Rough Few Days

The past few days in the Hillger household have been terrible to say the least. I'm choosing to write about this on my blog because a) I want a recollection of it, and b) The only people that reallly read my blog are people I care about and wouldn't mind hearing this story anyway! So, here's what happened....... OH, and if you have a weak stomach or are super emotional right now, you might not want to read!

Tuesday I was at work, going about my business as usual. I was just sitting at my desk, working away, when all of a sudden I started to feel wet. I knew I was not having bladder control issues, because it just didn't feel like that. I rushed to the bathroom and sat down as fast as I could. By this point my pants and underwear were soaked. I looked down into the toilet and saw that what I was leaking, in my mind gushing, was blood. Bright red blood. I started shaking and crying. The only thing I could think of was that I was having a miscarriage. Although, I hadn't had any cramping or pain. I opened the door a crack and started screaming for Darren. Keep in mind, I work with my inlaws. My father in law was across the hallway in his office and heard me shouting. I told him that I needed Darren. He ran to go get him from the warehouse. When Darren walked in his face turned white. I described the scene to my mom as a Freddy Kruger scene. Ok, that is a little dramatic, but there was blood all over myself and the toilet. Darren hugged me and tried to ask what was going on. All I remember was saying that I thought I was having a miscarriage. Darren asked if we needed to call Carylon and I said "YES!". So he left the bathroom to go get Carylon's phone number and called her at work. In the mean time, my mother in law had heard us in the bathroom and probably heard me crying, so wanted to come in. She hugged me and told me it would be ok. Darren came back and had Carylon on the phone. She told me to breathe and calm down some. Since I did not have any cramping or pains she was not convinced that I was having a miscarriage, but could not be certain unless I came in. So, Darren and I rushed out, drove to our house so I could get some clean clothes, and then hauled butt to Big Spring. We made it there in probably 20 minutes tops. Once there we were immediately able to go into an exam room and Carylon came in shortly after to do the ultrasound. The minute she put the wand (I don't know the technical term) on my stomach we saw our baby, and it was jumping around. Whew..... We then were able to see the heartbeat. Another Whew.... Carylon then did a pelvic exam to make sure my cervix was still closed, and thank goodness it was. So, we had no answer as to what had happened, but we knew that for the time being our baby was ok. She suggested we go see the perinatologist in Midland, a specialist in high-risk pregnancies and other complications. The worst part was I could not get an appointment until this afternoon! So, all day Wednesday I stayed at home on bed rest, trying to take care of my baby as best I could. I had slight spotting throughout the day and some cramping, but nothing severe. Thursday morning I again stayed home and rested, and we were able to go to the appointment this afternoon. Once at the appointment the tech did an ultrasound and reassured us that the baby was doing fine. We again got to see our little one and his/her heartbeat. Then the doc came in and when he did the ultrasound immediately found the source of the problem. I had a hematoma (sp) on my uterus. Apparently the hematoma had bled out, thus causing me to bleed out. It also explained the slight spotting as it is still emptying. He reassured us that it did not affect the baby at all, and that it was actually common. He told us that it does not mean that everything will be ok the remainder of the pregnancy, but he is not worried that it will cause further problems. I do have to take it easy and am on pelvic rest for the time being, so as to not irritate anything else further. We were SO glad to finally have a reason as to what happened, and SO glad to hear that it did not affect our baby at all. The blood did not enter the placenta at all.

Through all of this I prayed and prayed. I knew that if something happened then it would be for a reason, but I just prayed that God would protect our little one... and He did. We are so truly blessed. I know that this all could have ended about a thousand different ways, with much worse outcomes. I will glady take my instructions of pelvic rest and general rest. I am going to take care of this baby as best I can! I told Darren that God TRULY wants this baby to be here.... maybe he/she will be the next President, or as Darren said, find the cure for cancer! You never know! God brought this baby to us, and God is helping us throughout this pregnancy, and we are SO incredibly blessed to know He is there! God is good!!!!

Expecting.........

Well, my dear blog readers....... we are expecting baby #2! I know, I know. Shocker, right? I mean, Clayton is not even half a year old yet. Oh believe me, we were just as shocked as you are. It all started the week of August 3rd. I knew my period was supposed to start, and day after day I checked when I went to the restroom. Much to my surprise there was nothing! So, on a whim I told Darren we should buy a pregnancy test. After all, I just KNEW my body was screwing with me, and I just knew that this meant that when we did try for #2 that we would struggle again. We got home from town on Tuesday the 9th and I took the test right away. I laid it on the counter, finished redressing, then Darren walked in.Within the 30 seconds that all of that took two pink lines popped up in the window. Darren and I both looked at it at the same time. I started crying and shaking. I just knew that the test was going to come back negative. I just knew it. Now we were staring back at a positive and all I could think was how poor we were going to be. haha.... Darren remained so calm through the whole thing. He hugged me, kissed me, and reminded me how it really was a blessing. I soon got over myself and ever since that moment I have truly realized that I am crazy for ever being upset. This is a wonderful blessing from God. A child, any life, is a blessing. God may have made us wait around for the first kiddo, and may have shocked us with this one, but we knew how babies were made, and we chose to accept God's plans for us. We are now thrilled. We can't wait to meet our little one. I'm sure everyone wants to know if we want a girl now, but really, we don't care! We know Clayton will be an amazing big brother to this baby. Please pray for a healthy pregnancy!

I came across this blog post on one of my favorite blogs.. it talks about how she and her husband willing accept children from God. They adopted a beautiful little girl and not longer after they did they got pregnant on their own! Their babies are about a year apart, just like mine will be. I know that people will talk, and quite frankly this was one thing I told Darren that I was worried about. However, I will take it all in stride. I have two beautiful blessings from God. Two amazing lives to take care of.

This pregnancy has not been as easy so far. First, I had one day of shooting pains in my ovary area. This was preceded by a day of spotting. I was so nervous that I was either having a miscarriage or had an ectopic pregnancy. So, I went in to see Carylon (aka the best person EVER!) and she gave me my first ultrasound at 7 weeks 2 days. Although all we could see was the tiny dot, we did see the baby's heartbeat! Poor Darren had to work and did not get to go... plus at this point in time we hadn't told anyone so I basically had to sneak away to the doctor. During the ultrasound Carylon was worried about the placement of the baby inside of my uterus and so told me to be on pelvic rest and to take it easy. If I felt any cramping or had severe cramping then I needed to get to a hospital right away. That weekend we went to Little Rock to visit our best friends and Cristina was able to call her mom and get some more medical advise. Rosa agreed that I should be on pelvic rest and that I should have another doctor do a better ultrasound to see what was going on. So, away we went to Midland for a better ultrasound! At the ultrasound Darren finally was able to see our baby and his/her heartbeat! The ultrasound tech and OB both said that the baby had great placement and that I should not worry. However, the baby was measuring a week smaller than my EDD based on my LMP. (I'm abbreviating for all of you boy readers!) I was 9 weeks 3 days at that ultrasound and the baby measured 8 weeks 3 days. The OB suggested that I just ovulated later than expected, but the whole reason I am pregnant to begin with was because I apparently ovulated earlier than expected, haha. SOO, now I don't know what's going on with that, but the OB is going to monitor everything closely. She classified me as a threatened miscarriage because of the problems with the cramping/spotting. Oye... what awful words to hear. I am confident that everything will be ok though! God will take care of our little surprise blessing!

