365 Days Ago...

My world as I knew it was about to change! Click here to see my post from New Year's Eve 2008.

I cannot believe my little man will be one year old tomorrow. This year has gone super fast. You know how before your wedding everyone says how quickly the day will go? You just shrug it off until it's actually your wedding day and it goes by at lightning speed. Well, EJ's first year has been even quicker than that.

We were going to have a birthday party for him tomorrow but he was sick all last night (from both ends) so we will have to postpone till next weekend. I think my parents will still come over for a mini-celebration tomorrow...one is never too sick for ice cream and cake if you ask me or my mom :D

Today is my brother's birthday and he always loved having his bday on New Year's Eve. He was always at a great party. Although this is the first for him being a dad so I'm sure it will be much more low-key than years past. LOL.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe night. I know many of you are glad to see 2009 end. And I'm praying that 2010 is much kinder to you.

May all your new year's dreams come true.

EJ's first Christmas

I will post some pictures in a day or so, but I wanted to jot down a recap before I forgot anything.

In a nutshell, this was the best Christmas of my life.
(And certainly better than last year where I was on bedrest).

We spend Christmas Eve with my family, and Christmas Day with my in-laws so we didn't have to split the holiday.

Ed had to work a half day on Christmas Eve so EJ and I had our normal weekday routine until Ed got home. Then we went to my parents where we were the first to arrive. I was really happy about that since EJ could "open" his presents with our full attention :D My parents got him a beautiful handmade rocking horse. EJ is more interested in playing with the leather straps than actually rocking on it, but I'm sure he'll like that as he gets a bit bigger. They also got him some cute clothes, the Little People Farm, and some other small toys. Then we opened "The Night Before Christmas". My parents got all of their grandchildren that this year and it's a true keepsake. It's from Hallmark and they recorded their voices on each page reading the book. So, EJ will always have his Mom-Mom and Pop read him that story on Christmas Eve. I just love it.

My parents got Ed the usual...lawn service for the summer and some other odds and ends. They got me a netbook and a bunch of clohtes from the LOFT, a garnet Pandora charm (that is EJ's birthstone) among other small things. My Mom always gets me comfy socks, nail polish and mascara.

Then the rest of my family arrived and EJ was spoiled even more. My niece and nephew got him a Build-a-Bear with their voices recorded on it. It scared him a bit so we'll save that one till he's a bit older. Haha.

Then we had wonderful food and everyone was full of good cheer :)

Ed and I went home and put EJ to bed and then got to play Santa for the first time. It was awesome. We spent about an hour putting toys together and arranging them under the tree. I know EJ had no clue what was going on, so it was more for us as new parents than it was for our little man. Nonetheless it was still fun.

Christmas morning Ed got up with EJ, but I couldn't sleep so I ran downstairs (like a kid) and we had our first Christmas morning as our little family. EJ spent the whole time playing with a back-scratcher that I got Ed while Ed and I opened our gifts. I got him all the "manly" things he wanted...food dehydrator, tackle box, camo jacket, skull cap and Family Guy on DVD. He got me the Tiffany Bead bracelet, new perfume, a movie, the Pink CD and my favorite gift---a Belgian waffle maker! I was so excited. They are my favorite and I've wanted that for years. We had them yesterday morning for breakfast and they were perfect :)

Christmas afternoon we went to my in-laws for an early dinner. The food was awesome and EJ was having fun with his cousins, well mostly just his one cousin. She is 11 years old, but she has the mind of a 30 year old. She will be the perfect Mommy some day. She is so good with EJ and he's so happy to have her attention.

We weren't there too late so we could get EJ to bed after two very exciting days. We came home and snuggled on the couch and soon went to bed ourselves.

So I guess that is it for now. Oh, and we got a call yesterday that Ed's cousin and his wife(who TTC for almost 2 years with a bunch of IUI's) are 2 months pregnant! What an awsome Christmas gift for them.

Makes me want to think about trying for another :)

11 months (and 12 days) old...

I remember when he used to just sit still when I took this picture every month.

Everything's better with snow!

Ho Ho Ho

We visited Santa today!! And this was the only picture where EJ was not "actively crying" as the photographer so eloquently put it.


And this is going to be the picture on our Christmas card this year.

Getting even bigger!

Happy Halloween!!

EJ was Nemo for his very first Halloween!






Here is EJ with his "berry" cute cousin Ella!


Poor girl, she just wanted to hug him...

This month's photo shoot

How many shots does it take to get a good one???









FINALLY!!!

Poor Jimmy

EJ has become quite mobile these days. Whether he's in his walker zooming around the kitchen or doing the army crawl across the floor, Jimmy keeps alert.

And yesterday I found him hiding behind the couch...

