Goodbye 2011

I cannot believe that 2011 is over. I remember last year thinking the first half would go so slowly because we were awaiting the arrival of our precious little boy. Well, it may have gone slow, but the past 9 months have absolutely FLOWN by.

This has been an amazing year. We welcomed Patrick James into the world in April, moved out of our house in 1 week, in with my parents, and started building our dream home.


I cannot believe how big he has gotten! This year, is definitely one that we will never forget, but I cannot wait to see what 2012 brings. I play on taking more time with family, having more patience, and hoping to take time, slow down, and enjoy life more, instead of wishing time would pass to get to the next big event (if that makes sense!) I hope everyone has a safe, and happy New Year!

Whirlwind Week

Merry Christmas! Ok, so a few days late, but who's counting? We are still recovering from Christmas, and I few we are going to need a vacation from our vacation! We have been running around like crazy people visiting family and going to different stores to pick out lighting fixtures, look at couches and buy appliances for our house.

Christmas was fantastic. Patrick is one spoiled boy, and we are very blessed to have family that loves him, and us, very much. He has a ton of toys, and I think enough clothing to last until at least next year! I think I am going to put most of his toys away and pull out one every few weeks or so so he doesn't get bored. Most are going into storage now, since we have no room with my parents! Just a few more months until I can take all of them out, but that's for a different post!

Patrick loved opening gifts, at first. Around half way through the day he started to cry when we put a new gift in front of him, and we soon realized that he was scared of the wrapping paper. I have to say I did laugh a few times because of this, and I may have put a few presents in front of him just to see him panic. I know, worst mom ever. In my defense, you would have laughed too! I need to get it on video!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I will try to post pictures soon!

Survived!

Well, we made it! Winter break is finally here! I must say I really need this break and time with little man. He is growing up so fast, it is breaking my heart.

School this year is .... interesting. I really do like my students (don't teachers HAVE to say that?!) There is one or two that REALLY test my patience, and sometimes they require me to drink, but I guess that comes with the territory. I just really wish parents would understand what teachers go through every day. They seriously have no idea. Some days I feel like more of a babysitter than a teacher. Then there are days when I am greeted by their smiling little faces and I remember why I chose this profession.

Hopefully this break will recharge me and I can return with more patience and ready to teach 22 9 and 10 year olds.

I can't wait to spend these 10 days with Patrick. I feel like I a missing so much while I am at work, even though I know he is in good hands. His face lights up when he sees the kids everyday, and he really does love it. I am blessed to have him in such a good daycare, but I still feel guilty everyday when I kiss him goodbye. I just keep telling myself that I am providing for my child and doing what is best for his future. It just helps me to not take for granted the time when I get home from work and the weekends. I cherish those times together. Love that little boy.

Over the next week or so I plan on resting, recharging and spending precious time with my family. And perhaps wrapping a few presents before Christmas!

First Sick Visit

In the 8 months since Patrick was born, he has only been to the Doctor for well visits! (I like to think this is due to me!). Well, today, our streak ended. Poor little guy had a cough yesterday, and coughed all through the night and had a runny nose. I still sent him to daycare and wanted to see how it would go.

I texted our babysitter around 12 and asked how he was doing. The verdict was a runny nose and nasty cough. I decided that was it..time to call our Doc. I couldn't get a hold of him after calling for an hour (they were at lunch) so Michael called and of course, got right through. Luckily with Michael's new job, he could get off and take little man to his appointment right away.

The Doc was concerned with how his cough was sounding so they ran a few tests, including two where they had to stick something up his nose - poor guy! At least Daddy was the bad guy and not me :) The test for strep came back negative, but they also tested him for the flu and pertussis. They aren't quite sure what is wrong. They put him on some antibiotics just in case it is the worst case scenario - pertussis. I hope it's not that, and I really have no idea where he would have gotten it since everyone around him is vaccinated.

