growing the goodwins

Last Day of School...Bittersweet!!!

2011-05-27T13:55:00.000-05:00

Max's last day of MDO was yesterday. I can't believe that this "school year" is already over! MDO has been such a blessing to us. We have thoroughly enjoyed the program, Max's teachers, my alone time (Until Hadley arrived. Ha!), Max's friends (especially Ethan!!!), and all the wonderful times Max has had at MDO.

Can you believe that Max was barely walking when he started MDO last August?!

Look how different he looks!!!

He doesn't look like a baby any more :(

Such a BIG boy!!! He is definitely a full-blown toddler now!

So bittersweet!!!

I LOVE the little boy that he has become,

but at the same time I miss my little baby!

Max has changed so much over these past 9 months! I am amazed each & every day by this little guy!!! He is so much fun, even in the defiant times!

Max has become such a confident, curious, silly, mischievous, loving, giggly, caring, sharing, engaging, independent, menacing, sweet, and charming little boy.

(Just to name a few of his qualities that I find endearing!)

I could go on & on about my love for this little guy!

If I loved him anymore, my heart would explode!!!

This is his best buddy Ethan. So sweet!

This is his very first little friend.

Max's teachers always comment on how much fun they have together just giggling and playing!

LOVE it!

This is Max with Ms. Cindy & Ms. Serenity.

I will be forever grateful for these two for loving on my baby boy each day that he was in their care. I know wholeheartedly that he was in the best hands! Thank you is never enough!!!

We are so sad that Max does not get to go back to Little Life Academy next year because of our move, but we know that God has a plan and He will provide another school that we love just as much!

Hadley is 4 Months!!!

2011-05-06T14:21:00.000-05:00

Hadley turned 4 months old on Wednesday, May 4th!!!

I know that I have not posted for Hadley's 1st, 2nd, OR 3rd months yet, but I wanted to go ahead and post this one while everything was fresh on my mind. The first 3 months are forthcoming though!

I am going to do the "Watch Me Grow" chronicle with Hadley, just as I did with Max. For Hadley's "Watch Me Grow," I am using this oh-so-adorable cupcake bear that I just LOVE!!! It is not just any bear though...it has a super-special name. Any guesses??? It is a Boyd's Bear!!! Neat, huh?! (In case you are not following: this is special because Hadley's middle name is Boyd. And, Boyd is Daniel's Mom's maiden name. See...special!)

{Side Note:We chose Max's monkey for his chronicle because his sweet cousin Eliza called him "Max the Monkey" before he was born.}

All Things Hadley at 4 Months:

Dr.'s Appointment: We went for your 4-month check-up on Thursday (yesterday) and you weighed a little over 10 lbs. (2%); you measured 24.25 inches in length (51%); and your head circumference was 15 inches (1%). You are super-low on the percentile for weight, but Max was even lower at his 4-month, so I think you guys are just small in the beginning and then level out as you get older. Dr. T was not worried, so long as you continue to stay on your curve.
Eating: You are still nursing exclusively. Probably around 8-12 times a day. Every 2-3.5 hours. You have had a handful of bottles and you do just fine. Dr. T said that we could start you on cereal, but I am going to hold off until closer to 6 months. (That's the plan anyway!) Dr. T also suggested that we try to draw out the time between your feedings, which is fine by this Mama!
Sleeping: Needs Improvement! You were only waking once or twice for a couple of weeks, but for the past couple of weeks, you are waking every.two.hours like clock-work. What is going on?! Mama needs some zzzz's! I think you are in a growth spurt, so I am hoping this will pass soon. We have been putting you down between 6:30-7:30 and you usually get up for good around 8-8:30. You usually take two longer naps 1-2.5 hours each--one in the morning and one in the afternoon. You typically fall to sleep pretty easily and sleep really good once you are asleep.
Activity: You rolled over from you back to your tummy when you were about 15 weeks! You did it once in the Einstein Tunnel (one of my very fave toys for infants!) and you also rolled over a couple of nights ago when we tried to put you down for the night unswaddled. Um, we decided to wait on weaning from the swaddling for a bit! You have been talking/cooing/babbling/whooing for the longest time! You love, love, love to talk!!! (Uh-oh...we may be in trouble!) You can hold your head really high when doing tummy time and even hold your chest up off the ground for a bit. You love to be in the standing position. (And, boy, do you have some loooong legs...lucky girl!)
Misc.: Everyone comments on your sweet smile and your kind eyes. You look just like your daddy! I can already tell that you are such a sweet soul. You are the most laid-back baby ever! You really are super-easy. You are just the sweetest thing!!! You love to be held and loved on. I can't kiss your sweet little face enough!

We are all just smitten with this little doll face! She is in one of her many Easter/Bunny/Spring outfits here. It has a fuzzy bunny on it, and of course a tutu!

Such a sweet little thing!!!

This one and the one below were taken on 5/4. She is really starting to look more and more like her Daddy! Yay!

Bath time is one of Hadley's fave times of the day :) We give her a bath each night as part of the bedtime routine.

We love you more than words can describe Hadley Boyd!!! You make our days so much brighter with your sweet, sweet smile!!!

Easter Day

2011-04-24T21:20:00.000-05:00

We have had a wonderful weekend celebrating our Savior!
Today, we celebrated Easter with just our little family. We went to church this morning & were blessed by a wonderful sermon! After church, we went and ate lunch--just the four of us. When we got back home we took a few pics to remember our day by (and, Hadley's very FIRST Easter!!!).

My sweet family!!!

Max loves his little sister :)

Happy 1st Easter Hadley!!!

Happy 2nd Easter Max!!!

The Easter Bunny also visited and left Max & Hadley some goodies!
Max & Hadley's Grandma (my Mom) and Grandmum (Daniel's Mom) got them some Easter goodies too!!! Thanks Grandma & Grandmum!

{Below are the lyrics to one of my all-time favorite songs.
I thought it was an appropriate one to share on Easter! Enjoy!}

"Christ Has Risen" by Matt Maher
Let no one caught in sin remain
Inside the lie of inward shame
But fix our eyes upon the cross
And run to Him who showed great love
And bled for us
Freely You've bled for us

Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave

Beneath the weight of all our sin
You bowed to none but heaven's will
No scheme of hell, no scoffer's crown
No burden great can hold You down
In strength You reign
Forever let Your church proclaim

O death, where is your sting?
O hell, where is your victory?
O church, come stand in the light
The glory of God has defeated the night

O death, where is your sting?
O hell, where is your victory?
O church, come stand in the light
Our God is not dead
He's alive! He's alive!

Hadley's 3-month Sneak Peek

2011-04-18T11:28:00.000-05:00

Lindsey came on Saturday to do Hadley's 3-month pictures.

She got some reeeeaaaally cute ones ;)

I am so glad we purchased the One-Year Plan package she offers! It is a built-in reminder to take pictures of my kiddos!!!

Enjoy!

Hadley's Birth Story & Announcement

2011-04-12T14:49:00.001-05:00

Hadley Boyd Goodwin was born on January 4, 2011 at 8:28 a.m. at St. Vincent's in Little Rock, AR

This is her Birth Story.

It was a typical Monday evening at our house. It was going on 8 p.m. and Daniel & I were getting Max bathed and ready for bed. I felt great the whole day, but when we were giving Max a bath, I started feeling a little different. I was not in pain, nor did I feel sick. It was just different. I told Daniel I wasn't sure what was going on...maybe the beginnings of labor?! Once we got Max bathed, I started feeling a lot of pressure in my lower abdomen and tightening of my stomach. I told Daniel what I was feeling and we both just blew it off as if I was experiencing Braxton-Hicks. So, 10 p.m. rolled around and I was feeling the same as I had been the last 1 1/2 hours. We just went to bed as normal. Around 1:30 a.m. I woke up and felt more pressure and stronger contractions. I was still not in any pain, so I tried to rest. I slept off and on until about 3:30 a.m. and then I decided to go downstairs and rest on the couch so that I wouldn't disturb Daniel. At that point I figured that I was probably in the early stages of labor, but that I probably had a ton of time until the baby would come being that I labored for 29 hours with Max. So I decided that I would just rest/sleep as much as possible. Around 4/4:30 a.m. my contractions were getting stronger and more frequent, so I decided that I should wake Daniel & tell him that we should probably head to the hospital. I am not sure what happened at this point, but it was as if the baby knew that we were headed to the hospital because the contractions really kicked in at this point!

I got Daniel up and he, of course, asked if he had time to take a shower. Um, sure, I will just hang out down here and labor a little more while you shower. Ha! Lucky for him, my Mom had to come and stay with Max, so he had time for his shower. I called my Mom and she said she would be right over. She only lives about 15 minutes from our house, so I was super relieved that she would be there shortly. I am quite certain that Daniel's shower was an eternity, as well as, the time it took my Mom to get to our house! Ha! Because I was no longer in denial that I was in labor at that point! (Only kidding...I have the best husband and Mom a girl could ask for!!!)The contractions were the knock-you-to-the-ground kind and they were coming hard and fast. As soon as Daniel got out of the shower, I politely asked him to call my Mom again to see where she was. She said she was almost to our house. Thank you Jesus!

Daniel and I arrived at the hospital around 5:30 a.m. and I was in a lot of pain and felt really nauseated. We entered the hospital through the ER and thankfully there was no one in the waiting area. I found the nearest trash bin and propped myself up against it while Daniel talked to the check-in lady. She finally called someone down to help us get up to Labor & Delivery. The nice man pushed my as slow as humanly possible. It was obvious that neither the man escorting us upstairs, nor the check-in lady had ever experienced birth, because they were taking their sweet time! I was feeling the worst pain I had ever felt and I felt so, so nauseated all at the same time. Not a good combination! When we got upstairs to L & D, I saw a familiar face...it was the SAME nurse that helped me deliver Max! Nurse Linda was fabulous during my delivery with Max. She stayed with me the whole time and even stayed after her shift to see us through. At this point I was not very friendly and did not feel like reliving my first birth with Nurse Linda, so I just told her that she helped with my first birth. This time, though, Nurse Linda was taking care of one or two other patients, so she could not give me her full attention. I immediately asked for an epidural this time. It felt like an eternity before they checked to see how much I was dilated and effaced. When Nurse Linda finally checked me I was 100% effaced and 8 c.m. dilated. Whoa! No wonder I was in such pain!!! She hurried things up to get me an epidural at this point. The anesthesiologist came and all was good after that! (I still had some feeling on my left side, but Nurse Linda said that was so I could feel to push.)

Around 7 a.m. or so my OB, Dr. Garner, came to visit with me. I was so super glad that he was going to be there to deliver Hadley, just as he had delivered Max. Although I couldn't fully feel the contractions at this point, I could feel them enough to know when they were beginning and ending. They were coming faster and stronger. Nurse Linda decided that we would do a few test pushes. I pushed once and she called Dr. Garner in. He got all his gear in order (very casually and slowly, I might add) and prepared for the delivery. I did not have to push very long at all and Dr. Garner said that Hadley's head had crowned. I could really feel this part. A whole lot of pressure! After a couple of more pushes, our sweet baby Hadley was born!!! She was perfect. They laid her on my chest and I fell in love right then and there!

Here is the front and back of Hadley's Birth Announcement

(Lindsey with Lindsey Faith Photography designed the Announcement)

Can you believe that I sent these out just last week?!

Of course you can...I am just now posting about Hadley's birth story and she is already over 3 months old :)

House for Sale: 2312 Breckenridge Drive

2011-04-01T21:14:00.000-05:00

$164,900

2312 Breckenridge Drive

Little Rock, AR 72227

Beautifully updated home in great West Little Rock location. 1615 sq. ft. Open floor plan. Large master suite with sitting area. Covered rear patio. Easy access to I-430. Neighborhood has very nice park with swimming pool, tennis courts, and playground.

3 Bedroom/2.5 Bath
2-Car Garage
Hardwood Floors
Crown Molding throughout
All New Interior Paint
Gas Fireplace
Sprinkler System
Fully-fenced Backyard

Please Contact Daniel at (501) 416-9599/dgoodwin07@mail2web.com

Ashamed, Embarrassed, but most of all, THANKFUL!!!

2011-03-30T16:03:00.001-05:00

Last Wednesday, I experienced the worst moment of my entire life.

It was our "Spring Break," so Max did not go to MDO. It was just me and the two kiddos. I had taken Hadley up to her nursery to put her down for a nap and Max was playing, so I decided to get some things done around the house. I noticed that some things needed to be put in the recycling bin, so I took them down and opened the door that goes out to the garage and placed the items in the bin in the garage. I noticed that Jasper, our dog, was still in the crate in the garage and that the garage door was still open. (I had put Jasper in his crate earlier in the morning when Terminix came.) So, I ran up to the kitchen to get my slippers, leaving the door to the garage cracked a bit. In true multi-tasker fashion, I heard the dryer go off, which is just off the kitchen, so I decided I would put the clothes from the washer into the dryer while I was thinking about it.

As I was walking out of the laundry room, I noticed a green truck that was stopped in front of our house. (I tend to leave the front door open so that Max can watch the cars and dogs pass by through the glass door. We live on a pretty busy street, so there is always lots for him to see!) As I near the front door, the man in the green truck rolls down his window and motions for me to come outside. His truck has some city or county emblem on it, so I figure it is safe to open the door to see what he wants. Besides...he was in his truck, right?