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

Thinking of all of my "sisters" today -

I am wearing a pair of shoes.
They are ugly shoes.
Uncomfortable shoes.
I hate my shoes.
Each day I wear them, and each day I wish I had another pair.
Some days my shoes hurt so bad that I do not think I can take another step.
Yet, I continue to wear them.
I get funny looks wearing these shoes.
They are looks of sympathy.
I can tell in others eyes that they are glad they are my shoes and not theirs.
They never talk about my shoes.
To learn how awful my shoes are might make them uncomfortable.
To truly understand these shoes you must walk in them.
But, once you put them on, you can never take them off.
I now realize that I am not the only one who wears these shoes.
There are many pairs in this world.
Some women ache daily as they try and walk in them.
Some have learned how to walk in them so they don't hurt quite as much.
Some have worn the shoes so long that days will go by before they think about how much they hurt.
No woman deserves to wear these shoes.
Yet, because of these shoes I am a stronger woman.
These shoes have given me the strength to face anything.
They have made me who I am.
I will forever walk in the shoes of a woman who has lost a child.

Vote for EJ!!!

Vote here!

9 months

EJ turned 9 months old yesterday :) I can't believe how quickly time is going by. He's growing a ton and his personality is really coming through more every day. He's got such a sense of humor and he just loves to be tickled. When we stop he looks at us like, "hey, keep going!"

His four front teeth are here and the next two top ones are poking through now. We've started him on "finger foods" but he hasn't had any interest in them yet. So for now I'll just keep putting them in front of him and one day they'll venture into his mouth.

Unfortunately EJ had his first cold and fever last week. He was such a sad-sack. His nose was so stuffy and runny and he just wanted to be cuddled. It only lasted two days but it took him another day or two to get back to his normal playful self.

I'm loving all the time I get to spend with EJ but it is certainly making him a mama's boy. Ed was the same with his mom so I was warned by my MIL to expect it. He's fine playing with anyone else as long as he can't see me. But as soon as he does he shouts "MMMMAAAA!!!!" and put his arms out for me to take him. We're trying to phase him out of that (with no luck), but quite a few moms have told me he may do that for a few years. I do have to admit that I secretly LOVE that I'm his favorite person :)

Well, it's time to scarf down some lunch before he wakes up and it's playtime again!

Here's a few pictures from last month...

Teeth!

There are two on the bottom and one is starting to poke through on top!

Lots of fun with picture pages...

Here are some cute pictures from our trip to Texas (that's Katie, not me) and to the beach in NC.






[picture of katie's butt removed :D]




EJ and my Mom having fun in the sun!


Sharing a beer with my brother...

Back to reality

Hello all my lovlies. I know it's been quite some time since I posted but we were on vacation! I was home for a week after my trip to Texas and then I packed up EJ and we headed to the beach in Duck, NC for two weeks. Ed joined us for the second week and we just got home this weekend.

It was EJ's first experience with sand and he did NOT like it. Luckily the house we rented had an exersaucer that we used at the beach. EJ loved that! We had a very relaxing time sitting on the beach and going in the pool. We went out to dinner a few times, but mostly hung out at the house with my family. My parents were there and so were my 2 brothers and their families. It was so wonderful to have my niece and nephew there (almost-7 and 9 years old) to be entertainment for EJ all that time. I still have to upload all of my pictures but I will post them as soon as I can.

And onto more important news...EJ has two little teeth! They popped in a few days apart but both bottom teeth are now perfectly in place. I think he started drooling/gnawing back in June so we've been waiting quite a while for them to pop through.

Well I'm still unpacking and doing laundry so I will have to post more details and photos later. I just wanted to check in to see how y'all are doing. What's new with everyone?

EJ's first look at the ocean (at 6:15 am):

I <3 Texas!

EJ and I had a wonderful trip to Texas. We also took my Mom with us to join the fun. Our flight left Tuesday morning and EJ was an angel the whole time. He looked around at all the people and smiled and played with his toys the entire 4.5 hour flight.

We got into Dallas at 2pm and Happy Hour Katie and her mom Patty met us at the airport. It was so great to see those smiling faces! We got settled into our hotel and they took us to an awesome place for dinner in Arlington...Tan's Mongolian Grill. It's really cool - you go through a buffet and fill your bowls with all the meat, fish, veggies and noodles you want. Then you add different sauces to get the flavor you want. You then bring it to the cook who puts it on a giant grill and adds an egg to it. Presto! Your meal is done, and quite yummy!

On Wednesday we went to the Dallas Aquarium. We met up with Fertile Rambler Kristin and she brought her niece and nephew too. That was an awesome time. It was so amazing to meet her in person. I know she posted the same thing, but it felt like I was meeting an old friend, like I've known her forever. And as if it's even possible, she's even funnier in person!

