Inquiring Minds Want to Know...

*this post is for Miss Lane :)!
Our elf isn't here...yet! It's way to hot for him to be here so soon, but we wanted to make sure that we got ahead of the game. He will appear just as your elf does, but when? We have no clue, but can't wait to meet him. Yesterday, we actually just "adopted" him by signing the necessary paperwork and requests, and registered him at the North Pole's elf registry in hopes that he will show up! We can't wait to meet "Ollie" (*yes we chose a name for Mills) the elf! We'll be sure to let you know when or IF he comes!

We've Adopted...

the Elf on the Shelf. I know it's only August, but what to do? This mom wants to use him this Christmas, but is in dilemma of a name. Should we use him nameless, and wait until Mills' is old enough to name him? Or....should we just go ahead, give him a name, and let it be? I know...Mills' won't have a clue, but its all in the fun, this little elf and the magic he'll do! A new tradition we'll start this year along with the first annual reading of The Night Before Christmas on New Years Eve. Christmas will be in here in 4 months. When does your elf usually arrive? I think "Ollie" is a good name, and Erik agrees, because it is short for "Oliver." What do you think?

First Football Game

Mills and I traveled to his first football game last night at BHS. No, I'm NOT trading in my purple and gold, even though my son will probably never see the halls of CHS, but last night, we rooted for the red. We actually went to watch cousin Rylee cheer. She is really awesome!
Mills was so good. He stayed in it from start to finish with the help of a few board books, a musical toy, and lots of strawberry/apple puffs. He clapped when we clapped, and had no idea what was going on, but seemed enthused anyway.

Playtime & Homemade Ice Cream

Tonight, we went to enjoy a spread of sandwiches and finger foods and homemade ice cream at Mama & Daddy B's house. Mills got to try an assortment of new foods and had his first taste of homemade ice cream. Once again, he cleaned his plate.

Mills and Lainey had a great time playing and they are both walking like....well, almost like pros!

Sweet hugs!

Uncle E, the jungle-gym!

Lainey is excited, I wonder who was on the phone?

I wasn't fast enough to catch the kiss!

Wesley's 11th Birthday

Last night we gathered with family to celebrate the birthday of our cousin, Wesley! His actual birthday is Monday, August 23. Hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, rotel, and more goodies filled us up and were topped off by the amazing cake made by his aunt, Courtney.

The big surprise after swimming, his present....a DRUM SET!

Wow! Maybe he will teach Mills to play....or not, I'm not sure if I want drums in my house. I'll just tell Mills he has to go to Kay-Kay's house! I think Erik want to stick to the guitar. Maybe they'll start a band one day. Look, he's already teaching Mills!
Wesley, we can't believe you are 11 years old. You have always been such a sweet, tender and kind hearted young man, and for that, we are proud of you. I hope that Mills will grow up with a heart as big as yours! We love you!

12 Month Doctor's Visit

This morning we took Mills back to the doctor for his 12 month check-up and s-h-o-t-s. Weighing in at 22lbs. 11oz, (50%), Mills was at least 29" long (25%), and I say "at least" because he was a wiggle worm who we couldn't stretch, and his head circumference was 46.5. He is a growing boy, who is as solid as a rock. Chubby legs, arms, and feet, and chubby cheeks...I love them all. Doctor O said he was perfect in size and growth. They determined by a finger stick that he is not anemic, which is a good thing :), and as for his shots, they hurt the poor guy, but as soon as his daddy picked him up, he was fine and smiling by the time we got him in the car. We took his cordless phone receiver with us and as soon as we pulled out of the parking lot, he was already holding it up to his ear and talking. Mills says, "hey!"

Oh Boy! This is the fun part!

Now, let's see....

Helping Ms. Julie

Tickle time with daddy

Good Report!

We (Mills and I) just returned home from his first doctors appointment for the week. We went to visit Dr. Williams, his pediatric urologist, about his hydronephrosis. If you remember this post, you will remember that at 20 weeks in utero, our baby boy was diagnosed with this. "minimal hydronephrosis" is what they called it, but nonetheless, it was something to watch. It was suspected that he would grow out of it, so at our doctors appointment in December, Dr. Williams said that he wanted to see Mills again at age 1, and if all was the same or better, he would release him from his care. Well, we went today for another ultrasound, and ALL IS CLEAR! NO "HYDRO"!!!!!! Mills' growing kidneys are as healthy as can be. We are thankful and relieved.