So, I open the door and step out onto the front steps and the man in the truck says:

"Your baby is in the street." I continue to walk down the three or four steps and ask the guy in the green truck what he just said. He repeated: "Your baby is in the street." I am totally confused at this point and I am thinking, Is he talking about Jasper? Surely he isn't referring to him as a baby. Hadley? Is he referring to Hadley? No, can't be. As I near the corner of our house and walk around the corner on our sidewalk, I noticed another truck, going in the opposite direction of the green truck, stopped in the middle of the road. I suddenly realize what baby the man in the green truck was referring to: my sweet baby Max! Another man was carrying Max and met me on the sidewalk in front of my house to hand him over to me. This must be the man from the white truck, I thought. Why does he have my Max? What is going on? My knees buckled and I began shaking frantically. The man from the white truck assured me that Max was okay and that he had wandered down by the street.

Sheer and utter panic set in.

I ran as fast as I could inside our home and sat down on our stairs and sobbed uncontrollably.

At that moment, I realized that Max had slipped through the door that I had left open and walked out of the garage door that I left up and down the steep driveway towards a busy road.

I am ashamed that I--the one person in Max's life who is supposed to be the ultimate protector--let something like that happen to my sweet baby Max.

I am embarrassed that I was too busy worrying about household matters to realize that Max was indeed in the living room and not upstairs like I thought.

But, most of all, I am thankful that God was watching over Max when I was unable.

I am thankful for those two men that rescued my sweet baby from the speeding cars that fly by our house each and every day.

I am thankful that Max walked away from this incident unscathed and that I am walking away from it a better mother.

This has been a HUGE lesson to me that I need to just slow down and take the time to love on these precious babies instead of worrying about insignificant things like the laundry.

It has also taught me that God is in control and that I am just here.

I was super-hesitant to share this, but it has been weighing heavy on my heart. So, I hope that whoever is reading this out there in blogland will not take judgment on me, but will learn from my mistakes.

I am so, so thankful that this story has a

Happy Ending :)

Out of Order

2011-02-16T16:42:00.001-06:00

I finally finished my Christmas post! Woohoo!!!

You can find it HERE.

I want the posts to stay in chronological order by their occurrence, so that is why it is back in the December category even though I only just now posted it!

(I have a few more that will probably be like this, so bear with me!)

Enjoy!!!

Hadley's Newborn Sneak Peek!!!

2011-02-11T10:49:00.000-06:00

Hadley had her Newborn pictures taken by Lindsey when she was a little over a week old.

You can check out her sneak peek here!

So sweet!!!

Lindsey will document her 1st Year just like she did Max's.

Introducing....

2011-02-04T13:19:00.000-06:00

~Hadley Boyd Goodwin~

Born January 4, 2011 at 8:28 a.m.

She weighed 6lbs. 11ozs. and was 19.5 inches long

She is pure sweetness!!!

Proud Poppa!!!

Sweetness!!!

Such a sweet moment right after Hadley's arrival!

Max came to visit that afternoon. How sweet is this picture?!

It makes my heart melt!

Such a sweet big brother already!

Love this picture of our two precious babies!!!

This picture makes me laugh :) Max is like, "Oooh! A real live baby!".

Hadley is all ready to go home.

Her going-home dress was made many, many moons ago by Daniel's Mamaw.

Daniel's Mom took it to the hospital each time just in case she had a little girl...but, she had three boys!

So, my niece Eliza wore it home from the hospital when she was born.

And, of course, Hadley got to wear it home.

(FYI: Hadley & Eliza also share the same middle name-Boyd, which is also Daniel's Mom's maiden name.)

All ready to go!

We are home!

And, Max was excited to welcome his baby sister home!

The birth of our sweet baby Hadley has been such a special time in our lives.

Words cannot describe how thankful we are that God

has loaned us this little darling to take care of and love on.

We are truly, truly blessed!!!

We are all doing really great and adjusting well to life as a family of four!

I have a gazillion posts to do, including Hadley's birth story.

So, stay tuned! Many post coming up!

p.s. I find it mildly amusing that the ticker on the right of my page indicates that I am 43 weeks and 6 days pregnant! Haha! I guess because I have not updated my blog in a loooong time, the ticker just assumed that I was still pregnant! Don't worry...I will be changing it soon ;)

38 Weeks!!!

2010-12-28T20:44:00.001-06:00

Here are my Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 38 weeks on Christmas Day. (I went to see Dr. Garner on Tuesday this week.) At most, we have 3 weeks left!!!

Size of Baby: She weighs ~6.8 lbs. She measures ~19.5 inches from head to heel.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I lost 1/2 lb. since my appointment last week, so I have gained a total of 20.5 lbs. (I am more than certain that I will not have lost any weight after my Christmas indulgence!)
Maternity Clothes: Mostly all maternity. Some dresses in my regular clothes :)

Gender: It's a GIRL! Her name is HADLEY BOYD!!!

Movement: Wow!!! This girl is a kicker! She really likes to move in the morning & in the evening. Dr. Garner said that she is in the head-down position and is facing the right direction. So, hopefully NO back labor this time!

What I Miss: I miss being able to do regular things (i.e. walking up the stairs) without feeling like I just ran a marathon. I feel so out of shape!

Sleep: I have been pretty restless lately. I attribute some of that to the decrease in the amount of exercise I get, but I am sure that pregnancy is the main culprit for my restless nights. I am still getting up a ton at night to pee. Just getting prepared for those every-two-hour feedings!

Appetite: Still difficult to eat a regular meal. My eyes are definitely bigger than my appetite at this point.

Energy Level: I get tired so easily these days. I have so many things that I want to do, but I don't get them done because I would rather just sit down. I definitely take lots of breaks :)
Symptoms: I continue to nest even though I am oh, so tired. All of the usual symptoms are still present too.

What I am Looking Forward To: Becoming a family of FOUR (+Jasper)!!!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...Our Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T15:40:00.118-06:00

Christmas Morning

This was our last Christmas as a family of three!!!

We had a wonderful Christmas celebrating with family and friends.

Being that Max is nearly 1 1/2 years old and that next Christmas we will have two little bundles of joy,

we really put a lot of thought into how we wanted Christmas to look each year for our little family.

What traditions will we practice each year? How will we make sure that Jesus is at the center of our Christmas celebrations each year? How will we handle gift giving, so that it does not get out of control?

Although some of these things will sort themselves out each Christmas, we did decide that we would give the children (3) gifts/categories of gifts each Christmas. We will follow the gift-giving of the Three Wise Men: wants, needs, and educational. This will also help us to keep Christ at the center of our Christmas festivities.

Some other traditions that I would like to follow include: Christmas p.j.'s for the whole family (Daniel's personal favorite! Haha!); attending Christmas Eve service at our Church; looking at Christmas lights together as a family...in our p.j.'s of course; reading the Christmas Story to our kiddos each Christmas Eve; and making an Advent Calender each year.

Below is a plethora of pictures from our Christmas celebration(s)!

Cookies for Santa!

Time for bed so that Santa can come! Yippee!

Santa came!!!

(Watching A Christmas Story on TBS is a MUST on Christmas morning! Ha!)

Yay for bins for organizing!

It's sooo hard to wake up...

I'm ready to see what Santa brought me though!

This is Max's tree in his room!

Woohoo!!!

Max's very own Red Rocking Horse

He was not too sure about it...it's too early to be riding a horsey!

Max was such a blast this Christmas. He was super excited about everything!

He learned how to say "Ho, Ho, Ho!" just like Santa!

Cutest.Thing.Ever.

Daniel had to work Christmas morning, so we had to wait on him to get home to do our little family Christmas. We just covered what Santa brought up with a huge blanket until Daniel got home!

(That may get a little more difficult to do in the coming years...especially with TWO curious little ones!!!)

And, then we were off to Searcy to celebrate with Daniel's Mom & the rest of the gang!

Christmas with Family

Aunt Erica helping Max jump on Cousin Eliza's new trampoline!

It was a long day! Sweet baby sleeping.
It is a rarity that we get to see Max asleep!!!
Presh!
The day after Christmas we celebrated with my family. We went to my Mom's house along with both my grandmas, my brother & the twins, and my Uncle Chuck and cousin Ashley.

I love this little jon-jon!

Max was super fascinated with the bubble machine that my nephews have.
He was not very interested in his presents after the bubble started!

A couple of weekends before Christmas Day we celebrated Christmas with Daniel's Dad in Searcy.

(This is so out of chronological order, and it really bothers me, but I didn't want to mess with rearranging ALL these pictures! So, we will just have to deal! Ha!)

Max LOVES him some books!

Don't tell his Daddy, but he may love pink cars even more ;)

Eliza got a pink Barbie car for Christmas & Max wanted it!

Here he is going for the steal! Haha!

Cutie-patootie!

Max is definitely a gift that keeps on giving!

We LOVE him more than words can describe.

Christmas WAS wonderful this year--the best yet!

Winter Fun!!!

2010-12-23T21:32:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we went to the Downtown LR outdoor ice skating arena with Max's Uncle Andrew & Aunt Megan. It was cold! Brrrr!!!

We went on Saturday afternoon and it was pretty packed, so we decided not to skate.

Max had a grand time just running around and being free. And, he really enjoyed his Uncle Drew taking care of him :)

Below are a few pictures that Andrew took for us. So fun!!!

LOVE these guys!!!

This picture is uber-cute...I can't think of a suitable caption though. He kinda looks like he is having an a-ha moment. Or maybe giving directions. Hmmm...

This one cracks me up! Our little chubby Eskimo!!!
On Sunday after church, Daniel continued his raking marathon.

(It really is ridiculous the amount of leaves the trees in our yard produce!)

Once Max got up from his nap, we headed out to "help" Daniel with the raking.

Max loves his wagon!

He really loves being outside and seeing the wind blow the leaves and watching the birds and squirrels.

Max held on tight when I pulled him down the hill. Weeeee!

Jasper even got a little love this day ;)

Uh-oh Daddy...you missed one!

Max loves his Daddy, that's for sure!

I really dislike the cold weather, so Max & I have not been outside much.

I really need to work on that, especially since Max loves the outdoors!

37 Weeks!

2010-12-19T21:12:00.000-06:00

(I look HUGE!)

Here are my Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 37 weeks on Dec. 18th. Hadley is considered full-term at this point!!!

Size of Baby: She weighs ~6 1/3 lbs. She measures ~19 inches from head to heel.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained 21 lbs. (So, no weight gain since last week.)

Maternity Clothes: Mostly all maternity. Some dresses in my regular clothes :)

Gender: It's a GIRL! Her name is HADLEY BOYD!!!

Movement: Wow!!! This girl is a kicker! She really likes to move in the morning & in the evening. Dr. Garner said that she is in the head-down position and is facing the right direction. So, hopefully NO back labor this time!

What I Miss: I miss being able to do regular things (i.e. walking up the stairs) without feeling like I just ran a marathon. I feel so out of shape!
Sleep: I have been pretty restless lately. I attribute some of that to the decrease in the amount of exercise I get, but I am sure that pregnancy is the main culprit for my restless nights. I am getting up 17 times a night to pee too. Fun times!

Appetite: Still difficult to eat a regular meal. My eyes are definitely bigger than my appetite at this point.
Energy Level: I have for sure hit the Nesting phase and I have a ton of energy most days. This is so, despite the fact that I have restless nights.

Symptoms: NESTING!!! We have had a super productive weekend in the Goodwin household :) Thanks Daniel!
What I am Looking Forward To: Meeting our sweet baby girl. We are definitely on the countdown...just days away! Yay!

2010 Goodwin Family Christmas Pictures

2010-12-17T14:06:00.000-06:00

Goodwin Family Christmas Card 2010

This was the picture (collage really) that we chose for our 2010 Christmas Card.

I think it turned out really great!

I must give credit to Daniel's brother, Andrew, who met us in Conway for a quick photo shoot one afternoon a couple of weeks ago. Andrew got a fancy new camera, so we thought we would put it to the test. What better way to practice your new found photography skills than with a 1-year-old, right?!

Thanks Andrew for the fabulous photos!!!

Below are some that didn't make the cut, but are still oozing with cuteness nonetheless! Enjoy!

Doesn't Max look...jolly here?!

LOVE this sweet face ;)

What's a photo shoot without a little game of "catch me Daddy"?!

From our family to yours,

{Merry Christmas!!!}

Lighting of the AR State Capitol!!!

2010-12-15T15:33:00.003-06:00

December 4th was the parade and the official lighting of our State Capitol. Isn't it shocking that this was my VERY first time to experience the lighting of the Capitol...having lived in LR my whole life?!
Sad, but true!!!

This was the before.

And, the after. Isn't she gorgeous!!!

There was a huge parade before we got there. There were tons of people there. We got there right in time to witness the lighting. It did not disappoint! This is something I would definitely love to do every year from now on. In case you didn't know, I have a slight obsession with the Capitol. I just think it is such a neat building and holds so much of our State's history. I had the honor of working at the Capitol for several years :)

Max was excited about the Capitol lighting ceremony! He loves when people clap, so he was really loving the huge crowd and all of the lights and sounds. We were curious to see how he would do with the fireworks because he has never seen/heard them before. But, he did great! He just looked up in amazement.

