The Growing Staffords

Going to the Chapel!

2011-05-16T15:29:00.001-04:00

So excited that Ryan popped the question and he and Caitlin are engaged!! I'm going to have a new sister-in-law! :)

Now to work on not being the "fat bridesmaid"... off to the gym I go!!!!

An Aunt again!!!

2011-05-16T15:25:00.002-04:00

I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED that my sister is having another baby!

We found out on Easter Sunday- she changed Brice into a shirt that had the words "Only Child" written but crossed out and then underneath it said "BIG BROTHER".

I knew it!!! I even asked her on the front porch that day when we had a second alone if she was and she said "No!!!" and I said "Yes, you are. I know it." and then 20 minutes later the shirt was on Brice! Sisters can't hide anything- we have a "thing".

I'm so excited for them! I know Brice will make a wonderful big brother! I feel girl, but Brooke feels boy! But I was right and she was wrong last time, so we'll see!

And even cooler- the baby is due on my birthday- November 19th! I feel so blessed! Please keep them in your prayers! She's feeling good but has recently had bad headaches almost every day!

Can't wait to meet the next little Stone- will it be Ben or Blair????

Happy Easter!

2011-05-16T15:12:00.003-04:00

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday! We got up bright and early and went to 8:30 mass. Then we came home and the Easter Bunny had come! He brought Nick a Bubble Mower, some Easter books, bubbles, and toys. He brought Adam pacis, a stuffed bunny, and some rattles. We changed out of our Sunday best, picked up the mac & cheese I'd made, and headed up to Brooke and Brent's for a yummy lunch! We did TWO Easter Egg hunts and Nick received Easter baskets from Pop & Grandma, Erica, and Brent's parents- they were so sweet- didn't want Nick & Adam to feel left out when they gave Brice his basket, so they made my boys one, too! :)

After B&B's house, it was off to the Stafford's for another yummy meal! And another Easter Egg hunt, too! I don't think Nick has ever eaten so much candy in one day! He came down from his sugar high eventually and passed out on the way home!

We had a wonderful Easter!

Boob surgery....

2011-05-16T14:45:00.002-04:00

and not the GOOD kind of boob surgery! ;)

I had a pretty eventful April with the kiddos and personally! It all started with what I thought was a clogged milk duct. It was a small, red bump that was hot and painful to the touch. I asked around and the advice was to put heat compresses on, massage the area, and pump extra until it released. This was Saturday....

By Monday morning the small pea sized red bump was a large red GOLF BALL sized lump that was extremely painful. I knew I needed to seek some medical attention! I tried to see Diane but she was full, so I ended up seeing Sarah at Gifts from Grace. She took one look at it and said "I'd better get Dr. Modugno in here"... uh, oh. He took one look at it and said "You'd better get to a surgeon to have this removed ASAP." O.M.G.

What I thought was a clogged duct turned out to be a breast abcess from some kind of infection. I went to the surgeon the next day (Thursday) and took Brad along with me.
My options were to:
1. Have the procedure done with local anesthesia in the office
2. Have the procedure done at the hospital the next day and go under

I decided to do Option 1- I had the kids covered, Brad was with me, and honestly cost was a factor as well! So I put on my brave face and told him that we would go ahead right then. He told me it would be a few minutes to prep the procedure room. Those 10-15 minutes were some of the most nerve-racking moments I've ever felt. I had some serious anxiety- my heart goes out to people who feel what I felt in those moments every day- wow! I thought I was going to jump out of my skin. And yes- I've had natural childbirth- but this was completely different... I was going to be CUT OPEN and there wasn't going to be any happy ending sweet baby face looking up at me when it was all over- nothing to show for the pain...O.M.G again!

The procedure took about 20 minutes from start to finish and was extremely painful before they were able to locally numb the area. But once it was numb I didn't feel a thing and he did his work. They packed the area, taped me up, and sent us on our way with a prescription for Oxycodone and an antibiotic. I felt great...

until the numbness wore off. O.M.G did it hurt!!!! Oxycodone didn't even cut the pain at first, so what's a girl to do? Take 2!!! I'm not a cryer, and I was in tears it hurt so badly!

What came next was the kicker and something even the doc couldn't have warned me about... engorgement!!! OUCH! The entire next day was spent in bed with Adam with a pack of frozen veggies on my boob! Thank God for Patti who took Nick. I couldn't stand the thought of him cooped up all day long with a veggie for a Mommy, so off to Nana's he went!

The doctor told me I could pump as soon as I could tolerate the pain- he thought probably about 2 days or so. YEAH, RIGHT!?!?!? I was in PAIN from being so FULL! So I pumped a little over 24 hours after the surgery. Yeah, it hurt, A LOT, but it was a heck of a lot better than being so full!

I had to pump and dump for 1 week until my post-op check up. He then gave me the clear to give the milk to Adam but I couldn't breastfeed on that side until the sore closed up. 2 more weeks later, I went for my final check and was cleared to nurse again!

I was also told that I had MRSA Staph Infection! YUCK! NO CLUE how I got it, but most likely through Adam because of the location of the abcess. Staph is fairly common but scary nonetheless. I took Adam in and he checked out fine! The surgeon did warn that another bout of this could require me to stop nursing, so I'm hoping and praying that isn't necessary.

What a crazy event! Hopefully the next time I have a procedure done on my boobs, it'll be the good kind! ;)

April Updates

2011-05-16T00:12:00.002-04:00

We had a VERY busy month of April:

4/2- Celebrated Kellen's 2nd Birthday at a fun party!

4/3- Celebrated Bailey's 3rd Birthday at Sims Lake Park!

4/4-4/5- Sage came to stay with us for a few days! Nick WENT PEE-PEE ON THE POTTY twice while Sage was with us, but as soon as his big buddy was gone, so were his desires to go on the potty-oh, well! :(

4/6- "Fun on the Farm" at McDaniel Farm Park- Nick especially loved the petting zoo!

4/7- Minnie's Masquerade at the Mall! Nick enjoyed the Hot Dog dance! :)

4/8- Puppet Show at the library!

4/9- Easter Egg Hunt at the Governor's Mansion in Atlanta! Afterwards, we visited Aunt Kristi at her apartment and went out for pizza at Fellini's!

4/10- Our first Thrasher's Game! Nick loved it but was a little confused and kept yelling "Go Jackets"!

4/11- Nick is 26 months old!

4/12- Started our 2nd round of Music Classes (every T/Th for 45 minutes)!

4/14- Mother Earth storytime at the library!

4/14- Mommy has surgery to remove an abcess in her breast :(

4/15- Nick spends the day with Nana while Mommy recovers!

4/15- We celebrate Sage's 5th birthday at a fun party with a JUMPY (or what Nick calls a jump jump)

4/21- Visit with the Easter Bunny- Nick was TERRIFIED! Easter Egg Hunt at the Smothers's House!

4/22- Earth Day Playdate at our house!

4/23- Easter Egg Hunt at the Rimmer's House!

4/24- EASTER- post to come!

4/25- Adam is 7 months old!

4/26- Tech vs. UGA baseball game at Turner Field

4/29- Playdate at Emery's house!

4/30- Pictoral Directory church pictures! Nick finally warmed up and we managed to get a few good ones!

It was a busy and FUN month!

7 Months Old!

2011-05-16T00:04:00.003-04:00

SO hard to believe Adam was 7 months old on April 25th! His biggest milestone this month was being able to sit up all by himself! He's so big! And SO happy, content, smiley, and loving! We're so blessed!

6 Months Old!

2011-05-15T23:47:00.005-04:00

At Adam's 1/2 Birthday Party!

Eating the sign!

Yummy!

Big boy!

Oh, I am SO behind! But I'm going to try and be better about at LEAST doing the monthly posts and updates!!!

Adam was 6 months old on March 25th! We had his 1/2 birthday party with close friends and family and had fun celebrating this little guy!

Here were his stats from the doctor...

16 pounds 1.6 ounces (25th-50th %)... About 1 pound and 7 ounces smaller than Nick at this age

25 3/4 inches (25th-50th %)... about 3 and 1/4 inches shorter than Nick was at this age

We started Adam on solids around 6 months of age and he LOVES food! I'm amazed at how much the kid can put away! I know he'll have packed on some pounds when we go in for his 9 month check up! During this month, another milesone was that he learned how to roll over both ways! :)

Nick Update!

2011-05-15T23:21:00.008-04:00

Nick is doing great! He's ALL. BOY. He's 100 miles a minute and never seems to tire! He's been up to so much lately...

- We recently finished up with music classes which he LOVED- especially the drums! Next up- swimming lessons! :)
- He really loves it and knows "Row, row, row your Boat", "Twinkle, twinkle Little Star", and the ABCs by heart! His little voice is just precious!
- He can count to 10 easily without prompting and up to 15 with prompting. He's getting better with one-to-one correspondence which is great for his age.
- He knows almost all of his animal sounds and my FAVORITE is the pig! He breathes in and out of his nose to make that one! So cute (and practical when I need him to blow his nose-lol!)
- He knows almost all of his letters by sight. If he misses them it's a d for a b, etc.
- He loves to play in the "bament" and has so much fun running around outside!

- He has so many "Nickims" that we love....

In the morning when we are taking a little bit too long before coming to get him out of his crib he'll say "Mommy!....(pause).... Daddy!.... (pause)..... Mommy, Daddy weh AAAA you?" It's adorable!

He's a very polite little man and we require him to say please, thank you, and we work on Yes, Ma'am and No, Sir. What's been so cute lately is he'll ask for more of something and when I don't understand what he's asking for more of, I'll say "More what, Nick" and he'll look at me and reply "More, PEASE" and I'll again say "More OF what, Nick" and he'll look at me, NOD, and reply "More, PEASE"... so stinkin' cute.

I already mentioned the singing above but the best is at night before bedtime, he'll ask us to "sit the chair. seeng songs". It's such a special time with him!

