Five on Friday and Happy FIRST Birthday Walker!

1) May 29, 2014 was the day our sweet baby Walker came into the world. The day we had two sons. The day Gray became a big brother. The day our hearts became even more full. While a lot of days have been long and trying, especially in the first several months, I can't believe it's already been a year. I can't even remember what life was like before Walker came into our lives. He makes our family even more joy filled and we thank God every day for the gift of that precious boy. Gray and Walker have their three and one year well checks on June 8 and after that I will write a more detailed post about our boys and three and one. BUT, our boy did get his first trim yesterday. He was pretty close to rocking a mullet and I was getting my hair cut yesterday so I thought it was the right time for his first cut. I wish I had taken a before picture but things were a little crazy and I forgot.

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My gorgeous and talented friend, Meredith.

2) Although his birthday isn't for another week and a half, we already have a full blown threenager on our hands. Shooweee y'all! Gray has the sweetest heart in the world and for the most part he is such a good little boy but daaaaang he has made for some challenging days lately. We are pretty hard core disciplinarians; raising sweet, obedient, respectful and grateful children are extremely important to us, But at the same time we are very loving parents and try to choose our battles wisely. With that being said, I don't want to use "he's three" as an excuse for his behavior. But it's so hard. I know discipline is good for him and is one of the many responsibilities God gives us as parents but it doesn't make it easier. I'm so, so thankful the Lord has given me a wonderful, very hands-on and helpful husband to do this whole parenting gig with.

3) Our pictures could have gone a tad better on Sunday. Walker was in a great mood and was cheesing for the first few shots until I realized I didn't put his shoes on, which was pretty much my favorite part of his outfit. He hates shoes and pitched a down right tantrum off and on for 45 minutes after I put them on. We tried and tried to distract him and get smiles but instead all we got were screams and lots of tears. Thankfully Lindsey's dog came to the rescue and made for a happier Walker (our boy LOVES animals!!!). We still didn't get a ton of smiles or the back drop we were hoping for, but that's the way it goes sometimes. I had lots of ideas and another outfit we never got to but I think Lindsey worked her magic and was able to get enough good ones. I can't wait to see them!

4) One of my precious tutoring students got me a thank you gift of the sweetest card, a huge, super soft, beautiful beach towel and a Yeti thermos. Y'all, I had been wondering what the big deal with Yeti stuff was and now I know. My coffee stays hot for hours and until this week, I couldn't tell you the last time I finished a whole cup of coffee that wasn't cold. And I've heard they keep things cold and even frozen for days. I don't think I'll be running out to buy a $400 cooler but I consider myself a big Yeti fan even still. 

5) Even though it's a busy one, I am so looking forward to the weekend. We are going swimming and cooking out with some friends tomorrow and Paul and I are going on a date Sunday. In between that we've got a lot of party prepping and planning to do. I can't wait to celebrate both of our boys with our family and friends next weekend.

Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Five on Friday

It might be 10:30 at night, but this makes for two Friday posts in a row! ;)

1) Paul turned the big 3-5 on Tuesday. We celebrated with a quick, sushi dinner date night. Somehow it had been three months since we had been on a date. That may not seem like a long time to some of you but it is so important to date your spouse, especially to have time away if you have kids. So if you're a friend of mine that lives close by with no family in town, we will gladly babysit so you can have a date night! So once again, Happy Birthday to my best friend, best husband and best Daddy in the whole world! I know a lot of people who are thanking God for giving Paul Hicks to the world 35 years ago, especially me. After almost six years of marriage, I still can't believe God gave him to me. He just keeps getting better with age, y'all!

2) I am not wishing the time away by any means, but I am SO excited about some things coming up in late summer/early fall for Gray. Like his first "real" soccer team that Daddy will be coaching, hopefully also squeezing in t-ball and preschool for the first time (though right now that just makes me want to cry). Our big boy is growing up!