I gave him his medicine around dinner time to make sure he didn't have a reaction, and maybe - just maybe, he will sleep a little better tonight (fingers crossed!)

Pray for my poor, sweet little boy! At least I get some extra cuddles this weekend!

Disabled? What?

So I came to my blog today to write an actual post for once and was shocked to see that it had been disabled...by GOOGLE. WTF? They said that I did not meet the minimum age requirement.

27? Really?

I have no idea what happened, but I had to pay $00.30 to fix the problem. I seriously almost had a nervous breakdown because I have used this blog for over 3 years now to document our deployment, our lives in general, my pregnancy and the birth of our son. I would have been so upset if all of a sudden it disappeared.

Every now and then I love looking back at my posts and seeing what our lives were like a year, or even two years ago. I think I like reading the deployment posts the best. I remember writing those and being so upset at the time, and it is amazing to think that we made it through that time.

I saw at one time that you are able to print your blog through different companies. Perhaps I should do that just in case Google thinks I am under the age of 13 at some point in the future. It would be interesting to look back on in 50 years, or for our children to look at, sort of like a journal of Mom and Dad's life. Something to look into it!

8 Months!

Really? I just cant get over it. Has it really been that long? It makes me so sad sometimes that he is growing up so fast. I just want to freeze these moments in time sometimes. I look at new born babies and I just can't believe that Patrick used to be that small! I remember looking at 9 months clothes and thinking how huge they were, and now they are getting small on him!

Here are some pictures for this month:



Dear Patrick,


Time is going way to fast! You are now 8 months old and growing up so fast. It seems like yesterday you loved laying in your swing, and now you don't fit into it! You would rather be crawling instead! This month you went from doing a funny army crawl to full out crawling across the floor. You are a pro now! You also wave to people and can pull yourself up to stand. Such a big man! You had your first Thanksgiving this past month, but didn't really think it was that special. Maybe next year when you can actually have some turkey!


We don't have an official weight this month, but I would say you are probably close to 18 1/2 pounds and around 27 inches. You are wearing 9 month clothes and even some 12 month, depending on the brand. You are in size 12 month pajamas and love your sleep sack. It keeps you warm and cozy at night. You wear size 3 diapers and size 2 shoes.

We are still nursing (yay!) and you probably eat around 24 ounces a day. You have breakfast in the morning, which consists of oatmeal and a fruit. Lunch and dinner are a mix of food. This month we added sweet potatoes and peas. You love both, of course. You are such a good eater and will eat anything we give you. I think this month we are going to let you try some actual pieces of food!

You still are not the best sleeper. You wake around 2 to 3 times a night. At least you eat and go right back to sleep, instead of waking up and deciding to play! I know this will eventually pass, so I am just trying to remind myself of this and enjoy those quiet nights we get together, just you and I.

Bath time is still a favorite. You started sitting up in the tub, splashing and playing with toys. You think the faucet in the tub is hilarious and try to grab the water coming out of it. You love the bouncer still, but love crawling around more now. You will go to anything that interests you and immediately shove it in your mouth. That could explain the cough you have now - we have to sanitize everything! You absolutely love Mickey Mouse. When his show comes on you squeal and get a huge smile on your face. It is so cute!

I cannot believe how big you are getting, and some days it makes me want to freeze in time so I don't miss anything about this age. I can't wait to see you have you first Christmas this month and look at the lights on the tree. I am so proud to be your Mom and can't wait to see what you do next.

Love,
Mommy

The BIG Man

It is the time of year where thousands of shoppers rush to the mall to find gifts for their friends and loved ones, the local Christmas tree farms are packed with people tagging their trees, and Christmas lights start to decorate houses. It is also the time of year where parents stand in long lines with their anxious children trying to get a glimpse of the big man in the red suit.

I always looked at those children waiting in line at the malls and wondered how my own children would like Santa. You always see the pictures with the children screaming in the picture because they are terrified of him...I must admit those pictures crack me up!

