I LOVE My Baby Boys!!!

I bought one of these frames when I first found out Connor was a boy.  I HAD to hunt them down and get one for my sweet Liam too!  (That's my Liam on the left and my Connor on the right.)  I'm so excited to be the Momma to two precious baby boys! I couldn't be more thankful to God for giving me such precious gifts!!!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

I just LOVE Christmas! and it is so much (more) fun now that we have babies!!!  One of my FAVORITE Christmas traditions is getting a family ornament each year.  My mom started buying ornaments from a craft bazaar in Elizabethtown, Kentucky in 1983, the year my brother was born.  I have an ornament for every year, beginning with the year I was born (1985)!  I can't believe they are still making these ornaments! I talked to the woman who makes them this year when I went and told her how she can't stop making them because I have one for every year dating back to 1985!  She promised she wasn't going anywhere for a while! :)  Here are a few of our latest additions and a few favorites from years past:

Shacklett Family Ornament 2011 (We didn't know Liam was a boy yet when we bought this! lol)

Connor's Ornament 2011 :)

Shacklett Family Ornament 2010 :)

Connor's First Christmas Ornament 2010 :)

A Few Favorites from the Past:

Shacklett Family Ornament 2008, the year we built our new home! :)

Our first ornament together! The Christmas after we became engaged! 2003! :)

My ornament, Christmas 1996! The little lamb is so cute! :)

Another favorite because I always thought she looked like me! ;) Christmas 1991

One of my first ornaments!!! Christmas 1986!  :)

I can't wait to continue this tradition for my boys and hopefully they will continue it for their children someday!  Which means this woman can never retire! lol

Baby Wish List

When Connor was an infant, I often thought to myself, "Oh it would be great to have___________." or "I wish I had a ___________!"  With having a baby, you live and you learn... some things were great, some were worthless, and some things you just wish you had!!  With baby Liam on the way, I've added these things to my "Baby Wish List!"  So, hopefully "if" we are able to save up some money we can start tackling our list!!! :)  So here are a few things I think are definitely worth the investment... so any new mommas out there - here are my TOP 10 suggestions! ;)

1.  A Moby Wrap


Oh how I wish I had one of these when Connor was a newborn!!  Many newborns like to be held... even when they are sleeping! Connor was one of those newborns, so it made it VERY difficult to get anything accomplished.  Behold the solution!  The neat thing about the Moby Wrap is that there are many different ways to wear/position the baby with the wrap!!  All of the mommas I know that own a Moby say you can't live without one!

2.  An Angelcare Movement and Sound Monitor

I have one of these for Connor, and I WILL have one for Liam too!  This is by far the BEST purchase I EVER made.  All I can say is that it gives me peace of mind so we all sleep good at night! :)  I HIGHLY recommend these to every pregnant woman I know! lol

3. Nursing Covers


I'm loving this one from Babies R' Us.  I didn't have nursing covers with Connor and now I'm wishing I did!  Blankets sure didn't cut it and it would be nice to have this to avoid the cramped feedings in the car!! These covers are so neat because the section around the neck is stiffer so you can look down and see sweet baby! I'm also loving the strap around the neck so little one can't pull it off! :)

4.  Graco Snug Ride 35 Infant Car Seat in "Logan"

Another fabulous need from Babies R' Us.  This car seat not only has great safety and customer reviews, but it also has a much higher weight limit than the one we had with Connor!  Connor out grew his car seat way too early because, as we all know, he was a chunky baby! ;)  I love that this seat has a 35 pound weight limit!! FYI in case you didn't know, car seats have expiration dates... as to why we couldn't reuse Connor's seat.  Also... any car seat should be replaced if it was involved in an accident (even if it was just a fender bender), the straps should be tight with the chest clip at armpit level, and babies should rear-face until they are at least 2.  :)

5.  A Medela Symphony Hospital-Grade Breat Pump


I purchased a Medela In-Style Pump with Connor, but it definitely didn't make it for the long haul.  It started to tucker out around the 4 month mark, and I need something that can keep up for at least a year.  The In Style pump made it to the end with me, but there is NO way it will survive another baby.  This hospital-grade pump is much sturdier, and will survive all the pumping I will have to do! ;)  The down side to this pump??  The price it OUTRAGEOUS!!!  Luckily, I just found out that my insurance covers the cost of medical equipment (including breast pumps) if you pay 15 %.  Score!  Otherwise, I would definitely NOT be purchasing this pump!

