Ch-Ch-Changes

We're finally up and running in a new fashion. Thanks Jennisa, again, for making things beautiful! It was definitely worth the wait. Friends and followers, feel free to "grab our button" for your blogs on the left side bar...if you wish!

Lights, Camera, Action!

After lowering Mills' mattress, we were unable to see him with the video monitor. So, we temporarily put it at the end of his bed on a TV box that we found in the attic, just until we can mount it on the wall, which I DID NOT want to do.


Mills LOVES lights. He stares at the computer battery light, the answering machine, and loves our red lampshade in the living room. Well, his video monitor camera has red night-vision lights and a green "on" light that he has now discovered. Tonight, when I put him to bed, evidently he wasn't ready to go to sleep. It appears as if he wanted to play a little while, which is fine with me as long as he is content. He found the lights on the camera and has been trying his hardest to get them. It is too funny. We just sat and laughed! Okay, well, Erik cackled! He's been doing this for the past 2 nights, but tonight I had my camera ready.

Crawling and More

We've had so many new things happening in our lives the past week. Mills finally cut his second tooth, he is now crawling and pulling up...yikes, he had his first rice snack, his first ear infection, and....drum roll please... Erik and I are FINALLY sleeping in our bed again. You may wonder what the hold-up has been, but honestly, I can't tell you. When we brought our baby boy home from the hospital, we had it in our minds that he would sleep in his travel crib for about two months before transitioning him to his crib. Well, that just didn't work, so he began sleeping in...oh wait, no he didn't sleep for the first 5 weeks of his life, remember? Anyway, he slept in his bouncy seat IN his crib until December, before we finally got him uncongested and on prevacid for his reflux. So, Erik and I just slept upstairs in the landing on our guest bed so that I wouldn't have to travel upstairs 50 times a night to nurse him or give him his pacifier. I was tired enough, and the last thing I needed was to climb the stairs half asleep. I remember those many nights I slept in the rocking chair holding our baby, and not even realizing it until waking 3 hours later. Daddy, well he just slept right through it-haha! He's been sleeping through the night since October. Part of me thinks that it was just separation anxiety on my part. Being right beside his door, even with a video monitor was just more comfortable to me, but that oh so comfy mattress, oh let me rephrase that...that old comfy CHEAP mattress, began sagging in the middle after 8 months of continuous use. Every time we would say that we were sleeping downstairs, something would come up. Mills would be sick, or he had a bad day, or something. I just had the feeling that if we moved back downstairs, that he would wake up again 50 times a night and I'd be back to square one. I think that I was also afraid of moving to a new step of life. It's like it's another stage of him becoming a "big boy."

Last week, while Erik was at work, I grew a wild hair and took the plunge. Mills, he doesn't know any different, and never has; and I have the video monitor right beside me. He sleeps from dusk til' dawn ;) This momma is finding it awfully hard to get up out of our supreme pillow top mattress in the mornings for work, but oh how I missed our bed! So, I can pat the two of us, or should I say the three of us (Joey included) on the backs. We're steadily returning to normalcy.

Mum-Mums

Mills had his first "snack" today. I bought him some of the Gerber puffs, but he didn't know what to do with them, so I tried a vegetable mum-mum. Mmmmmm....good and messy! He finished the whole thing!

Okay, so maybe he didn't finish the WHOLE thing, but at least Joey had a bite too.

Chickens with our Heads Cut Off

yes, that's how I've felt all weekend!

This weekend has flown by. We have had so much going on that our Mills is worn out! After my doctors appointment on Friday, Spring Market, my brother-in-law's 30th birthday, getting Mills from Gammy & Pop's house, The Hanson's 60th Anniversary celebration, spring cleaning, and fish at Dad's, Mills has been out of routine, and we are paying dearly for it. I know that sometimes, we will have days like that, and its something that he will have to adjust too.

He has been a little congested this weekend, so we didn't go to church this morning. I know all of you Moms, whose babies are in the nursery with Mills will appreciate it....yeah you're welcome! ;) hehe

Today was absolutely gorgeous. I think it was one of the first days we've had with warm weather and NO wind. So, I took Mills out this evening for about 10 minutes so that he could roll around on a beach towel in the yard. He didn't know what to think about it. While outside, the Richardsons, stopped by and took a quick golf break. Ema wanted to see Mills, and we truly enjoyed their quick visit. Ema is a doll!

We've had Mills cooped up for 8 months. First of all, he was born in August, and I was the cautious mother who didn't take him out until his first shots, which ended up being in October. By then, the weather had starting getting cold, and I wasn't getting a newborn out in the cold. So other than a few random warm day strolls, he's been inside his whole life. I am more than glad that spring is here. So far, I've taken him on afternoon strolls about 3 times a week for the past 3 weeks. He loves it, and so do I. I need to whip myself back into shape! Friday, at my Dr's appointment, was the first time I had stepped on the scales since my 6 week postpartum check-up. I was very pleased with my weight, but if there's anything I can do to rid the extra skin on my belly, I'd appreciate a few hints. Our June beach vacay is just around the corner.