Michael and I decided to take Patrick last week to meet Santa because the lines for him are still very small since it is so early. Thank goodness we only had to wait about 10 minutes! At first, Michael was holding him and he wasn't quite sure of what to make of this big man with white beard. After a few minutes we figured it was now or never, and plopped him down on his lap. Patrick loved him! Of course! I don't know why I was so nervous of how he would react. This kid loves everyone. Seriously. The proof is in the picture!

I just cannot get enough of this kid. Seriously. He should be on commercials :)

Mickey Mouse

Ever since Patrick was three months old (if not sooner) he has LOVED Mickey Mouse. Whenever Mickey came on TV, he would stop what he was doing and stare at the TV.

Proof

Now, it has gotten to the point where when the song comes on tv for the show, he immediately turns around and gets a HUGE smile on his face. He jumps up and down and squeals. It is just too cute (or proof that we shouldn't let a 7 month old watch TV. Parenting fail).

I cannot wait to take him to Disney! I think we are going to go in two years. I want to go and be able to ride the rides with him, and if I am pregnant or just had a baby, that wouldn't really work out, so I think we are going to go the summer after he turns two. I know he won't remember anything from it when he is older, but that just gives us an excuse to go again, right?

Thanksgiving

I really cannot get it together around here to post on this blog! So frustrating because we have so much going on, and Patrick is doing new things everyday...but that is for another post, when I have time :)

Today is Thanksgiving, and while I am thankful for the 5 days off (teachers need a break!), there is so much more that I am thankful for this year. Most of all, I am thankful for my family...our new family of three (well, 7 if you count our crazy animals!). It is still amazing to me that our little boy grew inside of me and that my body has been able to help him grow strong and healthy. He is just an amazing, bundle of energy and smiles that absolutely has captured my heart. I can't imagine life without him, or my husband. Michael has been so helpful through our house building and moving everything out of our old house in a week! He knows when I need a break and when to take over for a minute or two, and dare I say it, but I think he may be starting to enjoy bath time!

I am thankful for a career that allows me to have weekends and holidays off to spend with my family. It gives me the opportunity to touch the lives of so many children and even though they may drive me crazy, I am thankful for my students who teach me something everyday. I am also thankful for the paycheck (and benefits) it provides which is allowing us to build our dream house! I cannot wait to move in and begin this new chapter in our lives.

I am thankful for my amazing family who is always so supportive (and a little crazy!) I read so many stories of families who constantly fight or have issues with one another and I am thankful to say that even though we have a few disagreements here and there, they are so minor that I am unsure that we can even call them disagreements! My parents have done an amazing job raising my brother and I and I am thankful for them everyday. My brother has grown up over the years and is somewhat normal now! HA! I am so happy that we can talk to one another and get along better now! I am also thankful for his amazing wife who has straightened him out and is absolutely hilarious. Love her.

I am thankful for friends, new and old, that have helped me through the years. While we may not talk as often as I want or like, I know they are there if I need anything. Life has gotten crazy lately and I have not gotten a chance to call (Love you Courtney, Robin and Sallie ...and of course Gabe!) but I am so thankful they are in my life. I only wish some of them lived CLOSER!

I am thankful for God who has made all of this possible.

I know there is so much more, but I could be here forever listing things. I am truly blessed in my life and am reminded of these blessing everyday when I look around.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and takes the opportunity to think about what they are truly thankful for, big or small!

Veterans Day

As children have off from school, and I am enjoying a day home with my little man, I am also remembering those who serve. It is because of them that I am able to live in a country where I can have freedom and make my own decisions. Because of people like my husband, I can sleep better at night. Thank you to all of those who serve, and to those families who wait impatiently for their family member to come home. Our country is forever in debt to you for your service.



Also remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice protecting us. Freedom is never free.