Lastly, it's been a tough pregnancy because I have been sicker! Not only have I had worse morning sickness, I now have all day nausea and nothing, NOTHING, sounds good or tastes good. It doesn't help either that I had the terrible cold and sinus infection. In case you're new to the world of pregnancy, you can't take hardly ANY medicine while pregnant! Plus, I am allergic to acetaminophin so I couldn't take anything to relieve the sinus pain! (Side note: I have been writing this blog post for over two weeks now, hehe, and I am happy to say that the morning sickness has subsided and I am feeling great! In fact, I think it was easier morning sickness than I had with Clayton!)

We had another ultrasound last week and everything looked great with the baby. They even did a 4D and we got a wonderful picture of our beautiful baby! So amazing how formed they are at 10 weeks. I can't even begin to imagine how anyone could have an abortion if they saw the images that I saw.

So, yes, God works in mysterious ways. We feel very blessed and we know that He will provide. We may just eat ramen for a few months, or a few years, but that is ok because life is a precious precious gift!!!

My baby is growing up!

Our life lately has been a whirlwind! But, it's been so exciting because Clayton has been changing so much! First of all, he can now sit by himself! Granted it doesn't last a horribly long time, but he does it! He is best if he is leaning forward slightly and putting his hands on the ground or on his legs. He is definitely getting better at balancing himself though, whether it is when he is sitting, in an exersaucer, or being held on our hip.

He is still trying to crawl but getting nowhere. That's ok with Mommy! ;-) He hasn't figured out how to use his arms! He will scoot on his tummy with his legs and  go after toys or whatever we place in front of him. He also can turn in all sorts of directions... but just not much movement forward!

Lastly, we decided to forgo the rice cereal because he hated, and I mean HATED it, lately. We moved him to the Stage 1 veggies and fruits! So far we've tried sweet potatoes and green beans! At first he made a horrible face, but then he liked it and ate his whole bowl! He still prefers his bottle though. You can tell that he gets either tired of eating from the spoon or frustrated that it is not filling him up fast enough. We have tried feeding him before and after his bottle, before it's time for a bottle, you name it! The kid is just particular and likes his milk! =)

Another new development that just popped up, literally, today was that he has two new teeth! His bottom two center incisors just poked through today! We knew he had not been acting like himself these past few days, but we had no clue that he was working on two new teeth! You can see the pearly whites poking through his bottom gum. Poor kiddo! He hasn't been fussy at all but he's been sleeping a lot more and he's not been drinking his bottle as well. Normally he pounds down all 7 ounces without a problem, but he barely drinks 6 these past few days.

Lastly, for the past four weeks he's been sleeping upstairs in his crib by himself. He sleeps from about 8pm to 7am, and it is glorious! Some mornings he wakes up earlier, but we can usually get him to fall back asleep after his bottle for a bit. Makes it so nice for us!

I can't believe that my baby, BABY, boy will be half a year old in just a couple of weeks. Where does the time go? He is the sweetest baby ever. We are so incredibly blessed. People tell us all of the time that we don't know how lucky we are! =) Love him to pieces!

Five Months!

Happy Five Month Birthday, Clayton Scott!

You are still changing by leaps and bounds! Once you started moving a lot during your 4th month you didn't stop! Your thing this month has been your attempt at crawling.... Mommy and Daddy better get ready! You spend a lot of time on your tummy, since when we put you on your back you immediately roll over. So, I guess you were getting tired of just sitting there and decided to start moving!You will tuck your legs up towards your tummy, duck your head down, and push off! One day you made so much progress when Mommy wasn't looking and you bonked your head pretty good against the side of the desk! Don't worry, we watch you much more closely now! While we were in Little Rock you attempted to use your arms to help yourself crawl, but they are just not strong enough yet. Once they are though - watch out!!! I know that I talked about this last month, but this month you have really made it your mission to start moving!

Your other big movements include being a little spastic baby while we are changing you. It's really funny how much and how fast you can move your arms and legs! We also have to make sure that you don't roll over on us while changing you! One day you rolled over really quick and so were just flashing your hiney in the air for a minute! ;-) Ahh, don't you love those kinds of stories!

Since this summer has been so hot (about 70 days over 100 degrees), we have spent a lot of time in the pool! Pop and Gia built a pool in the backyard and you have loved swimming in it! We've taken you to pools in other places too, and every time you love the water! You will play "potchi potchi", which means you splash the water. You'll splash so hard that you will soak your face, but you don't seem to mind! Speaking of water, you got to go on your first boat ride this month! We took you to Lake Brownwood with the rest of the Hillger family. We had a great time taking you out on the pontoon boat!

You just started to do a new thing when you see someone for the first time in a while. This could be a difference of a day, an hour, however long you want! You will be in our arms and you will lean forward and grin so big! It's as if you are just so excited to see the person and you can't wait to get out of our arms to them! One other new thing is that you now know what your paci is, where it goes, and how to put it in your mouth! We can hold it in front of you and you will grab it and put it in your mouth! Rather impressive! It's funny to Mommy though... seems as if since you know what it is maybe we should take it away now! I don't think that'll happen for a few more months though!

Being active is a big part of your life apparently! You move non-stop! You are always hitting things, batting at your toys, grabbing everything within your reach (and of course putting it straight into your mouth!)... It's hard to keep up with you sometimes! You love when we put you in your exersaucer and you can hit and play with all of the fun toys on it. You will also bounce up and down! Links are still your favorite toys, followed closely by anything that spins, and of course, anything that makes music!!!! You LOVE music! We have filmed you moving around like crazy and then we'll start some music and you instantly calm down and just listen. It's so cute! You also will let out a huge grin when Mommy plays or sings you "You are my sunshine". Sweetest thing!

A rare negative for you has recently developed. Mommy & Daddy really didn't think this would develop until you were atleast a toddler! You will get mad when we take something away from you!!! Mostly you only get mad when we take paper away from you. You have become obsessed with crunching and chewing on paper. Of course this is not very good so we'll take the paper away. When we do you start crying! It's funny but sad at the same time! You're showing more and more personality each day... you little stinker!

Your sleeping habits are getting much better! You now sleep almost all the way through the night in your crib!! You usually start to make grunting noises around 5am or so, and Mommy will get up and put your paci back in your mouth. You instantly fall back asleep and stay that way until 7am. It's been so much better! Plus, you go to sleep on your own and usually at a good time of night. We always know when you're ready to sleep because you start grunting! It's cute! We are thinking that the rice cereal is helping, plus you nap less during the day now. Speaking of rice cereal... you now eat a new food! You pretty much hate it, but we add some apple sauce and you tolerate it! Some nights you eat more than others. You still prefer your bottles! You are drinking about 7 ounces each bottle (we just bumped you up from 6 ounces). I don't think you've not finished a bottle in a looonggg time! You little piggy!