He loves "brudder" and gives him sweet kisses and hugs but we do have to watch him like a hawk because he'll give Adam an occasional head butt when he thinks we're not looking!

Nick is doing so great and we thoroughly enjoy every minute with our big boy!

Enjoy some new videos!

5 Months Old!

2011-03-26T09:54:00.004-04:00

Adam was 5 months old on February 25th! He's still a very happy little man!

- Adam discovered his hands and has them or SOMETHING in his mouth at all times!
- His voice has really come out! He loves to babble and squeal.
- Adam reserves his laugh for very special occassions. He's very ticklish but holds his laugh in!
- He's obsessed with being upright and watching what everyone is doing. He LOVES Nick and watches him like a hawk.
- His favorite place to be is in his jumpy exersaucer. He loves it!
- When you're holding him (unless he's being fed), he loves to be standing up in your lap! He even bends his legs to jump even when he's not in the jumpy!

Nick's 2 Year Stats!

2011-03-01T16:09:00.002-05:00

We went for Nick's 2 Year Old well check today! We were originally scheduled to go on Friday the 18th but we were sick that week! I had to take both boys in on Monday (Valentine's Day) and we discovered that BOTH had ear infections! :( By Thursday when Nick wasn't better and in fact threw up all over me that morning from coughing so much, I knew we needed to go back in! After a few days on a stronger antibiotic, Nick was feeling much better!

Long story short, we had a great visit today and she said he looks "perfect"!

Height: 34 1/4 inches (50th %)
Weight: 25 pounds 13 ounces (10th-25th %)*
Head: 48.5 cm (25th-50th %)

*Nick was actually over 26 pounds when we first went in on Monday the 14th but lost 2 pounds by Thursday the 17th since he wasn't eating ANYTHING while he was sick, so I don't think he's quite back to where he could be on his weight since he's only been eating right for a few days now.

He had 2 shots and was so MAD! He perked up a little bit when he saw the cool Band-Aids but still wasn't very happy with me or the nurse!

I can't believe how big he's getting!

4 Months Old!

2011-02-15T14:59:00.003-05:00

Better late than never they say... Adam was 4 months old on January 25th!

He's growing soooo much- here are his stats:

Weight: 14 pounds 14 ounces (50th %)

Height: 25 inches (50th %)

(Nick was chunkier at this age at 15 pounds 10.6 ounces and 25 inches)

He's doing great!

New things this month:

- We put him into his exersaucer this month on January 31st. He was tired of laying down and LOVES to be upright and able to check everything out!

- He can now roll over from back to belly and vice versa. He loves to sleep on his tummy (like Mommy) and is sleeping much better this way.

- He goes to bed between 7 and 9 depending on the day and wakes me up between 3 and 5 to eat. We bring him in the bed with us where I feed him and he goes back to sleep until 7 or 8! Woohoo!

- He has his first ear infection- poor guy! He's also got a bad cough/cold. We're on antibitics and hope to be feeling normal very soon!

- He's a tough little cookie and has to be with a big brother around! He loves Nick when he's not being hit or bitten- that's right, Nick bit Adam's hand for the first time last week! I was MORTIFIED!

Adam is a happy little guy and we love him so much!

2 Years Old

2011-02-15T14:36:00.005-05:00

We've officially got ourselves a pre-schooler and not a toddler :(

I have so many mixed feelings about my baby boy being two years old. I am so excited for him- he's learning so much, communicating with us, has his own little personality and quirks, and is just so much fun. But on the other hand, he doesn't need us as much anymore. Which in and of itself wouldn't be that bad if he didn't tell us just that! He is very stubborn and independent (can't imagine where he got that from) and likes to do things his own way. A new phrase he's using is "Go away" and it just breaks my heart! But he's also saying "I love you" without u having to say it first and just adores his baby brother and is so sweet to him.

Nick is signed up for preschool in the fall at Sugar Hill Day School at Sugar Hill UMC. I fell in love with the school after touring 5 places. I'm so excited about what's in store for him there. I know he'll thrive and the structure and discipline from a non-parental figure will be good for him! It's just difficult to imagine "sharing" him with someone else 2 days a week! :(

I just can't believe how quickly 2 years have come and gone. It's just amazing to me. He's brought such joy, love, and laughter to our lives and we thank God for him every single day.

We love you, Booger Butt! :)

A very Merry Christmas

2011-01-19T22:21:00.004-05:00

Yes, I know I am almost an entire month behind on this one, but I'm a busy Mommy, you know!!!!

We had a wonderful Christmas celebrating with our family...

On Christmas Eve morning we went to Dad and Carol's for brunch and gifts. Dad and Carol's gift to us was our Polar Express weekend (see previous post), so it was mainly a gathering to give Dad and Carol their gifts! Haha! But it was fun and we did open our stocking which had some fun things inside!

We attended 4:00 mass which was pretty crowded. Thank goodness the Stafford's arrived around 3:10 before we did at 3:20 or we wouldn't have had a seat to sit in!

After mass, Brooke, Brent, Brice, and Mom came over for our dinner and gift exchange! I had a roast in the crockpot all day that was delicious and we ate in the dining room on our fine china- something we only do a few times a year! Mom gave us all exactly what we asked for- I got a gift certificate to my favorite nail salon for a pedicure, Brad got a Borders gift card, and Nick got a gift card for his music class! Nick and Adam also both got Christmas clothes that they wore on Christmas day! We gave Mom exactly what she asked for, too- wine glasses! It's amazing how practical your Christmas gifts become the older you get!

Nick and Brice played so well together putting together the Thomas puzzle we gave Brice! I love watching them play together and every time we see GiGi, Pop, Grandma, Brooke, or Brent, Nick immediately asked for "Ice" (aka Brice). I love it!!!

The Stafford's joined us later for games. We had so much fun playing Catch Phrase and just being together!

Unfortunately as soon as everyone headed home for the night, Brad headed for the bathroom where he spent the whole night and Christmas Day with a stomach bug. It was awful! I finally went out around 4 am to try and get him some meds but the ONLY place open was QT! I could only find Immodium and that didn't do the trick! Poor guy!

Christmas morning was so much fun despite Brad being sick. He was able to take video of me doing the Christmas thing with the kids. Nick came down the stairs and immediately went for the loot from Santa- too bad it was the loot intended for his baby brother Adam! Haha!

Nick's gifts included: Play-doh, an inflatable bouncy, a build-a-bear, a Leaptop laptop, a Thomas starter set, and many more things. Adam's gifts included: a snail tummy toy, a play gym, some socks, and many more things. Santa even brought fur-sister Sadie a new bed!!! Nick LOVED opening his stocking and seeing all of the little things come out! He was so much fun on Christmas morning! I can't wait for the chaos that will be Christmas 2011!!! :)

Brad's big gift was a new Blu-Ray player and my big gift was a set of DVD players for the car (not to be up all the time but for vacations or long trips). We were very blessed!!!

Around lunchtime, the boys and I headed to Patti and John's as Brad was still feeling badly and we didn't want to spread it (unfortunately, there was no avoiding that and a few others got sick- including poor Brice). Nick and Adam were spoiled again as well as Brad and I- we can't wait to take advantage of some of the "date night" gift we were given! ;) We ate a yummy lunch and headed home to check on Brad. Unfortunately, I started feeling pretty sick myself but was able to go to CVS (which was now open) to buy some meds that really helped!

All in all, it was a wonderful Christmas despite Brad being sick and myself feeling pretty puny. We had a ton of fun celebrating the love of Christ's birth with our family.

A white Christmas!

2011-01-19T22:17:00.006-05:00

All suited up!

Ready to check out this white stuff, Mommy!

Daddy and Me!

Throwin' snow!

My and my mini-snowman!

For the first time in a VERY long time and perhaps for the only time in my lifetime, we had a white Christmas here in Georgia! It started snowing Christmas day evening and stuck! Even though Brad wasn't feeling great, he was a good sport and took Nick out to play in the snow- what was left of it, at least!

Nick loved it!

Photo Page Update

2011-01-03T10:44:00.002-05:00

I updated our Shutterfly photo page! It was long overdue! Check it out at....

www.nicknack.shutterfly.com

3 Months Old!

2011-01-02T14:14:00.003-05:00

Adam turned 3 months old on Christmas day!

What a blessing this little boy is to our family. He's such a happy baby, much like his big brother Nick was! He's pretty easy-going and goes with the flow. The only time he fusses is when he's hungry and even then, he's a pretty patient guy!

Adam's Reflux is completely under control and we don't have to give him his Prevacid anymore which is great- I hated giving him medicine every day! He hasn't had any tummy pain or vomiting at all! He occasionally spits up but that's usually only when he over-eats! He's still a pretty gassy guy, but we'll take that over what we were dealing with before!

He's now sleeping in his own crib in his room. This was a hard transition for both Brad and I- we really enjoyed having him in the room (and occasionally the bed) with us and the extra snuggling was so sweet. However, we felt it was "time" and so off to his bed he went around 13 weeks old (Nick was 8 weeks when he went to his bed).

He's now sleeping from around 11 pm until about 4 or 5 am which is a nice stretch for me! I have to feed him around that time but he goes right back down to sleep until 8 or 9 which is when Nick wakes up, too- I have it pretty good! :)

I've still cut out most dairy (milk, cheese, etc) and that really seems to be helping him. I have no idea if that's what his issues were, but I'm not willing to risk messing him up so I can have a glass of milk or piece of cheese! I figure at 6 months when we introduce solids and I'm not his primary source of food, I can slowly add it back. He's pooping regularly (at most, he goes 2 days in between). I'm so glad to see poopy diapers!

He's recently started laughing which just melts my heart. It's a little chuckle of a laugh and he loves to laugh back at you when you laugh at him! It's so much fun! He smiles like crazy any time you catch his eye! He's such a sweet and happy guy!

Adam is the perfect addition to our family and we've enjoyed every minute with him these last 3 months! I can't wait to see how he grows and changes!

A baby a year...