Random

On Wednesday, we went to dinner down at the beach. Before we ate I asked Mom to take a quick picture of us on the beach and this is what turned out! What a photographer. This is my favorite family photo yet! Good job Mom!

7 Months

7 months? I feel like I say this every month, but wow, how time flies! It's just crazy. I wish I had more time to post on here. Things are just so busy around here, and I am trying to just keep my head above water! I am going to make a point of trying to schedule some posts on the weekend, but we will see! I started teaching a class again this week, so that is just another thing added to the plate. Is it Christmas break yet?!?

Anywho, here are some pictures of little man from this month! I just can't get enough! Posing for this monthly picture is getting more and more interesting!



Dear Patrick,

You are 7 months old now, and growing and changing every day. I don't want to miss a single second with you because I am so afraid that I am going to miss something. This month you gained two bottom teeth, went from moving backwards, to crawling forwards and grabbing objects, and hanging on to the edge of objects and standing for quite awhile. You are growing up so fast!

We don't have an official weight this month, but I am guessing you are at least 17 1/2 pounds, if not 18 by now, and I am sure you have reached 27 inches. You are wearing 9 month clothes now, and are in size 3 diapers. I remember looking at size 3 diapers before and thinking how in the world are you ever going to fit into those, they are huge! Now I look back on the size 1's and can't believe you were ever that tiny.

You are still nursing (YAY!) and probably eat around 24 ounces a day. This month we added apples and avocado's to your list of solid food, while we added oatmeal for breakfast. Shockingly you love the avocado's. I am not sure where you got your love of weird, foods, but I am very proud nonetheless. This month we are going to try sweet potatoes and maybe some Gerber snacks!

While you are an amazing eater, your sleeping habits are less than stellar. You are still waking up at least 2 to 3 times tonight, and lately even more. I think you are going through a growth spurt, so hopefully this will pass. Luckily, you still go back to sleep very easily, so I am not up for that long, but it still makes for some very long days at work!

You still love Ms. Margaret and the kids at daycare. She constantly tells us you are an angel and when I pick you up, you are nothing but smiles. You still love many of the usual toys, the key teether, Mr. Bee with a vibrating wing, and Mrs. Giraffe who sings the ABC's, among others.

Patrick, I have loved watching you grow these past 7 months, and I am so excited to see what the future brings. I am so thankful to be your Mom and love you very much.

Love,
Mom

Happy Halloween!

The cutest cow on the block!


We didn't go Trick or Treating, but we greeted everyone at the door. They thought you were just as cute as we did!

Buckle your Seatbelt!

I drove up to daycare last week and was surprised to see Patrick driving already!


Looks like Michael and I will have to buy him one of these for Christmas - preferably one that isn't pink!

Lookout!

My 'little' boy has his first tooth. We have suspected that he has been teething for awhile now. He has been a little fussy, nothing too bad, and had a runny nose for about a week now. Well on Friday night, I felt a little sharp area on his gum. Sure enough, Patrick has his first tooth coming through! I have tried for three days to get a picture of it, but he keeps sticking his tongue out when I pull his lip down! Stubborn butt!


This may mean out feeding time together is coming to a close! We will see how nice he is! Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

House Update

I cannot believe how fast the house is moving along. After lost post, you can see I am ready to go! We still have quite a few more months, but it is exciting to see it coming along. And best of all, our builder said we are ahead of schedule (knock on wood!)


This was our house a week and a half ago. They had poured the basement walls and had laid the block on top.


By this week they had bricked on top of the block in the basement and started framing. This picture was take on Thursday.


These last two pictures were taken Friday. You can see how much progress they made in just two days. They have the inside framing up for the rooms!


This last picture is looking in from where the garage will be. The brick you see in the front of the picture is the part in between our garage doors.