1st Birthday Party

Today, Mills celebrated his first birthday with a party surrounded by our close friends and family. The sock monkey themed party was celebrated at our church's family life center, which was a perfect venue for a large crowd. We were not about to have an outside party in the middle of August, especially with 100 degree weather, so we opted for the inside scene. It was still hot, but not near as hot as the outside.

Our dear friend and photographer, Phil, called me last night with an awesome surprise. He called to tell me that he had made a video (click here) of all of the pictures that were taken during the first year of Mills' life. I was ecstatic and very thankful for this awesome keepsake. So, we started the party off with the slideshow, sang "Happy Birthday" and Mills dug into his cake. He didn't know what to think about it at first, but steadily go the hang of it.

Mills on Wheels

That's right! Our baby boy just got his first set of wheels. Daddy arrived home around lunch time, and we were able to present Mills with his very first car....ahem...firetruck, complete with sirens! This new firetruck, topped with a big yellow bow, made our little man's eyes light up like diamonds! It was the sweetest thing ever. Mills stood up, walked around it, got in, and started steering the wheel, honking the horn, and running his siren, just before his daddy took him for a test drive. He loves it!

Happy 1st Birthday Mills Oliver!

Today, is our sweet Mills' first birthday. I can't believe that he is 1! Time....it flew by! This has been the best year. We have had more learning exeperiences in the past year than we've had in our entire lives, and we have Mills to thank for all of them.

Dear Mills,
A year ago today, I was anxiously awaiting your arrival. I had been told that I would never know a love like I would have for my baby, and if I had known that this love would be the most amazing feeling ever, you would have been created much earlier. God had other plans, as your daddy and I did too. You are our little blessing. I will never forget the first time I laid eyes on you. Mommy was laying on the operating table being "repaired" after your birth. I could hear you crying, and I was trying to be patient. The sweet nurse brought you over for me to see. I was speechless and you were screaming bloody murder. The sweetest bloody-murder I had ever heard. When I spoke to you, you immediately stopped crying and thats when.....it hit me. You knew me. You heard my voice, and you stopped crying. That, my son, was the most breath-taking moment of the day! I remember saying, "It's okay, Mommy's here," and you stopped crying!! They gave you to your daddy, and he sat beside me on a stool holding you, and that's when your daddy "lost it." It was too sweet for words. My precious angel, we love you more than anything and are so proud of your many milestones. Here's what you're up to:

1. You give the best hugs and kisses ever!


2. You are eating everything that we eat now...well, unless its spicy.


3. Bye-bye bottle! You are drinking from your sippy cup.


4. Mommy and Daddy feel like they've got a raise, because you are now on whole milk! Woo hoo!


5. You now have 4 teeth, and I think you have more, but are too stubborn to let me check them out.


6. You like getting your teeth brushed- as long as I use the apple banana tooth paste


7. You are walking pretty okay, but still crawl more than you walk.


8. You are talking more and more, but we have no idea what you are saying. The best thing is that you talk with your hands. I can't imagine where you get that from.


9. You are now paying more attention to Joey and are starting to figure out that eventually he may become your best pal.


10. You love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and I am sure I heard you try to say, "Mickey" in the car. When I asked you to say, "Mickey" you shook your head no.


11. You are now reaching for things, especially your books. I hope that's a good sign, even though when I try reading to you now, you shut the book...go figure. Can we say, "short attention span?" When we go to walmart, you reach for everything that we stroll past and say....something, I'm sure we'll find out one day when your articulation improves :)


12. Most mornings I have to wake you up to go to Mimi June's, but when you wake on your own, we hear, "Hey! Hey! haaaaay! hey! Hey daddy!" over and over again.


13. We are steadily weaning you off of your "pappy." As of now, you only take it at night, but only until you go to sleep.

14. You are really good at taking things out and putting them back in where they belong. Just yesterday, I caught you taking the wall scent out of the plug and putting back in. Oops!...not a good thing.

