Thursday, May 28, 2015

Taz's Professional Pictures

When Taz was 2 weeks old we had his pictures done by Hellen. I am so glad we did it, they turned out amazing! Without further ado...




















Monday, May 25, 2015

What's Going On...

Today is Memorial Day and it being the first I have been home for in about five years I felt overwhelmed with thanks for all the men and women who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom.  Now that I am a mom it puts things into a different perspective, and I am so proud to be an American.



Taz continues to grow and change each day. Every day is a gift and I am so thankful to be here with him and watch him grow. Also, I think it is safe to say Grammy and Poppy have loved having him here too (except when he has his meltdowns). :)

Grammy reading to Taz 

Such a big boy in his Bumbo seat...he's still strengthening his neck.

A rare nap (that lasted for 20 minutes) on the bed. 



Aunt Katie came up for the weekend, Taz was thrilled to meet her.

Relaxing for his morning bath

This is what our naps normally look like.  Although my face doesn't show it, I wouldn't have it any other way.


Sleeping on Poppy.

I've been waking up in the early morning and unwrapping his arms. This is how he is each morning when I go in to wake him up.  
Katie and I took the kayaks out to watch the sunset.  Gorgeous!  

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

2 Month Update

Two Months 
May 19, 2015 

Height: 24 inches (86th percentile) 

Weight: 13 pounds 3 ounces (83rd percentile) 



Likes: 
  • Movement of any kind.  Seriously, this kid can sense when he's not moving or you try to fake him out.  If he's tired and you're moving in some way he is passed out in less than a minute. 
  • Eating. He is the loudest eater. I love how he squirms all over to get more. 
  • Being swaddled at night.  Although by morning he has had enough.  I normally undue the swaddle after he eats and let him sleep with his hands up. 
  • His activity mat, he swats at the little toys and loves to stare at himself in the mirror. 
  • Sleeping at night. He is a great sleeper (thank you Lord) and now only wakes up once to feed (I wake him up around wish to nurse). 
  • Fans.  He is enamored with them and watches them intently when he lays down.


Dislikes:
  • Stopping at stop signs or traffic lights. 
  • Waking up from naps (can you blame him?) 
  • His paci when he is crying.
  • When he can't figure out how to let go of the rings on his activity mat.
  • Tummy time 
  • Lifevest 
  • Being scared. I learned this the hard way when I took off the velcro strap of the Ergo.  He got scared and screamed for over an hour. I felt so badly and everything I tried to do to console him didn't work.  It was pitiful. Thankfully he got over it eventually. The same thing happened another time when Jess shut the door hard.


Milestones:
  • Smiles and coos non-stop. 
  • Lifting his head up and looking around, especially when I hold him upright. 
  • Tracking people and objects as they move across the room. 
  • Kicking and moving his arms. 
  • Grabs things, I love it when he holds my finger.
Sleep
  • Only naps in the Ergo, MamaRoo, carseat, or on mama. Definitely need to work on this. 
  • Bedtime is around 8:30-9:00.  After bouncing him or rocking him to sleep he sleeps until around 4-5 AM (with a dreamfeed when I go to bed). 
  • Wake up around 7:00 and get the day started.  


Favorite Moments: 
  • Waking him up in the morning.  He does this stretch with his hands over his head and an arched back that is too cute.  Also, he is always so happy in the morning and greets me with a big smile.  
  • Bathtime.  He has learned to love bath time. He just lays there totally relaxed as I wash him.  It may be the cutest thing ever. 
  • Nursing.  Funny I say this now, because when I first started I wanted to quit. I just love our time together and how he looks up at me. The other day he looked up at me and smiled and all the milk dripped out of his mouth. 
  • Naps on my chest. I love when he falls asleep after feeding or just on me for a nap. Feeling his little body move up and down is the best feeling in the world. 
  • Taking him swimming.  I kept thinking about how this is the first of many activities he will learn. I can't wait to watch him learn new things and start sports. 
Pics to Remember: 


Mommy's Thoughts: 
It's funny because even though each day is basically the same (feed, play, nap, repeat) each day gets better and better.  His little personality is evolving and it is so fun to watch.  He loves to smile and laugh, morning time is definitely his happy time. I love being his mommy, I still can't believe God has blessed us with him. This month has been hard because we are away from Jess, but it has been great to spend time with family and to be in the States. He makes me so happy and all the loss of sleep, worrying, and stress is totally worth it.

Becoming a mommy has really grown my spiritual walk as well. It was when I fully relied on God that things got "easier" and I got my sanity back. I am learning so much about myself and God.  He has particularly been teaching me that this life is but a vapor and to have an eternal focus.  This helps me realize that even meltdowns, cryfests, and the rough times will pass and to turn my mind to Jesus.  Also, God has helped me realize that he is sovereign. I cannot worry about Taz and every other detail about being a mom, because I am not in control. I just need to do the best I can to embrace it and have joy through it all.


