second he is army crawling... then he's crawling on his knees!  Before I can blink he's pulling up to standing, cruising along furniture, and now attempting his first steps! HOLY MOLY!!! And, oh my goodness, he is into EVERYTHING, LOL!!!  Here's a glimpse of just one day's work in the life of a 10 month old:

The BEST thing about Summer Vacation...

I get to spend ALL DAY, EVERYDAY with my Bubby.  It's amazing how your whole world can be wrapped up in one tiny package!

Under the Weather

Last week, I got a call from my sister-in-law that my poor nephew, Tyler, was sick at daycare and needed to be picked up.  She was out of town for the day, his daddy (my brother) was working in Louisville, and Mamaw was on vacation visiting relatives in North Carolina, so it was up to Aunt Eileen to save the day! :)  When I got to daycare, they said the poor little guy had a temp of 103!!!  He was napping, and when I picked him up to put him in the car, he was ON FIRE!  Needless to say, I was really freaked out and worried about him! (Of course, I tend to be the hypochondriac in the family!!)  I took him to his pediatrician, who said it was a virus and will just have to pass its course.  Poor little Tyler was so pitiful in the doctor's office.  He sat on the table and let the doctor look him over, but then his little lip began to quiver and he stared crying.  Luckily, the doctor finished the exam with Tyler sitting in my lap! He prescribed rest and fluids!  Once we left, I got my little champ to eat some apple slices and drink some water for me, and then he was down for the count!  Check out my sweet, but oh so sick, little guy...

Trying to be a trooper and eat for Aunt Eileen.

Just what the doctor ordered!



10 Terrific Months!

That's right! My Bubby is 10 months old!  It seems like yesterday that I first saw his adorable little face!  Can you believe this was 10 months ago?

I miss everything about those days... his full head of dark brown velvet baby hair, those tiny little fingers and toes, how he showed off his toothless gums when he cried for more milk, and even that tiny little patch of infantile acne he had on his nose - that only a newborn could make look cute!  Even though those newborn days are long gone, I cherish the memories, love the ones we are making today, and look forward to the ones we will make in the future!  With that said, Connor, here are  

10 things I want to remember about you at this age... my terrific ten month old baby boy:

1.  You are still army crawling, but like a pro! You can book it across the living room in 5 seconds flat! Really!  You put yourself into crawling position on your knees a lot, but then decide you don't want to do that. hehe!  See:

2.  Your new favorite toy is your cement truck.  You like to roll it around on our hardwood floors.  You push it, watch it go, and then crawl after it!!! We think its pretty cute! ;)

3.You love music! I mean, LOVE, music... any kind!  Lately, your Daddy has been playing the guitar for you and you think it is AWESOME! You like to help him play. :)  See, here you are helping him:

4.  You helped Momma celebrate her FIRST mother's day this month.  It was sooooooooooo special!  We even got special flowers at church for being the youngest Mommy and the youngest baby! :)  You are the best mother's day present in the whole world!  You make everyday super special for Momma!

5.  You now say 5 words!  That's right! You say Mama, Da-Da, hi, bye, and Bubba.  You LOVE to talk.  You jibber jabber all day long, and it is sooooooooooooo cute! ;)  You've even started waving... but ONLY when you want to... not when Momma wants you to! hehe

6.  You learned how to go from laying on your belly to sitting up!  It is so darn cute, too!  The only problem is that now when we lay you down in your bed for naps, you sit right back up and play with your mobile!!!  So nap time is somewhat of a challenge right now, but we are working on making that better! hehe! You are definitely our little wiggle worm!

I caught somebody sitting up in their bed when they were supposed to be sleeping!!! hehe

7.  You LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to be outside!  You got to see bubbles for the first time the other day, and you thought they were awesome!  You raised your arms up and cheered as they floated by!  You were even able to catch some of them.

8.  You figured out how to go forward in your walker!  At first you were only going backwards.  Now that you are a pro at maneuvering your walker, you are into EVERYTHING!  You roll around the house trying to open doors and drawers!!! LOL

Here you are on the day you figured out how to walk forward! :)

9.  You have six teeth!  That's right, SIX! You have four on top and two on the bottom!  All the better to eat big boy foods with!!! Your favorite foods right now are spinach and apple puffs, strawberry cereal bars, fresh apples and bananas, and you LOVE water!  You have stared using your sippy cup and are doing so well! Right now you think it is meant for shaking and chewing on, but you have slowly started drinking from it!  You are growing up so fast!

10.  Last, but definitely not least, you just started pulling up from a seating position to standing!!! I couldn't believe it when I first saw you! Luckily, Daddy had the camera ready and was able to get pictures of you the first time you pulled up to standing!  It was quite the moment!!! :)

 

Sorry for the sideways video :P   I'm still learning... lol

Connor, you make everyday so special.  Mommy and Daddy feel so blessed to be able to watch you learn and grow.  We can't wait to see what month 11 will bring!  You love you more than words could ever say!!!

Happy 10 months Bubby!

We love you to the moon and back!

Love,

Momma and Da-Da

***PROM***

You read that correctly... yes, PROM! Many of you may not know this, but I am the legal guardian to 16 year old nephew, Ryan.  He's been living with me for a little over two years now, which has been such a blessing!  I LOVE having him here and am probably NOT going to be able to handle it when he moves to college in the fall of 2012!!!  While I absolutely LOVE having Ryan here, and have ALWAYS felt like he is my own son, I would gladly give him back to his mother to undo the circumstances which placed him in my care.  My sister (his mother) and her family were in a terrible car accident about 2 and a half years ago.  Jennifer, my sister, was killed instantly on impact and Ryan was badly injured.  It is a miracle that he is walking today! Literally... a miracle.  After 4 surgeries, he spent several months in a wheelchair and then several more months on crutches.  I can't thank God enough for allowing him to regain the ability to walk so that he is able to do what he loves... marching band.  After the accident, I left my job in Jefferson County to come home to take care of Ryan.  There isn't a day that goes by that my heart doesn't ache for Jennifer, but I know we will meet again someday!  Until then, I am trying my best to take care of her son to the best of my ability... which will never compare to the loving relationship that she had with him!  You are DEEPLY missed and loved, Jennifer!

Our Angel... doing what she did best - singing God's praises!

Back to the topic at hand... PROM!!! Two weekends ago, we sent Ryan off to his FIRST PROM! I believe I was WAY more excited than he was!!!  Check out the pictures I took! (This is just a sample of the 300 I really took!! LOL)  Ryan and Kylie, his girlfriend, were very cute together!  ...and even cooperated (for the most part) with my crazy direction and posing!!!

Connor had to get in on the action! :)

I'm glad I finally got some shots that show off Ryan's personality!!! AHAHAHAHAHA

Connor LOVED being outside!

And they're off!!!