Photo's galore!

I've been so bad about posting lately, that I'm just going to dump a bunch of photos with captions, sorry!

First goose egg.  Took it like a champ.  

Um, some of these go back a ways...how cute is he in his hat?!

Late night snuggles when he just won't go back to sleep

Fundraiser at church/daycare!

Decided to get some toys after his 18 mo photo sesh

Disregard the wet hair.  Mornings aren't exactly glamorous.

What happens when I won't let him watch the ipad.

Baller.

Loves his new ride!

Went to the beach with William and Katie and had so much fun!

This kid knows how to relax.

Finally!  Some ipad time.

Rehearsal dinner for Jared and Kristin.  Such a fun weekend!

Mimosa's and prepping for the big day!

Ya better redneckognize!

Zoo day!  

I just love this one.  

Giraffes and a ride with daddy

Regions golf classic...turned into torrential rains. 

Saturday morning at Waffle House.  The waitresses were in love with him.  

Ice cream at the ball park!

Ball game cancelled due to rain, but look at those curls!

Froyo date @ Yogurt Mountain

Adorable.  Just, adorable.

5:45 a.m. wake up call

Selling on Paula's magazine is, well, interesting to say the least now.

River for the 4th with Kevin, Nicole, Dad, Pat, Jared, and Kristin.  Rain didn't hold us back (too much)

2nd goose egg.  This one was accompanied by a bloody nose.  It terrified me. 

Nursing his injury with some milk.  Love the new outfit from Pat and Dad!

McWane Center fun!

Making new friends @ McWane Center

Until next time, tootles!

Celebrations

We have gone a whole 3 weeks without seeing a doctor...I don't think we have gone that long since I was still breast feeding!!!  Trip got tubes the beginning of January, had two ear infections back to back, then had a stomach bug, and then had the croup.  Awesome.  Not to mention, he got the bug a day before we left to go out of town for Nicole's wedding.  Poor thing.  He seems to be doing much better, other than teething (getting his molars), but he's been getting up at six a.m. and there isn't a thing I can do to change that.  Oh well :)

We have been quite busy these days.  In January, I went to NOLA for Nicole's bachelorette party and we had a blast.  We did the Bourbon St. thing on Friday night, and of course, got way too excited, so Saturday we were all pretty worn out.  We threw a lingerie shower Saturday night, had a nice dinner at Jaque Mo's (spelling?), and then went to Frenchmen St after that.  Frenchmen Street was way more my speed.  It had a great outdoor art market with jewelry vendors, paintings, etc..plus more of the blues/jazz clubs.  The weather was great, so it was a nice break from this gloomy winter we had.

I became officially old in February and turned 30.  Michael went above and beyond.  He got me a beautiful set of David Yurman earrings and matching necklace, plus flowers for both bday and Valentine's.  We met up with Katie and William that Friday night to Gianmarco's wine bar which was as delicious as always.

The week after my birthday, we headed off to Ft. Lauderdale for Nicole's wedding.  Ft. Lauderdale in February was exactly what we needed!  The weather was absolutely gorgeous...highs in the lower 80's and it never got below 70 degrees at night.  It was perfect!  Nicole was a beautiful bride.  Even though there was some drama with the florist not showing up, everything turned out beautifully, and they had a great send-off into marital bliss :)

The weekend after the wedding, we went over to Atlanta to visit our friends, Brad and Cori, and their little girl, Julia.  It was a nice visit and we stayed in and grilled out.  It's funny how much our lives have changed since kids!  Trip had his first sleep-over.  There wasn't room in the guest bedroom for the pack n play, so we put it in Julia's room.  They both did great!

Trip wasn't so sure of sharing a tub

All in all, things are going great!  Michael got a promotion at work, and I'm still loving working from home.  Trip gets funnier and funnier every day and his personality is really coming out.  He has started dancing whenever a song comes on.  He loves the Geico commercials.  When he runs, he only swings one arm (the other night he entertained himself for an hour running around the house laughing).  He's such a ham, and a big flirt with the ladies.  I'm so excited for spring, so we can take him outside and play more and more.  Until next time, here are some random pics!

 First snow

Tis the Season!

Whew!  We had a busy holiday season!  For Christmas, we stayed at Mom's house from Saturday through Wednesday.  Trip did pretty well considering he was out of his comfort zone, and his schedule was way off staying up late with family/dinners/etc.  He stayed with Dad and Pat on Sunday night and they said he was so great, so I was happy to hear that.  He got entirely too many presents, but that's what happens with the first grandbaby I guess :)

Loved his Christmas play set from Pat!

Playing at gma DD's

NOT a fan of Santa.  Maybe next year :)

Michael reading "A Night Before Christmas"  Can you tell how terribly tired little man is?

I've started introducing more and more table food and I'm trying to overcome the fear of choking.  He still doesn't like meat all that much and spits out even the smallest bits of ground beef in pasta.  He's walking like crazy now, arms up, Frankenstein-style :)  He gets so proud of himself and it's just about the cutest thing I've ever seen.  