15. You are sleeping anywhere from 7:30pm and 8:00pm to 6:30am or 7:00am, and I keep telling myself that you don't sleep later, because I have to wake you up early Monday through Thursday. Right?

16. You no longer want to be rocked to sleep, and prefer your daddy and I to simply lay you in your crib to play for a few minutes. Then, you slowly drift off into dreamland.

17. You love anything with buttons, you always help mommy close the garage door, and know exactly which button to push. You love the remote, and you know that mommy's cell phone and our cordless phone are supposed to be held to your ear. You like to hear those voices on the other end. Now, if we can only get you to say, "hello?"

On your very first birthday we want you to know that we love you and can't wait for the many new stages that we are going to experience. This time will roll around again soon and we will be celebrating again. Oh, and you can just skip the "terrible twos" if you really want to.

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

The Anniverary of the Happiest Day of Our Lives

A year ago today, I was up at 5:00, packed and ready to leave for the hospital to await the arrival of our baby boy. I woke up calm, relaxed, and anxious. "Naive" is more like it. I was excited, and never had one worry. To me, I was just "having a baby." In my mind, I was going to the hospital, getting and IV, and was going to push something the size of a watermelon out of my body. I was NOT having a c-section. Nope! Not me! Yes, that's naive, because through all of the monitor replacements, continuous monitoring of my blood pressure, placement of oxygen, placement of cranial monitor on baby's head, because they kept loosing his heart beat, I never had a worry in the world. My nurses were wonderful. I was clueless and naive. After being in labor with Mills for 8 hours, he had only dropped 3 stations, and I was at 8cm. In my mind, I thought, only 2 more to go, and we'll be ready. Little did I know that every other time I had a contraction, Mills' heart beat would drop. It appeared that he was laying in a position that was not compatible to my contractions. My stomach would contract, pinch the cord, and cause the flow of oxygen to decrease. So, off to the operating room, this nauseous pregnant momma went....for a c-section. I can remember being rolled down the hall way, feeling sick and having the worst convulsive shakes ever! I was shaking so bad that the back of my neck tensed up, and I felt like I was in a gigantic freezer with a bunch of lights. The anesthesiologist kept asking, "Are you okay? Can I get you anything?" "I'm just so cold!" I kept saying. He said, "Honey, I know you're uncomfortable, but they are going to put you on something like an ironing board, and it may not get any better." "Great!", I thought!

I kept waiting on Dr. W to tell me that they we're getting ready to start, but then as I looked up to Erik with both cameras in hand, I heard, "Oh! He's got mommy's button nose!" What? I had no idea that my baby boy was finally out of my belly. I can't tell you how groggy I was! Those meds took a toll on my brain, but I couldn't wait to see him!!! Then, I heard the sweetest cry in the world....

*Here is a small clip of video that was taken after Mills' birth. I had the intention of posting this last year while we were still in the hospital, but was too busy, tired, and sore to figure it out. So, we decided to save it for his first birthday. *If you choose, you may scroll to the bottom of the blog, and pause the music, although I'm sure his cries can be heard with out the pause!

Monday Monday and Fabulous "Firsts"

Today was a Monday, and when I say it was "a Monday," I assume that you know what I am talking about. Work was crazy. I didn't even see, much less convo with my co-workers until lunch arrived, and the day flew by. We were busy busy! I know, that's a good thing. No complaints.

Mills woke up on the "wrong side of the bed" this morning. When I picked him up, Mimi June said that he had been that way all day. We have only narrowed it down to teething. He is chewing on everything in sight, and has become very "needy."

Although, this was a crazy day for Mills and me, It was also the start of a week of memories. This week, many things will be and have happened. I was driving back to work from lunch, and my mind started to wander. Today was the first "real" day of school for T-Co. schools and not only that, I realized that today was my baby sister's last first day of high school....meaning she is a Senior, and today was Rylee's first day of high school. I am hoping that baby sister will look out for baby cousin! LOL Okay, so they're not babies, but they always will be to ME! Also, Wes started middle school. This a week memorable firsts! This doesn't seem real. Rylee was born when I was a Senior in high school, and Morgan was born when I was a freshman.

The Senior

The Freshman

The Middle Schooler

And last but not least, the very momentous thing about this week- Mills will be one on Friday!