The house still looks small to me, even though according to our plans it isn't. I know it will change so much once they add the second floor and the dry wall. It is so exciting and I can't wait until it looks more like an actual house! We also had more trees cleared in our backyard. Our lot has a 30 foot buffer in the back that separates our lot from a field. Well we wanted those trees out too so we had a company come in a do it. What a world of difference! Our back yard looks huge and I am sure that Patrick will have a great time running around back there!
It is nice because even though there is a field behind us, there are nice size Christmas trees back there to separate it.

I am so excited for the process to continue! I can't wait to have everyone over to our house and actually have room for them! I will keep everyone updated as the house continues to come along!

How Soon?

Is our house built yet? Seriously. I love my parents, I do, but I am feeling a little in the way this week. They are having friends stay from Texas. I could count on one hand the amount of times my parents have had friends come stay at their house. Of course, they have people come when we are living here...with a baby...who has a lot of sh**. I must also preface this post by saying that my Mom is not a clean person. Well now, let me rephrase that, she is not an ORGANIZED person. Their house drives me, and my Dad, crazy. There is stuff everywhere. Now she can tell you where something is, but I could never find anything. I cannot live like that.

Anyway, my Mom never cleans. They have a housekeeper that comes once every two weeks to scrub the house. Otherwise, I am cleaning and trying to organize things. Of course, this week, she is in a cleaning frenzy. Not just a cleaning frenzy, but she feels the need to put away EVERYTHING. With a baby, that is hard to do. You can't just put away things because you need them. Every day. For example, I love his swing, but it takes up a lot of room. Normally, this is no big deal, but since company is coming and they are having other people over Saturday night, it is in the way. I feel like I am putting everything away, just to get it ALL back out a day later. It's not like we have our things everywhere, we have out what we need on a daily basis. Annoying.

The best part is, the company has to stay in the room where Patrick is sleeping. Mom wanted to move out the crib, but I had to inform her that was NOT happening because you actually have to take it apart to fit out the door. We compromised with just taking out the changing table. Patrick will be sleeping in the pack and play in our room. Since he is still not sleeping through the night, I feel bad for Michael having to wake up when he does. Luckily he is away at drill this weekend, so it will just be Patrick and I in our room. At least until Sunday night.

With all of that going on, Mom and Dad are having a small get together for everyone to see the company since it has been so long since they have all been together. This will add up to a LOT of people trying to touch Patrick. God help me. I think I will retreat to our room until it is his bedtime.

Pray for me for the next few days!

6 Month Stats!

We finally had big man's 6 month appointment! He is getting so big: 17 pounds and is 26.5 inches long. I am so proud of...ME! HA. When he was first born, I said I would feed him for as long as I could, no big deal. Then when we hit June, I said I would go until school started. Then school started, and I said 6 months. Well, here we are at 6 months and we are still going strong. I don't foresee me being one of those crazies nursing him at 2 years, don't worry kids! But for now, we are just playing it by ear and see how it goes!

I need to post a picture of him from daycare, but my phone is dead :( I will post it when I have time!

Reminders

With everything going on lately around here, and with Michael only in uniform one weekend a month, it is almost easy to forget that I am a military wife. Even if my husband only serves one weekend a month, two weeks a year, I am still a military wife. I remember those lonely nights when I cried myself to sleep, and then pulled myself back together. Those Saturdays when I lived for Skype and seeing his handsome face. And the countdown, or 'Donut of Misery' as it was in my excel program. I watched those days slowly tick down, and then finally, my moment was there. I remember the feeling when those buses pulled in, and when the words 'Dismissed' were yelled. It was a feeling I can never describe. Another deployment is always in the background. Michael always says, it's not a question of if, but when.

I saw this on someone's blog today and had to post it:

This is for the young women that are waking up at 6am every morning with small precious children that they have been left alone to care for. This is for the pregnant military wife wondering if her husband will make it home in time to watch their miracle happen. This is for the childless military wife, living in a town or on a base alone where she is a complete stranger to her surroundings. This is for the women that feel like a 3rd leg when they go out with their friends and their husbands. This is for the military wife that cancelled all her plans to wait by the phone, and even though the phone broke up and cut off every time you spoke to him you waited anyway.