My two guys.

We rushed inside right after the fireworks to get warm...and to try and find Santa! The crowd inside was insane! There was NO WAY we were waiting in that line to see jolly St. Nick! Maybe next year!

Max was in awe of all the people. And, he really liked the women's choir that sang in the Rotunda. It's really neat in there because the music/singing just echos around so that no matter where you are standing, you can hear the choir very clearly. Great experience!

This was right before we were leaving. Isn't the toy soldier the cutest?!

Note to self: this would make a CUTE Christmas card picture :)

If you are looking for something to do with the kiddos, a visit to the AR State Capitol would be something fun, festive, and FREE!

36 Weeks!!!

2010-12-14T22:20:00.000-06:00

Here are my Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 36 weeks on Dec. 11th (Only 4 Weeks to go!!!)

Size of Baby: She weighs about 6 lbs.!!! She measures about 18 1/2 inches from head to heel. About the size of a crenshaw melon (whatever that is).

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained 21 lbs. (5 lbs. since 34 weeks. I probably enjoyed Thanksgiving a little too much!)

Maternity Clothes: Mostly all maternity. Some dresses in my regular clothes :)

Gender: It's a GIRL! Her name is HADLEY BOYD!!!

What I Miss: I miss running! I love to run and I am not able to do that anymore :( Only brisk walking at this point.

Appetite: Like I mentioned in the "Movement" category, this girl is all over the place! I feel like she is up in my ribs, but I also feel her in my lower abdomen. This makes it difficult to eat very much at one time. (Maybe that is a good thing being that the Holidays are here!!!)

Energy Level: I have for sure hit the Nesting phase and I have a ton of energy most days. This is so, despite the fact that I have restless nights.

Symptoms: The usuals...frequent urination, heartburn, restlessness, nesting.

What I am Looking Forward To: The Holidays! It will be our last Christmas as a family of 3!!! Unless Hadley decides to come a couple of weeks early :)

Max is 15 Months!!!

2010-11-29T12:25:00.000-06:00

All About Max at 15 Months:

Dr.'s Appointment: Weight: 22lbs. 11oz. (16%); Length: 31 in. (47%); and Head Circumference: 19 in. (79%). Max has gained a little over 2 lbs. and grown 2 1/4 in. since his 12-month check-up. Dr. Thompson says that everything checks out great. Although you are a little low on the percentile in the weight category, you are still right in line with your curve. Also, he would like you to drink more milk. At least 18 ozs. a day.

Eating: You eat 3 meals a day and have a sippy cup of milk with each meal. For breakfast you usually eat blueberry mini-waffles or oatmeal with either yogurt or a banana. I am so happy that you like oatmeal and yogurt because I sure don't! For lunch you usually eat a sandwich of some sort: grilled cheese, hot ham/turkey and cheese, or peanut butter and apple sauce or grapes. You love to feed yourself and you do pretty good with the spoon/fork. For dinner you eat whatever we eat. You LOVE casserole-type dishes, such as poppy seed chicken, chicken spaghetti, regular spaghetti, & chicken and rice. This is really the only way we can get you to eat any veggies besides potatoes. But, we are working on that! You also get a snack in the morning and usually a snack in the afternoon between lunch and dinner. You are obsessed with cereal bars (a.k.a Nutri-Grain Bars)!!! You get so excited when you see that shiny metallic package that you can't hardly wait for us to get it open. I wonder what you will do once you have your first candy bar. Hmmm...

Sleeping: You go to bed around 7:30 or 8 and get up around 7:30. Woohoo! We are excited about your later bedtime!!! That way you get to see Daddy on the days that he has to work late. You take a nap around 11 a.m. after your morning snack and you usually sleep anywhere from 1.5-3 hours. You are still a great sleeper. (Let's just hope your baby sister is the same for every one's sake!!!)

Activity: Wow! You are such a bright little boy!!! You amaze me every day with all of the new things that you do. As for your vocabulary, you have added (3) animal sounds: moo, baa, and woo, woo, woo when we ask you what the cow, sheep, and dog say, respectively; you say "eye" and point to your eye or my eye; you say "sh" for shoe. My most favorite is the sheep. You just sound so sweet when you say it! I just want to squeeze you!!! You sign please now and rub your belly when you hear the word "yummy." You have started running. You raise your knees up really high and take off as fast as you can. Hilarious! You love to dance...you have some pretty good moves :) You know where your eyes, ears, nose, teeth, mouth, tongue, hair, and toes are and will point to them when asked. You can stack 2-3 blocks and you can stack all of the rings or your Melissa & Doug wooden stacker. You can climb on & off of your little wooden chair. There are so many things that you are doing these days that I could write a book! You are so much fun!!!

Misc.: You still love MDO. You never cry when I take you, so I think that means that you really enjoy it. You will start going (2) days a week in January. I think you will really like that. You do great in the nursery at Church and in the nursery at Moms N More on Tuesday's. You also LOVE to read books still and really seem to enjoy when we go to Book Babies at the library on Monday's. You want us to read each book no less than 3 times. You have started being more defiant. (I know this is normal, but I can't believe my sweet baby is already at this stage!) You listen pretty good for the most part, but sometimes you will pull our hand to your mouth and act like you will bite us when we tell you no-no. You hear no-no ALOT these days! You are a curious little guy and you notice everything. You like to pull things off of the shelves now and put your toys in baskets or anywhere else you think they should go. You love the outdoors and love to look out the window at the trees and leaves blowing and falling. You also have 8 teeth and are cutting one molar.

You are such a joy to be around and always so smiley. You still smile so big at just about everyone you meet. You give your Daddy the biggest smiles though! And, you give him a pat-pat on his back when you see him. Just precious!!!

You are our sunshine Max! We love you!!!

This picture was from a month or so ago, but I thought he looked so cute in his tie shirt that I had to share it! Our friend Ashley made him this shirt for his b-day. SO cute!!!

Thankful!!!

2010-11-28T20:27:00.000-06:00

I just love the Thanksgiving season!!!

I love hearing what everyone else is grateful for, but more than anything I really like to reflect on all of the things that I am grateful for. One of my personal goals is to be more proactive in taking the time to reflect each and every day on the things in my life that I am grateful for.

I am most definitely thankful for this little guy! I am so grateful to have a healthy, thriving baby boy. How cute was he on Thanksgiving morning in his Gobble! Gobble! PJ's?!?!
I am SO thankful to have such a wonderful, caring, and loving husband who works so hard for our little family. I can't imagine doing this thing called life without him!!!

This was Max's second Thanksgiving, but his first to eat all of the Thanksgiving grub :)

Daniel, Max, & I (and Hadley!) made it to all FOUR of our Thanksgiving celebrations with our family.

We started Thanksgiving Day at my Mom & Dad's house for an early lunch where we ate and visited with my Mom's side of the family. We had the traditional Turkey dinner and it was so yummy. That evening we went to my Aunt Terry & Uncle James' house to celebrate Turkey Day with my Dad's side of the family, where we ate some of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes, but we also had some Filipino food. And, Max LOVED it! (My Aunt Terry is Filipino and such a great cook.)

On Friday, we made the trek to Searcy to celebrate with Daniel's Mamaw & Papaw.
The food was yummy as always! That evening on our way out of town we stopped by to visit with Daniel's Dad. We didn't eat there, thank goodness!!! By the time we got home, we were worn out and stuffed!

I just had to post these pictures of Max in his pumpkin shirt since we are about to wrap up November and all things Halloween & Thanksgiving. That smile melts my heart!!!

Tomorrow we go for Max's 15-month check-up, so I will be sure to do his 15-month post before he turns two :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you were able to reflect on all of the things that you are grateful for. We are all truly blessed!!!

34 Weeks

2010-11-27T14:16:00.000-06:00

Here are my Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 34 weeks (Only 6 Weeks to go!!!)

Size of Baby: She weighs about 4.75 lbs.!!! She measures about 18 inches from head to heel. About the size of a cantaloupe.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained 16 lbs. (1/2 lb. since 32 weeks)

Maternity Clothes: Mostly all maternity. Some shirts & dresses in my regular clothes :)

Gender: It's a GIRL! Her name is HADLEY BOYD!!!

Movement: Wow!!! This girl is a kicker! She really likes to move in the morning & in the evening. I feel like she sometimes stretches ALL of her limbs at once!!! It is crazy how strong some of her movements are.

What I Miss: I miss running! I love to run and I am not able to do that anymore :( Only brisk walking at this point.

Sleep: I have been pretty restless lately. I attribute some of that to the decrease in the amount of exercise I get, but I am sure that pregnancy is the main culprit for my restless nights.

Energy Level: I think I have hit the Nesting phase and I have a ton of energy most days. This is so, despite the fact that I have restless nights.

Symptoms: The usuals...frequent urination, heartburn, restlessness, nesting.

What I am Looking Forward To: The Holidays! It will be our last Christmas as a family of 3!!! Unless Hadley decides to come a couple of weeks early :)

12 Months!!! (A little late...)

2010-11-27T13:46:00.000-06:00

Being that our Baby Max is 15 Months old today, I thought it was only fitting to do his 12 Month post :)

I guess I got a little sidetracked with Max's 1st B-day festivities that I forgot to finish this post and actually post it.

I am still in shock that our first-born is already ONE!!!

Look how much that monkey has shrunk in the last year!

(There is no way that my baby boy has grown THAT much!)

Look how teeny-tiny Max was in that picture!!
(And, that was when he was a month old.)

All About Max at 12 Months:

Dr.'s Appointment: Weight: 20lbs. 9oz. (17%); Length: 28 3/4 in. (17%); and Head Circumference: 19 in. (92%). If you recall, Max weighed 6lbs. 9oz. when he was born, so he has more than tripled his weight! He was 20 1/2 in. when he was born, so Max has grown over 8 in. this year.

Eating: Still a great eater! However, you don't love most veggies. I am still baffled by this because I don't think I have met a vegetable that was not my friend! You must take after your daddy in that department. So, we are working on that :) You LOVE meat. You like most fruit, especially bananas and grapes. You also love some apple sauce.

Sleeping: You are a wonderful sleeper. You have transitioned to one nap a day. Which ranges from 1.5-3 hours. You usually go to bed at around 6:30p.m. and wake about 6:30 a.m. We are working on moving your bedtime back because it sure is difficult to do anything in the evenings when you have such an early bedtime :) You still only like to sleep in your crib. Never have you just fallen asleep in a random place (i.e. the highchair).

Activity: You are officially a walker! You took your first steps on the Sunday before your 1st Birthday, August 22nd, which was your expected due date. How ironic!!! You are a very cautious walker, which make for a very happy Mommy. You amaze us every day with your vocabulary. You say apple, Mama, Dada, Ball, Dog, and Vroom-vroom (for a car). Many times you will repeat a word that we ask you to say. It is so sweet! You really like to babble a lot and you act like you are carrying on a conversation.

Misc.: You started Mother's Day out about a week after your 1st B-day. You go one day a week, which is perfect! You seem to really enjoy it. I was really worried about you napping, but you seem to do fine whether you actually nap at MDO or not. You LOVE dogs and cats. You get so excited when you see either. Our neighbor has a couple of indoor/outdoor cats & you just squeal when you see them outside.

You are such a joy!!! We could never have imagined how wonderfully blessed our lives would be with you!!! We look forward to celebrating your life for all the years to come!!!

We love you to the Moon & Back Maxwell Miles!!!

32 Weeks

2010-11-15T17:34:00.000-06:00

I am 32 Weeks.

Only 8 weeks to go!!! Yikes!

(And, this picture is terrible...I look so homely. But, it is the best I have!)

Here are my Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 32 weeks

Size of Baby: She weighs about 3.75 lbs.!!! She measures about 16.7 inches from head to heel. About the size of a jicama!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained 15.5 lbs. (1/2 lb. since 30 weeks)

Maternity Clothes: Mostly all maternity. Some shirts & dresses are me regular clothes :)

Gender: It's a GIRL! Her name is HADLEY BOYD!!!

Movement: She really likes to move in the morning & in the evening. Some of the movements make me wonder if she is head-down already! She has been making HUGE movements these past few weeks.

What I Miss: I am beginning to miss being able to bend over and climb stairs with ease. This baby bump gets in the way of both sometimes!

Sleep: I have been waking up super early. I guess I am gearing up for those newborn nights :)

Appetite: I do crave more sweet stuff than normal. I don't typically have a sweet tooth, so must be this sweet baby girl! I have not been eating as much because there is no room for it. Hahaha!

Energy Level: Because the weather has been so nice, I have been able to take a lot of walks with Max. This has really helped my energy!

Symptoms: Heartburn! I had this problem a little with Max, but it seems to be worse this time. Especially if I have eaten close to the time I go to bed.

What I am Looking Forward To: The Holidays! It will be our last Thanksgiving & Christmas as a family of 3!!!

Our Halloween Festivities

2010-11-01T12:39:00.001-05:00

Our celebration of Fall began on Thursday when Max & I went to the Pumpkin Patch with his MDO.