3) We are loving and enjoying our house so much! We have a lot more space and after coming from our small townhouse with a concrete slab for a back yard, we are just so thrilled to have a fenced in backyard. We have a little over half an acre, which is plenty big enough to play in without too much to take care of. Gray and Walker are both big fans of being outside and I have felt so thankful to have our own space to play in when we aren't out and about. We have tons of birds, a family of chipmunks and also some baby bunnies right now that just adds to the excitement of having outside loving boys. The older lady who lived here before us spent years and years and hours and hours landscaping the yard. Although there are a few outside projects we want to tackle one of these days, we have been blessed with a beautiful, mature yard that we haven't done anything to yet other than pull a few weeds.

4) Walker is taking lots of steps each day now. Some days I think he will be walking full time any minute and other days he seems content doing what he's doing. Either way, it's so cute watching him learn and he gets SOOO excited when he walks by himself. Somehow, some way that sweet babe is going to be ONE a week from today.

5) We are sticking around for Memorial Day weekend. My grandfather is in town from Seattle for the first time in two years so we are looking forward to spending time with him. We are also excited to have some down time in between birthday parties and a get together with friends. And I have to mention again how very excited I am for our photo session on Sunday! I'm hoping the boys cooperate. 

Have a good weekend y'all!

Five on Friday-it's been a while!

I don't lose sleep over it by any means, but I do wrestle with wishing I blogged more but then spending my very few free minutes doing something else. Time passes by so quickly and I know I will treasure having some of our memories documented to enjoy in the future. So maybe, just maybe, I'll manage to at least blog once a week about what we've been up to. 

1) Walker took his first steps this week! He's been cruising and walking behind push toys for a while now. He often stands with his back against the couch and while he was doing so yesterday, he just up and walked FIVE steps towards me while I was holding Sophie, our dog. He was somewhat cautious after that and I really think he just didn't give those first "real" steps very much thought. But he is standing without holding on to anything more often and for longer at a time and is taking a step or two here and there. Gray did that for over a month before he officially became a walker and our little guy doesn't seem to be in a hurry either. But it was still exciting and both Paul and I were home and got to experience it together which was so awesome. Another big milestone with Walker lately is that his other bottom teeth finally came in. They gave him a fit for so long, I was certain they were breaking through months ago. He now has four on top and four on the bottom. Gray had ALL but his two year molars by the time he was 14 months so if Walker follows in those footsteps we won't get much of a break in the teething department. 

2) I can't believe Walker will turn ONE in just two weeks and Gray will be THREE just a week and a half after that. The days are often long, but the months and years go by far too fast. We are having a combined birthday party for them at our house and I have a lot of planning left to do. We went all out for Gray's first birthday so we wanted to do the same for Walker. However, we decided at the last minute to ditch a theme and just go with bright and colorful. It took a lot of expense and planning away which we needed, but I think it's still going to be cute and fun. I think after this year we will have low key, mostly family parties but are inviting quite a bit of people this year. I'm just so thankful we have a house that can accommodate a birthday party! We plan to have it outside but will party in the basement if it rains. 

3) Speaking of upcoming birthdays, my best friend, Lindsey, is taking some pictures of the boys next weekend and I am so excited! We haven't had pictures since Walker was four months old and I am thrilled about having some updated ones around the house. I'll keep Walker's photo shoot outfit a surprise but let's just say it makes me squeal every time I look at it!

4) We have been SO busy lately. From showers to birthday parties to weddings to family reunions to church functions to soccer to tutoring, and the list goes on and on. I love to be out and about and on the go for a while, but then it really starts to get to me and I just want to be home with nothing on the calendar. We don't have one open, totally free weekend from now until the end of June and while it's all good and fun stuff, I hope I don't lose my mind in the meantime.

5) And maybe I've saved the best for last. I am so proud of my hub! Paul got selected to help coach an all-star soccer team this summer. It does add to the busy schedule quite a bit with several Sunday try outs that he has to travel to and then a few practices before the weekend long games in Raleigh that will be the end of June. BUT, it's a huge honor and something he is very excited about. Yesterday I opened the mail to find a letter from one of the senators congratulating him. Pardon the messy paper, a certain little person was "helping" me open mail before I realized what this was. 