2010-12-31T16:03:00.002-05:00

It has been an incredibly blessed year for the Stafford family. I was thinking about the fact that we've either found out a baby was coming or had a baby every year for the past 3 years!

June 2008- found out we were expecting "Baby Bee"
February 2009- our bouncing baby boy Nicholas William arrived
January 2010- found out we were expecting "Baby 2 Bee"
September 2010- Adam Bradley came into our world

Will we find out we're expecting or have another child in 2011? It's not OUR plan, but we trust in Him and if it's His will, it could be! :)

Happy New Year! Looking forward to spending another New Years Eve with those that I love!

Lauren*

Elsberry Christmas 2010

2010-12-30T14:58:00.004-05:00

Every year, my very large Elsberry family gets together for Christmas. It's been a tradition as far back as I can remember. The date, location, and gifts have changed over the years, but the fun and fellowship has remained the same. It is always very evident that someone is missing- our beloved Grandparents Grandma and Bee. But I know they're smiling down on all of us and are so glad we've continued to gather together every year around Christmas.

When I say large Elsberry family- I really mean it. I have 6 Aunts & Uncles, 18 cousins, and 19 second-cousins. Including my family, add 9 people to that! That's over 50 people!!! What a legacy Bee and Grandma have left behind!

When I was small, I remember it being on Christmas Eve at my grandparents house in Lilburn. We would all exchange gifts, eat (the Elsberry family loves to eat after all), and sing songs. Eventually our family grew too large for Bee and Grandma's house so we moved to my Aunt Linda's house in Clayton. We had to change to a "Dirty Santa" style gift exchange for a few years. Well, our family continued to grow and grow so we moved our location to a private room at The Dillard House in Dillard, GA where wedding receptions are held! We tried to continue to give gifts but we just had too many people to exchange with and our Dirty Santa games were lasting literally hours! So a few years back, we made it so only the children receive gifts. It's special to watch the younger Elsberry's (Grandma and Bee's youngest Great-Grandchildren) open their presents each year.

I look forward to this weekend all year long. Not only because the food at The Dillard House is so yummy, but because I get to see my HUGE Elsberry family. It reminds me to remember "the bigger picture" of where I've come from. Since my Dad was the youngest of 5 children and I am his youngest child, I am the baby of the family as far as grandchildren go. I just adored Bee and miss him so much. I know how proud he must be of his family but am very sad that he wasn't around to meet my boys- the next generation of die-hard Tech fans. I know he would have loved them. I don't think it's a coincidence that since Bee's death in 2006, every Elsberry baby born has been a boy! :)

I can still hear him saying my name in his Southern accent..."LAWrin"... as he called me up for my gift each year. He gave each of us a crisp, new $100 bill in an envelope! But I don't really remember it being about the money but more about my "turn" to see Bee as he went through the list of names. I was last of course, so I couldn't wait until it was my turn to "hug his neck" as we all called it. He was such a generous man who would do anything for his family.

Elsberry Christmas is a tradition that is very near and dear to my heart and this year it was no different. I was excited for everyone to meet our newest addition! We ate until we thought we would pop, opened presents with the kids (Nick got a Tonka fire truck and Adam got a blow up lion), and chatted with everyone.

This weekend made me really remember what the holidays are all about- spending time with the ones that you love. God has blessed our family beyond measure and I give Him all of the glory for the blessings He's bestowed upon us all!

The Polar Express!

2010-12-29T22:54:00.004-05:00

The weekend of December 10th-12th we spent in Bryson City, NC enjoying our Christmas present from my Daddy and Carol (Grandma and Pop to the boys)- a weekend in the mountains and a ride on The Polar Express! We had a WONDERFUL time and look forward to this new annual tradition!

We all stayed in a cabin in Robbinsville, NC just 20 minutes from Bryson City. The cabin was quite comfortable and we all had fun playing "Family Feud" Plunkett vs. Elsberry style... for the record, the Elsberry family was victorious and I even SWEPT the entire individual fast round! I couldn't believe it myself! :) We ate all of our meals there and enjoyed lighting the Advent Wreath before each meal that Carol brought along.

The train ride was at 6:30 on Saturday night, so we ate a late lunch/early dinner before heading out. We dressed all three boys (Nick, Adam, and cousin Brice) in matching red fleece pajamas. We arrived at the train station and picked up our tickets. There were little ones eveywhere in their pajamas filled with excitement. We then lined up to board the train. As we were waiting, the train full of people from an earlier ride arrived. Nick's eyes were so big seeing a real train in person- especially one that was MOVING! He was so cute.

We boarded the train and picked a few tables for our large group. There were "elves" on hand to help us board and select our seats. As soon as the train lurched to a start, the excitement really began!

First, the conductor boarded the train asking for our tickets as he punched each one! Then the elves brought us hot cups of hot chocolate to sip on and red and green rice krispy treats to munch on. Nick was a huge fan of both- his first time having either one! There were Christmas lights outside of our window to check out. They boys had a blast running back and forth between our table and Grandma and Pop's table snacking and sipping! They were definitely running on pure sugar!

When we were a few miles up the track, they began a recording of the story "The Polar Express" and the elves walked around showing everyone pictures from the storybook.

As soon as we were about to enter the North Pole, the elves turned out all of the cabin lights and told us to look out the window for Santa! Nick's eyes were absolutely filled to the brim with wonder and awe. I was overcome with emotions seeing this experience through the eyes of my little boy and wept like a baby! My sister and I were both in tears watching our little boys! Everyone waved to Santa as we passed. Then it was time to come back! The elves told us to look out the window again to wave to Santa as we passed, but when we did, we discovered he wasn't there... maybe he was on the train with us!?!?!?

When Santa walked into our cabin, Nick just lit up!!! Here's where I lost it again! He stared up at Santa Clause with his biggest eyes and a look of amazement and wonder as Santa handed Nick a bell from his sleigh. Brice told Santa that he wanted Thomas Trains for Christmas while Nick looked on. It was precious! As quickly as Santa came, he was gone. Nick waved to Santa as he went on to the next car full of children.

Nick had a great time shaking his little bell while we sang Christmas Carols like "The 12 Days of Christmas" and "Jingle Bells" as we returned to the station.

The boys slept great that night and when we woke up on Sunday morning, we had SNOW! The cabin owners called to offer us another night at no charge. While it was very tempting, we knew the roads would only get worse and we didn't want to get stuck. So we reluctantly headed home!

I can't even put into words how amazing the whole experience was. I had no idea what to expect, but I certainly didn't expect to be a blubbering idiot watching my son experience the whole thing. I CAN'T WAIT to go back next year when I'm sure I'll have even more tears of joy as I watch Nick AND Adam experience something so magical and wonderful together!

It was the perfect beginning to a wonderful Christmas holiday!

2 Months Old!

2010-12-08T16:25:00.003-05:00

I can't believe Adam is already 2 months old!!! Time is flying!

Adam's doing great! We're still on the Prevacid for his Reflux which seems to really help- he was projectile vomiting every few days and now it's only every 7-10 and tapering off. Now that I've completely cut out milk and most dairy products, he's a new man! Much happier, less gassy, and he's POOPING! This is big, people! He was going 7-10 days in between and now he's going every day! Big improvement. All of this makes for a more relaxed Mommy and a much happier baby! He's not sleeping as well as his big brother did at this age, and he's still in our room in his basinett despite Brad's mumblings, but that's just what he (and quite frankly, I) need to sleep well at night! He eats every 3-4 hours. It's been hard to cut out dairy (I drank about 1 gallon per week!!!) but it's worth it for my little man! I can't imagine giving up the nursing, so I'll give up the milk for a while instead!

All of that eating has made for a big boy! We went to see Dr. Looby for his 2 month checkup and he's in the 75th percentiles for his height and weight! He's moving into size 2 diapers and 3-6 month clothing already! Eek!

Birth: 7 pounds 5 ounces and 20 inches long
2 months: 12 pounds 6 ounces and 23 1/4 inches long
(Side Note: He has 6 ounces and 1/8 inch on his brother at this age! ;)

Adam had his first round of shots since we elected to skip the Hep B vaccine at birth. He wasn't a fan! But my heart just melted when I heard Nick say "Don' cry, Awam"... such a sweet big brother. He even had a look of concern on his face when he said it. I love to see the two of them interacting more and more each day.

Adam is smiling all the time and will give us an occasional laugh. It's more like a chuckle but so cute!!! He looks up at Nick and just beams! He still is his own man, but is starting to favor his big brother a little more! Many people are saying that Adam looks like me! :)

I am loving life and am so blessed to have such a healthy baby boy!

Thank you, Shutterfly!

2010-11-24T21:29:00.002-05:00

Here's a "sneak peek" of our Christmas card! I'm so excited! I know it's not one of the choices I listed in my post below but I assumed I would be allowed to choose 50 photo cards. BUT when Shutterfly emailed me my redemption code for 50 free folded cards, I was so excited to create a folded card! We normally can't afford the fancy ones! ;)

Now I have to start working on our family letter and get them ready to mail out! It's such an awesome feeling to have these done already! Woohoo!

Thank you, Shutterfly!

Gearing up for Christmas!

2010-11-22T20:19:00.006-05:00

I LOVE receiving holiday cards in the mail this time of year. I love seeing people's pictures and occasionally reading a "Family Update" letter or poem if they've included one. I look forward to reading about what things have happened in the last year. Some are funny, some are serious, some have to report something sad... but I read them all and look forward to checking the mail even more than I normally do (which is quite a bit)!

I also LOVE working on a holiday card for our growing family. I do include a letter every year and work hard on writing it. It's so fun to create something wonderful and festive to share with those friends and family I send them to!

Since having a family, we've converted to sending a photo card so people can see the boys. I've used several different sites in the past and this year will be using Shutterfly as they're offering 50 FREE cards to those who blog about their family's holiday cards- how cool is that!?!?! We used Shutterfly last year to create a sweet gift from Nick to Nana and Papa- a photo coffee mug- they loved it!