Tonight, we reached another stage in our baby boy's life. We have moved his mattress down...again! He started to crawl on Apr. 3, but is now getting more consistent with it. When he awoke this morning, I caught him up on all fours, trying to pull the bumper pad down, which means that he could very well be trying to pull up. So, for safety, the mattress is now lowered. Crawling, this is going to be an experience!

Lifelong Friends

Last night, was a VERY SPECIAL night for me, as I was reunited with one of my dear friends. You may remember this post , of how I had received an email from my childhood pen-pal and friend, Nicole. Nicole is the granddaughter of Gerry and Martin Min, from Holland, who were actually good friends of my grandparents. (see this post). We have been writing since I was 9 years old. We haven't seen each other since my trip to Holland and Germany in 1993. At the time, I was 15, and she was 17. Nicole, who now works for a pharmaceutical company was in Memphis on business, and luckily, we got to meet up. She is originally from Germany, but is lucky enough to be living in Paris, France now. We had a wonderful time! I picked her up at her hotel after work, and we made a quick stop by the fire station so that she could meet Erik. Erik has heard about Nicole and her grandparents for YEARS, so I am glad that he finally got to meet her. We then headed to none other than Benihana to catch up on a little girl-talk over sushi. It couldn't have been more perfect, except for the fact that she will be leaving today. I wish she could have stayed longer, but we have already discussed plans for her next return visit. :) Next plans for Erik and I?...Paris? Maybe? I think we should! Oh so tempting!

Mills Gets a Visitor

That's right! We woke up bright and early this morning to find that the Easter bunny stopped by our house last night. Mills had a bright and colorful basket waiting on him this morning. In this basket, two books, some bubbles, a lamb, and some biter biscuits which will be of great use when our Mills gets a few more teeth, of course. This has been such a fun Easter. I've dreamed of this forever, the days when I get to prepare surprises for our little one. Unfortunately, E had to work today, but he'll have time to enjoy these fun things with Mills tomorrow!! Believe it or not, we've been running silly all day, and you would think that Mills would have wound down by now, but no, he's busy in the floor with all of his toys and is beginning to learn to crawl. Actually, he's trying to stand up, but I think he's got a while before he learns that one...I think! We've had one little "glitch" this afternoon. After a little bit of fussiness, that led to screaming. I decided to check his gums again. Which led to louder screams. So, I think tooth #2 is trying to make his appearance, but we'll see. We hope you all had a happy blessed Easter. HE IS RISEN!

Easter Celebrations

Our celebration of Easter with family, started off the night of Good Friday with dinner at Dad's. We had an excellent, intimate family meal, and loads of playtime! Prime rib and baked potatoes....yummy! Oh, but Mills enjoyed turkey and rice, with a side of apples & cherries. :) The Easter bunny paid an early visit to Mills bringing him a Peter Rabbit book, some flip flops and a bat n' ball...the carrot is actually the bat! lol

Saturday night, it was off to Gammy & Pop's house for another celebration. We enjoyed good ole' hot dogs and hamburgers and spent some time outside. The Easter bunny made yet another visit to Mills, bringing him a cute frog, and the cutest outfit that mommy had actually spotted at "the frog." It matches his swimming suit! Mills and Lainey enjoyed playing in the floor under the kitchen table! LOL

The last of our Easter celebrations was today after church. What a WONDERFUL service we had today! Afterwards, we headed out to Nana's before strolling over to Uncle Byron and Aunt Judy's to celebrate Easter and Miss Rylee's 14th birthday. I can't believe I just typed 14. She will go to high school next year...okay, so it makes me fell a little old!
While at Nana's the Easter bunny paid another visit to Mills bringing him the cutest rabbit ever. This bunny, sings, dances, and hops, to the tune of "Peter Cottontail." Mills loved it! Joey even got a gift from his nana too...you guessed it, a giant BONE!

Happy Easter!

He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. Matthew 28:6

Good Friday Easter Egg Dyeing

I know, Mills has no idea that Easter exists, nor does he know what an Easter egg is, but I can not let him have an Easter without dying eggs. I am that mother who is terrified that her child will grow up wanting to see pictures of his first this, and first that. There is no way I can tell him, "Oh well you were too small and too young to remember, so I just didn't worry about it." So, we will dye eggs this year.

As I walked around Walmart this morning and saw the tens of thousands bags of plastic eggs, it saddened me. I can't stand plastic eggs!!! I never had plastic eggs, and I can't remember one Easter spent where we didn't dye eggs and go to a good old-fashioned egg hunt. I picture it in my mind like this...who hasn't seen Steel Magnolias?...the giant egg hunt at the end where everyone is dressed in their Sunday best and are hunting REAL eggs. Yes, that is my little fantasy life, isn't it? As we dyed eggs today, I explained to Mills (as if he understood-lol!) that the beautiful eggs are a symbol of new life, a life that can be received and given to us, if we accept Jesus, who died for us on this Good Friday and saved us from our sins. I pray that he will one day understand that and like I always say, its not to early to start planting a seed, and I pray that this seed will grow.

Mills displays his Easter egg kit!

Daddy decides to dye his own egg...ORANGE, of course! :)

Honestly, Mills was more interested in everything but the eggs...

Like I said, Mills was more interested in everything except the eggs...especially the grass!