Max loved looking at all of the animals, especially the crazy roosters!
He got to go on his first hayride. His most favorite part was the snacks that they gave him!

He really liked walking through the pumpkin patch and picking out his pumpkin. However, the pumpkin vines are so thick that it made it a bit difficult for him to walk through. He didn't let that stop him though!

On Sunday, our church had a Fall Festival and it was so much fun! There were bounce/slide houses, games, a rock wall, face painting, and a chili cook-off--just to name a few of the activities. Daniel had the brilliant idea to take Max's red wagon to pull him in and it worked out wonderfully!

Our small group at church was in charge of manning the bounce house with the slide, so Daniel & I signed up for a 30 minute slot. The kids were nuts on that thing!!! While we worked our shift, our sweet friends Ashley, Brian, & Deacon pulled Max around for us. Deacon is such a sweet little guy and is always so sweet with Max.

Max was the CUTEST little Mickey Mouse!
He did a really good job keeping his costume on.
It was a little warm outside, so we didn't keep it on him the entire time.

We really enjoyed the Fall Festival. What a great way to celebrate Fall & enjoy Halloween!

30 Weeks

2010-10-31T15:32:00.000-05:00

I am 30 WEEKS!!!
Only 10 weeks to go!
Here are my Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 30 weeks
Size of Baby: She weighs almost 3 lbs.!!! She measures about 15.7 inches from head to heel. About the size of a head of cabbage!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained 15 lbs. (3.5 lbs. since 28 weeks!)

Maternity Clothes: I have been taking advantage of some of the cooler days and wearing leggings & boots mostly. If I wear pants, they are maternity.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Her name is HADLEY BOYD!!!

Movement: She really likes to move in the morning & in the evening. Some of the movements make me wonder if she is head-down already!
What I Miss: I am beginning to miss being able to bend over and climb stairs with ease. This baby bump gets in the way of both sometimes!

Sleep: The dreams have gotten better. But, I am sure it is temporary.
Appetite: I do crave more sweet stuff than normal. I don't typically have a sweet tooth! Must be this sweet baby girl!

Energy Level: Because the weather has been so nice, I have been able to take alot of walks with Max. This has really helped my energy!

Symptoms: Heartburn! I had this problem a little with Max, but it seems to be worse this time. Especially if I have eaten close to the time I go to bed.

What I am Looking Forward To: Getting the nursery all together! I have the fabric picked out and the walls are painted. Her crib and changer are also in place.

28 Weeks

2010-10-25T20:20:00.000-05:00

I am officially in the THIRD trimester! I went to the Dr. this week and everything checked out great!

I am measuring right on for my original due date (January 8th).

And, I will now see OB every two weeks. I can't believe it is already that time!

Yikes!

Here are my Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 28 weeks (On October 16th)

Size of Baby: She weighs 2 1/4 lbs. and measures about 14.8 inches from head to heel. About the size of chinese cabbage!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained 11.5 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I have been taking advantage of some of the cooler days and wearing leggings & boots mostly. If I wear pants, they are maternity.

Gender: It's a GIRL!!!

Movement: All the time! She is a kicker already. I can even see the lopsided belly now. So amazing!

What I Miss: I am beginning to miss being able to bend over and climb stairs with ease. This baby bump gets in the way of both sometimes!

Sleep: The crazy dreams have begun! I really hate the ones when I wake up feeling like the events in the dreams are reality. Nothing too nightmarish though!

Appetite: Really the same. I just eat when I am hungry. However, I do crave more sweet stuff than normal. I dont' typically have a sweet tooth.

Energy Level: My energy has declined a bit, but I have been making more of an effort to be more active, so that seems to help.

Symptoms: Heartburn! I had this problem a little with Max, but it seems to be worse this time. Especially if I have eaten close to the time I go to bed.

What I am Looking Forward To: Getting the nursery all together! I have the fabric picked out and the walls are painted. Her crib and changer all also in place.

Mother's Day Out

2010-10-25T10:07:00.000-05:00

Max started Mother's Day Out (MDO) at our church, New Life, on September 2nd.

Doesn't he look like such a big boy here on his first day of school?!

MDO has been such a blessing in so many ways. Although he only attends one day a week, we both look forward to the welcome break from being at home most of the week :)

I LOVE the way his MDO bags turned out!!!

I found them at the Crown Shop for like 75% off and then had them embroider his name on them.

My obsession with the Crown Shop is almost as bad as my obsession with Etsy. Almost.

Back to MDO. Like I said, Max only goes once a week on Thursday's from 9-2.

Max's teacher is Mrs. Cindy & she is so sweet! His day at MDO usually consists of Praise & Worship, playtime, story time, lunch, naps, & snacks. Not a bad day for a one-year-old!

Mrs. Cindy fills out an activity sheet each day he is there. I was super nervous about Max napping at MDO because he will not sleep just anywhere. Actually, he really only sleeps in his crib. Occasionally he will fall asleep in the car, but usually he fights it!

Overall, Max has slept pretty good at MDO. He will usually sleep anywhere from 30 minutes on a bad day to 1 hour 45 minutes on a good day.

Other comments on his activity sheet thus far have included:

"Max was a happy boy all day!"

"Max had a great time outside today!"

AND

"Max has some great dance moves!"

Hahaha!!!

The last is my most favorite!

And, I must say, he does have some pretty awesome moves:)

I am so glad we decided to put Max in MDO for one day a week. It has worked out wonderfully! I really struggled with the decision of whether it was worth it to just do one day of MDO. And, really whether he (okay, me!) was ready for MDO at all. But, he really loves it!!! He plays better at home and has learned some new things from his friends.

All-in-all it was a great decision. I cherish all of the time I have with Max, but it has been so refreshing to have some time for just me. I feel more energized and refueled when I go to pick him up from MDO. And, Max is soooo happy to see me!

That smile is priceless.

26 Weeks

2010-10-12T14:57:00.000-05:00

Here are my Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 26 weeks (On October 3rd)

Size of Baby: She is weighs 1 2/3 lbs. and measures about 14 inches from head to heel. About the size of cucumber!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained 9 lbs. No change from 24 weeks!

Maternity Clothes: I have been taking advantage of some of the cooler days and wearing leggings & boots mostly. If I wear pants, they are maternity.

Gender: It's a GIRL!!!

Movement: All the time! She is a kicker already. I can even see the lopsided belly now. So amazing!

What I Miss: I am not really missing a thing.

Sleep: I am sleeping pretty good still, other than the couple of times I have to get up to go to the bathroom.

Appetite: Really the same. I just eat when I am hungry.

Energy Level: My energy has declined a bit, but I have been making more of an effort to be more active, so that seems to help.

Symptoms: Other than the change in energy, no other symptoms.

What I am Looking Forward To: Shopping for nursery fabric and baby girl clothes & bows!!!

And, here is the first picture Daniel tried to take:

Max wanted his picture taken too!

Such a sweet little man. I just know that this little guy is going to be the BEST Big Brother!

24-Weeks

2010-10-12T14:40:00.000-05:00

Here are my Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 24 weeks (On September11th)

Size of Baby: She is just over 1 lb.! And, about 1 foot in length. The size of an ear of corn!
Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained 9 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: This crazy AR weather has been so unseasonably warm, so I have been living in dresses and leggings like the one above. But, when I do wear pants/shorts, they are all maternity now.

Gender: It's a GIRL!!!
Movement: BIG movements over the past few weeks. Daniel can even feel he move sometimes. Such a miracle!
What I Miss: No more breathing issues as of now. Thank the Lord!!! I am not missing a thing.
Sleep: I am sleeping pretty good still, other than the couple of times I have to get up to go to the bathroom.
Appetite: Really the same. I just eat when I am hungry.
Energy Level: I still have quite a bit of energy. But, I feel like the past week or so it has been slowing declining

Symptoms: Other than the change in appetite & energy, no other symptoms.

What I am Looking Forward To: Working on the nursery and picking out a name!

20-Week Appointment

2010-10-12T14:20:00.002-05:00

Look at that sweet little face!!!

And, that sweet little hand!!!

LOVE her so much already!!!

Here are my Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 weeks

Size of Baby: She is 6 1/2 inches from crown to rump and 10 inches from head to toe. She weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. About the size of an banana!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained 5 lbs total.

Maternity Clothes: I wear mostly dresses, which are not maternity yet. But, when I do wear pants/shorts, they are usually maternity.

Gender: It's a GIRL!!! We would have been super excited either way. But, now we get to experience the best of both worlds :)

Movement: I can really feel her moving these days. Especially when I am still for a few minuts. I just love it!!!

What I Miss: I am still not breathing normally, but it seems to be getting a bit better. Other than that, I don't miss a thing.

Sleep: I am sleeping pretty good these days!

Appetite: Really the same. I just eat when I am hungry. I still feel nauseated if I eat too much for dinner. I have been craving sweet things more this time. Maybe because it's a girl?!

Energy Level: I still have quite a bit of energy. I really make an effort to rest when I can. Just sitting down for a few minutes really helps!

Symptoms: Other than the change in appetite & energy, no other symptoms.

What I am Looking Forward To: Working on the nursery and picking out a name!

Amongst all of the excitement about finding out our sweet baby's gender, I forgot to take a 20-week baby bump picture. The one below was taken a few days before, so it is the best I have!

I can't believe that we will be a Family of 4 in just a short time. We are truly Blessed!!!

Max's 1st Birthday Celebration

2010-09-28T12:47:00.000-05:00

Max turned ONE on August 27th and we had his Birthday celebration the following Saturday.

We went to our neighborhood park to celebrate. We had such a great time!

A few family shots! I still can't believe that our baby is 1!!!

Here is the cake, food, & punch table.

I had originally planned on the banner being hung behind the cake & cupcakes, but that did not work out, so we hung it on the tablecloth on the front of the table.

I think it turned out so cute!

My cousin Melissa made Max's cake.

It matched his invitations perfectly! In case you can't tell, it has a "1" & a fish on top!!!

The invitation is on the right hand side of the picture below.

~My BIG 1-year old~

I decided to make his birthday hat instead of ordering it from Etsy.

I'm so glad I did because I think it turned out great & it was super easy!

He LOVED his cake!!!

(But, I did not love trying to clean off the blue icing!)

This picture cracks me up!

It looks like he is thinking, What, I didn't eat any cake! Hahaha!

Max in his big red wagon that his Grandma & Grandpa got him.

We are so thankful for all of our family & friends that came out to celebrate our sweet baby boy's 1st Birthday!!!

We are super excited about all the fun & fabulous things this next year of Max's life will bring.

Happy 1st Birthday Max!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Max!

2010-08-27T07:13:00.000-05:00

Max was born exactly 1 year ago!

This has been an amazing year for our little family thanks to this sweet baby.

We love you to the moon & back Maxwell Miles!!!

It's a...

2010-08-19T12:25:00.000-05:00

GIRL!!!

She checked out perfectly!

Ultrasound pictures to come.

Max's 12-month Sneak Peek!!!

2010-08-18T21:29:00.000-05:00

Check out the rest of them here.

We had so much fun with this shoot! We cannot wait for Max's b-day celebration next week!

Our sweet baby is about to be ONE!

16-Week Update

2010-08-03T20:46:00.000-05:00

This was taken on July 23rd.

These ARE maternity shorts ;) They are super comfy!

Here are my Pregnancy Highlights over the past two weeks:

How Far Along: 16 weeks

Size of Baby: He/she is 5 1/2 inches long and weighs 3 1/2 ounces. About the size of an avocado.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: I gained 3 1/2 lbs. (I went to my 16-week OB appointment and this is what I had gained since my 12-week appointment.)
Maternity Clothes: I wear mostly dresses, which are not maternity yet. But, when I do wear pants/shorts, they are usually maternity.
Gender: We find out at the next OB appointment! Woohoo!
Movement: He/she is a little mover & shaker! I can really feel the movements when I sit/lay down. So exciting! It just makes me smile each time I feel him/her move.
What I Miss: Breathing!!! I cannot breathe anymore! I think that I have a summer cold (the worst possible could you could ever get) AND pregnancy nose, so my nostrils have not been used in a while :( Super annoying, but well worth it in the end!
Sleep: It takes me a while to fall to sleep due to the further lack of breathing ability when I lay down. I am now sleeping in an upright position in order to avoid further hindrance of breathing. Once I do get to sleep, I usually wake up a couple of times to use the bathroom AND I always wake up at 1-1:30 a.m. for some reason. Most of the time I can go back to sleep, but some of the time it may take me a few hours to get back to dreamland. Again, all worth it!
Appetite: Really the same. I just eat when I am hungry. However, I have found that heavy meals at supper time cause me to feel nauseated, so I try to make it lighter than my other meals.
Energy Level: Great! I have been under the weather a few days and felt blah, but I don't think that has anything to do with the little bambino.
Symptoms: Stuffy, stuffy, stuffy nose.
What I am Looking Forward To: The baby bump growing. I feel like I am about to hit a huge growth spurt and I am super ready!

14-Week Update

2010-08-03T20:43:00.000-05:00

Let me first begin by saying that I think this image is a bit misleading. I don't think my belly was really that big. I had just eaten a big lunch AND the dress made my bump look a bit larger than it really was.