Can you help me decide which card to use? Here are the ones that I love....

What do you think? Please vote by making a comment! I'll be sure to post the finished product! :)

Check out Shutterfly's photo card options here if you'd like to create a memorable card for yourself!

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationary/christmas-photo-cards

Lauren*

Big Brother Nick

2010-11-16T21:26:00.004-05:00

Nick is doing SO WELL as a big brother. I couldn't be more proud of him!

He constantly asks where "Baby" or "Adam" is. As soon as he wakes up, he looks for him. He points to Adam's room across the hallway (he can see Adam's crib from his if both doors are opened) and says his name. It's so sweet!

He likes to play with Adam's playmat and dances to the music. This really entertains Adam!

When I put Adam on the floor for Tummy Time, Nick comes over, lays on the floor on his tummy, and faces him. He loves it!

Nick absolutely LOVES to hold Adam. The minute I ask him if he wants to hold his baby brother, he drops whatever he's doing and comes running! He grins from ear to ear the entire time- it's the sweetest thing I've ever seen! It melts my heart!

Nick gives Adam so many kisses! He kisses him goodnight before he heads upstairs for bed!

Nick tries to give Adam his paci whenever he fusses. Even when Adam doesn't want it! :)

Nick never seems bothered by Adam at all. When Adam cries in the car, Nick hardly bats an eye! The first few weeks Nick would cry when Adam would but now he seems to realize that crying is just something that Adam does!

I'm soooo proud of Nick- he's a wonderful big brother! I can't wait to see them grow up together as best buds!

Bad blogger!

2010-11-15T14:53:00.004-05:00

I am such a bad blogger!!! I need to make more time to do it! I also guess I just feel silly blogging unless something major has happened- no one wants to hear about our boring little life!

Since I blogged last...

On Saturday, October 30th, Brad, Adam, and I headed up to Dahlonega, GA to witness Scott and Roxann renew their wedding vows at beautiful Monteluce Vineyards. It was a perfect day and the ceremony was so special. I was asked VERY last minute to sing as Roxann walked down the aisle and felt so honored. It was a perfect evening. We spent the night up there and were able to sleep in a little bit since Nick stayed back with Nana and Papa. After breakfast at a local spot, we headed home to start the Halloween festivities (see Halloween post below).

November 1st I had my first Tupperware event since having Adam. I set up a booth at a vendor fair at Grayson HS. The boys did great at home with Daddy and everyone survived! It felt good to be back at "work" although my mind wasn't far from what was going on at home! :)

Thursday, November 4th we went to play time at the George Pierce Community Center. It was so much fun! Nick had a BLAST playing on the slide and in the bounce houses that were set up inside. He wasn't a big fan of the craft (making cup telephones), but had a great time and burned off a lot of pent up energy! Adam slept right through it all!
That night, we had Grandma and Pop over for dinner and the Tech vs Virginia Tech game. Unfortunately, things didn't go our way, but we had a good time together. Nick loves all of his grandparents!!!

Friday, November 5th, Mommy got a night out! I caught up with some friends from high school and we went to dinner and then bowling at Discover Mills. My 2 glasses and Sangria were delicious! Aside from a projectile vomiting situation with Adam, things were uneventful for Brad back at home! :)

Saturday, November 6th we celebrated Zoe Jane's 1st birthday! She had a wonderful party at her house and we were so glad we were able to go! Nick had a great time with the balloons and ate a ton of cake- yummy! Happy birthday, sweet girl!
That night, we left the boys for a night in Atlanta celebrating Kristina's birthday and apartment-warming! Nick spent the night with Brice and Adam stayed with Nana and Papa until we could get back to him. We had a nice time out!

On Sunday, we had a Meet & Greet shower at the house for Adam! So many wonderful people came out to meet our new addition! It was great! Roxann, Brooke, and Kris did such a fabulous job throwing it! I have wonderful family and friends who truly love me and my kiddos!

Monday, November 8th we went to library storytime and had a great time! Nick is really starting to get a lot out of going- he loves to dance and sing along with the teacher instead of trying to run out the door laughing as I chase him!!!
I had my 6 week checkup with my midwife Diane and everything went well. While I was there, I had a flu shot! Ouch! But totally worth it to protect little man! Now if we can just get Daddy to get his- he's a chicken!!!

Tuesday we went to musical storytime at Border's with Ms. Mary Beth and I'm so excited that we'll be starting music classes with her in January close by in Sugar Hill! We can't WAIT for classes to start! I'm even allowed to bring Adam along! He'll love it, too I'm sure!

Wednesday night, we went over to the Stafford's house to celebrate Kristina and John's bithdays! Nick loves playing with his cousins Hailey and Logan! Have I already mentioned that he also loves cake? ;)

Friday we went to Lily's for a playdate!

Saturday, Nick, Brad and I went to the Miami vs. Tech game. Brooke brought Brice so both boys had fun! Nick did great! He loved the fly-over before the game! We left early (bad day at The Flats) and Nick crashed in the car on the way home. We hung out at Grandma and Pop's to play with Brice for a while and have dinner. Adam did great with Carol.

Even though our life isn't full of major events, it is full of little events that make us happy! I love my ordinary little life!

Lauren*

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-04T15:28:00.003-04:00

We had a Happy Halloween!

Nick was an adorable little monkey and a great trick-or-treater! Even though he never said "trick-or-treat" despite our efforts to teach it to him for a while, he was a very polite little guy and said "thank you" at every house! Before we headed out, he had the chance to hand out some candy. That meant that at the first few houses, he wanted to hand them their candy back! It was so cute!

Adam was an adorable banana and slept through the whole thing! He looked so cute and was very warm and toasty inside his fleece banana costume!

We had a great time and look forward to many more years of trick-or-treating with our boys!

1 Month Old!

2010-10-26T21:41:00.006-04:00

Adam is 1 month old!!!

A month has just flown by- while I can't believe it's been a month already, it also feels like he's always been here! He now weighs 9 pounds 11 ounces! He loves to eat and is nursing every 3 hours.

He's a very lovable boy who adores being held all.the.time. He's been pretty gassy/fussy/colicy since day one. When he went almost 5 days without pooping, I phoned the pediatrician! We had to buy some suppositories and they did the trick. Poor guy. At his check up we discussed trying medicine and we've been on Prilosec for 3 days- it seems to be helping.

He's definitely not the excellent sleeper that Nick was, but we're hanging in there- one day I'll miss those late night/early morning feedings! That's what I'm telling myself anyway! :)

He smiled at me for the first time a few days ago- talk about melting Mommy's heart. His little smile is just adorable.

His nursery is almost complete and I'll be posting pictures soon. My sister, sister-in-law, and best friend are throwing me an Open House/Meet the Baby Shower on the 7th and I want to do the big reveal then, not online! So look for a nursery post in a few weeks!

We're falling more and more in love with our little boy every day!

A visit to Jaemor!

2010-10-18T12:13:00.003-04:00

The Stafford family had a very busy weekend!!!

Saturday, we went down to the tennis courts to cheer on Brad's tennis team and then went to Taste of Suwanee for some yummy food at Suwanee Town Center. Then, Brad and I went to the Tech game leaving both boys with Grandma Carol! I was nervous to leave them both but she said they were great (even though Nick didn't nap-eek!)... Adam drank 2 bottles of pumped milk like a champ including an entire 5 OUNCE bottle! Sheesh! We dropped them off around 2, made it to the game right in time for kick-off and were back around 7:30. The game was great and we won! It was nice to get back to Bobby Dodd to cheer on my Yellow Jackets. I really didn't want to miss another game since we're not at home again until November 13th!!!

Sunday, we headed up to Lula, GA for our annual visit to Jaemor Farms. Here's a pic of Nick last year and then this year...

2009- Nick was 8 Months Old

2010- Nick is 20 Months Old

We had a blast picking out a pumpkin for each member of the family, sliding, petting animals in the petting zoo, and Nick even rode his first pony! He loved it all! We ended the evening with a yummy potluck BBQ dinner! We had so much fun with our GAM families! It's hopefully going to become an annual GAM tradition!

Adam did great at the farm- he was strapped on to Brad or I the whole time and only fussed twice to eat! He and Nick wore their matching orange thermals and looked so cute! I was a proud Mommy!

Happy Fall, Y'All! :)

Lauren*

20 Months Old!!!

2010-10-11T16:33:00.002-04:00

I can't believe Nick is 20 months old already! The time has flown on by and he's becoming more and more of a little boy every day!

20 things about Nick:

1. Nick wears size 4 diapers and hates having his diaper changed- he wiggles, flips over, and even kicks his legs in argument. We have to bribe him with something exciting off of his changing table to keep him occupied!
2. Nick wears 18-24 month tops and both 12-18 and 18-24 month pants. He's big enough in the waist but too short for a lot of 18-24 month pants! Hopefully, he gets a little taller soon!
3. Nick LOVES to play in the playroom in the basement. It's his favorite place in the house to be- especially when Daddy is down there with him!
4. Nick is a Daddy's Boy- they are best buddies and Nick absolutely thinks he hung the moon! I love seeing them together having so much fun!
5. Nick also loves to play outside in the front yard. He runs around, pops bubbles, throws the football, and explores. The weather has been great in the evening, so we go outside a lot.
6. Nick still loves his "mil" and drinks 2 cups a day- one first thing in the morning and another one with dinner before bed.
7. Nick now has 16 teeth! They all came at once!
8. Nick likes to brush his teeth and knows that right after bath, it's time for "tee"!
9. Nick loves Elmo! He calls him "Melmo" and has a stuffed animal version of his favorite TV character!
10. Nick is still sleeping in his crib although we purchased his big boy bedroom set this month off of Craigslist! It's being stored in the basement until that dreadful day when he figures out how to climb out of his crib!!!
11. Nick says "Go Jackets" A LOT- every time he sees Buzz, the GT symbol, a car flag of any kind on someone's car, etc- he's well trained!
12. Some of Nick's favorite foods are pasta, veggie straws, cheese, and fruit!
13. Nick loves apple juice and even diluted chugs it down in practically one gulp!
14. Nick still takes one good nap a day- usually at least 2 hours long- and sleeps 11 hours at night from 9 to 8.
15. Nick is still obsessed with balls and points them out wherever he sees them!
16. Nick went to the circus for the first time this month and had a blast! Brad said he loved the animals the most!
17. Nick has started saying animal sounds and correctly identifies the sound for dog, cat, lion, horse, cow, sheep, and bee!
18. Nick participated in Gymboree classes this past month and loved them! He's such an active boy, and this was a great outlet for him!
19. Nick is starting to recognize letters! We bought a magnetic set that says the letters and their sounds. We started him off with A-E and he's doing quite well with them! He loves for us to spell his name out loud or sing the ABC song!
20. NICK BECAME A BIG BROTHER THIS MONTH! He's doing great adjusting to life with Adam around. He's very curious about where Adam is or what he's doing. He's very affectionate and quick to give him a kiss or try to give him his "aci". It's very sweet to see them together! I am so blessed!

