Eight.......It's Grrrrrrreat!

Harrison is now eight months old.  My job as a mommy is getting easier and more difficult at the same time.  I know that may sound ridiculous, but it is so true. 

Here are some reasons why things are easier: he sleeps through the night, he naps (almost) regularly, he feeds himself, he has mastered sitting up on his own (going from belly to hands and knees to sitting upright!!), he stays entertained for hours with a sippy cup full of water, and he loves playing by himself.  The biggest change that has recently made my life easier is that we are no longer nursing.  Don't get me wrong, I loved nursing and I will do it with each of my babies (oh yes, there will be more little Wades!).  It is just that while you are nursing your life revolves around feeding schedules.  It still makes me sad when I think about that chapter of motherhood with Harrison being over, but he was ready so in turn I have to be as well.  There are some things I will not miss about that experience, like my trusty sidekick Medela.  And let's face it girls, our real best friend is underwire!!

So how is it getting harder?  The child is mobile!!  He is crawling and rolling and pulling up on everything.  And of all things, he is pulled towards electrical cords like a magnet.  I have definitely had to relearn how to change a diaper.  Things are a little different when the naked butt starts rolling away from you!  We are also working on learning the concept of "No"  but he just isn't getting it (that, or he just doesn't care).  I constantly have to watch him because he is discovering new things all the time.  

Here are his 8 new discoveries at 8 months old:

Crawling.  He is moving pretty slow right now, but he is getting the hang of it pretty fast.

Getting to the sitting position on his own. 

Screaming for attention.  It is happy screaming, but it is still screaming.

Electrical Cords.  Lamps, computers, vacuums.  If it has a cord, he wants to eat it.
Smiling for the camera. Yes, he is a total poser!
Clapping. Mostly when he sees Reese
Pulling up on anything.

Taking baths in the big bath tub.  He has always loved baths, but now that he is in the actual bathtub instead of his baby bath he loves it even more.  I think he just loves having even more water to splash around.

8 favorite foods:

Bananas

Green Beans

Pears

Lima Beans

Squash

Grapes
Peas

Puffs

8 favorite things:

Hair

Baths

Peek a boo
Waiving
Animals
Other Babies or Children
Rolling Around on the Ground

Playing rough 

Pulling up on the couch

Check out his new tooth!

Clapping

Not so bald anymore!

The Shirt Says It All

Harrison NEEDS this shirt!

Check out his sweet thunder thighs :)

11 years and counting....

May 15, 1999

"So....you wanna make this official?"  That is the question that changed my life.  11 years ago today, an adorably blond boy asked me to be his girlfriend.  Without hesitating I said yes and then received a sweet peck on the lips...my first kiss.  It is hard to believe how that one moment changed my whole life, but then at the ripe old age of 15 I knew I was going to marry him.  From that moment on, it wasn't a matter of "if" I was going to marry him, it was a matter of "when".  Over the next several years he taught me how to drive (mom and dad, you know why), we went to prom, I went to hundreds of soccer games, we purchased promise rings, he taught my baby sister (she was 7 when we started dating) how to play soccer in our backyard, and we made many more precious memories.  While cleaning out a closet in preparation for turning our guest room into Harrison's room, I found a box of letters that we had written each other in high school.  I sat on the floor (with my big prego belly) and cried as I read some of those letters.  I realized that everything I wished for as a 16 year old girl had come true.   

Thank you, Matt, for making all my dreams come true!

August 13, 2005

October 26, 2009

Scotty the baby elephant

I love animals.  I REALLY do.  Some might even say that I love animals too much.  I have such a huge heart for all things furry, feathery, scaly, and slimy.  God created each and every one of these creatures and it breaks my heart that people do not show animals the love and respect they deserve.  Before I had Harrison, I swore I would never go to the zoo.  I didn't want to raise my children thinking that I condoned animals being taken out of their natural habitat.  I think that God had a reason for putting animals where he did and that we should appreciate His master plan.  When Matt and I talked about how we would approach the issues of animals with our kids, Matt helped me understand that it is not healthy to raise a child to cry on their field trips to the zoo, or want to loose their temper every time they hear about a puppy mill, or need a box of tissues every time they watch animal planet (yes, I do all of those).  Instead, we want to raise children that love and respect all of God's creatures.  The zoo (as much as it breaks my heart when I see animals behind glass/bars/fences) is a wonderful way to show our children first hand the awesome power of God and His amazing creation.  Most of these animals have been bred into captivity and I understand that they now depend on their caretakers.  I also understand that they have access to medical attention that they would not have in the wild, but I feel like they are missing out on enjoying life as it was intended for them.  I learned this morning that Scotty the baby elephant died at the Louisville Zoo last night.  I know that animals die in the wild, but I have had the chance to watch this precious little guy for the last 8 months.  As silly as it sounds, I hope there is a special safari for Scotty in heaven :)   