We have a busy weekend ahead...big yard sale tomorrow (yay for clearing out our garage!!!), Greek Festival, celebration number one for Paul's birthday and Paul will be gone most of Sunday after church at one of the try outs. 

Hope y'all have a good one!

Walker-11 months

My sweet baby boy,

You, my son, are eleven months old today! Some of the days, especially your first several months of life, have been really long. But mostly, the weeks and months have flown by. You add so much joy and laughter to our family and I really just can't remember what life was like before you came into this world.

You wear size four diapers, size 12-18 month pajamas and size 12 month clothes. You have really chunked back up and I can't wait to see how much you weigh at your one year appointment.

Those meal 'ol teeth have given you a few rough days and nights and still have yet to break through the skin, meaning you are still holding out at six cute little teeth.

You are still eating like a champ and have yet to refuse one single food you've been offered. You drink 4-5 bottles a day, usually only 4 ounces at a time. Your reflux and swallowing dysfunction are barely noticeable anymore and we are in the process of weaning you from your medicine. Praise the Lord!!

You are a great sleeper. You go to bed around 7:00/7:30 and sleep until 7:00 ish. You take two naps a day and your afternoon nap is usually 2-2.5 hours long.

You still suck your thumb but pretty much only when you are sleeping. 

You are cruising around faster now and love walking behind a push toy and sometimes while holding our hands. You seem very content with your mobility and in no hurry to walk, but of course you could change your mind any day now. I'm afraid you are going to be quite a climber. You have recently started climbing on top of the fireplace which means our living room and basement aren't so baby-proofed anymore. You already push toys to a specific spot so you can try to stand on them to help you climb. You are going to keep us on our toes my busy boy, no doubt.

Your favorite things in life are: big brother Gray, Sophie, being outside, taking baths, music, cars, trucks, tractors and a puppy toy that you can push and do all kinds of things with. As soon as you hear music you stop what you are doing and that chubby little body of yours starts to bust a move. I can't get enough of it. You even try to dance in your car seat to the radio. We are still working on your love for books but you have become a tad more interested. Have I mentioned how much you love your big brother? You follow him around and it doesn't take much at all for him to make you cackle. And though he is anxious for you to start being disciplined, he is crazy about you too! ;)

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You strongly dislike having your diaper changed, getting your clothes on and being wiped down after meals. Other than very loudly protesting those events, you are still pretty laid back and flexible. 

You have started saying a few new words like "uh-oh" (sometimes sounds like "uh-oh" but usually "oh-oh"), Sophie (which sounds like "Sah-sah"), "brother" (you usually just make the "b" sound over and over). You also have consistent sounds and "words" for puppy (referring to your favorite toy right now), strawberry and bottle. You stare at our mouths constantly and I can just see your little brain trying to figure out this whole talking thing. 

I am trying so hard to soak up what's left of you being my baby because you are approaching toddler days faster than I want to admit. 

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I love you more today than I did yesterday but less than I will tomorrow. Life with you just keeps getting sweeter.

With my whole heart,

Mommy

Walker-10 months

Dear Walker man,

You are 10 months old! I can't believe in two short months we will be celebrating your first birthday.

You have had a great month. You have been pretty happy and are becoming more flexible and go-with-the-flow every day. Not that you have a choice, but you sacrifice a good, long morning nap several times a week so we can go to the Y, have play dates, go to church, etc. You like the car but we usually have to be in it for a while before you'll fall asleep.

You wear size three diapers, size two or three shoes and mostly size 12 month clothes.

You still have six teeth. I've been certain for months now that two more bottom ones were going to break through the skin any day now but they are still holding out. I'm so glad you've had a break in the teeth department.