BUT, the bump is definitely growing! This was taken on July 10th, and here is the information that I jotted down then.

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 14 weeks.
Size of Baby: The baby is about 3 1/2 inches long and weighs 1/2 ounce. He/she is about the size of a lemon!
Total Weight Gain/Loss: 1/2 lb.
Maternity Clothes: Pants/shorts are getting a little snug. But, I wear mostly regular clothes still at this point. My maternity shorts feel MUCH better than regular shorts/pants though.
Gender: ???
Movement: I can feel little flutters. It is nothing that can been seen, but it is definitely baby movements! So exciting!
What I Miss: Sleeping without interruption. Let the baby dreams and constant urination begin!
Appetite: The ravenous hunger has subsided. However, I do eat a lot and I do a lot of snacking throughout the day. I have been craving sweet things as well. (Which is so unlike me...I typically like salty.)
Energy Level: I have my energy back for now. Hallelujah! I have been exercising more too, so that probably plays a big part in my increased energy.
Symptoms: Sleepless nights, hunger, stuffy nose.
What I am Looking Forward To: The feeling of baby flutters becoming increasingly stronger and more frequent.

Max Lately

2010-08-02T14:37:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures of Max lately.

The first series of pictures, I think, are so cute and sweet!

He looks like such a big boy on his riding toy.

Do you think Max looks like a girl? Okay, he does have a rasberry shirt on, but still! He gets called her/girl/she ALL.THE.TIME. Even when he is wearing all blue and has all blue thing surrounding him. I don't mind it though. (However, his Daddy thinks it is because his hair is getting longer in the back and he has a ton of curls. I think it is because he is just a pretty baby boy!)

This is our water baby. I have some other CUTE bathtub shots of his little bottom, but I don't think I will post them :) They will definitely be in his scrapbook though!

Big Boy! He looks like such a toddler pushing this thing. He has learned how to back-up with it also. When he gets it pushed up against the wall or something else, he can usually maneuver it around so that he can continue pushing it. So amazing to watch him in action!

Love this guy!

11 Months!

2010-08-02T13:36:00.000-05:00

Can you tell that it is getting VERY difficult to get this little wiggle-worm to lay still so that I can get a good shot of him & the monkey?! He thought that was so funny ;)

Max was 11 months old on July 27th. Only one more month until our sweet Baby Max turns ONE!!! We are so excited about celebrating his first year of life. What a glorious year it has been!!! The party planning is full-fledged at this point ;)

Check out what Max has been up to this past month.

Eating: You have a picky-streak these days. You definitely know what you like and don't like and you don't have a problem letting us know :) This is a part of your ever-growing personality! You LOVE peanut butter sandwiches. Although we have only fed you one sandwich per mealtime, I am willing to bet that you would probably eat more than one at any given time--that's how much you love them. Here are some other thing you like these days: grilled cheese sandwiches, goldfish crackers, grapes, anything with chicken, sweet potatoes, rice, lima beans, and a whole host of other things. You will no longer eat green beans. I don't know what happened here...you liked them for a while ;( You still love yogurt with fruit, including blueberry, apple, and peach. You now only get (2) bottles of milk per day. The rest of the day you drink mostly water, and some pear juice cut with water. Also, we have begun the transition to whole milk. We tried just giving you straight whole milk, but you were NOT having it! So, now we are sneaky and mix it with your formula! Hahaha! You get about 1/2 formula with 1/2 whole milk. We will also start weening you from the bottles...soon it will be sippy cups only. Hooray!
Sleeping: You are still a great sleeper. You seem to be more flexible with your sleep times as well. This last month we had a couple of days when we did not get home until after your usual 6:30 bedtime and you did great. You will go to bed between 6:30-7:30 p.m. and get up between 6:30-7:30 a.m. Some days you take 1 nap, some days 2. But, you seem to do fine with either. Your naps are still between 1.5-2 hours.
Activity: You will be walking ANY day now! You walk with your little push toys all over the living room & your bedroom. You can also walk while we are holding only one of your hands. However, you will only walk/push your toy when YOU want to. No walking on demand for you! Which, leads me to the next thing...
Misc.: You are Mr. Independent these days! You definitely know what you want and what you like and dislike. You are also learning to hold your own spoon and eat off of it. You have only done this a number of times, but you are already so good at it. You are cutting two more teeth--the top ones besides your center teeth. These have given you a little trouble. I can really tell that you are hurting :( That does not make Mommy & Daddy very happy. But, you are always in good spirits regardless! You are such a happy boy and will smile at just about anybody. You have started being bashful though. Now when someone new looks at you, you will turn you head away and give them a bashful grin--priceless! You are talking all the time. You will repeat the first syllable/sound of a lot of the words that we say. You can now say "ba" for ball. And, you will go get the ball when we ask you where your ball is. Such a smarty! You temperament is so sweet. You will lay your head on our shoulders and give us hugs and kisses. Not all of the time, but it makes them that much sweeter!

You are such a blessing to us!

You make our lives so enjoyable. We love you with all our hearts!

12 Weeks

2010-07-21T14:30:00.001-05:00

Okay, this is a little late, but I forgot to post this one ;) I was 12 weeks on June 26th, so these are the stats from then.

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 12 weeks
Size of Baby: Baby weighs 1/2 ounce and is just over 2 inches long. About the size of a lime!
Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained 1/2 lb. (Since the 8 week appointment)
Maternity Clothes: Not yet! BUT, I feel like I could wear them. I am showing much sooner this go 'round!
Gender: We won't find out for another 8 weeks! I go back and forth on feeling like we are having a boy or a girl. However, lately I have been feeling like GIRL! Don't forget to vote if you haven't already!!!
Movement: Not yet.
What I Miss: Nothing at this point.
Sleep: I have had a few nights where I have woken up once, but I just go right back to sleep ;)
Appetite: Ravenous! I want to eat everything in sight!
Energy Level: Pretty low. At times I forget that I am pregnant and wonder why I am so lazy!
Symptoms: I have felt pretty nauseated just about every day, but have only gotten sick once. Also, I am pretty fatigued all the time.
What I am Looking Forward To: Finding out our baby's gender!

The plan is to post an update & picture every two weeks, so keep checking back to see what Baby G2 is up to! (I know, I know. I will have the 14 week post up in the next day or two!)

Have a great rest of the week!

Boy or Girl?

2010-07-07T12:08:00.002-05:00

Mr. Cool Guy!
The funny thing is that Max does not like his sunglasses and doesn't really care for his paci, so this is a very ironic picture!
This was taken at Heifer. We went to the 1st Birthday celebration of the Heifer Village a couple of Saturday's ago. It was SUPER hot outside! We did get to see some neat animals, but Max wasn't too sure about them though. Maybe next year he will love them ;)

On another note, I added a fun little poll on the left side of the blog. Be sure to vote so that we can see what everyone thinks we are having!

On the one hand, it would be great for Max to have a little brother so that they can grow up to be best buds.
But, it would also be neat to have a little girl!

And, I don't see why they couldn't grow up to be best buds as well ;)

Either way, we are so thankful for this little miracle.

And, our biggest prayers are for a safe and healthy baby--boy or girl!

Be sure to vote!

Our Little Firecracker!

2010-07-03T09:27:00.000-05:00

Happy Independence Day from the Goodwin Gang!

Big Brother

2010-06-28T20:26:00.000-05:00

We are having another BABY!!!

Max is going to be a big brother in January and he couldn't be more excited :)

Daniel, Max, & I are just thrilled that we will soon be a family of four.

I am about 12 weeks along and I have had 2 Dr.'s appointments thus far. The first one was at 8 weeks and the second at 12 weeks, which was this past Friday. At the 8-week appointment, Daniel and I were still very much in shock that we would soon have another little baby. (Shock in a good way!) When we saw that little pitter-patter of a heartbeat on the ultrasound machine, we were so in awe of this little miracle. Everything checked out perfectly and he/she is measuring to be due on January 8th. At the 12-week appointment, everything checked out wonderfully as well. We got to hear his/her heartbeat, which was between 150 & 160 bpm. This is what Max's ranged from throughout my pregnancy with him. Hmmm...maybe a boy also?

We are so excited to finally share our great news with everyone. We are truly blessed!!!

10 Months!!!

2010-06-27T19:57:00.001-05:00

Max is a whole 10 months old today! Only 2 months until our sweet baby boy turns one year old. I think I might cry!

Check out what Max has been up to this past month:

Eating: You eat everything! No, really!!! You are eating basically anything we eat these days. You have tried chicken nuggets, grilled chicken, green beans, poppy seed chicken, Mexican rice, re-fried beans, taco meat (very, very mild), pizza, and a whole host of other things that I have forgotten :) You LOVE food! Lately you are eating (3) meals a day and 1-2 snacks. Yesterday you ate 2 slices of cheese pizza for dinner. And today you ate a whole peanut butter sandwich and 1/2 of a huge banana. I think you have hit a growth spurt. You take 2-3 bottles of formula a day and 1-2 bottles of watered down juice. And, you drink ice water with your meals and in between. You seem to be weening yourself from formula & the bottle! Yay!

Sleeping: You are still a wonderful sleeper! You go down for the night at around 6:30 and wake up between 5-6:30 a.m. Lately, you have only been taking (1) 1-1.5 hour nap, but that might need to change because you get a bit cranky in the evening before dinner time.

Activity: You are into EVERYTHING! You are so curious. You cruise around everything and will even squat down and stand back up without holding on to anything. I have a feeling you will be walking before you turn 11 months old ;) You love going to our neighborhood pool. And just this weekend, you were jumping off of the side and went all the way under the water! Yay! You also enjoy going down the slide and into the water (with our help of course). You would rather be outside than anywhere else. Even in this scorching heat! You get so excited when we take you to one of the doors and cry if we walk away and don't go outside. You love going for stroller rides in the evening. You also love swinging in your swing on the back patio.

Misc.: You are going to be quite the talker! You say all kinds of vowels and consonant combinations. And, when you here Jasper bark you always say "dah." Which, of course, we know means dog! You have started fluctuating your "words." So, it sounds like you are carrying on a conversation with us. You point at everything. You are starting to give kisses now. And, it is just the sweetest thing. I LOVE your sweet slobbery baby kisses. You love to be read to and you love to read too. You are starting to test our limits when we tell you not to do something. We know you understand what "no" means, but sometimes you like to see if we are serious when we tell you no ;) Just another way you are learning!

We love you to the moon and back Maxwell Miles! We are so blessed to call you ours.

9 Month Sneak-peek

2010-06-22T07:27:00.000-05:00

We met Lindsey at the Hendrix campus in Conway a couple of weekends ago for Max's 9-month pictures. Can you beleive this is his next-to-last session for his First Year Pictures?!

You can see the entire sneak-peek at Lindsey Faith Photography.

I hope you all are having a fabulous summer thus far!

9 Months

2010-05-27T21:22:00.000-05:00

Max! You are 9 months old today buddy!!! You get sweeter and sweeter each and every day. We love you with all of our hearts.

Dr. Appointment: You went to see Dr. Thompson today. You weigh 17 lbs. 3 oz. (5th percentile). You are 27 3/4 inches long (33rd percentile) and your head circumference is 18 in. (63rd percentile). You are doing great! Your pediatrician said that you are right on track with everything and a little ahead in some areas, like pointing.
Eating: You take (4) 8 oz. bottles a day. You eat three solid food meals and sometimes 1-2 snacks. You are eating chunkier foods now. And, last week we gave you yogurt for the first time and you LOVED it! Earlier this week we started giving you some finger foods and you have really taken a liking to feeding yourself. You have had bread with cream cheese, bread with peanut butter, and banana. You also had the yolk from a hard-boiled egg. You are still a wonderful eater! You are getting better and better about taking a sippy cup.
Sleeping: You sleep from 6:30-7 p.m. to 6:30-7 a.m., so 12 hours still. You take 1-2 naps a day, which are usually 1-2 hours long. Every once in a while you will wake up around 3 or 4 a.m. and want a bottle. Otherwise, you are a pretty good sleeper ;)
Activity: You are all over the place! You crawl soooo fast. You are pulling up on anything and everything. You "cruise" on everything also. You have mastered the stairs in our house. Yikes! It won't be long before you take that first step...
Misc.: You are talking like crazy! You say mama, dada, baba, and other combinations of consonants and vowels. You are very vocal and very loud these days. You love to belly-laugh at everything, especially Jasper. You guys are going to be the bestest of friends one day.

We love you so much Maxwell! You make our hearts smile.

I Voted

2010-05-25T19:51:00.000-05:00

Daniel, Max, & I all went together and voted in the Primary Elections that were held last Tuesday. We actually early voted and it was really fast--no lines at all. Max was super-excited to get to go to the polls for the first time with Mommy & Daddy. He even got a sticker! (Which I found stuck to his carseat a couple of days ago! Haha!)

Here are some pictures of us at our polling site.

Max on the way! Can't you just see the excitement in his sweet little eyes?!

A nice man stopped and offered to take a family picture for us.

Well, looks like we will be back at the polls in the next week or so. There are some MAJOR run-off elections going on. So, get out and VOTE! Early voting begins a week from today and continues until the Monday before the run-offs, which are Tuesday, June 8th.