6.  A Swing



I borrowed a swing with Connor, and it was a life-saver at times with a colicky newborn!  I love this swing by Bright Stars at Target.  It is small, portable, affordable, and not to mention adorable! :)

7.  Aden & Anais Swaddlers


I LOVE the "Oh Boy" pattern that Babies R' Us carries of the Aden & Anais Swaddlers!  How adorable are these patterns?!?!  Let's face it, all newborns need to be swaddled so they feel like they are still in momma's womb.  These swaddlers are made of cotton muslin and feel amazing!!!  They are also much larger than your average receiving blanket, which makes it much easier to swaddle chunky babies! ;)

8.  My Brest Friend

This is an amazing nursing support pillow!!! I had the Boppy with Connor, and it was useless as a nursing pillow! It was great to support baby on the floor for tummy time... but not good for nursing.  I have a friend who has My Brest Friend, and I tried it out... AMAZING! Can't wait to get one!!

9.  A Fisher-Price Bouncy Seat


This is the bouncy seat we had with Connor and we absolutely LOVED it! It was one of the best baby purchases we made! It had so many uses! Connor played in it next to me when I'd get ready in the mornings! It was a great alternative for nap time.  You can rock a fussy baby to sleep in it.  When baby is sick and chokes on mucus when laying flat, they can sleep in this next to your bed.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this seat!  I've also found that babies are in a more comfortable seated position in the Fisher-Price bouncy seats.  The bouncers that are more oval shaped tend to make babies slide down to the end.  Needless to say, we wore this bouncy seat out with Connor.  He was in it until the max weight limit! lol  So we are probably going to need a new one for Liam and I'm definitely getting the exact same one! :)

10.  California Baby Products

I've always been a little leery of any products I put on my or baby's skin.  Connor and I both have EXTREMELY sensitive skin.  I found California Baby products when I was looking to treat Connor's eczema and I absolutely LOVE them!  I'm a big fan of their Calendula Cream, Everyday Lotion, and Calming Shampoo and Body Wash.  I also love that these products have absolutely no harmful ingredients and are super safe for baby's sensitive skin! :)  I will need plenty more California Baby for Liam!


Looks like I better start being frugal REAL FAST if I plan to get everything I need for baby Liam before May!!! ;)

What's in a Name?

Its official.  We are having another beautiful baby boy!  We are beyond excited to have two precious little boys, and what is better than the bond of two brothers!!  Our new little bundle of baby blue will be named...

Liam Andrew Shacklett

We are so excited and can't wait to meet our little Liam!  We chose Liam because James and I both come from Irish backgrounds.  Connor's name and my name are both very Irish, so Liam fits perfectly.  And last but not least, we just LOVE the name Liam!!!  Liam's middle name is after my brother Andrew, so he will be named after his uncle! ;)  We also think Liam and Andrew sound great together!

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  Psalm 139:13-14

Baby Gender Reveal!!!

Are you ready for this??  Baby Shacklett #2 is a...

Baby Boy!!!

A cute profile pic!

There's the money shot! Two little legs with a little wee wee in between! lol

That's right, we have another bundle of baby blue headed our way in May.  We are so excited Connor will get to have a baby brother!

We were able to find out the gender of baby boy Shacklett a little early because unfortunately I came down with the virus fifths disease.  While this virus is harmless for children and adults normally, it is very dangerous in pregnancy.  Unborn babies who contract the virus from their mothers can develop a very severe and complicated form of anemia that requires extensive treatment and life-saving measures.

We are sooooooo thankful that baby boy currently shows NO signs of the illness.  However, we are not in the clear quite yet.  Baby boy has to be monitored closely for the next 8 weeks with ultrasounds to watch for swelling (a sign of the anemia).  If baby looks healthy and great at the end of the 8 weeks, then we will officially be in the clear. 

We would really appreciate your prayers for our family and our precious baby boy, that he continues to thrive and stay healthy because we can't wait to meet him!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

a few days late! ;)

We hope you all enjoyed your holiday as much as we did! On Thursday we had the Shacklett Thanksgiving at James' parents house. Bubby was loving it there! The house is "semi" toddler-proofed, so Connor found a few things to get into! ;) His favorite find was of course the house phone!

photos by Aunt Sarai

When it was time to eat, little man was HUNGRY, and he did NOT want to wait for his plate to be made! We had a bit of a melt down while waiting! lol Poor Bubby! (We were a little past nap time too, so that didn't help!)