This is a pledge to the women that cry themselves to sleep in an empty bed. This is to recognize the woman that felt like she was dying inside when he said he had to go, but smiled for him anyway. This is for those of you that are faithfully in that long line at the post office once a month handling 2 large boxes and 2 small children like a pro. This is for all the lonely nights, all the one-person dinners, and all the wondering thoughts because you haven't heard from him in days.

A toast to you for falling apart, and putting yourselves back together. Because a pay check isn't enough, a body pillow in your bed is no consolation, and a web cam can never compare. This is for all you no matter how easy or hard this was for you. Our military men are brave, they are heroes, but so are we. So the next time someone tells you that they would never marry a military guy, don't bother explaining to them that you can't control who you fall in with. Just think of this and nod your head, know that you are the stronger woman. Hold your heads up high, hang that flag in your front yard, stick 100 magnets on your car, and then give yourself a pat on the back.

Be proud to be the woman that you are, be proud to be a MILITARY WIFE!

6 Months

My little pumpkin is 6 months old today! My goodness how time flies. I just can't believe this little person has gotten so big, and has changed so much!

Up on all fours!

Dear Patrick,

Six months already! My how time flies! You are getting so big, and learning new things everyday. This month you have starting sitting up on your own - not for long, but long enough to grab a toy or two and check our your feet, which you love! When you have shoes on your feet are even more fascinating. You have started to stand on all fours, and can move backwards, but have not mastered how to go forward yet. I am sure it's only a matter of time!

We don't have an official weight yet, we go to the Doctor next week, but I am guessing you weigh around 16 pounds if not more. Our best guess on height is around 26 inches. Your growing weight and height has bumped you up to 6 month clothes and even some 9 month! You are still in size 2 shoes, and love them. You have also graduated to size 3 diapers.

You are still nursing (YAY for us!) but seem to lose interest sometimes. We will see how much longer we can go. My goal is at least until Christmas! You are still eating solids and have added green beans to your list of foods (You loved them!) Making your food has been pretty easy so far! This month we are going to try apples and sweet potatoes.

Sleeping is another story...You are still waking up around two to three times a night. Thankfully you will nurse for about 10 minutes and go right back to sleep each time, but Mommy is still very tired at work! We are hoping as you get a little bit bigger you start sleeping longer (More like praying!) You still love sleeping your tummy, and lately have been sleeping with your legs scrunched up so your butt is up in the air. It is very cute!

Ms. Margaret says you love the kids at daycare, and they for sure love you! Everyone comments on how you are such a happy baby, and it is very true! You rarely cry and are content just to look around and take everything in. You did have your first cold from daycare this month, which made for some sleepless nights because your little nose was so stuffed up. Luckily, the humidifier seemed to help tremendously!

Patrick, I cannot believe you have been in our lives for half a year now. You have brought so much joy to us and I can't imagine life without you. I can't wait to see what your discover next month!

Love,
Mommy

Fall is in the Air!

Today it was GORGEOUS out! A cool 60 degrees, with the breeze blowing. It was a perfect day to have the windows open and visit the pumpkin patch. Since last year, when I visited the local farm when I was pregnant, I have wanted to bring Patrick! I saw all of these other little babies getting their pictures taken in the pumpkins and knew I would have to do this with my little one.

All in all it was a success. We got some cute pictures. We would have had more but he was fascinated with his shoes and would not look up!


Michael wasn't able to go with us this year because of football. Of course the game last night was rained out, and moved to today! There is always next year! I am sure trying to keep an 18 month old still for pictures will be even more interesting!