And, please vote for Mark Wilcox for Seretary of State!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week! We are surely enjoying this warmer weather. Can't wait to go to our neighborhood pool this Saturday so that Max can show off his mad swimming skills :)

Water Baby

2010-05-13T21:01:00.002-05:00

Max & I enrolled in Mommy & Me swim lessons at the YMCA in LR. We had our last swimming lesson on Monday. This was his fourth week of lessons and Max has improved tremendously! We were in the 6 month-3 year old class at the YMCA Westside Branch. His teacher, Ms. Regina, was great. The class was geared toward water safety.

Swimming lessons are something that I highly recommend. Especially at this age when it is all about safety. At each lesson, Max would practice crawling out of the pool & jumping back in at my command. Although he cannot climb out all by himself or stand up & jump back in by himself, he does understand the concept. We will continue to practice these skills this summer at our neighborhood pool and we will hopefully continue swim lessons for the next few summers. Max also enjoyed the fun songs & activites we would do each class. His favorite thing was popping up out of the water on the song "Pop Goes the Weasel." He also enjoyed the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and the rain falling down on his head, as well as tipping his head into the water during "I'm a Little Teapot."

He practiced riding the horse (the long noodle thingy) in the water for balance, and riding the boat (the flat boogy board). It was really a fun class!

Here are a few pictures Daniel took of us at one of our classes.

(Pardon my extremley sunburned shoulders. Apparently the UV rays were much stronger than I thought at Toad Suck!)

Unfortunately, we did not make it to the very last class yesterday because Max was not feeling well. Poor guy! He woke up with a fever of 101 degrees and a slight cough. His pediatrician said to monitor him overnight. So that is what we did. He slept great through the night, and woke up again this morning with a 101 degree temperature. We went to see his pediatrician, Dr. Thompson with the LR Pediatric's Clinic, and he determined that Max probably caught a virus that led to croup (a condition that causes inflammation of the airways and a nasty barklike cough). He also has some fluid in both of his ears, which could be the early signs of an ear infection, so he is taking antibiotics.

Max's fever broke before we went to see Dr. Thompson, and Max seems to be handling this nasty croup as well as he can. He is in good spirits. Especially when he sees his Daddy :) I just hate that my poor baby is sick! Please pray for his speedy healing.

Farmer's Market & Toad Suck Daze

2010-05-06T20:49:00.002-05:00

Daniel began a new rotation last weekend working nights. Boo! BUT, he has weekends off! Yay! So, we took advantage of his offtime & visited the Farmers' Market at the Rivermarket in downtown LR on Saturday. Then, we headed to Conway for Toad Suck on Sunday after church. We had such a fabulous weekend spending time together as a family. Family time is a rarity these days, so we really cherish it when we get it!

Below are some pictures from our weekend. I hope your weekend was just as great as ours!

These first (2) are from the Farmers' Market:

My two guys!

We had a fun time just walking around downtown & chatting with the farmers/vendors. Daniel found a couple of men that were selling cutting boards, so he was just smitten talking woodworking with them :) I will have to show you Daniel's cutting boards sometime.

They are really beautiful!

These are from Toad Suck. Daniel's family (originally his grandparents, now his uncle) owns Boyd's Lemonade & Funnel Cakes & they are at Toad Suck each year. We really enjoyed the lemonade on such a hot & humid day! Yum!

This is our little family in front of the Funnel Cake stand.

Max's fist taste of lemonade! He loved it! After these pictures we let him try to use the straw to get some lemonade, and he caught right on. He's such a big boy! (He now has a sippy cup that has a straw!!!)

Mommy & Max. Love this little guy!

This is Max & Mamaw.

Mamaw with all of her great-grandchildren: Elise, Eliza, & Max.

Sweet little chubby-faced Max! He was worn out by the time we left!

I hope that all of you Moms out there have the BEST Mother's Day...you definitely deserve it!

Happy 8-Month Birthday Max!

2010-04-30T12:49:00.000-05:00

Max turned 8 months old on Tuesday.

He has been a super busy guy this past month! But, before I show you what he has been up to, a few pictures of him on his Birthday with his b-day gift.

I found these colorful soft blocks at Target. They are made by B. products. They have some really neat stuff! And, they are a super eco-friendly company. (Which I am trying to do my part by taking steps to leave less of a carbon footprint, but that is a whole other topic!)

My how time does fly! This past month has gone by so quickly. I think that is partly because Max has developed so much over the past month. As you know from his 7-month post (I know, the one right before this one!), he is officially a crawler. BUT, he is also a cruiser!

Yep, he can now pull himself up on most anything. Let's see...he has pulled up in his crib (on Easter), on the stairs, on his baby gate, on the door (not sure how he did that one, but he did), and on a few other places that I cannot recall at the moment.

Here he is in action on the stairs (his most favorite spot to pull up on):

He looks so small to be standing, don't you think!? He is super careful & does NOT like it when he is unsteady! The last picture says it all...holding on for dear life. He's like Spiderman the way he grips the stairs with his palms! Haha!

Now for the "What Max has been up to" information:

Eating: You have gone through a growth spurt & want to eat ALL the time! The past few weeks you have been a little fussy & I thought you were just teething, but I really think you are just growing. You started being a little clingy by crawling toward me & wanting to be held alot. Soooo not like you! So, I finally started feeding you when you would do this & it worked like magic...happy baby again! Yay! You are eating (5-6) 6 o.z. bottles & three meals a day. And, we have added a couple of snacks--either juice, small bottle, or crackers/teething biscuit. You still love all of the food that I offer. And, your favorite seems to be the peaches at this point.

Sleeping: For a couple of weeks, I think you were boycotting naps altogether! This was when you hit your growth spurt, so you were probably not wanting to sleep because you were hungry! You sleep 10-12 hours a night and are now waking up around 5:30 a.m. for a bottle & then you go right back to sleep. During the day, you will usually take a 2-2.5 hours nap. So, down to one nap now.

Activity: Whoa! You are busy! You are crawling EVERYWHERE & are super fast too. You are pulling up like nobody's business and are pretty steady on your feet. You also just started to "walk" on all fours. This is pretty funny to watch! I have a feeling that you will be walking pretty soon. You went to your first swim lesson on 4/19 with Ms. Regina at the YMCA. You were a little hesitant at first, but seemed to really enjoy the water after a while. We will go 2X's a week for four weeks. The second & third class you really loved. You are learning to crawl out of the pool & to get your head, ears, & face wet. You will be a swimming little fishy before we know it!

Misc.: You are for sure a talker! You will just crawl around & jabber away. You are really expanding the syllables, consonants, and fluctuations. We are also starting baby sign language. We just started last weekend, so you are not signing just yet, but I really think that you understand the signs for milk, eat, & all gone. You went to your first playgroup on 4/12 at Deacon's house. You & another baby were the only ones that were not walkers, but you had so much fun watching the big kids play & you enjoyed all of the new toys.

We love you so much sweet baby boy!

7 Months

2010-04-20T20:22:00.000-05:00

So, Max turned 7 months on March 27th. He is getting sooooo lonnnggg! The picture below was taken on March 27th & he is even taller now. We think he is going to be pretty tall & slim.

What do you think?

Eating: You are eating (5) 6 oz. bottles a day, along with 3 solid feedings. (We had our last nursing session on 3/17. It was time for both of us! We went almost 7 months, so I am proud of us!!!) The solid feedings consist of fruit & oatmeal cereal in the morning and veggies for lunch and dinner. You eat butternut squash, sweet potatos (your 2 favorites), peas, pears, zucchini, whipped cauliflower, and avocados (not a favorite). You do not seem to be a picky eater. You probably care more about the texture of the food than what you are actually eating! You are practicing with a sippy cup of water at each meal. You seem to be doing pretty good. You are not really interested in the water though. We have given you some little apple-o's and you are really improving on your "pincer" grasp. You also do really well with regular crackers.
Sleeping: You sleep 10.5-12 hours a night, and take (2) naps ranging from 1-2.5 hours. We usually start your bedtime routine between 7-8, and you wake between 7-8 in the morning. You seem to be sleeping really well! Yay!!!
Activity: You are officially a crawler! You really crawled for the first time on our 2-year Anniversary (March 21st) and have not stopped since!!! You are super fast and so excited about your new skill. You are saying "da-da-da" and babbling quite a bit. You say other random phrases as well.
Misc.: You have changed so much from 6-7 months. You LOVE your daddy and get so excited when he comes through the door each evening. You are doing so great in the nursery at church. Your teachers Ms. Jennifer & Ms. Bailey love you so much. You squeal alot--especially when you are in your highchair. It's as if you are trying to carry on a dinner conversation with us :)

We love you so much Max! You are our sunshine!!!

Spring Has Sprung!

2010-04-12T22:20:00.000-05:00

Much Ado About {Some}thing

2010-04-05T21:16:00.000-05:00

I, first, just wanted to ask that everyone please continue to pray for my cousin Tasha and her husband Daniel as they mourn the loss of their sweet Baby Owen, and as they embark upon a time of healing. They are doing very will given the circumstances. Tasha is an amazingly strong woman and has fabulously supportive sisters who have carried her through this journey.

On a lighter note...

I hope you & your family had a wonderful Easter! We surely did!!! Below is a picture of Max & the Easter Bunny. Our church had an Easter egg hunt/picnic Satruday at Lake Willastein & the Easter Bunny made an appearance.

You can't really tell in the pictures, but Max's shirt has a cute carrot appliqued on it. (etsy.com of course!) The same lady that made his cute appliqued pumpkin made this for him. A-dorable! I will do a post about our Easter, along with pictures, this week.

We have been super busy. And, in more ways than one. Max is changing at lightening speed and just amazes me daily! I am going to do his 7-month post this week. (He turned 7 months on March 27th!) He has really surprised us this past week on the things he is able to do now. I will do a post on his latest happenings this week as well. (The suspense is killing you, huh?!)

We also went to Wye Mountain & took a ton of pictures (500 to be exact!), so I will post some of those as well. We got some really sweet ones. I had never been out there, but it is such a great background for pictures. Another neat thing is that it has a huge cross in the middle of the daffodil field.

Lots of posts on the way, so keep checking back.

(And, I LOVE comments, so don't be shy!)

Hope you all have a great rest of the week.

Say A Prayer

2010-03-30T10:16:00.000-05:00

Please say a prayer for my cousin & her husband today. Their Baby Owen was due in two weeks, but he did not make it. Pray that she will have strength & healing as she goes through with the delivery this afternoon. Thank you.

Max's "Great" Family

2010-03-19T20:39:00.000-05:00

Isn't family GREAT?!

Well, Max has some relatives that are truly great!

Below are some pictures of Max with his "Great Family"

This is my Dad's Mom. We call her Grandma Miles, appropriately!

She is the neatest lady. So fun to be around...if you can keep up with her! Hahaha!

She is always on the go! We love her dearly.

This is my Mom's Mom. We call her Nanny.

She is such a sweet lady and a pretty sweet cook too!

She and Max both have the rosiest cheeks ever!

Nanny holds a special place in my heart.

Max & Mamaw. This is Daniel's Mom's Mom.

She is so giving and has the biggest heart.

Mamaw is an amazingly talented seamstress.

She made all of Max's Nursery bedding. We LOVE her!

This is Papaw. He is Daniel's Mom's Dad.

He is just precious.

And, you can just see the love that Papaw has for Baby Max through Papaw's eyes.

Well, I hope you enjoyed meeting Max's Great Family!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Our's will be extra-special becasue we are celebrating our 2-Year Wedding Anniversary on Sunday! Yay!

My 1st St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T21:44:00.000-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Faux-Hawk, Sippy Cup, and Fruits & Veggies

2010-03-14T22:26:00.001-05:00

Let me begin by apologizing for the lack of posting over the past few days. I wish I could say that I had some majorly important affairs that took over every second of my days and that prevented me from logging on to Max's blog and posting something. But. I can't.

So, I will just play catch-up. Over the last week I went to about a gazillion consignment sales/stores! Okay. Maybe just three, but still! I went to Duck-Duck-Goose for the first time & was completely overwhelmed! I don't know how in the world mothers of little girls ever make it through that sale!!! The entire Hall of Industry at the State Fairgrounds was filled with cute, adorable girl clothes & accessories. I walked in and my jaw just dropped. I did not have a clue where to even begin. But, I mustered up the courage to get focused and tackle the teeny-tiny boys' section. In all actuality, there was a sizable amount of cute boys' clothes. Especially in the infant to toddler sizes. I got Max a couple of sweet little deals, including a cute birthday jon-jon for $8 that I know I have seen at some local boutique for $50(+).

I also made a trip to Caroline's Consignment store in The Heights. I really like this atmosphere much better than the consignment sales. It's calm and I don't feel rushed to grab up every almost-cute item I can get my hands on just so that I have a pile of things to carry like everyone else at those consignment sales. I got Max a few Polo shirts there for only $8 each! What a steal! AND . . . one was PINK! I love pink polo and button-up shirts on little guys! (And, big guys too. I love when Daniel wears pink!!!)