Size wise you haven't grown a whole lot. Maybe just outwards, hehe... You are wearing size 3-6mo, and still a size 2 diaper. We are about to switch your night time diapers to a size 3 though! You're weighing roughly 17-18 pounds. Appearance wise, you are the cutest baby on the face of the planet. Ok, we are biased! But really! You are so handsome! Your hair is getting lighter and lighter (what little hair there is!) and your eyes are still a gorgeous shade of blue! Right around your iris there is a small circle of hazel, so we think either your eyes will stay blue or maybe turn hazel. They definitely don't look like they're going to turn brown! We love that about you! So handsome!

I say it every month and I will keep saying it all of our lives.... you bring such joy to our lives. We love you so much and can't image what we ever did before you were around! You are probably the world's best baby and we greatly thank you for spoiling us in that way!!! You are such a blessing from God!

We love you more than you'll ever know!

Happy Birthday, my sweet boy! I love you!

Love,
Mommy

Starting Solids!

This past Sunday we started Clayton on his rice cereal! He did a great job! At first he was mad because even though he drank his usual 6 ounce bottle, he was still hungry and the rice cereal was not fulfilling him fast enough. However, he still did great! He impressed us by leaning for the spoon with his mouth open and getting the spoonful down in two bites! He really has been doing great!

Yummy!!

After the first night of rice cereal I thought for sure that he'd sleep through the night, or at least longer than 10pm to 4am. So, we carted ourselves upstairs and we slept in the guest room while Clayton slept in his crib. This was by far the worst sleep I have had since he was a week old. I was up every two hours. If I wasn't checking on him then the monitor was going off and waking me up. He did ok and slept his normal until 4am. Last night we were so exhausted that we brought him back downstairs into our room and his pack n play. I really hate that his room is on the second story and ours is on the first. I wouldn't ever build my house this way but the family who did build its kids were all grown up.... so it made sense!

First official night in his crib

He ate more of the cereal tonight so I am hoping that with each passing night he'll eat more and more and it will fill him more and more. Just have to find a way to break him of his 4am habit! I don't know if you can do that though! Oh well! Another new mom thing to learn and figure out! ;-)

Moving Out

The time has come. Clayton no longer requires night time feedings and he has outgrown his cradle. Cue the crying from this first time mom! My baby boy is growing up so fast! Although he's not entirely sleeping through the night, he does make it until about 5am. At that point in time I wake up and give him back his paci and he goes back to sleep until morning when we get him up. I am hoping that with the addition of rice cereal soon that he will make it all night, or at least until 6 or 7am! I'm not ready for him to leave yet (after all if he's been extra quiet I do still make sure he's breathing, haha!), but I know it's best for him and best for us! I do miss my alone time with my hubby!

So, my wonderful blogging mothers.... any advice for how to cope, how to make the move to his crib/own room easier on him and me? Any tips for getting him to sleep straight through the night?

Thanks in advance! We go to the doctor soon and so I hope to get the green light on rice cereal! =) Yahoo!

Four Months!

Happy Four Month Birthday, Clayton Scott!!

You are growing so much! This past month held a lot of really wonderful firsts for you! First off, you rolled over from back to front! This was a major accomplishment for you at such a young age! Now we can't put you anywhere without you wanting to roll over! You also gave us your first big laughs! We were sitting around Grandma's kitchen one day after lunch and Gia had you just rolling laughing! It was the sweetest sounds we had ever heard! Daddy was able to get it on video with his phone! You now will laugh for us when you are in the mood and we just love hearing it every time!

We started putting you in your exersaucer this month, and so far you really like it! You still can't sit up in the middle, so you lean to the front. This still allows you to play (or munch on!) all of the toys! You can even kick off the bottom and bounce yourself up and down! It won't be long until you are in that thing non-stop!

We were very busy this month, and took you all over the US! Ok, not really, but it sure did feel like it! We traveled to San Antonio to see Opa, Oma, Uncle Adam, Uncle Kevin, and Sarah! Gia came along to visit and help babysit you! It was a great weekend! We also took you this past weekend for your first airplane ride! We flew to Las Vegas from Midland so that we could visit your Uncles, and so we could go to a horse show in Flagstaff! You were SUCH a good baby! You didn't cry at all on the plane! Everyone around us commented on how good you were! Mommy was very nervous about flying with you, but as always, you showed us what an outstanding baby you are! The horse show was a lot of fun and everyone thought you were so cute! You loved hanging out with Nana and Aunt Kassie and Kristen. You also got to meet Auntie Diwen when we were in Vegas! She gave you the cutest little giraffe named Nigel! He'll be a good buddy of yours!

We celebrated your first 4th of July this month... but it was very different from the 4th's we are used to. This year, since it hasn't rained in forever, we had to watch fireworks on TV. Bummer! We had Pop & Gia and Jade & Omer over for hot dogs and snacks. It was still fun, just not what we are used to! You had a super cute onesie though! ;-) Mommy made sure you were dressed patriotically!

You are constantly moving! You really are quite the little wiggle worm! Like I said before, we can't lay you anywhere without you rolling over. Plus, you recently decided that laying on your tummy was for the birds, and so have started to tuck your knees up under you and push off!!! You're on your way to crawling already! Mommy is going through some serious "where did my baby go?!" moments! Mommy and Daddy need to baby-proof the house because it won't be too long until you're mobile! You really are advanced for your age!

Playing with Max!

Teething has been an issue, and this past week you really had a rough go of it. By rough I mean you were slightly fussier than normal! ;-) Your hands are ALWAYS in your mouth.... if your paci is not! You stick everything that is in your hand in your mouth as well. We have a "book" that is just pictures and crinkly paper. It is your favorite! It made the long plane ride bearable and you love to play with it and stick it in your mouth! We have tried to give you teethers but you still don't want to hold them. Mommy thinks you have a small mouth or something! ;-)

See? Hands in mouth! ;-)

You still love your swing, love bath time, and love looking outward. I don't know if I mentioned it last month of not but you do not like to be held like a baby anymore. Unless of course you are realllly tired! You do like be snuggled and put to sleep with your Douglas (Douglas is your little horse lovey).

Definitely not ready for a sibling, huh? ;-)

You still eat great and this past month we bumped you up to 6 ounces at a time! Wow! You eat it without a problem most of the time! You still eat every 4 hours during the day, but have been letting us go 8 to 12 hours at night! Woo hoo! You still wake up once a night around 4am or so, but Mommy has been putting your paci back in and you fall back asleep. We still have not moved you to your crib since you don't sleep all night. We're hoping that once you start rice cereal here soon that you will sleep better. You're starting to outgrow the cradle, so we need to move you soon! You move so much that we always find you in different positions when you wake up. When you're in a pack-n-play you will turn 180 degrees just by kicking yourself around! It's really funny!

Most of your clothes are finally 3-6 month. However, you can still wear a bunch of your 0-3 onesies, or your just 3 month ones. We only bumped you up the size about midway through this month. Some of the 3-6 clothes are too loose on your body, and the PJ's are a little long. You wear a size 2 diaper very comfortably, so we won't have to move you for a bit! When Mommy weighed you at home you were about 14 1/2 lbs. We won't go to the doctor for another week and a half (thanks to back-to-school), so we won't have any official measurements until then!

Every month, every day, we thank God for you. You are such a blessing. You are the happiest baby and we are so happy that you are ours! We are so grateful! Can't wait to see what next month holds!