He absolutely refuses to say "mama" no matter how hard I try.  

While we were at Mom's over Christmas, Trip had another ear infection (two back to back).  That made four ear infections in three months, so he is getting tubes put in tomorrow.  I'm nervous, but I'm so thankful he's getting them put in.  I just hate seeing him so miserable.  

For New Year's I went down to see Beth since I couldn't make it down for her actual 30th birthday.  Coach met up with us and we went out in Destin.  It was a much-needed break and I forgot how much I missed and needed to see my friends!  

As I look over this past year, I wouldn't have changed a thing.  Trip has blessed our lives more than I could have ever imagined.  I have a wonderful and supportive husband, terrific friends, a beautiful baby, and great family.  Moving into 2013, I'm so excited to see what's to come.  Until next time, tootles!

Time Flies

A lot has been going on lately and now that the holidays are here, I needed to update on little man.  I feel like a bad parent because Trip loves to watch t.v.  It doesn't matter what's on, he will sit there and stare at the screen forever.  If I put cheerios in front of him, he can sit there probably for a full 45 minutes without moving  (in his new big boy chair too).

 Cartoons and cheerios

He was sick for Halloween, so he only last about an hour in his costume.

After his birthday party, Trip was sick for a full two weeks.  I just keep telling myself that it's better for him to go through all this day care sickness now instead of later, but man he wasn't himself for the longest time.  He started out with a stomach bug, ear infection, and a cold.  On top of everything else, he was majorly teething.  I tell myself he's teething, but he hasn't sprouted a new tooth in several months.

After the stomach bug, he got another cold and just wasn't sleeping well and then he started having a fever.  We took him to the doctor and they said he was wheezing, so we had to start doing breathing treatments due to a lower resp infection.  To top it all off, then he started waking up with a very bad croupy cough and just simply didn't feel well.  I had to sleep with him in the guest room several nights.  It's a last-resort thing, but he just didn't want to go down and I think laying flat on his back made everything worse.

Sick baby :(

Now that we are (hopefully) sick free, he is back to his playful self.  Out of nowhere he started eating everything in sight.  We have had a few choking spells, so I'm scared to death to give him anything remotely hard.  I still mash everything up or cut it very finely.  I'm even scared to let him feed himself.  I know I'm holding him back and I'm going to probably hurt myself in the long run, but I just can't take any chances.

Over Thanksgiving, we started working with him on his walking and he's getting better and better, but he does everything on his own time.  Just this morning Michael and I tried working with him and he just fell to the floor and didn't even want to straighten his legs to even try.  Then, out of nowhere, he took steps from the coffee table to ottoman.  He really showed us, huh?

We had a great Thanksgiving at the Tidwell's house and it was great spending time with Nicole.  Trip got to eat a bunch of new stuff like pie and stuffing, so he was a happy camper.  It was nice getting back home and back on a schedule though.  This kid demands a schedule :)

He is going to kill me one day, but I had to post his "poop face".  He always goes into a corner to do his business.  

Sleepy baby after some delicious food.

Until next time, have a great Christmas!

First Birthday Party

I cannot believe Trip is already 1 year old.  I may get a little cheesy on this post, so just brace yourself.  I never in my life knew I could love someone so much.  Trip has brought so much to our life and I'm truly blessed so have such an amazing baby.  Every day there is a new surprise, and I'm obsessed with watching him grow up. Our lives are completely different, but I wouldn't change a thing.

The party went really great, and it was hilarious to see Trip ham it up to everyone who came in the door.  He literally put on a huge squinty grin every time someone would even look at him.  I was grateful he got a good morning nap in, so he was in great spirits for the whole party.  Everyone got him such amazing gifts, and I'm thankful to have such loving friends and family.

Cutest.  Thing.  Ever.

Loves his big boy chair from Dad and Pat

Proud grandpa

Big fan of chocolate

We have transitioned him out of the "dream feed"...FINALLY.  I should have done it about 5 months ago, but every time I tried he would wake up and scream bloody murder.  We are off of formula and off of bottles and it only took a few days of weening.  

His 1 year check up went great and he is still in the 50th percentile for height and weight, but his head is in the 95th percentile.  Maybe he is a baby genius :)  He had four pretty major shots, but he cried all of 15 seconds, and then smiled so big at the nurse when I picked him up.  He is such a flirt and the doctor just couldn't believe how much of a charmer he is.  I know she probably tells a lot of people that, but it makes me so happy to hear.  

 He does this ALL THE TIME now!

One more for fun :)

Until next time...tootles!

My baby is growing up...

Oopsies, I realized it has been over a month since I last posted.  A lot has been going on and Trip is growing up more and more every day.  It's so weird to think that he will be 1 in just two weeks.  He is crawling everywhere, but I don't think he is anywhere close to walking.  I love the kid, but he might be just the laziest baby out there!  I've been trying to work with him on the simplest things, like holding his own bottle.  He is perfectly capable, and has done it before, but he just drops it and gives me a look like, "you gonna get that?" Even feeding him his baby crack snacks, the little Gerber crunchies.  He can't get enough of them, but half of the time, instead of taking them from my hand, he leans forward and opens his mouth.  Now, I'm fully aware that this is a result of me not pushing hard enough or being more vigilant about teaching him things.

