My Heart Melted...

As I posted before, my little guy is now sitting up and standing up on his own in his crib. Well today the fight began where he kept getting up while we tried to get him to nap. He was overtired, he fell in his crib and was really upset. At this point it was close to a feeding so we got him up and I fed him. He wouldn't breastfeed so I held my screaming child while Tony heated a bottle. I had Tony bring him his lion lovey. I started to rock him. Then I started to sing. (Poor child.) He calmed down. Tony brought over the bottle and I feed him as I held him close tucked under my chin (as he used to love) and I sang more. I could feel his sucking turn to the one before he falls asleep (very quick sucks with a quick break, repeat) and I looked down and his eyes were closed. He turned from the bottle, fussed a bit, I stuck his pacifier in so he could still suck and I rocked him, sang, and kept him tucked under my chin. He drifted off. Tears came to my eyes. They are now as I type this. My little man hasn't wanted this in forever. At 7 months he wants to do everything himself and he doesn't want to be held close anymore. But today, he did. My heart melted.

Final Plea For Trent and Graduation!

First off....A couple weeks ago my family (including my grandmother!) attended Trent's graduation from USM. Here are a few pictures of the day. Trent walking in.
He did it!
The proud parents with their amazing son.
The proud older sisters with the guy they are proud to call their brother!

I was so proud of Trent. He has been through a lot and still managed to graduate with a 3.7 GPA and magna cum laude as well as being a member of Golden Key. He got his degree in General Management from the College of Business. He also has a degree in personal training, an associates degree and now hopes to get into the program at KVCC to become a lineman! He sure will be one well rounded guy! He has worked so hard and deserves every bit of joy he hopefully felt that day.

With that said, remember, he did this all while struggling with Crohn's. His Crohn's actually acted up the day of graduation and we were late getting there because of it AND up until the last minute he wasn't sure if he would be able to participate. Life really is hard with this disease and there is no cure. Please, if you haven't already, donate to our walk on Saturday. Every amount helps. We want a cure. Help us support the research to find one. Thanks to all who alreayd have donated!

Caught!

And here he is caught in the act. (See post below.) Doesn't he look so proud? :) Note: Don't worry, my Mom has lowered the crib mattress again after this act! Another Note: Don't worry, the string on the blinds in the window now is wrapped high above on an old curtain rod AND we are as we speak thinking of where we will move the crib so he is not in front of the window.) Did I cover all the safety red flags?
Okay, you've showed off...now nap little buddy!

Newsflash!

I just got a call from my babysitter (aka Grammie) who informed me that she put Cole down for a nap only to check on him and find he was sitting up in bed (he sits up but hasn't done it on his own yet.) She went to get the camera to capture this milestone and found him standing in his crib! He then preceeded to sit and stand several times and I could hear him squealing with delight at this in the background on the phone. This could make me in for a real treat with his sleeping now...I am so proud of you little man! Just promise me this wont impact you doing this....

Future Patriot?

(Note: Sorry about them being sideways...they are right on my computer so I am not sure what happened...)

Wordless Wednesday....

Peek-A-Boo! I see you! (I am a speech therapist...did you really think I could actually have a completely wordless post?)

Mom Monday

You Know Your A Mom When...

- You get a regular breast exam from someone else for free (you breastfeed and your child has taken to kneading your breast or rubbing it while she/he eats)

- You often find yourself wearing someone else's breakfast and dinner on your clothes.

- You will listen to the same dancing rabbit and frog over and over again and even sing and dance along each time.

- You have suddenly started eating dinner around 8 P.M. and it isn't because you are out on the town with friends....it is because by the time you feed, bath, dress, do story, and put to sleep your child it is that time before you can eat.

- You fall asleep at 6 PM on a weekend!

- You willingly let someone else chew on your finger on a regular basis.

- You have suddenly started calling your husband, "Daddy" and you often now talk to your husband through your son. LOL.

First Video Post

This is my first time successfully posting a video. I know it is short but at least it worked! And yes, his feet really are moving THAT fast :)

Mommy and Me

Because these photos are rare (and I hear this is common....Mommy is usually the one behind the camera!) I thought I would share. These were taken the day before Mother's Day (at my request!) and no, I did not mean to dress us alike. He peed on his previous outfit :) We even headed to a 1st birthday party dressed like this (well, Cole was wearing pants for the party of course!)