We love you more and more each day.... if that is even truly possible! =)

Happy Birthday, my sweet baby boy. I love you!

Love,
Mommy

One year ago...

July 16, 2010 - I woke up at my Aunt's house in New York and decided that I really wanted to see if our round of clomid had worked. So, I went to the bathroom before anyone was awake and took my pregnancy test. MUCH to my shock it came back positive!!!!! After countless negative pregnancy tests I was finally staring back at a positive. Wow!

I think it's awesome that my one year ago story just so happens to coincide with the "Show us your life" on Kelly's Corner! Here is our story of how I shared the wonderful news!

The first person that I told was of course my husband. All throughout our TTC I would almost always take the pregnancy test and we would read the results together. Sometimes I would take the test by myself, but my husband was always in the near vicinity. We had grand visions of it being a really sweet and romantic time, but after taking so many dang pregnancy tests the "glamour" of it all seemed to slip away. Regardless, after taking this test I couldn't get to my husband fast enough to tell him the news! It was still really early in the morning but I went into our room and woke him up by telling him "Hunny... wake up... LOOK!". He groggily opened his eyes and soon after opening them wide enough to read the pregnancy test that was now shoved in his face, he got really excited and helped share my joy!

The first person that we told was my mom. I had to call her. She knew I was going to be testing and so I called her right away. I forgot the time change between New York and California though.. oops.. so it was a little early in the morning but she was excited none the less! The second person we told was my best friend Cristina. She also knew we were testing and when she texted me and asked I just couldn't keep it from her! Cristina even helped by telling me to take another test right then to really solidify if it was true. Sure enough, test number two came back a quick positive!

We decided that we would share the news with the rest of our family members in a more special way. We bought picture frames that said "A grandchild is a gift from above, one to cherish and to love". We took out the fake picture and wrote on the back "Photo to arrive somewhere around March 27, 2011. Love, Kristen, Darren, and BABY Hillger". We then wrapped up the frames and left one for my dad in San Antonio, then took the other back with us to Garden City (we came home from New York a day before my dad, making that possible). Giving the photo frame was so much fun. When Darren's parents opened it his mom busted out crying. When my dad opened his he called and introduced himself as Gramps on the phone, haha.

Telling our siblings was not as exciting because they all live in different places, and none are near us. We called all of them and told them the news. Of course they were all excited to be uncles/aunts!

We decided that we were ok with telling the facebook world before our first trimester was over, so we waited until after our first doctor's appointment. Once we had the ultrasound and saw that all was healthy, we took the pictures and posted them on facebook. We were overwhelmed with the response from all of our friends!

I still remember July 16, 2010 like it was yesterday. Our lives changed that day and we have been the happiest people in the world ever since! We love our son so much, and he is such a blessing!!!!

A "calling" of sorts

This past month or two my nearly entire family on the Hillger side has passed around and read Heaven is for real. If you haven't read it, I definitely suggest it! I don't know if it was reading the book, trying to prepare myself better for being a CCD teacher, or just a "calling" from God, but... I have decided that I really want to read the entire Bible. All one bazillion pages! ;-) I am experiencing a strong desire to read and understand all of the stories. I feel as if I am a good Christian, but I know there is always more that I can do to strengthen my faith and further increase my relationship with God. I'm excited about this new goal. I've ALWAYS been a goal-driven individual. Now, here's just another thing to add to my plate! (Not like I had sooo much free time or anything! ha! For instance it's 11pm and I just got little boy to bed, and should be sleeping myself!). I've been trying to find the perfect version to read, because I do not think I'd make it through the Catholic bible that I have. It's too hard to read on a daily basis. I've found two options that I like, but I'm still not sure. Any suggestions would be very appreciated! 

Wish me luck on my new journey! I can't wait! =)

On a ROLL!!

13 weeks 6 days old, and Clayton rolled from back to front! I'm so proud of him! He uses all leg and stomach muscles, so it's pretty entertaining! The first day he rolled over, he rolled a total of 13 times! We're not bragging or anything, but we think he's amazing! We were so impressed when at 12 weeks he rolled from front to back, but he since then quit. However, now apparently he has moved on to bigger and better tricks! ;-) hehe...

Now you can't leave him anywhere on his back without him rolling over. To make matters more interesting, he doesn't like being on his tummy that much... so as to why he constantly rolls over, we're not sure! ;-) I was able to get a bit of video today of him rolling! He's so cute! Just flips right over!

Three Months!

Happy Three Month Birthday, Clayton Scott!

You are still changing and growing daily, and amazing everyone around you. This month has been a fun month as you experienced more firsts and you really starting interacting with us. No more sleeping baby! You like to be awake and alert so that you don't miss anything!

One major first was that you rolled over for the first time at exactly 12 weeks old! Nana and Auntie K were babysitting you at the house and Auntie K witnessed you roll over from your belly to your back. They thought you had done it before so didn't make a big deal about it. When they told Mommy and Daddy we couldn't believe it! At 12 weeks and 3 days you rolled over 4 times though so that Mommy and Daddy could watch, and of course, video tape it! You try to roll over from your back to your front, which is a really big development, but you just aren't quite there yet! With assistance, such as holding on to our finger, you can flip yourself over! You are so strong!

You love to sit up and look around at the world. You no longer want to be held "like a baby" in the cradle hold because you'd rather be able to see what's going on! This makes Mommy sad because you're growing up tooooo fast! You sit up really well when we're holding you and can sit in your bumbo seat. For some reason though you don't like the bumbo too much... we'll see how it goes as you get bigger and stronger. Sometimes you even try to sit up while in your bouncer, silly boy!

You still come to work with us, and you spend all day playing on your activity mat, playing in your bouncer, or being passed around between Pop and Gia. Everyone loves having you at the office every day, even if you distract us a little bit. You're so easy though! Since you never cry it is like you're hardly there!

This whole month you really became stronger and you hold your head up so high when you're having tummy time. You hardly ever lay it down now. You prop yourself up on your elbows and arch your back. You also recently started to really understand the concept of eye-hand coordination. You will look at an object and then move your hands towards it and try to grab it. So far you only hit the object, unless it's small enough for you to grasp. Most toys are still too big, but your links and any pull chains on toys are the perfect size for your tiny fingers to wrap around! You LOVE holding on to things! Right now you are sleeping in your bouncer and you still have a firm grasp on your links! ;-)

This past weekend, right around 12 weeks, we noticed that you were showing signs of teething. You were drooling a lot more and you had your hands in your mouth constantly!!! You weren't fussy though, because, seriously, you are never fussy. Nana stuck her finger in your mouth one day and - what do you know - you had a tooth coming in already! It is one of your bottom incisors, which is a strange tooth to be poking out so soon.. haha. Gia thinks it will go back down some and let the normal first teeth start to come in. This whole week you've still had your hands in your mouth non-stop, but luckily you're still not sucking your thumb. Mommy is pretty lenient with the paci though!

Getting so big!

We are finally getting you into a sort-of routine. You surprised us and slept through the night at 12 weeks, but this past week you gave up on us. Darn!! ;-) You are however sleeping from about 11 until 5am, so that gives Mommy a little bit of a break! We were hoping that you'd continue to sleep through the night so that we could finally move you to your nursery. Oh well! It will happen soon!