That night we went out for a great Italian dinner. EJ was a bit overly tired so I spent most of my meal comforting him. I don't mind one bit and cutting chicken is now something I can do with one hand. LOL.

Thursday we went to the Stockyards in Ft. Worth to see the Longhorns. They're enormous. Katie took great pictures all week so I'll post them once she sends them my way. We found this great spice shop and got some spices, flavored sugars and teas. And of course we went souvenir shopping. We had some real Mexican food for lunch, which was delicious. I just wish I had gotten dessert...next time I will ;)

Katie's dad brought home dinner that night and it was yummy Texas BBQ...brisket, chicken, ribs and the yummiest rolls. Have any of you ever heard of Blue Bell ice cream? Apparently it's so good that Katie doesn't share, but she was nice enough to share her Pecan Praline with us. It was heavenly!

Friday was a really fun day. We picked up Kristin and headed to Southfork Ranch. You know, where the show Dallas was filmed. It's my Mom's favorite show so she was really excited. It was actually pretty cool to see. Then Kristin suggested a place for lunch called Love & War in Texas. They ordered deep-fried pickles (gross!) and loved them. I stuck to the deep-fried green beans. Kristin suggested that we all order chicken-fried steak. I had never had it before but Ed really likes it so I thought I'd give it a try. Oh.my.word.it.is.delicious. I could have eaten two of them.

We then brought Kristin home and we got to meet her hubby and her three dogs. I'm sure you've seen pictures of Steve and he is just as sweet in person!! He is a licker and almost knocked me over with his strong tongue...any lady-dog would be lucky to have him! LOL. That night we all went to Patty's for a BBQ. Kristin brought her DH and a bunch of Katie's friends were there. Everyone is Texas is so stinking nice!!

Saturday morning Katie and Patty took us to the airport and sent us on our way. I miss Texas already, but it's great to be home with Ed and snuggle up in bed with him. EJ slept most of today, but I'm sure he misses all those ladies loving on him :)

Oh and before I forget, thank you Kristin for not babynapping EJ. He's teething and seriously needs his Mama :)

Picture People - 7 months

I'm so in love :-)

My weekend

We had quite a busy weekend in our household. Exhausting, but so much fun. Saturday night Ed and I went out with Happy Hour Katie and her hubby Mike (this was the first time meeting the husbands). We met at the new Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA. We had a great time. We had to wait 1.5 hrs for our table for dinner, so we sat in another bar and had drinks and chatted. I was having such a good time and the wait just flew by. Then we went in for dinner at an Irish Pub and my meal was awesome - stuffed pork chops with bleu cheese mashed potatoes...yumm-o! There were also two men on guitars playing Irish songs (which I love) so that made it even better in my opinion.

After dinner the men went back to the bar and Katie and I hit the penny slots. I've never played them before (I'm a craps kinda girl) and it was fun. I won $27.04 so that made it even better. That money will go right into my trip-to-Texas fund! Oh, and I'm hoping Katie will post a picture of us...the good picture of our faces...the first picture that Mike took was of our chests. I guess Mike is a boob-man ;)

While all of this fun was going on, EJ was having fun of his own sleeping over my parents' house. I missed him all night, but thanks to the vodka drinks I had I slept like a baby all night. When I woke up I called my Mom and EJ was still asleep so she said there was time for Ed and me to go out to breakfast. It took a while with the Sunday churchgoers everywhere so by the time we got back to my Mom's EJ was back asleep again. So Ed and I ran a few errands and EJ was finally awake when we got back to the house. Then we hung out and swam in the pool and stayed for dinner. We got home around 8pm last night and we were all pooped. All three of us slept very well and EJ was happy when he got up today ready to play the day away with his Mommy <3!

Giveaway!

Check out today's Giveaway from The Mrs!!!

CLICK HERE!

What just happened here??

EJ woke up around 6:30 on this rainy Friday morning. He had been asleep all night so I was well-rested and ready to enjoy a morning of barley cereal and playing on the floor. I changed his diaper and return him to his crib with his music on so I can get a few things done first. I brush my teeth, wash up and get dressed. He's kicking away and having fun. Then I run down the hall to put a load of laundry in. He's still happy and cooing away so I sneak in to check my email and update FB and Twitter.

Then all is quite in his bedroom. No more music and no more cooing. So of course I wonder what is up so I quickly walk in there.

My little man has rolled onto his belly and GONE TO SLEEP!!!!! There are two things that amaze me about this. 1) He just woke up after 9 hours of sleep so how could he be tired? 2) He has NEVER just gone to sleep by himself like that. I am one of those terrible mothers who holds my baby until he's fast asleep and then I gently put him into his crib.

Wow. Just wow.

EJ loves that he can hold is head up so well now...