He's been crawling for a few months now, and we just now put a gate up for our sanity.  He gets really bored easily and just wants to explore everything.  He is uninterested in his toys (he has about a million) and if he discovers something new, as simple as his fingernail clippers, he will play with them for a solid 30 minutes just picking them up and throwing them on the ground.  Hey, whatever keeps him occupied.

He laughs hysterically at Michael just about every day.  Every time Michael walks into the room, Trip lights up and just waits for him to do something hilarious.  They are so completely adorable together.  Melts my heart :)

This past weekend was rough because it was the first time he has ever really, truly been sick.  I gotta be honest, it scared the crap out of me.  I was feeding him dinner Friday night.  We got about halfway through and he made a weird face, and proceeded to projectile vomit all over himself about three or four times.  He was a little cranky going to bed, but he didn't have a fever, so we just prayed it was a tummy ache.  The next morning, he had a horrible diaper, and started getting really fussy.  He had a temp of 101.2, so Michael left to go to the store and get some more tylenol and some pedialyte.  While he left, I thought I would give Trip a cracker.  He didn't even get it swallowed, and he threw up everywhere.  We had to go to Children's and he had a stomach virus, ear infection, and a cold...all on top of the fact that he's teething.  Poor guy was a champ though.  He cried at the doctor's office, but after that he was much better.  We had a helluva time getting him down for naps and bedtime though.  Sunday night, Jared and Kristin came over for dinner.  After dinner, I picked Trip up and his butt was wet.  I cringed.  It was the biggest, scariest, smelliest, rhea I have ever seen in my entire life.  Trip didn't even as much as whimper to let me know he was stewing in that mess.  My God.  I hope they weren't too traumatized.  That will be burned in my memory for awhile.

He is now saying "bye bye" and waving, and he also says "uh oh" and he barely gets out a "mama" or "dada" to the appropriate people, but it's so cute.  He gets super excited about saying "bye bye" and he will just sit there in the pack and play and wave to himself for 15 minutes.  He even does it when I'm rocking him to sleep.  There's probably more that I'm leaving out, but gotta run!

And we're off!

We recently took a trip to Chicago to celebrate mom's 60th birthday and had so much fun.  It was hard to leave Trip, but it was nice to get away for a long weekend.  We went to the art institute, ate amazing deep dish pizza, and then went to 2nd city the first night.  I was very impressed with the talent at 2nd city and highly recommend going.  The next day, we went to breakfast at a place called Hash House a Go Go.  To say it was incredible was an understatement.  I had the best breakfast of my life.  Jared ordered the biggest bloody mary they had with huge pieces of bacon in it.  We walked around to some of the shops, and then met up with Mom and Darlene.  We went to a Cubs game later that afternoon.  After the game, we all got dressed and went to dinner at a Mexican place in Lincoln Park.  Mom and Darlene went to the hotel after dinner, and Jared, Kristin, Michael and I went to Kingston Mines...a famous blues bar.

At Kingston Mines blues bar

Our view from Trump Tower terrace (cocktails after a long day)

Breakfast at Lux Bar

The next morning, we went to breakfast at Lux Bar and ate outside.  Afterwards, we went to Navy Pier and walked around and rode the ferris wheel.  The view from the top was gorgeous!  After that, we went on a architectural boat ride around the city and then drinks at Trump Tower.  For mom's birthday dinner, we went to Rosebuds and had delicious Italian food!  We split off that night and went to Gibson's for drinks.  Gibson's is the bar featured on The League, but fun fact...it is a raging cougar bar.

Leaving Trip was tough, but it was nice to get away for a long weekend.  He is crawling now and into everything!  He has no interest in his toys, but loves to eat paper and play with the t.v. remotes.  He started his new day care last week and they are so sweet.  There are only three kids in his class, and two teachers, so he is getting a ton of attention.  Plus, it's $520 so it's a steal!  I had such a struggle finding a day care that was affordable, close, and where I felt comfortable leaving Trip.  I was so lucky to find Shades Crest Baptist , which is literally a ten minute walk from our house.

This month has been so insane!  We went to Phish Friday night and had a blast.  Our sweet friends, Katie and Jonathan Nelson babysat Trip.  I don't know what we would have done without them!  It was my first ever Phish show, and they put on a damn fine performance.

This weekend we are going to Dallas for the Alabama/Michigan game, so I'm having to leave my little man once again.  After this weekend, we will get back to our normal boring schedule :)  Trip now has four teeth that popped up out of nowhere.  He's growing up so fast!  Below are some recent pics...enjoy!

 Bama jersey.  I knew the day would come...

Happy 10 mos!

Finally broke down and bought a smocked outfit.  So cute.

First time pulling himself up!

First time crawling!

This makes me so happy :)