Last development is that you are starting to really, almost, giggle!!! Today was the closest that we have heard! You were "giggling" at Pop, of course! ;-) You think he's sooo silly! We are still waiting for you to just bust out laughing or giggling. You are getting so close! We might could count today as your first giggles... but Mommy didn't get it on video, haha, so we'll see!

Now for some "firsts" that aren't classified in the books as any major development, but we were excited about them! You had your first out of state trip! We traveled to Ruidoso, New Mexico for Colby & Cameron's wedding and the Frerich family reunion. It was so much fun and you were SUCH a good baby! You were passed around from person to person and you thought nothing of it! You even were so good in the carseat - the whole 6 hour drive! You definitely impressed everyone and were the cutest baby there!

Mr. Model, hehe...

We also had your first St. Lawrence shin-dig, which was the Halfmann's wedding anniversary, and you took your first trip to Opa's Olive Garden! Haha! Us Farrington's are Olive Garden lovers! Opa loved getting to show you off to everyone at his work! Lastly, you helped celebrate your Daddy's first Father's Day! It was such a wonderful day! You spoiled him (ok, Mommy may have helped!) and he really loved hanging out with you all day! You make us so happy!

You are definitely a water baby! You love swimming! Well, you love being dipped in the water! We took you swimming in Ruidoso and have been to Nancy & Mike's house to swim. Speaking of water.... you were baptized this month! You were the BEST baby during a baptism I think the church has ever seen! You didn't cry at all! Mommy and Daddy were so impressed by you! We were so happy to see you begin your life in the church and can't wait to teach you all about God and how wonderful He is!

Some random fun facts are that you now will always turn your head and look at us when we're talking to you. If someone new comes up and starts talking then you will turn your head to look at them! Also, Nana told you "Where's Daddy" and I promise you... you turned your head and looked at Daddy! We were so impressed! It may have been a fluke, but we know you're a genius! ;-)

Size facts! You're still wearing size 0-3 clothing, but are starting to outgrow some of them. Most onesies still fit but some shorts are getting tight! Your PJ's are almost too short, but not quite yet! You're eating 5-6 ounces every feeding, so you are definitely a growing boy! You are still wearing a size 1 diaper, but they are also almost too small. Mommy needs to buy you the next size up and try them out! You're just the perfect baby size-wise, aren't you?! =) Mommy weighed you today at home and you were about 13 pounds, but the scale isn't quite accurate when we weigh you by weighing Mommy and you, and then just Mommy! hehe..

We still cannot believe that you are here, and that you are our son. We are so incredibly blessed to have you in our lives. You are the perfect baby! Too perfect! I know there must be pay-back eventually! ;-) Maybe when you get a sibling they will be tough to handle! We love you so much. You are our whole world!

Love,
Mommy

Clayton's Baptism

This past weekend, on Saturday June 25th, we baptized Clayton and he began his life as a child of God! We were so blessed to have had Father Francis baptize Clayton at our home parish, St. Lawrence Catholic Church. This is the church where Darren's parents were married, Darren and myself were both baptized, and where we were married. It meant so much to us to have Father Francis do the baptism because I was his first St. Lawrence baptism, and Clayton was his last St. Lawrence baptism. Isn't that awesome?! We are sad to see Father Francis leave us to start his new work in Brownwood. We hope that he'll enjoy his parish there, but he will always be a part of our hearts!

We were so happy that both of my parents were able to come in for the celebration. Out of 5 great grandparents, 3 of them were able to be there! We also had a bunch of other great family members come, and that meant a lot to us! Of course, Trey and Leslie, Clayton's godparents, were there and he was happy to see them!

Clayton was an excellent baby during mass and during his baptism. He slept almost the whole time. Right after Father finished baptizing him, he opened his eyes and I promise you he smiled! It was as if he knew that he was cleansed of original sin! Most babies fuss or cry during the baptism - I mean, wouldn't you if super cold water was poured over your head? But not Clayton! Not our sweet baby boy! He was an angel! =)

After the baptism we went back to our house for a celebration! Scotty (Pop) had cooked some great barbeque chickens, and everyone else pitched in and brought sides and dessert. The meal was excellent! We enjoyed hanging out and talking, and we were treated with a performance from the Hillger band - aka, Mike, Scotty, Darren and Brian! Trey even played and sang a song! It was so fun! Clayton LOVED the music. My dad (Opa) was holding Clayton during the music and as long as the music was going Clayton was a happy camper, but dad said when the music stopped Clayton would fuss a little. Hehe.. he's already a music fan!

We couldn't have asked for a better weekend to celebrate this great and wonderful time in our son's life. Welcome to the Christian family, Clayton! You won't remember this day, but it will be an important part of your life and we wanted you to know all about it!

Now for some pictures! Enjoy, and God Bless!

Daddy and Clayton, with the afghan that was knit for Darren's baptism!

Clayton's godparents, Uncle Trey & Aunt Leslie, and us!

Clayton with his godparents

Us with Father Francis!

Oma & Opa, Us, and Nana!

Pop & Gia, and Us!

With the great-grandparents!

Darren's First Father's Day!

This year Father's Day was a wonderful and joyous day. Last year it just so happened to be my LMP. For any boy readers I decided to abbreviate. ;-) This year Darren had his super cute son to celebrate with! We spent the day rounding out our weekend in Ruidoso. We went to the horse races for some fun and gambling before making the long 6 hour drive back home. We had a lot of fun at the races! I won on both of my bets! I must be good at picking horses.. hehe. We probably only made a few bucks, but it was fun! Clayton was all smiles for his Daddy yesterday! After stopping in Roswell to feed Clayton and get gas, Darren stayed in the backseat just to play with Clayton. It was so sweet! I bought Darren a tervis mug (you know the kind that don't sweat?) that says "Best Dad Ever". I also got him a picture frame that says Dad all over it and put a picture of our cute little 3 person family in it! He also received this book about the... get this... Soviet/Finnish winter war of 1939 that he was been wanting. Hehehe... my little nerd. ;-) So, I think he was pretty satisfied with his gifts! I think the best though was the onesie that I made for Clayton that said "I'm the best father's day present!". He looked so cute and everyone agreed that he definitely was the best present! =)

We feel so blessed to have Clayton in our lives this year. This time last year was such a frustrating time as I was making our appointment with the RE in Lubbock, taking clomid, and we didn't know where the road would take us. It is truly amazing to see how much life has changed in the past year!

A Father's Day post would not be complete without mentioning the other main men in my life. I have the BEST dad, dad-in-law, and step-dad anyone could ask for! They are all such great father's to me and their own kids. =D I love them all!

The Good Life

I know I've been a horrible blogger. It's been nearly two weeks since my last post. Honestly, I have no excuse other than I have been enjoying life. My son is amazing. He is spoiling us with how good he is. He is so easy going and his smiles bring such joy to our lives. We've been enjoying our summer so far! Two weekends ago we went to my dad's house for a visit, and this coming weekend we'll be going to Ruidoso for our Frerich family reunion and Colby's wedding. It'll be Clayton's first out of state trip! I should probably take some pictures of my jeep when it is all packed. I have already made a list of the million things I must remember to bring!