We love you, Nick!!!

Adam's Birth Story

2010-10-04T20:54:00.005-04:00

The story of Adam's entry into the world...

When we went to see my midwife Diane on Thursday, September 23rd, I had made slight progress in the baby department. I was 2 cm and 70% effaced! We made a last minute decision to go and test drive mini-vans that afternoon so we dropped Nick off with Roxann. On the way there, we were rear-ended by a truck! I wasn't hurt but got pretty upset. Maybe that had something to do with my early labor- guess we'll never know!

Friday, September 24th was a VERY busy day! Nick and I went to Gymboree class, Ike's house for a GAM playdate, home for Nick's nap, I ran to Discover Mills to pick up a birthday present for my Dad while Nick napped (Brad was working from home that day), and then over to Dad's for his birthday dinner! We ate a big Italian meal for dinner! Brad had plans to go out for some drinks with friends, so he headed out when we were done at Dad's. Around 10:00, I started having some pretty painful contractions. I called him to let him know- just in case I needed a sober driver to take me to the hospital! :)

Brad was home around 11 and he packed his bags for the hospital! I told him it was probably not necessary and we headed to bed. I had a hard time getting to sleep but finally did so around midnight. I was able to sleep until about 5 am but was half-awake with the contractions that kept on coming.

I woke Brad at 5 to let him know I was going downstairs to start timing the contractions. I folded laundry, watched tv, and watched the clock! At this point, they were every 3-4 minutes apart. By 6:00, I started packing! By 7:00, I was in the shower! And by 8:00, we were calling Diane. Nick decided he would like to sleep in this morning, so we actually had to wake him up at 8:15 and we headed to the hospital! Brad's family met us there and we handed Nick over to them. It was hard to say goodbye to him! Before we left for the hospital, I cried. Not because I was scared, but because I felt like I'd cheated Nick- we still had fun things planned just the two of us. Brad put things into perspective by telling me I was giving Nick the best gift- a sibling to love and a playdate for the rest of his life! I still couldn't help but feel guilty. I just thought I had more time with my first-born baby!

I was in a room and checked in by around 9:00. The nurse checked me and I was only 3 cm and 90% effaced! I was a little disappointed to hear this, so I made it my mission to walk. Brad and I walked the halls for a good hour and a half! Diane arrived around 11:30 and wanted to check me. She said I was about 5 centimeters and my bag of water was what she felt first. She wanted to see what happened when I had a contraction and her guess was confirmed- during a contraction, the bag of water would drop but not baby's head. As she was checking this out, my water broke! Now we could make some real progress! Brad called my Mom and told her to close up the shop and head on over!

Shortly after my water broke, my sister arrived. The Tech game started at 12:00 so we started watching that! Diane encouraged me to sit in the rocker and rock- she said it was similar to walking. I set myself up with the rocker and the game and was a happy camper- for about 30 minutes! Diane couldn't believe how intensely I was watching the game! Those who know me very well wouldn't be so surprised! :)The contractions became more intense and I was VERY uncomfortable. Somewhere in this time period, my Mom arrived. After about 30 minutes of terrible pain, my sister asked for Diane. Diane returned and asked if I'd like to get in the shower. I thought anything would be better than just sitting there, so we got into the shower! It was great! There was a handheld showerhead, so during the contractions, I would point it anywhere that made the pain go away! After about 30 minutes in the shower, Diane asked me to tell her where I was feeling the contractions. I was not feeling them where I should have been but instead had intense pain and pressure on my pubic bone. Diane told me she had a feeling the head wasn't in the right position to move down.

We moved back to the bed so she could check and see the position of baby's head. Sure enough, the forehead was stuck on my pubic bone! She told me she was going to have to move him, so during my next contraction, she moved the baby's head internally and externally moved his body. It was VERY uncomfortable but within 4 or 5 more contractions, I was feeling the pressure to push in the right place and asking for drugs! :) Diane told me how close I was to having this baby and I decided I could go without. It blew me away when I heard her tell Brad to pray for me-to pray for strength of body and mind.

The nurses started coming in and setting up as soon as Diane asked for the mirror and I started doing some "practice" pushes. Diane saw right away that I was a good, strong pusher and that it wasn't going to be long. She told me to look at the clock- it was 2:00. She said "By 2:15, we'll have a baby!"

Having the mirror in place really allowed me to see what progress each push made. Brad was so supportive and I remember him saying "Oh, my God babe- it's our baby! Look!" By 2:07, we had a baby. Brad said "It's a boy!" and Diane placed Adam on my chest to be cleaned up. I was crying and couldn't believe it was another boy! I was so relieved that it was over and in absolute shock that I did it without any drugs!!!

When Adam was delivered, the rest of my water came out after him and Adam swallowed quite a bit of water. An extra doctor had to come in and check him out. After some extra suctioning, he was doing well. When they told me what he weighed, I couldn't believe it! A 1/2 pound bigger than Nick even though he was 2 weeks early!

I was bleeding quite a bit and the placenta was not coming, so Diane had to put me on Pitocin to encourage my uterus to clamp down to slow bleeding as well as to contract to allow me to deliver the placenta. I pushed more to deliver the placenta than I did to deliver Adam! The Pitocin made me so cold and I was shaking all over. I hated that feeling!

Brad went downstairs to make the big announcement once everything was okay with both Adam and I and I was cleaned up and comfortable in bed. He brought Nick up by himself first to meet Adam. We gave Nick his gift from Adam- a Build A Bear stuffed dog we named "B. Bro". He loved it! Then the rest of the family came up to meet Adam! Everyone couldn't believe how much hair he had! Just like Nick!

I still can't believe I did it. It's amazing to me what the human body is capable of doing! I am so glad I found Diane- I owe so much of what I was able to do to her! She was amazing! She was such a blessing from God and I'm so grateful for her love and support! The whole experience was so amazing! Praise God!

Adam's birth is definitely something I'll never forget!

IT'S A BOY!

2010-09-25T22:16:00.003-04:00

Moments after birth

Daddy checking me out!

Loving on our newest little man!

ADAM BRADLEY STAFFORD
SEPTEMBER 25th, 2010
2:07 pm
7 pounds 5 ounces
20 inches

Words can't even begin to describe all of the emotions I'm feeling right now. I was blessed with an AMAZING delivery that I had only dreamed of, a healthy and handsome baby boy, a proud big brother full of kisses for his new little brother, and an amazing husband and father to share it all with. I am not worthy of all of His gifts!

Poll!

2010-09-14T21:47:00.001-04:00

I've added a poll to the left where you can vote on the sex of Baby 2 Bee! I'm always curious to hear what people think!

A healthy fear of poop!

2010-09-14T21:16:00.002-04:00

Yes, you read that title correctly! Our son has a healthy fear of poop. Let me explain...

Last Friday we visited the aquarium for the first time- he LOVED it! I timed it to where he would begin his nap in the car on the way home. However, little man decided that this wasn't HIS plan. By the time we got home around 2:30, it was waypast his naptime. I put him down and went downstairs to do some work. I turned on the monitor but after 20 minutes or so of him rolling around, talking, and playing I turned it off to keep myself from worrying about it. I knew he would fall asleep when he got tired enough! He always does!

Not even 5 minutes after I turned off the monitor, I heard Nick crying... and not just any cry... a SCARED cry! Like a bad dream or someone/something scared him. I ran upstairs to find my child standing up in his crib but cowering in one corner clinging to his bear for dear life with a panicked expression on his face. As soon as I walked in, he reached for me and glanced over his shoulder into the crib. (Note: As I entered the room, I knew I smelled something. I thought briefly to myself that that must've been the reason he wasn't able to fall asleep- he had a stinky diaper)

I walked over to get him and to see what had him so upset. I looked into the crib to find a removed wet diaper strewn into the corner next to a little pile of poop. Yes, poop. He was TERRIFIED!!! He just knew that wasn't supposed to be in there with him! He apparently had removed his diaper (which I couldn't see on the monitor) and had an accident in his crib!

The poor guy was really upset about it. I tried my hardest not to bust out laughing so that I wouldn't crush his little ego! I quickly put a new diaper on him and put his shorts back on- no more naps without shorts ON!

Ah, these moments are what make my life as a Mom so much fun!!! :)

Lauren*

18 Months Old (a little late)!

2010-08-26T16:39:00.005-04:00

So I'm a little behind on this post! Sorry! Nick was 18 months old on August 11th while I was away for our Tupperware convention in Orlando! I hated to miss his 1/2 birthday but he was in great hands while I was away! It's hard to believe a year has passed since his little 1/2 birthday party last year!

We went to see Dr. Bramwell on 8/16 and here are his stats:

Height: 32 1/2 inches 50th %

Weight: 23 pounds 1.6 ounces 10th-25th %

Head: 47 1/2 cm 25th-50th %

With how much the kid eats, I was a little shocked at the low weight %, but then I remember how active he is!!! He burns it all off!