Happy 7 Months Handsome!

Wow. Cole Michael you are 7 months old today. Where has the time gone? Mommy just went in to check on you and you are fast asleep...on your back! Lately you are really into sleeping on your side and back at times. You used to be all about the belly and that was it! You also have just started pulling the breathable bumper down on the side of the crib and peeking through the rails...so cute. Yes, Mommy got a picture :)

You are my whole life little man. Mommy remembers when she wasn't sure she wanted children...I was afraid I just wouldn't be good enough. I still don't think I am. Just tonight for example Mommy worked through lunch so she didn't get to visit you on lunch break like I always do. Then I got a late swallow eval. and ended up having to work till 6:30. Daddy called to say I didn't have any baby food made for you except oatmeal and sweet potato. Your teeth were hurting you. You hadn't had your bath. You were ready for bed. I wasn't home yet. I felt like I had failed you. I walk in the door and you were so happy to see me. How do you forgive me for all of that? You are amazing.

You really are the light of my life. I love how you move around in your walker now. You LOVE to bounce right now. You wiggle back and forth to encourage me to bounce you when I hold you on my knee. You bounce the heck out of your walker now. You sit up all by yourself and a PT even saw a photo I took of you looking up while sitting and she said that was advanced for your age! Way to go big guy! You also do this think where you get up on your hands and knees and then straighten your arms and legs so you are literally in like a push up position! Such a strong boy...an OT I know said you must be to do that! I also think you know Mommy is an SLP because you still only make back sounds and for a while, you had kind of stopped talking as much as you used to. You also still don't do any canonicle babbling. This concerns Mommy. We work on this a lot. I just can't let the SLP in me rest completely.

You really are such a motor guy. You love to kick and wiggle your arms when you are excited. We say, "Go, go, go" to you when you do this and you get even more excited. You roll over both ways, spin yourself around on your belly and you rock on your hands and knees and rock forward and get up again and rock forward to move yourself to something you want (you will do anything for the remote, cell phone, and computer right now!)

You seem to be enjoying Mommy's baby food. Today you tried bananas for the first time and you made a face the first time you tried a bite and then was fine. The fastest you have liked something so far! You also eat rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potato, avacado, pears (you LOVE these...you have them almost every night) and green beans. Right now you get about 50% breastmilk and 50% formula because Mommy's supply isn't keeping up. You are just starting to accept formula as a substitute when necessary in oatmeal. You are eating thicker and just recently chunkier purees now. You eat about 4 oz. on avg. of solids at breakfast and the same at dinner...usually oatmeal and 2 veggies and 1 fruit. You have just started being better about not spreading the food all over your face (see picture below. Notice it in your hair AND eyebrows?)You are also cutting 4...yes I said 4...top teeth all at once. You have your good and bad days with this where you eat less and cry more but overall Mommy is proud of you...I know it must really hurt. I don't know your current height and weight as Mommy hasn't checked that yet. I also don't have an official 7 month photo of you either. I know, I am a slacker. I feel horrible that it impacts you too. Just know my little love bug that Mommy loves you sooooo much. More than there are stars in the sky, fishes in the sea and grass on the ground. I am by no means perfect but know I try really hard when it comes to you. Happy 7 months big guy!

Spring Has Sprung!

Here are a few pictures from around my house...I love watching everything bloom and come to life this time of year!

Tony tells me that these flowers are actually a weed. I love the moment before we first cut the grass because as you can see in the next photo...


...they are all over our lawn. I love these "weeds." They are so pretty and the only time they really show themselves is in the Spring before we mow our lawn. Such a brief moment of beauty...


This next photo I took of our day lilies starting to bloom. They of course will show a little later in the season but I look forward to their greenery sprouting each year. I also had to capture the garden ornament Cole picked out for me. Tony said he kept reaching out for something when Tony would walk down a particular aisle. Tony finally narrowed it down and showed Cole this and asked him if he wanted to get it for Mommy. He said Cole got all excited and once Tony put it in the cart Cole was content. How cute is that?!


This next photo is of my tulips. We have planted several and all get taken by chipmunks. However, these three made it and bloom each year in a spot you would never expect them to be able to grow. Such a beautiful thing to see these three tulips in this unique color each year.