Side note.. in case you were living under a rock yesterday... The Aggies are headed to the College World Series! We BTHO Florida State and are now headed to the CWS for the first time since 1999! WHOOP! (We greatly enjoy all things Aggie sports in our household!)

I promise to update next week with all of the fun happenings of our Ruidoso trip! =) In the mean time, I'm going to keep enjoying my life with my great husband, great son, and great family! Life is good!

Two Months!

 Happy Two Month Birthday, Clayton!

This will be a long letter because you have changed so much in the past month! Every day it seems as if you are bigger, or are learning more things and in turn teaching us new things! You still are the most amazing baby ever. You still hardly ever cry. Seriously. I think you might cry about a total of 1 minute every day, at the most. Usually the only time you cry is when we are feeding you and we stop feeding you to burp you in the middle of the bottle. Sometimes you'll cry when you know you're alone. I am not sure how you know, but you really do! Mommy left the tv on once and left the room and you still managed to know you were by yourself and started crying. It was short though! As soon as you saw Mommy you stopped crying instantly! Other than the short little cries your preferred method of communication is still grunting! You crack us up! We were hoping that you would be cooing by now, but it seems as if you are perfectly happy with your grunts!

This has truly been a month of discovery for you. You have discovered your hands and your tongue! You love to stare at your hands and are trying to figure out just what they are good for! You haven't quite figured them out yet and sometimes you get worked up and they get to really moving! Occasionally you will bonk yourself in the face with one hand if it slips from the other! You still aren't sure how to coordinate them to grab onto your toys, but this morning, on your two month birthday, you grabbed a toy on your swing! Mommy was so impressed! You and your tongue are really funny! You will lick the water when it is poured over your face in the bath! Sometimes you just start sticking your tongue out in anticipation of the water! One day Mommy recorded you playing with your hands and sticking your tongue in and out. It was really funny and captured your new discoveries so well!

You are becoming so more alert now and are really starting to figure out this world! You will turn towards our voices when we talk to you, and you make great eye contact. The best thing too is that you now smile in response to things! It is WONDERFUL. We love your smile SO much! It is so beautiful! You are such a happy baby! You smiled for the first time right after turning one month old. You had started to smile somewhat for Mommy and Daddy at home, but it still wasn't quite in response to something that we said or did. However, one day at work, your Pop asked you if you wanted to "go ride in the back of the pickup" and you apparently thought that was hilarious and burst out into a big grin! Pop and Gia were thrilled to catch this big 'ole smile. Ever since you have smiled non-stop to all kinds of goofy things that we say! You are staying awake so much longer during the day now, so we are able to catch more and more smiles! You stay awake so often that when we were trying to take your newborn photos you wouldn't go to sleep, so we had to postpone! Silly boy!

You had a lot of "firsts" this month! We took you on your first overnight trip and you were such a trooper! We went to Lubbock for Evan's graduation and Liliana's 1st Birthday party! You were such a good baby! Mommy thought it would be hard to travel with you overnight, but you proved that you are super easy! You are SUCH a good traveler! We stick you in your car seat and you almost instantly go to sleep. If you don't then you just entertain yourself. You have NEVER cried in your car seat. A few times you fussed because your pacifier fell out of your mouth, but that was an easy fix! Thank you so much for being a good baby in your car seat.. you have no idea how much easier that makes our lives!!!

Another first was that you got to swim in a pool for the first time! Mommy and Daddy were in San Angelo for Sarah's Birthday party and her parents had a nice big pool! It was 110 degrees outside so we thought it was a good time to let you swim! Daddy took you in and dipped your legs in. At first you thought it was too cold but then after another dip you didn't mind at all! You didn't cry at all! We didn't put you in all of the way because we didn't have a swimsuit for you and your diaper was getting super heavy! ;-) We know that this summer we will have more opportunities to put you in a pool! We didn't doubt that you'd like the water since you like your bath so much!

Some other great things that happened this month were that you started to sleep longer at night, and now know that when you are put in your cradle that it means it is time for bed. Mommy usually feeds you and puts you down around 11 and then you will sleep until around 4 or 5. One night you went 7 hours!!! Now, Mommy must admit, I woke up and checked to make sure you were still breathing! After all, you had never slept that long without waking up to eat! Mommy worries when you do things amazing like that! It is a lot better now that you only get up once in the middle of the night. Now Mommy can get a little more sleep! Once you wake up to eat you normally get to sleep the rest of the night in Mommy & Daddy's bed though... Mommy likes to cheat and knows that you go to sleep super fast when you're in bed with us, so I stick you there and you go right back to sleep, meaning Mommy can go right back to sleep. I promise to not make a habit of it though... or will try not to!

Other news.. You can now hold your head up so well on your own. We will sit you on our knees and you will just stare and smile at us. You also sat in your bumbo chair for about a minute one night, but then were tired. You can raise your head so high on your own! You are even starting to be able to bear weight on your legs when we stand you up. Pop said today that you are such a big boy now because you can do all of this!

You're still great at tooting and burping! You are a true boy! I mentioned to Daddy one day that it would be so strange to us if it were our little girl doing all of these gassy movements, but when you do it, our little stinker, it is funny! However, you are still not very good at pooping! Poor baby! We had to take you to your first unscheduled doctors appointment because you had gone 6 days without a bowel movement. Mommy called the doctor after 2 days, and they told us to wait until 6!! It nearly killed us to wait that long while you were struggling. The doctor had us give you some suppositories and some tummy medicine. They mostly helped but you are still struggling. At your next doctors visit we will figure out what is going on! The doctor also had us switch to a soy based formula, so now you are only getting formula. I was sad to not breastfeed you anymore, but it has been much easier and you have been a happy baby.

We can definitely tell you are getting enough to eat now! You are getting the cutest little fat rolls on your legs and your cheeks, if you can believe it, are even chubbier now! You are so cute!!! Mommy weighed you at home and you were 11 pounds 2 ounces! We'll see what the doctor says tomorrow! Sounds like a good weight to us! We finally moved you up to exclusively 0-3 month clothing this past week. Mommy laid out your PJ's last night and Daddy thought they were too big... but nope, they fit just right! Daddy was sad that you didn't fit into your newborn PJ's anymore. You're growing so fast! It was very sad for Mommy to pack up your newborn clothes already! You're still in a size 1 diaper and they should fit for a while longer. (Hopefully so because Mommy just bought a bunch on amazon for a good price.. hehe!)

All month you have been going with Mommy and Daddy to work. You have been such a good baby! Everyone loves seeing you everyday. When Pop and Gia don't get to see you for more than a day they are super sad! You bring such joy to everyone at the office! We are still getting work done... just get to take a few more breaks now to play with you!