You are such a good eater! At this point I can't even keep up with all the new foods you've tried. You still haven't refused one food that we have offered you. When you're eating table foods it looks as though we never feed you. Bless your heart, I think you are making up for how hard it was for you to drink milk for so long. Speaking of, liquids are still sometimes hard for you to handle. You are loving your sippy cup and have figured out how to use it but often get choked on the water. Dr. Bill said we might even have to thicken your water like we use to do with your milk. Mommy recently stopped nursing you for several reasons. But I am SO proud of you and of us for sticking to it for almost ten months! When I think back to you at just three weeks old and screaming every time I tried to nurse you, I am so thankful we made it as long as we did. You are taking about five bottles a day of formula and/or Mommy's frozen milk. You are getting better with a bottle but sometimes only take four ounces at a time.

You take two naps a day.

You love Daddy, your big brother, Sophie, being outside, music, eating, playing peek-a-boo, dogs, being tickled and taking baths. You also love playing with your tongue and sticking it out. Your personality is really starting to blossom and I think you might be just as silly as Gray with an equally strong will too.

You dislike diaper changes, getting out of the bath, having your face, hands and nose cleaned, when Mommy leaves the room, and you don't care for being read to (this HAS to change buddy!).

You have been pulling up for a while but have recently started cruising a little and standing with no hands for several seconds.

You are pure joy, my sweet boy and I'm just so thankful to be your Mama!

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An Interview with Gray

I have been wanting to do an interview with Gray for a while since seeing the idea on the Internet and on a few friends' blogs. So I finally took a few minutes to make it happen one evening last week. 

This interview was conducted on Thursday, March 19, 2015. It was 8:15 (many factors contribute to him being awake at this hour, mostly the fact that he actually napped) and Daddy was out of town. Walker had gone to bed and Gray and I had just finished having a dance party. After the first few questions he got on the floor and started reading his Children's Bible, which really distracted him and made for some answers I know we wouldn't have gotten otherwise. It was still fun though and I can't wait to do it again in a few months.

What is your name?
Gray

How old are you?
2

When is your birthday?
June 10th

What is something Mommy and Daddy always say to you?
No. (Sad! I'm pretty sure we say "I love you" way more than no, but nonetheless that was his response.)

What makes you happy?
Feeling

What makes you sad?
Not nice boy

What makes you laugh?
Lions. (Um, ok.)

What is your favorite book?
This book. (As he flips through his Bible)

What is your favorite thing to do?
Dancing on the ceiling. (We had just finished having a dance party to none other than Lionel Ritchie. Just trying to raise him right.) 

Who is your best friend?
Daddy

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Construction worker

What did you do today?
Go to church (that was actually yesterday)

What is your favorite food?
A sucker

What is your favorite song?
Jesus loves me

What do you want for your birthday this year?
An open truck. (There is a big rig truck with a fork lift that we were trying to hide in the sunroom closest for when he is officially potty trained. But he found it and he wants to "open it".)

What is your favorite animal?
A kangaroo. And I like an elephant and a snake and a tiger. 

Who do you love?

Papa! He's so funny! I get his belly and he laughs!

Where is your favorite place to go?
Haircut store (he gets a sucker every time)

Do you like this interview?

Yes

Do you want me to ask you more questions?

No. No thank you Mommy

Walker-9 months

I got a little ahead of myself on last month's post and said that Walker was three-fourths of a year old. I guess none of my five readers caught that or were too polite to bring it to my attention?! ;) Now that Walker is nine months old I can say it honestly-although, do I really want to? I thought it would be more meaningful and interesting if I did the last few monthly posts in the form of a letter. So...

Dear Walker,

My sweet, baby boy-we have had you in our lives for nine months now! You bring so much joy to our family and we have loved watching you grow. I could stand for things to slow down a little but I don't reckon I can count on that. You had your nine month well visit yesterday and we are so thankful for a good check up. You now weigh 19 pounds, 15 ounces and are 28 and 3/4 inches long. You have made leaps and bounds in the weight department and are now back up to the 53rd percentile! Your height percentile went down a little to the 62nd and your sweet noggin was 45.7 centimeters, which was in the 68th percentile. You are wearing some nine but mostly 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers.