Baby Kiss

I have talked about Harrison's obsession with sticking his tongue out in posts before, but I don't believe I have ever posted pictures.  If you didn't catch the blog post from his 6 month birthday, I talked about my six favorite memories of Harrison from those first six months.  This is what I said for #1: "I was enduring the end of a cesarean in which my epidural had worn off, but once I saw that precious boy the pain was suddenly bearable. I will never forget the first time I saw him he was sticking out his tongue. Now at six months, Harrison always sticks his tongue out when he is excited. I like to think that at that moment, when we met for the first time, he was showing me how excited he was."

Now, Harrison is almost eight months old and his tongue is still a very good indicator of his excitement level.  I think it is just adorable and I had to share it with you!
 

Kean turns three!

My precious nephew turned three today.  In honor of his birthday we partied at All About Kids.  The kids had a fantastic time, but there was a certain 27 year old that beat them all on the fun-o-meter.  Yes, that is my husband hogging all the toys!  Matt had so much fun I think I am going to have his birthday party there later this year :)

Field Trip

Yesterday our play group went to the zoo instead of the usual riots in Rachel's basement :)  It was a gorgeous (HOT) day and we enjoyed the amazing animals, a picnic, and the play ground.  Here are some pictures from our adventurous morning.....

The Green Bean Machine

All that green bean eating left Harrison exhausted.  He fell asleep on the kitchen floor while I was doing dishes.  How precious is he?!?!!!

Happily Ever After

Even though my prince drives a green volvo instead of a white horse, even though my castle is 1200 square feet instead of on 1200 acres, even though my furry friends howl instead of sing, even though I sometimes (and I do mean very seldomly) sing off key instead of always carrying a perfect tune, I am very much living my happily ever after. Maybe it is the little girl who still controls most of my thoughts, but I like to picture my life as one big Disney movie. From scrubbing floors like Cinderella to daydreaming like Alice to dancing around like Baloo (for Harrison of course) I am always incorporating silly songs into my day. As my favorite line from my favorite song in my favorite broadway (Wicked of course) goes, "I couldn't be happier, because happy is what happens when all your dreams come true".

My Prince

My Castle

My Furry Friends

Me Carrying a Perfect Tune

And this just makes me happy...

The Doting Sister

Normally I use this space to dote and gush about my darling little blue eyed, chubby cheeked, animated, ingenious precious tyke.  Because I don't want to be one of those mothers, I won't be talking about him at all in this post :)  Instead I will be doting on someone else.....my beautiful sister Courtney (also referred to in this blog as Auntie Coco). 

In October of 2008, Courtney and her husband, Ryan,  moved to Alaska.  Ryan is in the Air Force and is currently stationed at the Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage.  This has been the most trying experience in Courtney's life..  Her love for her husband is evident in the sacrifices she has made, but God has used this journey to strengthen Courtney and Ryan as individuals and as husband and wife.  Courtney has used this time away from home to "find herself".  And while doing so, she has made some incredible memories.  The most recent experience she can add to her Alaska scrapbook is the Mrs. Alaska pageant.  She didn't win, but her facebook status the day after the pageant says it all...."I didn't win but I sure did have a blast!!"

Here are some pictures of her from her pageant.  I am just a little proud (if you couldn't tell!).

Lauren, Chelsea and I couldn't be there to cheer for her, but we let her know how proud we are of her!!

Play Dates

I don't care what some moms say.  In my short experience as a mommy play dates are more for me than HD.  Sometimes it is nice to know all the crazy thoughts I sometimes have are completely normal.  Not to mention how much I enjoy people talking to me with out drooling on me or trying to eat my hair.  I have been blessed with some wonderful ladies that I try to keep up with on a weekly basis.  Their friendship and wisdom is appreciated beyond words!!  Last week my sweet friend Lindsay had us over for the morning and I thought I would share some precious pictures from that morning. 

Will was so precious with Harrison.  He was constantly checking on Harrison and giving him kisses!

Anna is about as cute as it gets!  She just wasn't feeling this picture, poor girl! 

The picture above is one of the sweetest moments I have ever witnessed.  Anna was sent to time out and after a ew minutes there she was still upset and all I could hear was her sweetly saying "pray".  Next thing I know, Will got up and prayed with her (while hugging her) and then felt she was ready to leave time out.  Good job Lindsay!  That was such a precious moment!!  

And this picture is from a couple months back courtesy of Rachel Webb.  I look forward to every Friday morning when I have the chance to visit with other Shelbyville moms!