One more problem area has been your neck. You seem to always lean and look to the left (your right). Mommy was slightly worried about this but we're going to talk to the pediatrician and see if there is anything we need to do to help you fix that! A slight problem too has been your paci addiction. hehe... After Mommy really didn't want to give you a pacifier, I did anyway, and now... you want it! You still are a good baby and don't have to have it all day every day, but you sure do relax when you have it! You could be super tense  from tummy pains and we'll give you the paci and you instantly relax! It's kind of funny! We sure hope that you are easy to wean from the paci though, because we don't want you going to kindergarten with it! ;-)

I don't know if I have mentioned your Reveille mobile or not, but that thing is magical! If you are even slightly fussy we can lay you in your crib and turn that on and you just chill and watch the mobile! We think it is because it is Texas A&M related and it plays the War Hymn... you're a great Aggie already! You like all music, really. You love listening to Daddy and Pop play their guitars, and love when Mommy puts music on in the office or in the car.

Gia brought out Daddy's baby book and we looked at pictures of him and you when you were both babies.... You look JUST like Daddy. Same hair, same face, same everything! Don't worry, it's a good thing... your Daddy is super handsome! It's neat to see how much you look like him. Now we know you will be cute as you grow! Like we had any doubts!

The other day when we were driving home your Daddy said that we were so lucky to have you as a baby... for the fact that you are such a good baby, and for just having you in our lives. We feel so incredibly blessed to be your parents. You are such a joy! We prayed so long for you, and we know that God was smiling on us when he brought us you. We can't wait to teach you all about God. He is so amazing and works in such mysterious ways!

We love you, Clayton. You are truly a blessing and the light of our lives.

Love,
Mommy

Our first overnight trip, and more!

This past weekend we headed up to Lubbock to watch our friend Evan become Dr. Evan, and to attend Liliana's 1st Birthday party! It was such a great weekend, but a little sad since they are now moving to Little Rock for Evan's Urology Residency. We are going to miss having them only a short drive away! Anyway... you should have seen me packing on Thursday night. It was quite amusing. This was our first overnight trip with Clayton, so you can imagine I packed everything but the kitchen sink! I mean, we were staying in a big town and all... it's not like it would have been the end of the world if I forgot something! ;-) I packed two diaper bags, a big duffle bag for myself and Darren, the pack n play, stroller, formula and 6 bottles, bathing necessities just in case, 5 outfits for Clayton, and then all of the things we were bringing to the party/graduation. The pickup was loaded down! Did I mention this was a one night trip? We were gone for just over 24 hours! hehe...

The graduation was Friday afternoon and even after Clayton had been in his car-seat all morning he was an amazing baby. We even had strangers come up to us after graduation was over and compliment us on what a great baby he was. We know! ;-) Evan was hooded as Dr. Evan Lacefield by his amazing wife, Cristina! She had the privilege of hooding him since she has her JD. After graduation we all went to Ruby Tequilas and had an amazing fajita dinner and spent time talking and congratulating Evan! Clayton was a hit, especially with the Grandma's! =) He was so happy to be passed around and snuggled! After the party we headed back to Uncle Trey and Aunt Leslie's house so they could have some time with Clayton and so we could get some shut-eye!

Saturday morning we got up and went to Cristina & Evan's house for Liliana's First Birthday party!! I still can't believe that she is already a year old! Liliana looked beautiful and super cute as always! She was so good while opening her presents! Then it was time for the smash cake! Her party was cupcake themed so Cristina and Evan's mom had made Liliana a giant cupcake to smash. She tore into it! It was pretty funny! I think she wanted to eat the whole thing! Clayton slept through the excitement.. go figure! But, he was mentally preparing himself for his own 1 year birthday which is in 10 short months! (At the rate that time is flying by right now I am already preparing myself for this occasion!). For Liliana's present I had made her a book on shutterfly with pictures from her first year of life. It was a big hit! I had 4 more orders from people wanting copies! I should start a business! ;-) We also gave her an A&M dress and I told Darren I was going to buy myself one just in case we ever had a girl because I thought it was so cute! We had a great little trip but it was sad to leave Cristina, Evan, and Liliana. We'll be visiting soon though! We must!

Other than traveling a bunch, we've been watching Clayton grow like a weed! He's going to be 2 months old in 6 days! OMG! He is filling our lives with such joy. He smiles at us so often! We are going to do his baptism in June, so this weekend we have to go through the baptismal classes for sponsors and parents. His godparents are going to be Uncle Trey and Aunt Leslie! Lucky kid! Nana (my mom) is going to come visit for the baptism, so we can't wait!!!

This summer is going to be very busy for us, but after our "trial run" of traveling this weekend, we are confident that it will be a great summer! Here's a small glimpse of what's on our plate: San Antonio, Ruidoso, Las Vegas/Kingman/Flagstaff, Dallas, Little Rock! Whew!!!!

Oh, a side note.. please pray for rain. It has been so horribly dry here and windy. The wildfires have been out of control. Last week Darren was gone for over 10 hours fighting a huge fire at the county line. I love that he is a volunteer firefighter, but it also scares the crap out of me! So, pray for rain! =)

Just call me Mrs. Multi-tasker...

I have to toot my own horn here for a little bit. I feel really accomplished! This semester I managed to accomplish the following: Work full time (often 40+ hours), Teach CCD classes (an hour plus every week), Grow a baby, HAVE a baby, and complete 3 hours of my graduate degree. All of this and I STILL managed to get an A in my class! I am so pumped! This course was terrible. I took a course called Program Evaluation and basically it was a research class on how evaluations are done and why. It was so boring, not to mention since it was online I had to read the book and teach myself everything. We had a major project that spanned the entire semester. One of the deadlines was the day before Clayton was born. So, yes, I was BUSY. I am excited because I feel like I know I can handle grad school and having Clayton now. I know that I may be a little crazy at times to think that I can get all of this done, and I do realize the stress that it puts on my life. Grad school has been a major goal of mine and I am so glad that I am getting the opportunity to meet this goal. I couldn't have done any of this though without my wonderful husband and all of his help.

Right now I happen to be watching tv, blogging, and rocking Clayton all at the same time. Hehe.. multi-task much? ;-)

6 weeks already!

Yesterday marked 6 weeks since our little boy made his appearance into this world! Time is seriously, SERIOUSLY, flying by! He is changing daily and it is so much fun to watch him grow. I feel so blessed that he is able to come to work with me or else I'd feel like I was missing all of these changes! He is now smiling a lot and awake for longer periods of time. It's a little challenging to entertain him, since he still can't play with toys, but for the most part it's not been too hard! I wish my mom were still here though to see all of this new personality that he is sharing with us. I miss her!!!

At 6 weeks postpartum you go back for a checkup to make sure that you healed, you know, down there... and to make sure your cervix/uterus are back to normal. My appointment went well and I got the clean bill of health from Carylon! Of course little Clayton had to come with me so that everyone could see him and so Carylon could get a little time with him!

I've still been struggling with breastfeeding. I get frustrated with my supply, which makes me not even want to pump as much as I should. It's a double edged sword for sure because as I feed him more formula, my supply keeps decreasing. I need to be pumping every two hours and drinking myself silly (water people, water!), but I just haven't yet. I get sad when I think about not being able to give him breastmilk, but then I don't do anything about it... what the heck?! I came to this realization the other day... my body seriously does not know how to be a mother. It took medicine to get me pregnant. It took medicine to get me un-pregnant. And now I can barely breastfeed. What is going on?! I pray that my body has realized how to handle all of these things and that it all goes better with our next child.