Behind

I just can't seem to find the time to post on here! Things are just insane. I know I say that every post, but it is really true! This week, Michael had class Tuesday night, I had Open House Wednesday night, Michael and a dinner meeting on Thursday and a football game last night. That leaves little time for me to be on here! By the time Patrick goes to sleep at 8:00, I am exhausted and ready for bed myself. I briefly scroll through some other blogs, but not enough energy to type one myself. Ahh, the life of a teacher, wife and mom!

We did have some exciting news this week - Michael interviewed for and got the job as counselor at my old elementary school! He finished his degree this past May and has interviewed for a few jobs, one was at my NEW school, but nothing panned out. Needless to say, we are very excited. It is nice because he already knows much of the staff and the building since I was there. That will make the transition a little easier.

Our house is also coming along! We did run into some problems though. They dug the basement this week, and because of the amount of water they saw we had to raise the basement and add special dirt, resulting in about $2700 in additions. Of course. I want to know when we find something that will GIVE us money! Ahhh. I know things will pop up, but I really hope we don't have that much more. I can stomach spending money on a kitchen or nicer flooring, but not basement block, geez! I know it will be good in the long run, just annoying now! Anyway, they will be pouring the basement walls next week, and I am hoping, finishing it up next week too. Then we move on to framing! YAY!

There are a lot of exciting things in our life right now, and I hope I have more time to write about them on here. I love being able to look back and see what was going on in our lives one or two years ago. Now I just have to find the time!

Fall!

I woke up yesterday to crisp morning air....and I did a little dance. I love Fall: the pumpkins, the colors, the smells, the temperature. Love. It. Fall also means that Christmas is right around the corner, which is absolutely my favorite time of year (Not going to lie here, I listened to Christmas music at school yesterday morning!)

I also love wearing jeans and long sleeve shirts. Especially post baby. HA. I have been proud of myself, I have lost of the weight, plus some, and I have been running, but things have, umm, shifted, shall we say? I was very impressed that I could fit into my shorts again, (Not the tops but that's a different story!) but I am over it. Bring on the jeans!

Patrick also gets to dress warm too. We got out some of his clothes this morning and I bought this cute little hat a few weeks ago. I had to!One weekend soon we plan on heading out to the pumpkin patch! I cannot WAIT for that! For now, I am going to enjoy this morning with a cup of hot chocolate!

10 Years

May we always remember this day 10 years ago. Our lives changed forever.


Saying a prayer today for those we lost on that date, those families who have been left behind, and for the military families who are still fighting for our freedom.

House Update!

Well, we finally closed on our construction loan on Thursday! Things can finally officially get moving. I am so excited. I always said I was not going to get my hopes up until we signed papers. With banks being very reluctant to give out loans, especially construction loans, I was very nervous! Things seemed to go so fast, and it almost seemed way to easy. This was why I was not going to celebrate until it was official!

And now it is! The construction company has been clearing our lot now for about a week and a half and has done a lot actually. Now we are waiting on the septic permit, which should come in the next week, finish clearing, which should also happen this next week and then they can start digging for the basement. How exciting!! I just can't believe we are finally going to be able to build our house. I can't wait to see how it turns out (and pick out everything!)

Below are some pictures of what has taken place so far. I feel like a stalker driving out there almost everyday just to see what has happened! Oh well!Our driveway (Or beginning of it anyway!)This area was filled with trees and underbrush...it is slowly disappearing! Our builder said he would walk us through and see what we wanted to keep. Both Michael and I agree, NOTHING. We hate raking leaves.Here I am standing in front of a HUGE tree - it would take two people to fit their arms around it, at least. I actually love this tree but since it is standing where our garage will be, it has to go. Plus, it is a Poplar tree which will die, and I don't want to have to worry about it falling on our new house. Thanks.

I will keep everyone updates as we move along!

Wrap it Up

When I was pregnant with Patrick, we registered for EVERYTHING! We didn't know much about raising a baby, but figured we should own everything in Babies-R-Us. With that being said, of course I registered for a carrier. Some wonderful family member did purchase it for us, and we used it a handful of times. And let me tell you, my back screamed in agony. It was horrible. He only weighed around 8 pounds and it still killed my back!

