Fayetteville Trip- Part 2

There are about 100 other things I should be doing instead of blogging! Bible Study, laundry, cleaning, unpacking, the list goes on....but I am blogging. Needless to say our little man was quite spoiled last week. He had trouble napping period, but when he did nap it was usually in my arms, so he has expected the same thing since we have been home. We are working on that....I do love holding him when he sleeps, but I can't keep it up!

Thursday was a big day for us last week! Aunt Kathy and the boys came from Kansas to visit with us for most of the day. We had lunch at JD China...yum! Thursday night several of my good friends from college came out to visit.

Meeting Great Maw Maw for the first time.

Great Aunt Kathy

Cousin Kyle

Cousin Dallas

Ashley, Krissi, Presley, Lydia, and Jamie (and Wyatt due in March!)

I think Drew was glad when Dad got home to rescue him from all the girls!

3 Months Old

Can you believe it???? Little man is 3 months old today. This may be the last month he gets to wear this MSU outfit....it was a little tight getting it on! I am sure Paw Paw Randy can help us come up with a new one! :) Drew is changing so much. He is holding his head up really well. We have heard our first few laughs and he is grinning at us all the time. He is truly a joy!


Coming home from the hospital



One Month Old





Two Months Old




Three Months Old

More Fayetteville pics to come soon!

Fayetteville Trip- Part 1

We may have ourselves a little traveler...Drew did great! I realize this is probably the easiest age to travel with, but we were still surprised at how well he did. Our flight from Houston to Tulsa was diverted all the way to Corpus Christi so what should have been an hour flight ended up being almost a 3 hour trip from the time we boarded until the time we landed. That put us arriving at my parent's house at 2:30 instead of 12ish.

He was all smiles after we went through security in Tampa.

On the plane w/ Dad.

Wednesday I met my Aunt Sarah for lunch.

Wednesday afternoon Drew's buddy Byron came to visit.

Kristy was so kind to bring out a playmat for Drew and a few warmer clothes.

Home Sweet Home

We made it home around 10:00 tonight. Little man seemed quite happy to be home, but I am sure he is missing grandma and grandpa already. He fell asleep less than five minutes after we put him down for the night.

I can't wait to put up pictures from our week. It was a truly special time for the 3 of us!

Coming Home...

I must admit that I am ready to sleep in my own bed and ready to get Drew back into more of a routine, but I am not sure I am totally ready to leave Northwest Arkansas! There are people I wish I could have seen and others I wish I could have spent more time with.

Drew was quite the trooper on the flights up here. He even made it through a diverted flight, and we are praying for the same on the way home! We head for Tulsa around 10 in the morning and our flight leaves around 2:00. We should be back in Tampa by 8 eastern. I will put up pictures and more about our trip later this week. I will say that Hal and I feel incredibly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family in Northwest Arkansas and to have wonderful friends to return to in Sarasota.

Random Friday

1) Here is a picture for those of you who say you never see one of me. :)

2) Pray for me tonight if you think about it. I am doing a seminar on prayer at a women's event at our church. My boys will be hanging out here at the house together. I am more worried about me than I am about them. This will be the longest I have been away from the little man. The event is from 6:30-10:30. Daddy will be taking care of two feedings and bedtime!

3) I took 474 pictures of Drew in January. That's right...almost 500 pictures. Ridiculous I know...but there are so many who don't get to see him often and I need to send pictures. At least that is my excuse anyway.

4) In case I haven't mentioned it 500 times...we leave for Fayetteville on Tuesday. Dad called me one night this week and said the weather looked good for Tuesday..whew...I can relax. Any tips that you want to give for flying with a baby will be much appreciated!

5) It's time to lose the remaining baby weight! I gained 35ish lbs with Drew and at my 7 week check up I had lost all of it but 10 lbs. As soon as we get back...exercise and eating better begins.

6) I love Lady Vol basketball and Coach Pat Summitt. The obsession started in junior high. My sophomore year of high school I was able to watch one of their practices at Bud Walton before they played the Lady Razorbacks and then got to met Coach Summitt. Last night we watched her win her 1000th game. It is so exciting to see what she has done for women's basketball. When I watch the Lady Vols it makes me wish I would have been an amazing athlete and been able to play for her but on a more realistic note, sometimes I wish I had pursued coaching like I wanted to.