Finally a picture of my rhododendrum (spelling...hmmm?) It never bloomed and I was getting discouraged as I have had it for I would say close to 5 years or more! However, two years ago when I got married we got one flower on it (no joke!) and I was so happy. The following year I found out I was pregnant with Cole...it bloomed more. I was even more happy. This year, I am blessed to be able to have Cole in my arms and it has bloomed even more than I knew it could! Even more happy! Ironic huh?


Happy Spring Everyone (all of you who live in my area know it is just finally feeling like it is truly here!)

A Day In The Sun...

Cole had so much fun the other day playing outside (these pictures were taken in mid-April) I just had to share some pictures of the day. He started out playing in his car walker on our porch while Daddy raked out the flower bed.
He then made his way into a pile of leaves Mommy and Daddy thought it was cute...Cole....not so much.

Notice the wardrobe change? This is because after the leaves he went in for a nap and was covered in pieces of them. Mommy changed him so he could sleep "itch-free." This is Cole with his Uncle Eric whom he LOVES so much. Eric can always bring a smile to his face. We always joke that Cole picked his Godfather way before we picked him.

This is Cole having some "man time" with the men. Yes, Mommy stepped in just long enough to capture a photo.

And a picture of Mommy's little man. Gosh do I love him. More than I ever imagined. I cannot thank God enough for answering my prayers in a way far superior than I ever imagined.

You're A Mom Monday...

Yes, I am aware that it is in fact Wednesday. However, I have missed one (or two?) Mondays and am obviously late on this week too. I don't know what happened to my blogging other than to say I have suddenly been hit with extreme Mommy fatigue. Loving every minute of my little guy but it is wipeing me out now that he is so much more active! I can't stay awake past 9:30 (not even to stay awake to watch the show my husband and I started watching when I was pregnant (Deadliest Catch)...sorry hun! I often even fall asleep before that! However, I am making a concious effort to be more scheduled (something I am definitely not) so that I am better at getting many things done on a more regular basis and that includes blogging. With that said, here is You're A Mom Monday once again but with a special twist in honor of Mother's Day coming this Sunday. My Mom sent me this poem and it is so true...

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom .

Cole's Baptism

On Sunday, April 26, 2009 my precious gift from God was baptized at the church I have grown to know God in and by a Minister who has embraced me with such a loving heart. We were surrounded by our church family and our non-church family. How amazing to have both come together for such an occasion. I must also add that I wore my star necklace in memory of Eliza and added my German Shepard dog that I had just bought the day before in memory of my Grandfather so both could also be represented on that wonderful day. We then had a gathering (the first we have had since we bought the house) at our house where many family and friends gathered for food and fun. I couldn't have asked for a better day...good weather, good friends, good food, and God. Here are a few pictures for a glimpse into the day.

Here is Cole arriving at church. He was so full of energy and he didn't eat before church like he always does. I think he couldn't contain his excitement for the big event!
Here is the beginning of the sacrament of baptism. Notice how Cole seems to be really listening to the Minister? :)
Here is Cole's only Auntie and now officially his Godmother, holding Cole for the Holy Water. Cole did very well with this. I think it may have something to do with the fact that when Mommy gives him a bath she has never been very good at keeping the water out of his eyes so a little water just on his head was nothing for Cole :) He had a special song sung to him from two soloists from the choir just after this (Cole's song from Mr. Holland's Opus.) He really loved it! It was very special. He even layed his head on the Minister's shoulder while listening to it at one point :)
Here is Cole just after the service following the baptism. Cole was good enough to sit through the whole service! Usually when I bring him to church he has to leave at least once :)
Mommy and Cole with Mommy's "other parents." They are such special people and are at all our events (they are the parents of Mommy's best friend Eliza who passed away.)
Cole enjoying a beer with Daddy at the party at our house after.
Hmmm....notice a theme here...two beers now at only 6 months old!
A more appropriate photo with Cole's Auntie and Uncle and now Godmother and Godfather! He loves them very much. They both love him to pieces too! They fought over who Cole loved more and who got to hold him :)

What a blessed day it was.

Marching for Madison

Tomorrow Cole and I will be walking in the March of Dimes. Madison is a friend of ours who was born 2 months premature. She is now a happy, healthy little 1 year old. We are still busy collecting donations for our Crohn's walk at the end of the month but if you want to donate to this walk please click on my side button to do so.

Thanks!

Jenn and Cole :)