In other news, we're trying to nail down a date for Clayton's baptism. It's been difficult because we're about to play "priest roulette". Our priest, Father Francis, has been gone learning Spanish in some South American country for the past 6 months. When he returns he will only be here for less than a month before they are shipping him off to another parish. Father Q, who we have had since Father Francis left, will only be here a short while longer before they are shipping him off. I would love for Father Francis to get to do the baptism, as he baptized me and married us! However, I also really like Father Q! I just really would not like a stranger to baptize him. I know it really doesn't matter but I just feel as if it would be better to know the priest. Hopefully we can get a date soon! My mom is going to get to come back to visit when he is baptized, so the sooner the better! =)

6 weeks.... It all is happening so fast. It feels like my pregnancy dragged on, and now that he is here time is just flying! It's true when they tell you to cherish every moment of every day!!!

My First Mother's Day

Yesterday I celebrated my first Mother's Day with my husband and son. I feel so incredibly blessed to have been given the gift of being a mother. I couldn't help but remember all day how I felt this time last year. I remember how my heart ached because I was not a mother yet. I remember praying that I would become a mother, and now my prayers have been answered and I have a beautiful, sweet, wonderful baby boy.

After church with my son and our eternal mother, Mary!

My day was interesting to say the least! Darren was super sweet and bought me a Willow Tree statue that is called "Our Gift", which is of a mom, dad, and their new baby. He also gave me a very sweet card with the most loving words written inside. I also received a card from my brothers and their girlfriends that had a "New Mom" pin attached to the front. I admit, I teared up a little when I opened the card from them! It was so sweet of them to think of me! We got up and got ready for church first thing. Once we got to church our day turned.. well... read on. We parked and I got out first, trying to open the back door to get the diaper bag out. Darren was still getting out of the front so I knocked and told him to unlock the back. He hit the button, threw the keys back in the seat (since we don't ever need to lock our vehicle out in GC), then shut his door. Well..... the back door was not unlocked, and he had in fact hit the lock button. Our keys were now locked in the car. And that's not the worst of it... Clayton was still in his car seat in the back. Cue panic attack! Darren called our deputy (One of the many benefits of living in a small town is that we know all law enforcement!). Scott literally hauled butt out there to us since Darren told him that Clayton was still in the car. He made it in less than 10 minutes to St. Lawrence and was able to get the jeep unlocked in about a minute. Hooray! Clayton was happily sitting in his car seat, looking around. =) What a good baby! SOOO, we were a tad late to church but still enjoyed the service. At the end of the mass they had all of the mothers come up for a special blessing and to receive a rose. It was so nice to get to go up there! After church we went to the in-laws house for some lunch. Another interesting moment... Somehow the grill started fire and our food was charred. It was still edible but it was a little scary for a second because the flames were so high! We enjoyed our meal over there and spending time with Darren's parents. We then came home and were lazy and lounged around our house. Poor Clayton was still not pooping as of yesterday so was slightly fussier than normal. Regardless he was still cute and smiled at me a few times which made the day even better!

All in all it really was a great day... more so for the fact that I am a mother now. I really don't care about the presents and what not.. it was just so nice to spend the day with those that I love the most! I wish my mom was still here to celebrate with her though!

Speaking of those that I love the most... I have the best mom and mother in law in the whole world. They really are. Both of them are amazing mothers and are so loving. They are such great role models for me, and I hope to be half as great a mother as they are.

Love this photo!

 I can't wait to celebrate Mother's Day for years to come. I know that each year I will remember how truly blessed I am. I continue to pray for all of those out there who are still waiting to become a mother. I hope all of your mothers had a wonderful day! Count your blessings!

One Month

Happy One Month Birthday, Clayton!

We can't believe that you have already been in our lives for a whole month now! It seems like just yesterday we were pacing back and forth, waiting for contractions to start! You have changed so much in the past month, yet you are still the same gorgeous baby. You light up our lives, and I know that sounds cheesy, but you really do!

Let's see what your first month held... Well, of course, you were brought home from the hospital to our house - a major achievement! You had your first doctors appointment and were right on the growth chart for both height and weight. As the doctor said, you were perfectly normal! We were worried about your bili levels at first, but luckily they went down and you did not have to spend any time under the lights! We gave you your first bath, which you did not like! However, once we figured out that you just don't want to be cold, you haven't cried since! Now you enjoy bath time! You try to roll over when you're on your tummy, but your arms aren't quite strong enough yet so you don't make it all of the way. You do however manage to squirm around so much in your crib or cradle that you are turned about 45 degrees from the position we put you in when we go to pick you up, so you are definitely strong!

You are really a good baby. You hardly every cry, which makes Mommy and Daddy super happy! We've only ever heard you cry a few times, and even then it is only for less than a minute. We are very blessed! You are finally starting to eat every 4 to 5 hours. At the beginning you would only go about every 2 hours. You are still breastfeeding, but we also supplement with formula. This helps your tummy and helps you sleep better at night. You are starting to stay awake for longer periods during the day and we love to interact with you. You stare into our eyes and make all of your little grunting noises.

You think you're a lot older than you are because you held your head on your own at about 4 days old, and have moved it pretty well ever since. When we lay you on our chests you can lift your head and look around, then put it down gently. You also try to crawl off of us when you're on our chests. That is your favorite position to lay in. You love to snuggle on someones chest... usually Daddy's! You're a great baby too because you take a pacifier, but you don't have to always have it. Mommy was reluctant to give you your paci at first, but figured it was easier to take the paci away then your fingers... which, by the way, you found your thumb and sucked on it at 4 days old!

You were soooo blessed to have had your Nana stay with us all month. You love your Nana very much! She always knows what to do when your tummy hurts, and she sings you the best songs! You had so many visitors this month because everyone wanted to come see you! You're pretty special, seeing as you are the first grandbaby for both sets of grandparents! Your Pop and Gia come over just about every other day to visit you and you always love time with them!

Growth wise you are still wearing newborn clothes, but can fit into some 0-3 sized clothes. You are just about to outgrow the newborn sized diapers, but the size 1 are still pretty dang big on you, so we're not quite sure what to do! You definitely know how to go through the diapers!! Mommy and Daddy have finally figured out how to efficiently change you, so you no longer pee all over us and our bedspread!

You still get the hiccups at least twice a day. You had them all of the time in Mommy's tummy, so we were not surprised! Most of the time you don't mind them, but every once in a while they will make you mad. But, like I said, you don't cry very often, so it is mostly just more grunts!

Speaking of grunting noises (as I listen to you make them right now), you make them all of the time! Even in your sleep. Mommy had to learn that you were not always awake when you made the noises! You are sleeping in our room right now because your room is upstairs. We thought you would not ever sleep in your cradle because you don't like laying flat (thank you gassy tummy), but we made a little wedge out of blankets and now you don't mind sleeping there! You did sleep in your bouncer for about a week because Mommy did not know what to do anymore! Sorry!

You bring so much joy into our lives and we cannot even remember what life was like without you! Ok, maybe that is a lie! But, our lives are so much better now that you are here! We love you so much and can't wait to watch you grow! Your future mother-in-law, Cristina, is writing letters to your future bride, Liliana, so that is where Mommy got the idea to write to you! Now you will have a great documented memory of your life!!

Love,
Mommy