18 things about Nick:

1. Nick is a little ham! Always good for a smile or laugh!

2. Nick's drink of choice is still "mil" but we've broadened our horizons to VERY watered down apple juice which he loves and typically sucks down in one sitting!

3. Nick visited Tech for his 2nd annual Tech Fan Day! He was able to throw his Tech football on the field, meet some cheerleaders, and meet Coach Johnson! He recognizes Buzz and says "jacket" when he sees him. He's already our little Tech fan! Nick can now say "Go Jackets!" which makes his Mommy oh, so proud! :)

4. Nick LOVES Sadie! His newest "chore" is to feed Sadie her breakfast and dinner. He loves to fill the cup, fill her bowl (with our help), and put the cup back in the Tupperware container it's stored in. He is so proud!

5. Nick still LOVES books- his favorites are ones that have pop ups or flaps to lift... I just have to monitor him while he "reads" to make sure his little hands don't get to tearing!

6. Nick also loves his puzzles. His fave is a sound puzzle that has all kinds of cars, planes, trains, etc. When he puts the piece in, it makes the correct sound!

7. Nick stayed with Nana for a few days while I went to Orlando for Jubilee! He did great and had so much fun playing with Hailey, Logan, and Nana and Papa! I missed him terribly, though!

8. Nick really enjoys playing in his room by himself. We have a gate at the door so he's safe. It allows me to work in the office across the hall without him getting into my Tupperware!

9. Speaking of Tupperware, Nick LOVES to play with it! He especially loved a few broken lids I inherited this month! So funny!

10. I brought Nick back his very first Mickey Mouse from Orlando since I stayed on a Disney property. We look forward to taking him there soon!

11. Nick is starting to wear 18-24 month clothing and some 2T! I've really enjoyed shopping AT consignment sales for his fall wardrobe! :)

12. Nick is finally using his manners! He can say "please" and we're working on thank you! He's so cute when he says "peees" and it's hard to say no to him when he does! :)

13. Nick is still in his crib and has yet to even attempt to climb out... knock on wood!!!

14. Nick is very curious about the baby's room and we try to let him in there whenever we're in there. He says "bebe" whenever we walk past the room!

15. I kept my friend Beth's little 6 week old for a few hours and Nick was pretty good- indifferent in fact. When Owen would cry, Nick would imitate him. It was cute!

16. Nick is talking up a storm and knows about 30 words! He still loves to do his flashcards.

17. Nick now loves to hear all of the animal sounds. We have a wonderful book we read that describes them all! He knows what a bee, sheep, cow, duck, cat, and dog say!

18. Nick has quite the arm and loves to throw! He's surprisingly accurate and can throw at quite a distance. I think we have a ball player on our hands!

Nick is an absolute joy and we love him so much. The terrible twos have definitely shown their ugly head recently and a time out chair in the corner of the dining room is now necessary, but we remind ourselves all the time that the reason for this is because Nick is a normal, healthy, indpendent child with a smart little brain in his head. When he says "no", we know it's because he's aware of himself as an individual little person who is capable of so much. We love him, even when he's stubborn as a mule!

WE LOVE YOU, NICK!

Lauren*

Family Photos!

2010-08-21T16:30:00.003-04:00

We had new family photos taken on 8/8/10 and I wanted to share! They turned out great! Despite a 9 am sitting time, it was HOT so my hair was one hot mess by the end! :)

Go to:
photos.rhondahonikel.com/stafford

password: baby2bee

Be sure to check out my favorites so you don't have to look through all 136- the link to those it at the top left corner!

Please let me know if you're interested in Rhonda's contact info- she did a great job!

Lauren*

Time is flying!!!

2010-08-04T16:24:00.002-04:00

I can't believe I'm already 30 weeks pregnant!!! Where has the time gone?!?!? I'm starting to go every other week to see my midwife which is a big sign to me that we're getting close!

I'm so excited that we have a nursery ready for this baby! Roxann found the screws to the crib- HALLELUJAH! We weren't able to find the screws for a while, found a set that we thought were the right ones, and then spent about an hour trying to make them work only to realize they were to the other crib in Roxann's basement! Oops! Once we had the right ones, Brad and I put it together in about 20 minutes! :)

We are so blessed to be able to borrow a complete nursery for this baby so we don't have to move Nick into a big boy bed before he's ready (which in my opinion is when he learns how to climb out- no signs of that yet, knock on wood)! We have a gorgeous Dutalier glider and ottoman and Ragazzi sleigh crib and changing table all in beautiful cherry wood! The room looks beautiful! The walls are green for now (we'll paint pink or blue after the baby arrives) and there are already little diapers in the diaper organizer on the changing table! I had forgotten how TINY newborn diapers are! I pulled down the 0-3 month tub of clothes from the attice and have hung up or put into drawers all of the neutral clothes! I had forgotten how tiny those were, too!

There's a green sheet on the mattress and the sleep positioner is ready for a baby! It really has come together! I'm so glad! Even though I know the baby will only take naps in its room for the first few months (he/she will sleep in a bassinett in our room at night to make nursing sessions easier), I feel so happy knowing this baby has a place of its own already!

Nick is doing great with everything! He's really starting to notice my belly! When I say "Where's the baby?" he will point or come over to my belly and if I ask him to, he will kiss it! So sweet! He's recently become very interested in stuffed animals and giving them hugs and kisses. This could be good training for how to be sweet to the new baby!

We had a 3D ultrasound last Friday which was AWESOME! I never would have had one since we aren't finding out the sex, but the nurse at my office called me and told me a company wanted to show them their new machines and so they needed some models and she called me! I think I got preferrential treatment because I used to teach her son at NDA! :) Hey, I'll take it!

It was so cool! He/she doesn't look as much like Nick as the profile u/s pics from a few weeks back did. I don't know why (it doesn't LOOK like a boy or girl) but my feeling is boy for this one. I could be totally wrong like I was with Nick, but boy is my final answer! :)

Life is beautiful. All around me there are blessings. Even if we have to look hard for the silver lining in life, there always is one! Our God is an awesome God!

Lauren*

Busy, busy bees!

2010-07-18T22:01:00.003-04:00

It's been so long since I posted! We've been a very busy little family!

6/26 We took a tour of the hospital where we'll deliver Baby 2 Bee- Emory Johns Creek. It's VERY nice and practically brand new! I'm excited about having a small feel versus the hustle and bustle of Northside. Plus, we found out our neighbor 2 doors down is a nurse there!

6/26-6/27 We went to Callaway Gardens for a weekend getaway and had a blast! There was so much to do there- we saw the FSU circus, went to the pool and beach, rented bikes, and went to the Butterfly Center- Nick loved every minute of the trip as did we!

6/28- We hosted a GAM water fun playdate with the sprinkler! We had about 7-8 Moms and their kids over for some fun! I am still moderator for North Gwinnett but recently a good friend has joined on as co-moderator! I'm glad to have her on board!

6/29- We went to the Suwanee Fountains with Nana, Hailey and Logan! Nick still loved them and really enjoyed eating some Rita's afterward- sugar free, of course! ;)

6/30- I went and saw "Eclipse" at midnight! SO GOOD!

7/1- Took a trip to Monkey Joe's for some jumping fun! He loves this place and is absolutely fearless- even when being trampled by the big kids while his pregnant Mommy attempts to drag him out of the big kid jumpies!

7/4- We celebrated on the lake and he loved the fireworks. Went for a boatride and I thought I was going to have a baby! Way too many boats= a very bumpy ride!

7/6- Went to Playtown Suwanee with GAM- Nick explored the sand box for the first time- loved the buckets!

7/7- Went to Rebecca's house for Mommy Club! We've missed everyone as the summer has put a damper on our get togethers- someone is always missing! :( I'm looking forward to the fall when we can all get back on a "regular" schedule!

7/9- Attended a "sprinkle" for a fellow GAM mom expecting Baby #2 in a few weeks! She was very shocked and we had a great time!

7/10- Attended my friend Courtney's wedding in Atlanta- Nick spent the night with Grandma and Pop. We missed him like crazy but knew it would be a late night!

7/14- Visited Diane for a check-up! I've only gained 2 pounds in the last 4 weeks! Woohoo! I was a little worried when I got so big so fast, but I guess that's just what happens with #2! Glad to see I couldn't keep THAT up! Everything looks great with the baby! Nick loves Diane and she's so sweet with him! You can really tell that she loves children. I love that she's Catholic, pro-life, and NFP! The fact that we share the same faith makes a big difference and I can't imagine having anyone else as my midwife! Starting after my next appt, I start going every 2 weeks! EEK!

7/15- Went to a puppet show at the Duluth library! Nick was too far in the back to really see, so he was very distracted. We lasted about 20 minutes before we had to get up and move around!

7/16- Went to Emery's house for a playdate. Nick has so much fun with his GAM friends- they're all so close in age and it's so cute to watch them interact! Such different little people but they get along so well!

7/18- We attended Steubenville mass today. Brad was gone all weekend on retreat with the teens but we joined him today for the closing mass. To say it was powerful would be a huge understatement. It was awesome! Nick rocked out to some live praise and worship music on Brad's shoulders and was very intrigued by the mosh pit in front of him!

We've been very, very busy! I've had 10 Tupperware parties this month! WOW! I am looking forward to some vacation time as Brad, Nick, and I head to the BEACH on Wednesday! We can't wait!!!

Lauren*

17 Months Old!

2010-07-18T21:39:00.005-04:00

I can't believe my baby boy is 17 months old already! Time is FLYING by!

17 things about Nick:

1. He's about 23 pounds now! He loves to eat! :)

2. Nick's beverage of choice is "mil" which he requests as soon as we come downstairs in the morning. If I don't do it quickly enough for his liking (like when I let Sadie out first), he will pound on the fridge door crying "Mil! Mil!" as if he hasn't had it in weeks!