Have a great weekend!

Big Boy

Drew usually sits in his bouncy seat while Hal and I eat dinner, but the last few nights he has not wanted to sit in his bouncy. He is holding his head up better and likes to look around, so we tried putting him in his high chair last night. He wasn't quite sure what to think! I feel sorry for Hal this week....I am determined to clean out the pantry and freezer so we are having a few random meals! I don't know about you, but it seems like I always have a full pantry, but we never have anything to eat...how does that work???

Saturday in Sarasota

What a great day! Hal got up with little man when he woke up at 6:30 and they had Drew and Daddy time while I slept in. We then made pancakes for a late breakfast. Later this afternoon we headed down to the park on Sarasota Bay for a walk. It was a little chilly, but we still enjoyed our walk. Afterwards, we stopped by one of our new favorite places, Morton's Market. It is a small grocery market that has a little bit of everything including Hal's favorite soft drink that you usually don't find outside of North Carolina, Cheerwine. They also have a ton of gourmet prepared foods that you can buy. We got a few different things to try and most importantly, we got the last bag of our new addiction.....popcorn drizzled with milk chocolate. My friend Samantha brought it to me in the hospital and we have been craving it ever since! Yum!

It was a little chilly and breezy so little man was cozy under his blanket.

I forgot a jacket....funny how you forget about what you need and just think about your child!

Hal and Drew walking along the bay.

Yummy....I promise this won't be around this time tomorrow! :)

Random Friday

I think Friday may be the day you get to read my random thoughts!

1) I saw a rooster in the Wal-Mart parking lot today. A real live rooster. It was just wondering around the parking lot. A friend of mine has similar experiences at her Wal-Mart in Porter, Texas. You just never know what you are going to see...and that is how it is with the Wal-Mart in Bradenton.

2) I think we have finally found a formula that works for Drew. You may be thinking...I thought you were nursing. Well, that is a story that will require a post of its own!

3) We leave for Fayetteville in 10 days.......I can't wait! It seems like forever since we were home in September. I might have a serious melt down if any ice or snow decides to make an appearance on the day we fly in.

4) I chopped my hair off. I decided that a haircut was necessary. It was too easy to put it in a ponytail and do nothing else. I went to someone new the first time(what was I thinking) and the cut was awful. I went back to Aveda on Monday and I am much happier with the results.

5) After a few pretty much sleepless nights, last night little Drew slept from 10-3:3o and then from 4:15-7:00. I needed the rest.

6) While most of my NWA friends had to deal with ice and no electricity this week, our temperature was 80ish. Sure doesn't feel like January. I miss the seasons....even the ice! I will admit that I did call my brother and rub it in a bit.

7) Since I am no longer nursing, I am ready to eat some foods I have had to avoid....Taco Soup, Boneless Buffalo Wings, Diet Coke, broccoli, Mexican food, and anything spicy I can find!!!

Lessons Learned....So Far Anyway

1) About the time I think we are in a routine and I start to feel pretty good about myself it seems like the bottom falls out. It also seems like I can look at these times and see the ebb and flow of my prayer time and time in God's word. About the time I think I can do it on my own, God reminds me I can't. I am grateful He keeps reminding me. The frustrating times drive me to my knees in repentance and a realization of just how weak I really am.

2) There are a lot of resources out there....but the best resource is not the latest fad or my own maternal instinct. The best resource is laying EVERYTHING before the Lord and asking for discernment. Whether it is what formula to try or how to get Drew to sleep more than 2 hours at at time(which he is finally doing!), the Lord will direct.

3) Drew is my ministry. I have had to step back from something I dearly love because God made it clear to me that my #1 ministry is leading this little boy to a personal relationship with Him and the journey started from the day he was born. Right now it may be changing diaper after diaper with love and nothing else, but this is my work.

Visit with Paw Paw and Maw Maw

Drew and I took Maw Maw and Paw Paw to the airport today. It was great to have them here for a few days! We spent most of the weekend watching Drew. That seems to be our source of entertainment these days.