You are nursing about two or three times a day and drinking Mommy's frozen milk and/or formula two to three times a day. You are nursing great most days but still aren't an easy one to get a bottle down. Thankfully you love "real" food though. You are still eating a little baby food but we are giving you more and more big boy table foods too, especially since you are becoming less of a fan of someone else feeding you. You tried a lot of new big boy foods in the last month, including: cheese, pancakes (so syrup yet, sorry buddy!), waffles, cantaloupe, pineapple, wagon wheels, goldfish, shrimp, black olives, rice, chicken, peas, carrots, green beans and pita bread. When we first tried strawberries last month you refused them but I think it was mostly because you were cranky and ready for a nap because you didn't think twice about them after that. And other than being a little weirded out by the texture of cheese at first, you have gobbled up every single thing we've given you without even thinking twice about it. I really wonder if you even have any taste buds. I think God is showing us His grace with you being so good with big boy foods since we had such a difficult time with milk for so long. I don't think we are going to make it to the one year mark with nursing but I consider it a miracle that we made it this far with all the difficulties you had and occasionally still have with reflux and swallowing liquids. Speaking of, you are still taking Prevacid twice a day. We've tried taking you off twice and it didn't go well. Instead of increasing your dose since you are getting bigger, we are going to keep the same dose and try taking you off again soon.


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You are down to two naps a day unless you doze in the car. Usually your second nap in the afternoon is 2-3 hours long. A few weeks ago we had to make you cry out your once or twice a night waking. We really felt like you had enough weight on you and you'd finally caught a break in the teething department. It only took about four nights and you are now sleeping a solid 12 hours. You go to bed around 7:00 or 7:30 every night. Occasionally when you are really, really tired you will fall asleep nursing or on my shoulder while we are singing and praying. I try so hard to just soak it in-staring at you and studying every little thing about you because I know it won't like this for long.

You still suck your thumb when you are really tired and most of the time you are sleeping. You sometimes take a paci but we really only offer it to you in the car.

You are crawling so fast and pulling up on everything. Thankfully you still like your jumper and exersaucer because sometimes buddy, Mommy's got to go to the bathroom! ;) You moved from the baby room up to the crawler class at church a few weeks ago. This is hard on you because since there is so much going on in there, you don't nap on those sweet old ladies anymore. I'd say getting to ride on the bye-bye buggy helps but it takes a lot to impress you, my little stinker. However, you have been quite impressed with yourself lately for pulling up like such a big boy.



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You love Gray and your favorite time of every day is when he comes in your room with me when you wake up from your nap. I put him in your crib with you and you squeal and bounce up and down as hard as you can. Watching you and your brother play and laugh together makes my heart so happy.

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You have three words now-"bye-bye", "mama" and "dada". You sometimes seem to be making connections now to those words instead of just babbling them. I could listen to your sweet voice all day long.

You love the bath and have starting consistently taking one with brother. You get SO mad every night when we get you out and throw a down right temper tantrum. You also throw a fit when we take something away from you or don't let you have something you want (mean Mama won't let you chew on the baby monitor or my phone). We have started teaching you "no touch" on a few things for safety reasons or the fact that we don't want you tearing up our blinds (your favorite thing to grab and pull on). You respond so well to "no touch" and almost always will stop. I usually say "Good job" or "Yay Walker, good listening!" and then you clap for yourself. But the other day when you obeyed "no touch" you just stared at me for the longest time with your eyebrows scrunched and then started clapping for yourself, as if to let me know I had forgotten to give you praise. You make us laugh, my sweet buddy!

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You have a lot more hair than your brother did at this age. It's starting to really lighten up but I'm not sure you are going to be as blonde as Gray. You and brother have many similarities but mostly differences and you both are so special and perfect to Daddy and me.

Gray/Walker

There has never been a doubt that Gray looks just like Daddy but several months ago people starting wondering if you looked like me. After Mugger found some baby pictures of me there was no doubt. Aunt Barbara sent me this picture of me and I do believe you are a mini-me. I even had the same gap in my baby teeth until the rest of them came in.

 

I almost cried leaving the doctor yesterday when we scheduled your one year and Gray's three year well visit, but I really do look forward to watching you grow and learn. 

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I love you with my whole heart,

Mommy