3. His snack of choice lately has been a "bnana". He's Mommy's little monkey!

4. Nick loves to do his shape bucket as well as his Tupperware Shape O toy! I couldn't believe my eyes when I poured out the shapes, walked away, came back and they were all inside! He has some trouble with the hexagon and octagon, but those are tricky!

5. Nick is forward facing in the car. He's SO much happier that way! He loves to look out the window and watch me while I drive.

6. His favorite game these days is to pile up all of the couch pillows on the floor and faceplant onto them!

7. He loves to see his Grandparents and knows them all by name!

8. He's back into giving kisses after a temporary hiatus! I'm so glad! Love his open mouth kisses!

9. He loves practicing his flashcards and knows more and more of his words!

10. He still loves to throw and has quite a strong arm. He also loves to run- quickly! We may have a QB on our hands!

11. He loves to play with his cousins Hailey, Logan, and Brice. Since he and Brice are only 5 months apart, they get along great! They're so cute together and mimic and follow each other around! So sweet!

12. Nick spent the night away from us for only the 3rd time while we attended a wedding! He did great and Grandma and Pop loved having him!

13. We took a wonderful weekend trip to Callaway Gardens where Nick saw the circus for the very first time. He loved the trapeze!

14. Nick took his very first bike ride on the back of Daddy's bike at Callaway. He loved the ride! The helmet...didn't love that so much!

15. We went to Monkey Joe's for some bouncing fun! He's fearless and I had to drag him out of the "big kid" jumpies kicking and screaming! He thinks he's a big kid!!!

16. Nick is becoming very "challenging" at church. We have to have a lot in our arsenal to keep him occupied and quiet. It's the only time outside of bed/nap that he's allowed to have his paci!

17. Nick is a little chatterbox. His words are: Mama, Daddy, Sadie, GiGi, Pop, Papa, Nana, Kristi, Bice for Brice, Aunt B, doggie, bnana, mil, Bye Bye, mmmm when something is yummy, cow, cat, car, ball, choo choo, clock, shoes, nigh night, no, and more that my Mommy brain can't remember right now!

He's such a little boy which such a big personality! We are more and more amazed by his growth and development and are so proud to be his parents!

Update on Baby 2 Bee!

2010-06-23T20:59:00.002-04:00

I had an appointment with my midwife last week and had my 1 hour glucose test. I needed to score 140 or lower and scored 142! Bummer! That meant I had to go back for the 3 hour test on Monday. Nick went off to Patti's while I sat at the doctor's office for 3 hours. I had to have blood drawn 4 times (ouch) but found out today that I passed all 3 tests with flying colors, so I am gestational diabetes free! Thank you, God!

I am still feeling good- just a little hot! This weather is rediculous! I'm not looking forward to seeing what July and August are like! The baby is very active and moves around a lot. It's such a cool feeling!

Nick is becoming a little more aware of my belly and can say "baby". When I say it, he does look at my tummy! I don't think he has any idea what's in there, though!

Lauren*

Sorting shapes!

2010-06-23T19:47:00.003-04:00

I'm so proud of Nick- he's able to sort all of his shapes!
We've also been continuing with the flashcards and he now knows choo choo (for train), baa baa (for sheep) car, cat, and tree! He's getting so big!

16 Months Old!

2010-06-15T16:58:00.004-04:00

WOW- where has the time GONE? I can't believe my little boy is 16 months old already!
16 things about Nick:
1. Nick is very lovable and outgoing. People constantly call him a "flirt" or a "charmer".
2. Nick takes one long nap a day. He usually goes down between 1 and 2 and sleeps until 4 or 5.
3. Nick LOVES the water- lake, pool, beach, bath, fountains- you name it! If it has water, he loves to be there!
4. Nick can blow bubbles in the water now! It's so cute! I'm hopeful that he'll be able to swim with little assistance next summer!
5. Nick loves his Mommy and Daddy and now shows it by clinging to our legs and reaching up for us when we appear to be leaving. Brad has such a hard time getting out the door for work in the morning because of Nick's heavy guilt trip!
6. Nick loves to read books- we read before nap and before bed. We've been letting him pick the books lately and hands down his favorite is "Buzz, buzz Busy Bees"!
7. Nick loves to work on puzzles or the shape sorter. He loves it when we clap for him when he gets it right!
8. Nick loves his fur-sister Sadie. He gets out all of her toys and tries to get her to play fetch with him. He loves her mini tennis balls- they're the perfect size for him!
9. Nick can climb the stairs- EEK! I was working in the office for a few minutes and the next thing I knew he was walking in the room with a huge grin of accomplishment on his face! Time to get a gate for the bottom of the stairs!
10. Nick eats A LOT- but he's still average for his weight. He has a big breakfast, snack, lunch, another snack when he gets up from his nap, and dinner. His favorites are PB&Js, pasta, anything with cheese on it, bananas, Goldfish, and applesauce.
11. Nick loves to drink milk but he prefers it at room temp. or warm! He still has a hard time with spout sippy cups and doesn't quite tip it back enough. He still prefers a straw cup!
12. Nick has finally caught on that his Mommy has a love for shoes! He loves to help Brad and I put on our shoes and now he will stick out his feet to help us put his on his feet with saying "shoes" over and over!
13. Nick has started running! He can move pretty quick these days!
14. Nick is still rear-facing in the car, but I'm afraid those days are numbered! He fusses a lot in his seat and I know would be happier to look around and to be able to see me!
15. Nick has no idea what's coming with the baby. I will ask "Where's the baby?" and he will look at my tummy, but there's no way he really "gets it"!
16. Nick is talking up a storm. He can say: Mama, Daddy, baby, shoes, Sadie, doggie, banana, cup, ball, night-night, GiGi, Papa, thank you, and Bye-Bye. I love hearing his little voice saying these sweet first words!

I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. It seems like just yesterday I was pregnant with him!

Mama loves you, sweet boy!
Lauren*

Closing time...

2010-05-26T22:01:00.005-04:00

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." One of my Mom's favorite quotes. I thought it was very appropriate for this post as I have to update everyone on a sad occasion along with a happy one....

Grandpa Doucette passed away on Tuesday, May 18th. Grandpa Doucette was technically Brad's step-grandfather but was present in Brad's life for a very long time. Brad's Grandpa Stafford passed away from cancer when Brad was about 8 and Grandpa Doucette joined the family when Brad was 10 or so. I've only known this man as Brad's grandfather. He had been ill for quite some time- needing oxygen pretty much constantly for a few years now. He was in kidney failure for a long time (longer than my Bee lasted with that condition). He actually ended up in the hospital with a fever which led them to discover he had pneumonia. He quickly deteriorated and his blood pressure eventually dropped so much that he passed. We were very sad to lose him, but will carry fond memories of "Grandpa Duke" with us.

He recently made Nick a very large Garfield made from scratch (no instructions) for Nick's 1st birthday. We had delayed sending them pictures of Nick with him... honestly, I accidentally deleted the ones from his 1st birthday so we had to re-create them! I sent the pictures along with Grandma's mother's day card and they called me on Mother's Day to thank us and to tell us how happy they were to get them. Grandpa Duke sounded fine and in good spirits. I had no idea that was the last time I would speak to him. I am so glad that he was able to see those pictures of Nick with his handmade gift!

We made the 12 hour drive through the night on Wednesday leaving at 11 pm and arriving around 12 pm on Thursday. Nick slept most of the way which was the plan. The viewings were on Friday from 2-4 and 7-9. Nick slept through the first one in his stroller and we left around 8 to put Nick to bed during the second one. The funeral was at 11 am on Saturday. It was a bleak, rainy day. Grandma and Grandpa had both mentioned to me in the past that they would like for me to sing at their funerals so as soon as I heard about Grandpa Duke, I mentioned that to Brad's Dad. When he asked Grandma about it, she broke down. When John called me to tell me she would love for me to sing, he broke down as well. That was the only thing that sent me into hysterics- hearing Brad's Dad cry. I sang "On Eagle's Wings" and "The Lord's Prayer" at the service and "Amazing Grace" at the gravesite right before the 21 gun military salute. Despite it being extremely difficult to get through, it gives me an odd sense of peace being able to sing at a funeral for someone I loved. It's as if I know God has given me this gift and it's meant to be shared- sometimes to bring joy like at a wedding and sometimes to bring peace like at a funeral. I hope Grandpa Duke enjoyed my songs... my final gift to him!

I mentioned how I had sad and happy news to share.... the happy news is that we were able to see our baby on ultrasound on Wednesday! The baby is measuring great, we managed to not break under the pressure and find out the sex, and HE/SHE LOOKS JUST LIKE NICK DID! It's crazy how alike these babies look- same exact profile from the chin to the nose! We were so happy to see him/her moving, kicking, and even sucking his/her thumb! SO sweet!

NICK- 20 WEEKS!

BABY 2 BEE- 20 WEEKS!

Sucking his/her thumb! See the fingers! :)

We can't wait to see what you look like!

Some people say that often we lose someone right around the time someone new comes into our life. It's no accident that when God takes someone from us, He gives us a new gift in return.

Lauren*

15 Month Check-Up!

2010-05-12T14:11:00.002-04:00

We went to see Dr. Bramwell today for Nick's 15 month check-up and I was so proud to realize we hadn't seen her in 3 months since Nicks's 12 month check-up! I'm so thankful for a healthy baby boy. We were frequent visitors from November- February with Nick's asthma, so I'm so glad he's doing well!

Here are his stats:
12 Months: 20 pounds 8.6 ounces (10-25th %) and 29 1/4 inches (25th-50th %)
15 Months: 22 pounds 5 ounces (10th-25th %) and 30 3/4 inches (25th-50th %)

I must admit I thought he would be up there on the weight, but the fact that he's gained weight despite walking up a storm is a good thing! Whenever we pick him up, we say "Hefty, hefty, hefty" (like the old trash bag commercials)! He's apparently average!

He had three shots and was MAD this time, too! Brad was the lucky one this time and held him down. It breaks my heart! But it's a necessary evil!