Rhea Lana's in NLR began today. So I figured I should continue the consignment rage! I found Max some cute Polo rompers there for only $12 each. And, some cute Baby Gap pj's for $3 & $4 each. So, maybe all of this consignment hopping has been what has kept me from blogging :-)

How precious is this cereal-covered face?! And, can you guess what the (2) new things in the picture are? Yep, you got it. The sippy-cup and the mohawk! Max now gets some water in a sippy-cup at each of his meals. He does a pretty good job with it. And, he will actually drink the water when we hold it for him!

What do you think of his faux-hawk and his goatee? Hahaha! I do like that Max has enough hair to even do this with. Most of the babies in my family do not get hair until they are around 25!

Max is getting stronger & stronger when he pushes up. By some definitions, he may even be considered a crawler! He can now push up on all fours without much effort and move his hands forward one at a time. He will also "pull" his legs forward in a sweeping motion. Whether it be from rolling, scooting, or a combination of movements, the boy can get to where he wants to go, that is for sure!

My two guys! I just love seeing these two together. And, I love when Max puts his hand on Daniel's face like that...such a sweet touch!

This past week, Max has had more sweet potatoes, has tried butternut squash, and bananas. He loves them all! I roasted the butternut squash in the oven and it turned out really great. And, it makes a huge amount too. I put the banana in one of those meshy feeders by Munchkin and Max ate it up. He had 1/2 of a banana this morning. I am also going to try zucchini this week.

Have a wonderful week!

And, Think warm weather thoughts so that Spring will come!

Max's 6 Month Stats

2010-03-10T21:14:00.000-06:00

Can you believe that Max was ever this tiny?!

I just love this picture of him by Lindsey. He was so little and so fragile then. It just seems like eons ago that he was a newborn.

But, he is a big 6 month old Baby Boy now. Yep, he turned 6 months old on February 27th. He went to see his pediatrician the following Monday (March 1st) and below are some of his stats along with what he is up to these days.

Weight: 15 lbs. 3 oz. (10th percentile)
Length: 26 inches (31st percentile)
Head Circumfrence: 17 3/4 inches (82nd percentile)
Eating: cereal 3X's per day; beginning solid foods once or twice a day; thus far, you have tried green peas (not a favorite), sweet potatoes (LOVED them) and avacados (you seem to like them). You are now nursing less & less--typically twice a day--and are taking a bottle (formula) 4-5 times a day. Usually 4 or 6 ounces at a time. You also get a sippy cup of water when you eat your cereal (so, 3X's a day).
Sleeping: You sleep 12-14 hours at night (woohoo!). You go to bed between 6 and 7 and wake up sometime between 6 and 8. It's heavenly! You had been taking two (2) hour naps (one in the morning and one in the afternoon), but have recently just started taking one in the mid-afternoon. Typically around 1-2 hours. You still mostly like to be laid down and go to sleep on your own. However, in the last couple of days you have wanted to be cradled and given your pacifier at naptime in order to go to sleep. (I have enjoyed this because you DO NOT typically like to be in the cradle position!)
Activity: You can sit for a while unassisted now. You get stronger and stronger by the day and can now catch yourself when you start to fall in one direction and pull back up. You are pushing up on all fours and will be crawling any day. You are also getting stronger and quicker with this movement. When you are pushed up you rock back and forth and look as though you will just take off!
Misc.: You have (2) teeth! The bottom center two have broken through and are continuing to show more and more each day. You are quite the chatterbox these days! You will gurgle, say "ahhhhh" very firmly, say "Ba," and other multiple syllable phrases. Hmmmm....wonder what your first word will be?!

You are such a joy to be around. You are a very laid back little guy and love to laugh and giggle. You are super ticklish under your neck and around your ribcage. You are an easy baby and love to look at people and smile.

You make the world smile!

The Daily Grind

2010-03-05T09:59:00.000-06:00

Want to know what Max & I do all day? Although each day is different, here is a look into a typical day with Max & me. For those who don't know it, I am a wonderfully blessed SAHM (stay-at-home Mom). Enjoy!

Max usually wakes up around 7ish. I don't set my alarm, but just get up when I hear him. He usually cries a little to let me know he is awake, but sometimes I think he plays a bit before I even hear him. Like this morning, for instance. I found him all the way in the corner of one end of his bed playing with his bumper. Silly guy!

Max still nurses in the morning and then he eats his breakfast, which consists of just cereal right now. He usually will have floor time/independent time for anywhere from 30 mins. to an hour and then take a morning nap somewhere around two hours after he wakes up. His morning nap us usually always 2 hours. This is the time when I really get some things done around the house...cleaning, laundry, bathing, etc. (Bathing is sometimes not a piority this early in the day--I know, gross!)

After his morning nap, Max wakes up so happy and refreshed! We will usually run errands around this time because he is so happy. If not, we play some more and do lunch. Around two or so hours after he wakes from his morning nap, he takes his afternoon nap. This nap us typically 1-2 hours. After the afternoon nap we play some more. He loves his Exersaucer still and his jumper, so we usually rotate between those. I try to get some more tidying done and get things ready for dinner.

Daniel (whose schedule is more random than Max's!) usually gets home in time to feed Max dinner somewhere between 5-6. Then Max takes his bath (which he still LOVES!) and off to bed he goes!

We have a pretty good routine going now. I'll tell you though that the first few months were pretty rough as far as a schedule. I felt like every day was completely different than the one before! I am a planner & I love to know what lies ahead, so those days were particularly tough for me. But, I LOVE this sweet baby even more & would not have changed a thing.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into our daily lives.

Happy Friday All!

Just A Strollin'

2010-03-04T22:00:00.003-06:00

More Peas, Please

2010-03-03T20:23:00.000-06:00

Today was Day 2 of solid food tasting. And you guessed it--Max had green peas for his first veggie. Yesterday I just gave him a couple of bites of pureed peas with the cooking stock mixed in. He was NOT a fan! (TMI Alert!) Actually, he gagged and threw most of it back up.

So, today I mixed in some rice cereal and he ate it without gagging. Reluctant? Yes. But he ate it nonetheless. I figure he has done pretty good thus far considering most sources say that it may take upwards of 10 times before a baby will take a certain food. (Or it could be that by the tenth time they just give in and eat the stuff that is being forced upon them. Hahaha!) But, my hopes are that Max will be a veggie & fruit lover like me. I think we are off to a pretty good start so far. The plan is to slowly decrease the amount of cereal I give him with his peas. I will give him peas for at least two more days to give him enough time to get a taste for them and to make sure he does not have an allergic reaction.

My plans are to give him avocados and sweet potatoes next. I didn't get any pictures of him actually eating his peas. Boo! But, I am sure there will be plenty of pea-faced smiles in the near future.

Happy Wednesday everyone! Only two more days until the weekend. Woohoo!

Birthdays, Milestones, Vacation, and Road Trippin'

2010-03-02T21:47:00.002-06:00

WOW! It has been over a week since my last entry & I have missed doing my daily updates like crazy! We have had a pretty busy week, so pardon the lengthy post :) In order to keep things organized I put headers atop each subject so that you wouldn't get confused. (OR maybe I just enjoy being organized & feeling like I am writing something important that needs to have headers. Hahaha!)

BIRTHDAYS

First, Max & I both had important/noteworthy birthdays this last week. I turnd the BIG 3-0 last Monday (the 22nd) and Max turned 6 months on Saturday (the 27th). To my surprise, I did not loathe turning 30 like I thought I would. It was actually a really nice grown-up and mature birthday. I have decided to embrace getting older. In all actuality, I have enjoyed the last five years of my life the most out of any other five! I think that you just get to a point where you feel comfortable in your own skin. For me, it was over the past few years & it feels great!

It also helps to have a wonderful husband who is also my best friend. Daniel surprised me with a beautiful pair of diamond earrings. I know, I am still in shock!!! Diamonds are this girl's (second) best friend! (Maybe that is why I didn't mind turning 30!) Max got me a sweet picture frame that says: "I love my Mom." My two guys are the BEST! We spent the whole day together...a wonderful gift all in itself!

Daniel took me to YaYa's for dinner & it was amazing. That was my first time eating there and it was far from disappointing. We ordered the hummus for an appetizer and I had a shrimp pasta dish that was divine. All-in-all my day was perfect. I would not have changed a thing!

And, our sweet little Max is 6 months old now! Can you believe it?! I will do a separate post for his six month update and doctor's appointment, but I just wanted to give a noteworthy mention here. Look how small his monkey is looking! Max is my little ball of sunshine!

MILESTONES

Within the last week, Max has cut two teeth and is up on all fours! He has done a great job with the teething. He is still so sweet even when he does not feel well. He just flashes that big cheesy smile in between whimpers/cries. It is just the sweetest.

I can't get a picture of his big ole' tooth just yet, but I will prevail soon! I can't wait to see his sweet toothed smile. Oh, and BTW, the two teeth are the bottom center one's (the usual suspects!).

VACATION & ROAD TRIPPIN'

Daniel was on vacation all of last week. It was magnificent!!! We thoroughly enjoyed having him home with us for the first half of his vacation. The second half of the week, we made our first road trip with Max to OKC to visit Daniel's Mom. It was such a great trip! Max did wonderfully on the way there AND on the way back. I am so glad he travels well! We left on Thursday morning and came back Sunday afternoon. It was the perfect amount of time for Max's first road trip. He adjusted really well to sleeping in the Pack-n-play. I think this was because we set it up in his nursery about a week before we left and let him sleep in it some during his naps and at night. Max's Aunt Erica gave us this tip & I think it made all the difference! We enjoyed getting to hang out and visit with Daniel's Mom. Max loved his time he had with his Grandmum. Fun times were had all around!

Max & his Grandmum!

Crawl Space

2010-02-21T20:42:00.001-06:00

We have had such a delightful weekend. Daniel started his week-long vacation Saturday & we have loved, loved, loved having him at home!

On Friday, Max cut his first tooth! Yeah! We can barely feel a little sharp edge on his bottom gums, but it is definitely a tooth. Friday evening while the sun was still shining we all (including Jasper) went for a lovely walk around the neighborhood. It was great!

Saturday, Daniel & Max accompanied me to the Bargainista sale at the State House Convention Center, which was a dud in my book, and then to the Inviting Company Sale, which was great as usual!. (I think they only went along with this shopping extravaganza because it is my Birthday weekend!) We had such a great time just walking around downtown--despite the slightly chilly temperatures.

BUT, today took the cake! First: Max went to the nursery for the very first time in his (almost) 6 whole months of life and he did GREAT!!! Not a tear was shed (by me, Max, or Daniel!). The nursery worker said he was such a happy baby and said that she looked forward to him coming back. Yeah for us--we got invited back to the nursery! Woohoo!

Second: This evening we started our small group at Church. This is really the first time Daniel & I have been able to commit to a small group at our Church because previously our crazy schedules never allowed us to. This time though most of the groups are meeting on Sunday evenings, which is a great time for us. We had such a wonderful time! Our group consists of other couples in our same demographic: around the same age and with infant to school-aged children. We really look forward to connecting with the people in our small group and growing stronger in our Faith. Max went with us for the first meeting, but he will stay in the nursery for subsequent meetings. Especially since he did so great in there! There are sure to be good times to come with this group!

Last: (but not least) Get ready . . .

. . . I think we have a pre-crawler on our hands!

This was Max pushing up in his crib (a.k.a. crawl space) after his morning nap.

You may not be able to tell by the pictures, but he was completely on his hands & knees and his stomach was completely off of the bed!

Isn't this amazing! I am just so in awe of this little baby boy!

Such a determined little guy.

I must say though that I am a tad bit nervous about Max being mobile. In case you have never been to our house, we have a 70's style tri-level, which means we have TWO sets of stairs. Yes . . . not one, but two known danger zones in our home. Eek!

So we are definitely in the market for safe, sturdy, and reliable baby gates for stairs. So let us know if you have any gate suggestions/comments/tips.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Have a great Monday!!!

Baby Dedication Ceremony & Party

2010-02-18T21:24:00.000-06:00

Our family photo at Max's Baby Dedication!

This was such a joyous occasion for us. To be able to stand before God and our family and friends and vow to dedicate our sweet baby boy to the Lord was such an amazing moment. We are so thankful for all of our family and friends and the love and support they give our little family. Max is surrounded by such loving and giving people. He is so blessed!

This is Michelle Bezet, Pastor Rick Bezet's wife. She always does the baby dedications & they are always so sweet & touching.

This is Pastor Rick giving all of the families his blessing.

After the Dedication Ceremony our family came to our house for some appetizers & dessert. It was all yummy! My Mom is such an amazing Mom & Grandma! She made all of the appetizers (mozzerella sticks, southwestern chicken pouches, and sausage cheese balls) AND French Silk Pie. We also had fruit kabobs (assorted fruit on wooden shish-kabobs), chocolate cupcakes with creamcheese icing, and yummy Berry Punch.

This is the invitation I made for Max's ceremony. So cute! And the tabletopper was, of course, made by Daniel's Mamaw.

Looks like we are in for a treat with another Sunny day tomorrow--well, at least part of the day anyway!

Ya'll have a grand weekend!

Razorback Dreamin'

2010-02-17T21:22:00.001-06:00

Max is fast asleep, but you can be sure this little Razorback is dreaming of a W-I-N!

He's giving them a pep-talk here. Go Hogs Go!