Doctor's Appointment- 2 Month Checkup

We took Drew to the doctor today for his 2 month check up. He weighs 13 lbs 3 oz and is 24 1/2 inches long. He is in the 85% percentile for weight and 93% for height. The doctor said he had excellent growth and looked great! He was so cute when the she was doing her exam.. he was grinning and cooing at her. He did surprisingly well with his shots. He pretty much calmed down as soon as his daddy picked him up.

On another note...he slept 5 hours last night without waking up. WooHoo!!! That is the longest stretch he has gone so far!

2 Months Old

We really can't believe he is 2 months old!!! It really seems like yesterday we were leaving the hospital with him (while he screamed the whole way out!). We go to the doctor tomorrow for shots...that should be fun! :)

4 Days old...coming home from the hospital

One Month Old

Two Months Old

I took this at about 2 weeks old

Random Friday

1. It seems like Drew has changed a lot this week! I am posting a video below. He has starting smiling a lot more, moving more, and making more sounds. He is also really started focusing on objects.

2. I have been homesick this week....talking to several good friends from Fayetteville this week and missing my mom and dad has caused me to really miss good ol' Fayetteville! I am also really needing some good Chinese food. I may eat at JD China every day when we go home in February.

3. There are two blogs that I am addicted to. I check them everyday. MamaBargains.com and babycheapskate.com

4. I am REALLY excited about the opportunity I have been given to be one of the speakers at a Women's Event at our church in February. I will be doing a session on prayer. I am intimidated by the topic since my prayers lately have been, "Please Lord let him sleep more than 2 hours straight tonight!" :) I have titled the seminar "Getting Past Shopping List Prayers: Growing in Your Conversations with God." (Thanks for the help w/ the title Sarah!)

5. In case I haven't mentioned it.....Hal has been absolutely AMAZING since Drew was born. Not that he wasn't great before, but he has been a huge help. I have also loved watching him with Drew. One day this week I called him at work and put the speaker phone on so he could talk to Drew and so that Hal could hear Drew cooing and squealing. You would have thought MSU won the National Championship (HA!) it made his day.

Changed So Much

I have been intending to post more of these for awhile. We can't get over how much he has changed since these were taken at about 2 weeks old. These are just a few of my many favorites! The photographer came to our house which was so nice! We didn't have to take him anywhere.

Information Overload

I have decided that there are a million different books and methods on getting your baby to sleep through the night! I have had to force myself to stop reading anything else. One book or method contradicts another and some of the things they suggest just seem silly! I realize little man is only 7 weeks old and probably won't sleep through the night for awhile...so no more reading for me! Instead of stressing over "methods," I have started praying harder for wisdom and discernment that what we are currently doing is the right thing!

We moved him to his crib on New Years Eve and we were both surprised how well he did. We have started a bedtime routine that usually starts with a bath. We then get him dried off and put his lavender lotion on him, swaddle him, and feed him while he listens to praise music. I usually feed him and Hal reads his Bible Story to him (thanks for the book Mrs. Julia...we love it!) After his bottle, we put him in his crib, pray for him, and let him sleep. He has been sleeping around 3 hours and then wakes up. I generally go in pat him and maybe give him his pacifier and then he sleeps another hour. Hopefully one of these days we can skip the middle of the night feeding!

Ready for bed!

He is always so calm in the pictures I post. Just so you know...he does cry! :)

Morning Time

Morning time with Drew is probably our favorite time of the day! He is so cute and interactive when he wakes up and we take him out of his swaddle blanket. Here are just a few seconds of what we enjoy!

We are looking forward to a relaxing weekend. Well..not so relaxing because I must get my Christmas tree down. I wish that I could just throw a sheet over it and pretend it isn't there! Other than that we won't be doing much except mourning the fact that College Football is over for another year!

If all else fails???

If all else fails...try the dishwasher?? Drew was a little fussy the other night and I was having trouble getting him calmed down. I finally decided to put him in his bouncy seat in the kitchen with us while we were cooking. He fell asleep to the sound of the dishwasher. :)