A few weeks ago, I was looking through my bookmarks that I had saved as 'favorites' and saw "Baby Wrap." I clicked on the link and it took me here. I guess I had found this website forever ago and saved it for future reference. I immediately fell in love with some of the patterns and remembered why I bookmarked it in the first place. I just HAD to order one. I convinced Michael it was part of my Christmas present, HA.

I ordered the black wrap with the panel in Brooklyn Blue. I. Love. It. I wanted to pick a pattern that I could use with future babies, even if they were of the opposite gender! I cannot state enough how comfortable this wrap is. My back thanks me. Seriously. So does Patrick. He loves it! We went out yesterday to the mall and a few other places and he fell asleep! I can face him facing me, or out so he can see what is going on. I had so many compliments and questions about it. I forgot to get a picture of him in it, but when I do I will post it!

So if you are pregnant, go get one. If you think you are going to be pregnant, go get one. Seriously. You will thank me, and so will your baby.

5 Months

I cannot believe that my little man is 5 months old today. I know I say that every month, but time is just flying by! I feel like I was just pregnant yesterday, and I actually really miss it. It amazes me that he went from this tiny little human who slept most of the day, to one who is rolling all over the place and bouncing like crazy. His smile is contagious and he is just so happy. I love him so very much!Eating solids for the first time!

Baptismal outfit!

Dear Patrick,

You are getting to be such a big man! You can roll from you tummy to your back and from your back to you tummy without any problems. Sometimes you even roll all the way across the room! You also think it is hilarious and crack yourself up. You have discovered your feet and toes and are always grabbing onto them when you are laying on your back. Standing up is your new thing, and you can stand for quite a few minutes while hanging on to our fingers. If you are laying on your back you can even pull yourself up if you are hanging on to us! You haven't quite gotten the hang of sitting up yet, but can do it for about 5 seconds before you fall over, which you think is pretty funny. I am sure you will be sitting up in a matter of weeks! When you are on your tummy you also scrunch up your knees so they are under your butt, but can't figure out how to get up on your hands at the same time. I am sure it won't be long before you are crawling too!

You are also starting to pack on the pounds! We don't have an official weight, but our guess is around 16 pounds and about 25 1/2 inches long. You are wearing 6 month clothes and size 2 shoes (We love those shoes!). You are also in size 2 diapers, but won't be for much longer! I think you are about to go through a growth spurt because your cheeks are getting so chubby!

You are still breastfed (Go Momma!) and we started you on solids when you were about 4 1/2 months. You HATED rice cereal, but LOVE butternut squash. We have been making your food at home and it is pretty easy. You also tried pears this month and loved those as well! We had a stretch of about 4 days where you slept through the night and it was AMAZING! Just when I was getting used to it, you went back to being up every two hours, like you were a week old again! Right now you get up anywhere from 1 to 2 times a night. You also like sleeping on your tummy. I always lay you on your back, but you flip right over. It makes me nervous, but you sleep so much better!

Bath time is still one of your favorite times, and you love story time. We read 'Guess How Much I Love You,' and 'On the Night You Were Born.' You even help turn the pages. Your playmat is still fun, but you are outgrowing it. Now we just lay you on a very large blanket so you can roll everywhere. Your jumper is a great invention and it can entertain you for quite a while.

You started daycare with Ms. Margaret this month when I had to go back to work. I was so sad, but you are having a great time with the other children. You smile and laugh at them and Ms. Margaret talks about how good and cute you are. It makes me so proud!

You were baptized at church in August, along with your Daddy. You also took your first trip to the zoo and went on many trips to Target and the mall, you even went to a different state for the first time!

Patrick, you are such a happy boy and we love you so very much. We can't wait to see what this next month brings.

Love,
Mommy and Daddy