He is still practicing his push-ups and getting higher & higher with them! I think we will have a crawler very soon. Yikes!

Well, we hope the Hogs deliver a W tonight.

Hope you are having a great week! Enjoy the sunshine again tomorrow. I know we will :)

p.s. In case you missed the last post, you can view Max's 6-month sneak-peek here.

Sneak-peek!

2010-02-17T07:38:00.000-06:00

Max's sneak-peek is up on Lindsey's website!

Push-ups

2010-02-16T20:27:00.000-06:00

Busy Bee Family

2010-02-15T22:14:00.000-06:00

So, we have been super busy this weekend--busy in a good way! Saturday morning began with Max's 6-month pictures at 10 a.m. We decided to do a one-year-plan with Lindsey Watson of Lindsey Faith Photography and it has been just great! I love knowing that we are set to get Max's pictures taken every three months for his first year. I will definitely let you all know when she has his sneak peek available. If you didn't see Max's newborn or 3 month pictures (or you just want to see them again!), then go to the blog link above and do a search for Max. They are all just preciuos!

Later Saturday evening was Max's Baby Dedication Ceremony & party. It was so very sweet! Such a special moment that I will cherish forever. I will do a post on the ceremony and party later this week :)

On Sunday (V-Day) my Mom was oh so sweet to come and keep Max for Daniel & I so that we could go on our Valentine's Day date. We went & ate at Seki Sui's Japanese Steakhouse & it was wonderful! We were going to go to the Pharoah exhibit at the Arkansas Arts Center, but decided against it. We really wanted to do something outdoors (like walk around Kavanaugh & visit all of the fun shops), but the weather was completely uncooperative for that! So, we ended up going to Community Bakery & getting yummy heart-shaped iced sugar cookies and caramel lattes. Daniel gave me a sweet new charm for my Chamilia/Pandora bracelet that he gave me for Christmas. The new charm is silver with mother of pearl heart inset. I LOVE it!

Today, we went to visit Mamaw & Papaw (Daniel's grandparents) in Searcy. We got there around lunch time & had such a great time visiting. We stayed until around 6, so we also got to see Jonathan, Erica, & Eliza. That was a pleasant surprise! Max was so sleepy by then because he didn't really have an afternoon nap, but that didn't stop him from playing with his Aunt Erica & watching his sweet cousin Eliza! He is really interacting with people now & I just love watching him watch the world.

I don't know why, but this picture cracks me up!

I ordered the first picture for Daniel from Max on Kodak's metallic paper & it is so amazing in print! I love it!

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day full of all the LOVE you can handle!

Randomness

2010-02-12T22:16:00.000-06:00

We've been doing a whole lot of nothing lately! In case you didn't know it, I HATE winter weather with a passion. I just really hate being cold period! However, the snow has really been pretty. BUT, I am so ready for it to go away now & for Spring to be here. Sunny days and warm breezes are what I love.

I can tell you that this dog is ready for some warmer weather also. He has been couped up inside with me & the babe and he is ready to be free again. Now, Jasper loves him some inside time, but 7(+) days has been a little too much for him to handle. He is b-o-r-e-d in here. And to top it all off, he really doesn't get that much attention because Max steals it all. Poor, poor Jasper :(

We did get out to go to Target one day this week. Max rode in the buggy for his 2nd time & he did great!

Speaking of dogs...Max got this My Pal Scout for Christmas & I just got it out for him. He loves it! It's a really neat toy becuase you hook it up to your computer via a USB that attaches to the back and it allows you to personalize it. It says his name & sings songs about his favorite food, animal, and color. Very neat!

Daniel got Max up this morning and put him in our bed and took this picture. Isn't it the sweetest? He looks like such a big boy laying on Daddy's pillow.

Tomorrow is Max's Baby Dedication at our Church (New Life Church). We are so excited to commit to training & teaching Max what it means to be a Christian and being the best examples we can be. We will definitely have pictures to post from this wonderful ceremony!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day.

Kiss + Hug someone you love!

Messy Eater

2010-02-10T21:34:00.000-06:00

Table Talk

2010-02-09T20:46:00.000-06:00

Max is officially a BIG BOY!

He is now sitting in his booster/highchair to eat his cereal. Daniel's Dad & Stepmom got this for him for Christmas; it's the Fisher-Price Healthy Care Deluxe Booster Seat. It is really, really great thus far. It has some very practical & useful qualities: the tray is dishwasher safe; the whole seat is portable; the tray has a cover to keep it clean until you are ready to use it; and it saves space.

So enough with the infomercials I have been doing! How cute is this little (BIG) guy?!

He's ready for some grub! Feed me Mommy & Daddy!

That little side-smile melts my heart!

Max is eating ceral (3) times a day now. Oatmeal in the morning and rice for lunch & dinner. He loves it!

I can't wait to start feeding him vegetables and fruit. He will be 6 months old in a few weeks, so we will start then. I am going to try and make all of his food, so we will see how that goes!

Daniel got me this neat cookbook for babies from Williams-Sonoma, so I am going to use some of those recipes. I know a lot of parents make their babies' food in large batches and freeze it. I think I will try that once I get the hang of making his food. It will definitely be interesting.

I am curious to see the things he likes & dislikes. He has been pretty adaptable to eating thus far & does not seem like he will be too picky, but we shall soon find out!

Jumping Maxwell

2010-02-08T22:18:00.000-06:00

Saturday I went and got Max this Jump & Go from Babies R Us. Max LOVES it! He got the hang of it pretty quick and just jumps all around! (Okay, he just jumps in the area between the door frame, but still, he is all over it! Ha!) I was a bit leery of the jumpers that hang from the doorframe, but I decided to try it out. This one had the best reviews & no complaints about safety issues, so we went with it. I looked at the Exersaucer-type jumpers, but they are pricey & take up ALOT of space that we don't have!

He seems very secure in this & the mechanism that holds him up couln't be any more sturdy. Again, if you are a Mom or are looking for a baby shower gift--this is a great one!

(He looks a little skeptical in this one! Don't let his look fool you though...he LOVES this thing!)

Easter Basket

2010-02-07T22:36:00.000-06:00

I know some may think it is a bit early to start thinking about Easter. But, not me! I ordered Max's amazingly cute Easter basket from Pottery Barn Kids & just got it in. Isn't it adorable? And, these pictures do NOT do it justice!

I am so very excited about Max's first Easter. Our church is going to have an Easter celebration at Lake Willastein in Maumelle the Saturday before Easter Sunday & I am so excited about taking Max. Now if I could decide on what he should wear...

Happy Saturday

2010-02-06T22:54:00.000-06:00

The Promise House

2010-02-05T21:04:00.001-06:00

So, Max & I got out and ran some errands yesterday before the rain sat in. Max was such a great baby throughout it all!!! We dropped off a thank you note at a neighbor's house (a whole other blog topic!); went to the bank; took some dresses to a formal consignment shop (including two of my high school prom dresses!!!); went by the post office; and finally made our last stop at The Promise House.

The Promise House is a home for teenage girls who are pregnant and whom have either been court-ordered to stay there or referred there by DHS. It is actually just down the street from our house (near the Baptist Hospital campus). I have lived in LR all of my life and never knew it existed! The Promise House is a part of Arkansas Baptist Children's Homes, which helps children and families all over Arkansas who are in a crisis situation.

I learned about The Promise House through Kelly's Korner. Kelly blogged about the maternity clothing drive that the Promise House was doing & I decided to participate. Max & I took some maternity things and some baby items by there to donate. We took a tour of the house and got to meet a few of the girls that are currently staying there. It was such a humbling experience to learn about some of the residents' stories and what all The Promise House does for these girls. It is truly a wonderful program. If you have some maternity clothes/items that you are willing to donate, these girls would LOVE to have them! Check out their website here for a list of other things that they need.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Silly Valentine

2010-02-04T20:13:00.000-06:00

Just like Daddy

2010-02-03T18:51:00.000-06:00

Whooo...whooo...

2010-02-02T21:21:00.001-06:00

Tonight after I got finished putting Max down, Daniel and I were in the office (right next to Max's room) and heard: "whooo...whooo...whooo...whooo." Daniel got up and stood in front of Max's door to hear a little better. The sounds we were hearing were sweet Baby Max! He makes this sweet "whooo....whooo" sound sometimes during the day while he looks right at us with a serious face. It always seemed like he was trying to tell me something. But tonight, I think he was making this sound to soothe himself to sleep. It was oh so sweet!

Speaking of sleep--Max slept from 6:45 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. last night! Woohoo! Hopefully tonight he will do the same :) He seems alot more calm these days when I put him down for his naps and at night. He rarely cries at all when I lay him down. Maybe he has made these soothing sounds for a while and we are just now hearing him!

Shopping

2010-02-01T23:24:00.000-06:00

Max sat in the shopping cart for the first time today & he did such a great job! Santa gave him this Infantino cart/highchair cover for Christmas and it works wonderfully. It has a buckle that keeps him safe and it covers up the unsanitary shopping cart. It also has 4 rings to attach different toys. For all you moms out there--this definitely makes the "must-have" list.

I think he really liked being able to see everything around him instead of being stuck in his car seat in the stroller. However, this picture makes him look like he had been crying. I took it with my cell phone, so it is super bad quality. He was a happy boy the whole Target trip!

Silent Sunday

2010-01-31T22:39:00.002-06:00

Snowed In

2010-01-30T19:11:00.000-06:00

I am glad we got actual snow and all, but we are so very ready to get out of this house!!! Aren't you? In keeping with the winter weather, Max wore his Christmas PJ's last night. Yes, we still wear our seasonal stuff even after the season! Max's Turkey Day romper was worn well into the Christmas season. (And, Max may or may not have even wore it after Christmas. But, you will just have to ask him if you are curious. Ha!)

We have had a pretty good day though. Just hanging out inside. Daniel got home a little later than usual because he took a couple of his residents home. Wasn't that sweet?! He is full of sweetness like that...that's why I married him!

I tried to think of a clever commentary to put here, but couldn't come up with one.

Any suggestions on a cute title/caption for this one?

Have a great rest of your weekend!

MAX's Crib (a.k.a. Max's nursery)

2010-01-29T18:56:00.000-06:00

View from Max's door

Max's Crib

Daniel's Mamaw made Max's bedding--she did such an amazing job!

Max's diaper holder that Mamaw made.

The toy bag that Mamaw made. And, the fun monkey hanging in it that my dear friend Mary Sue made him. (And, she made it before she even saw any of Max's colors for his nursery! Ha!)

Max's Aunt Megan cross-stitched this for him. She is super-talented! We LOVE it!

This wall hanging was made by the uber-talented Tanner Cangelosi. Check out ALL of her fabulous work here.

And, God gave Daniel & I this sweet thing!

Max has sooooo many neat things in his nursery that it would be the longest post in history if I put all of them on here. I just posted some of the things that were made especially for him. All of our family and friends are so wonderful and gave us so many wonderful & thoughtful things. I am still so very thankful for all of the gifts we received in honor of the birth of our sweet Max.

When I was pregnant, it made me feel so comforted knowing that there were so many people that already loved Max. He's a lucky little guy to have so many sweet people in his life :) We love you all!

We hope everyone stays safe & warm at home this weekend.

Mr. Giggles

2010-01-28T19:19:00.000-06:00

Isn't this the cutest blue bear rug?! Max's awesome Aunt Megan & Uncle Drew got this for him for Christmas and we just love how soft and cuddly it is.

Max has been super smiley & giggley today. I turned Sesame Street on this morning for the first time while I was vacuuming & he just loved it. He just laughed at one of the puppets on there. Max thinks his Mommy is pretty funny too (or funny looking! Ha!). He will just stare at me and then laugh when I finally look his way. He's quite the little laugher.

He also had a big time during his bath tonight. He splish-splashed so much that I had to put a towel in the floor so that I would not slip on all of the water! Max thought he was just so funny splishin' & a splashin'!

Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE this little guy? He just melts my heart...

Happy 5-Month Birthday Max!

2010-01-27T21:07:00.000-06:00

Our sweet baby Max is a whole 5 months old today! Can you believe it?! He has grown so much--even within the last month. He is hitting all of his milestones pretty early and is just so excited about the world around him. Every day is a new day for this little guy!

He LOVES his Exersaucer and still likes his Baby Einstein tunnell, but would rather be upright than laying down. He is eating rice cereal twice a day and is still nursing anywhere from 8-12 times. He gets up between 1-3 times per night, but besides that he ususally sleeps from between 6-7 p.m. and 7-8 a.m.

He is a really good baby. He really likes when people look at him and talk to him. He just grins and grins :) He loves his daddy so much--you can just see him light up when Daniel gets home each evening.

Judging by Max's tempermant right now, he is sure to be a good-natured and personable little boy. He is so full of life and personality. He loves to laugh and loves to make us laugh. However, he does have a serious side and will definitely let you know when things are not up to par! Ha!

I just know that he is going to make a difference in this world one day! He has already made a huge difference in our little world :) Daniel & I pray that he will grow to be a God-fearing man who touches everyone that he meets in some special way. We are so honored to be chosen to be Max's parents and feel very blessed to be able to spend this lifetime as his Mommy & Daddy.

We love you Max--more than you will ever know!