After the food was served, Connor was in 7th heaven! I ate turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and rolls!! His favorite was the homemade rolls, hands down!! He didn't want anything else once he had a taste! I'll have to get that recipe. :) Connor also provided our after dinner entertainment pointing out his nose, teeth, and belly. Just one of his many talents! lol

Our SECOND Thanksgiving for the weekend was on Friday! That's right... Black Friday. I'm not brave enough to go out in the Black Friday crowds, lol, but I'd rather spend it visiting with family anyway. After all, we only see some of them once a year!! So, on Friday we went to my mother's side of the family, the Granacher family. My Aunt Mary and Uncle Ken hosted in their new home in Nicholasville, near Lexington. Their new home was AMAZING, the food was delicious, and it was great to see everyone and catch up. Bubby had a great time!!

My cousin took this photo (with Bubby and I in the background). He takes AWESOME photos!!! His nature shots are my favorites! Anyway, you can see some of the delicious spread of food! Yum!! :) The brownies are not in this picture, but I have to mention that they were INCREDIBLE!

Our THIRD and final Thanksgiving for the weekend was on Saturday. My mom had Thanksgiving for our immediate family and we enjoyed a "meal of appetizers!" It was sooooooo nice after turkey two days in a row. The BLT dip was AMAZING! We enjoyed good company and Connor had a blast playing with his cousin Tyler! Too bad we all ended up sharing a virus the next day! lol My brother Andrew, Tyler, Connor and I all ended up sick! Poor Bubby ran a fever and had a sore throat for two days! We are all feeling much better now though!

With that said, I'll conclude with a short list of things I'm sooooooooooooo THANKFUL for this Thanksgiving. (We'd be here for years if I listed everything!) Afterall, that is what this holiday is all about!

I'm sooooooooo thankful for

• my family - all of them :)
• My beautiful, perfect, and precious baby boy
• My special delivery on the way in May :)
• A hubby that lets me pull the pregnancy card A LOT
• Great friends, even though I don't see them near enough
• to feel baby Shacklett #2's first kicks on Thanksgiving day (it doesn't get much better than that!)

What are you thankful for this holiday season?

16 months!!!

That's right! Our BABY is 16 months old! Here are 16 things we want to remember about you, Connor, at this age:


1.  You got your first hair cut this month, and you look so adorable and grown up all at the same time!
2.  Your favorite word at the moment is "no!" but in a cute way.
3.  You shake your head when you say no, and it is so funny.  When I ask you if you are sleepy, you say NO! and run away shaking your head.
4.  You are almost officially off the bottle!  You still get a bottle before bed during cuddles with Momma.  This is going to be so hard to get rid of! :(
5.  You currently have an obsession with shoes.  You bring momma and da-da their shoes all the time, and sometimes you try to wear them! lol
6.  Your new words this month are tree,teeth, wa-wa (water), more, and door.
7.  You love your nursery rhyme book.  You favorites are Baa-baa Black Sheep and One,Two, Buckle my Shoe.  You ask for them by name too... "Baa-baa" and "Door." lol
8.  You weigh 28 pounds and are 32 1/2 inches tall.  90th percentile for both. 
9.  You love the Christmas tree, thus learning the word "tree" this month! :)
10.  You LOVE, and I mean LOVE pears.  You eat an entire pear by yourself!
11.  You like to comb your hair.
12.  You remind me every morning to brush your teeth by pointing to your teeth and saying something that sounds very similar to "teeth!" Its so cute!
13.  You love to eat chicken nuggets and applesauce for lunch.
14.  You give momma and da-da kisses and we LOVE them so much!
15.  You want to be a climber sooooooooo badly! You try to climb on and off the couch and anything else that is in your reach! ;)
16.  You had your 2nd Halloween and Thanksgiving within the past month and you loved every minute of each holiday!!  The candy on Halloween was a big hit.  Your favorite was suckers!  You loved getting to see all your extended Family at thanksgiving too! :)

We love you so much, Bubby and we can't wait to see what you have in store for us next month!  Happy 16 months! We love you to the moon and back a million times!

Love,
Momma and Da-da

Here's a sneak peek at a few of our latest family pictures thanks to Rhea Hickok Photography!