Sunday, May 17, 2015

Taz's First Boat Ride


This beautiful afternoon Taz squeezed his cheeks into a life jacket and we took his first boat ride. He didn't like being stuffed into the life jacket, but once the boat took off true to Taz form he was golden.  He loved the movement and the wind in his hair.  He fell asleep and just enjoyed the ride.


We couldn't get over how the life jacket accentuated his cheeks.  I think the life jacket was so uncomfortable for him because it pushed into them. Our little guy is a content one though, he got over the pressure on his cheeks and had fun (or so we think). I even managed to get some kayaking in while Grammy and her friends watched Taz.




Friday, May 15, 2015

First Swim


Yesterday Taz (by the way my family is calling him Taz now because it was too confusing with Trey and Tae) took his first dip in the pool. Since Jess and I love to swim I wanted to see if he took after us. The weather has been warm for a couple of days, which warmed up the pool so we thought we would give it a try.  He seemed to like it okay, he wasn't laughing, but he wasn't crying either.  I think he was just trying to figure it all out. Of course he wore his Brazilian sunga (speedo). We didn't stay in long, only about five minutes. I forsee lots of dips in the pool in his future.  And with the way time is flying pretty soon he will be joining in Diboo Daboo with all his cousins. 






Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Growing, Growing, Growing




It is amazing how fast our little guy is growing, not only physically (hello chunkers) but also intellectually. He is more alert and fun each day.  His favorite thing to do is play on his activity mat, he hits the hanging toys and kicks (accidentally) his little music block. As the days go on he is getting into his own little schedule and I am figuring out his different cries. For example, he will eat then play on his mat for awhile, and then I will hold him and hang out (read books or just talk). Then I rock him and he takes a little nap.  This repeats about 8 more times throughout the day. :) 


On Saturday we went into Greenville to go to Artisphere.  It was fun to walk around downtown and check out all the different artists, although little guy slept the whole time in his stroller.  I tell you, if he is moving that kid is knocked out!  After Artisphere we headed to Furman to check out my old stomping grounds.  Again, Tae slept in his stroller.  I wanted to get him a onesie, but they only had really ugly ones.  I settled for a overpriced pair of socks.


Tae is starting to smile more and more. He has also added cooing and "talking" to his reportoire. I never thought I could just watch a baby for hours upon end, but that is what I do.  I am so thankful to have such a long maternity leave and to be staying with mom and dad so I can just enjoy him and not worry about anything else. Mom has been amazing, she will take him when he fusses, helps me give him baths, plays with him, and generally just helps in anyway she can.  Dad enjoys watching from a distance, he does love watching him wake up with yawns.


Our days mostly revolve around his eating. We go for lots of walks and have spent more time on the activity mat. Of course there are some naps (short ones) scattered in there.  He naps on his MamaRoo, which is great.  We also spend lots of time bouncing on the exercise ball.


This little boy has stole my heart. I wonder who and what he will become as he grows up. Will he be more like Jess or like me?  What will his passion be?  Right now he seems like Jess, easygoing and relaxed. However, he can go from being happy and content to screaming his lungs out in about .5 seconds. Unfortunately, I think he gets strong emotions from me. He also does not like waking up from naps, which is just like his mama too.


Monday, May 11, 2015

Mother's Day 2015

Yesterday was my first Mother's Day as a mom and what a day it was.  Not because of any extravagant events or presents, because of the realization that I am a mom to a sweet, smiling boy. Last year's Mother's Day was really hard for me and I couldn't even imagine being a mom, which made this year's that much more special.  Yesterday, each time I let me thoughts go I kept praising God and smiling because God is so sovereign and had a plan for me all along.  The joy and happiness I felt yesterday was felt even more because of the pain and hurt I felt last year.


Yesterday was very chill, we went to church and then Chipolte for lunch. Jess had a gorgeous bouquet of flowers sent to the house. I spent the day hanging out with our little man. He even managed to take a 3 hour nap on my chest (in his Ergo).  I was sad Jess couldn't be here, but we did Skype for a long time.


Being a mom is everything I imagined, and nothing I imagined all at the same time.  It's definitely the hardest thing I have ever done.  There are no breaks. My mind can't shut off and stop thinking about him.  I doubt myself often. But, there are countless smiles and coos, snuggles, laughs, and cute little looks to make up for it. Just holding him and giving him a kiss on the cheek makes it worth it. He is growing so much, and to think that I am partly responsible for that is amazing. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be his mom, and pray that I can help him have faith as he takes on this big world.


It was also very special day because I got to hang out with my mama.  She is the most amazing woman I know.  Although I have always appreciated her and all she does for our family, this year I felt it even more.  She is the best mom, friend, and support a girl could ask for.  Her servant`s heart and love for her family are an inspiration to me. As I grow older I love how our relationship is turning more into a friendship.  She is so fun to hang out with and I love every second I get to be wit her. We tried to relax by the pool, but Tae had other plans.  Even though we didn`t do anything super special it was a treat to be able to celebrate with her this year.  Thanks mom for being you! You are the glue of our family and without you we would all be lost.  Love you desperately.