He did well with his developmental checklist!
He's walking, climbing, and saying as many words as he should be and is eating and drinking enough. We still have the carseat rear-facing like we're supposed to (now they say until 2 years of age). She gave us some great pre-potty-training tips and some things we can do now to get ready for little bro/sis. We also discussed time out- we need to go out this weekend and get a small stool or chair for the corner for Nick to go to when he's naughty! :)

All in all, it was a great check-up! I'm so glad Dr. Bramwell is our pediatrician!

Lauren*

Mother's Day!

2010-05-10T16:10:00.001-04:00

I had a wonderful Mother's Day celebrating with my family!

We had brunch here at our house at 10- we had Mom, Brooke, Brent, Brice, Patti, John, Kris, Ryan, Hailey and Logan here! It was a packed house! Brunch was very yummy and we ate until we were stuffed and headed to 12:30 mass. I had planted a seed a few years back before kiddos that I thought it was so sweet when husbands bought their wives corsages on Mother's Day. I gave Brad a teeny bit of a hard time last year when I didn't get one... well this year, he remembered!! I was so excited and proud to wear it to mass- at least until Nick grabbed it and ripped 1/2 of the petals out! Oh, well!

Nick "made" me a trivet for the kitchen with his little handprints! I love it! Brad also bought me exactly what I asked for- a Shark Steam Mop- I had to try it out- even if it was Mother's Day- and spent last night mopping the kitchen floor with it! I'm hooked! :)

I feel so blessed to be Brad's wife, Nick's mama, and to have another miracle growing and kicking inside of me more and more each day. God has blessed me beyond measure and I am so grateful!

Lauren*

Better than a Hallelujah

2010-05-05T15:52:00.003-04:00

I heard this song on The Fish last week and was deeply touched. It's rare that a "sad" song makes it onto mainstream radio and just as rare that I don't change the channel for something more upbeat! However something (or should I say someone) compelled me to listen and something else entirely that brought me to tears.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nMvvoXa9Yk

As I think about my faith journey, I am deeply aware of its imperfections. I am a work in progress and as Amy Grant herself says "...to pray means to come as I am, imperfections and all, because ultimately, God seeks communion with us, the real us... and that's freeing."

Thank you, God for allowing me to be free!

Baby kicks!

2010-05-02T10:56:00.002-04:00

I have really started to feel the baby moving! It's such a cool feeling! He/she kicks at night (uh, oh) and when my maternity pant band is too low and he/she is squished! :)

I am 17 weeks today... still feeling good but I've been more sick with this one. By now, I wasn't even nauseaus anymore with Nick. We'll see!!!

The debate is on... to find out or not to find out? Brad is wavering and that makes it so much harder to wait. I have my big ultrasound on April 19th, so we have until then to decide... now is your chance to weigh in on the issue! ;)

Splish splash!

2010-05-01T22:16:00.003-04:00

Splashing around in his life jacket!

He loves to float!

Reaching for a ball to encourage arm extension!

Ready to "jump" from the side- he usually can't wait long enough for us to say "GO!"

Splashing Daddy!

Ring aroud the rosie!

Time on his back!

Brad was able to join us for swim lessons on Thursday which allowed me to take some pictures and video. Brad was blown away at how great Nick is in the water! I had told him, but I'm so glad he got to see it for himself!

Here are a few videos!

Walk for Babies

2010-05-01T22:13:00.003-04:00

Nick and I walked in the March of Dimes "Walk for Babies" last weekend. With support from my friends and family, I raised $170! Despite the rain on Saturday morning, we walked the 4 miles in Duluth! It wasn't raining when we got there to register and it wasn't raining when we finished, but it rained the whole time in between!!! Nick was a great companion munching on a banana (he had to keep his strength up, of course) and was covered under the hood on the stroller! Thank you to all who supported me- I "finished the drill"!!! :)

Fun at the zoo!

2010-05-01T22:02:00.003-04:00

Cousins!

Nick's favorite- the panda!

Nick and Mommy!

Too cute!

Waving to the kangaroos!

Last Wednesday, Nick and I took our first trip to the Atlanta Zoo with Brooke and Brice and Chelsea and Tripp. Nick had so much fun looking at all of the animals! The panda bear was his favorite and he waved at most of the animals. We saw a lion, elephants, a giraffe, zebras, kangaroos, and more! He did awesome despite not getting a nap until we were in the car on our way home at almost 4:00! We had a nice picnic lunch. Nick ate a PBJ for the first time and loved it! We also played on the playground for a long time at the end of the day! It was so cute to see Nick and Brice playing together! Brice is getting so big and is able to do the equipment all by himself! I still have to help Nick up the stairs and down the slide, but soon enough I know he won't want Mommy by his side, so I'm enjoying it!

We can't wait to go back!

My little fish!

2010-04-20T15:11:00.002-04:00

Nick has begun week 2 of 4 in swim class. Today was his best day yet! He was splashing his arms in a butterfly motion (which made Mommy SO proud as butterfly was my stroke) and he even let me dunk him all the way under the water! He doesn't mind having the water in his eyes and face and even likes it! We play a game where we sit them on the side of the pool and say "Ready, Set... GO!" to have them "jump" into the pool, and he can't even wait for the GO to jump back into the water! I'm so proud of him! I'm hoping to get Brad to come to a class one of these days to take some video and pictures to share! Nick is hopefully on his way to being a wonderful little fish like his Mommy was! :)

Life is "suite"

2010-04-15T15:21:00.007-04:00

Happy little man!

Go Braves!

Watching with Daddy

Me and cousin Brice in our matching Jones jerseys!

Outside with Mommy

Walking around with Daddy before the game!

Let's play ball!

We were able to attend a Gwinnett Brave's game as a family last Friday night in a suite thanks to our good friends Mark and Leslie. We had a great time being able to spread out and let the kids play. Nick was pretty good, but he had taken off with the walking literally that day, so he didn't want to be held or contained in his stroller at all- especially when cousin Brice was there and he was walking, too!

We had hoped to make it to the end of the game for the Friday night Fireworks, but Nick just didn't quite make it- we headed home around 9 (an hour after his usual bedtime). We definitely hope to make it to more G Braves games as well as a few A Braves games this spring/summer!

Lauren*

My little lover

2010-04-13T17:35:00.003-04:00

I call Nick my little lover. When I'm down, he can sense it and does something loving to make me feel better. Whenever I'm down, tired, sad, etc. he can pull out one of the following and it immediately makes me forget what was bothering me...

-Lays his head on my lap and says "mmmm" for Mama
-Comes up to me and opens his mouth and says "ahhhh" for a sloppy kiss
-Smiles at me the minute we meet eyes whether he's eating a snack, playing, or walking around the house- he stops whetever he's doing and flashes me that grin the minute he sees me looking at him or the minute I see him looking at me

Nick loves me unconditionally and for that I'm eternally grateful. I am not perfect in anyone's eyes but my God's, but for this small moment in time, in this short period in his little life, I kind of think Nick thinks I am, too! And I know my little lover is perfect in my eyes!

Vote for Nick!

2010-04-12T09:37:00.002-04:00

Hi, all! I've entered Nick in a local radio station's baby contest called "Baby Idol"... you can rate Nick a perfect 10 once a day every day between now and Friday, April 16th! The Top 100 go on to the next round!

Please go here and vote for Nick (and please let me know if this link says "Thank you for your vote" already since I've voted today.

www.star94.com/babyidol/View.aspx?ID=140370

Thanks! I'll keep you posted!!!

Lauren*

He's walking!

2010-04-05T17:43:00.002-04:00

Nick is officially walking! He's been taking steps here and there for a while now, but we're really walking now! He will walk from the kitchen to the family room and from the family room to the dining room- almost an entire loop around the house! He's doing so great! He gets a little frustrated when he falls down, but soon enough, he won't be falling down! :)

Here are a few vidoes... enjoy!

Happy Easter

2010-04-03T20:58:00.005-04:00

I always have a hard time making it through Good Friday mass without crying but I was deeply emotional this year. I felt a very deep connection to Mary as we sang "Stabat Mater" whose lyrics include "At the cross, her station keeping, stood the mournful mother weeping". I connected with Mary as a mother of a son. A son that I would die for in a second. I can't even imagine her pain watching her son hang on the cross in bitter agony. The deep sorrow she must have felt.

Father Jack's homily was especially impassioned. He spoke about how we connect with Christ most when we suffer through trials. It made me think and really realize how blessed I am and also how blessed Brad and my families are. Father Jack spoke of disease, death, homelessness, joblessness, alchohol and drug addiction... very few of which my family has dealt with.

I'm always reminded of my Pop Pop during mass- he was a Catholic deacon and a huge part of my formation. He was a man of God and someone who I will always look up to and someone I pray for- he's now my guardian angel in Heaven. His untimely death from brain cancer was very, very difficult. We only had 6 weeks to accept his struggle and loss to the terrible cancer that took away our healthy, happy Pop Pop so quickly. But as Father Jack spoke about, we become closer and associate more with Christ through suffering. I'll never forget when Grammy brought Pop Pop the host home from mass when he became too ill to attend himself. He wept as soon as Christ was revealed to him despite of his physical and mental weakness. He knew he would soon be with his maker. When I attend mass, Pop Pop is never far from me. The suffering I went through in his death brought me closer to Christ.

The story of Christ's resurrection is an amazing one. A story that will ultimately be the same as for the one's who believe. And that is why tomorrow is a joyous day. We remember the passion and death of Christ but it's ultimately his resurrection that we celebrate and remember... just as I remember my Pop Pop with a happy heart.

Happy Easter, everyone! He is RISEN!

Lauren*

Thankful for Daddy....

2010-03-31T16:29:00.002-04:00

I am so blessed to have Brad in my life and I am always so amazed at how well he takes care of Nick while I'm "working".

A few weekends ago, I was gone almost the entire day between Voices for Haiti rehearsal and a party. Brad ended up taking Nick to play at the park in his little car. It made my heart melt to think of Brad and Nick enjoying a Saturday at the park together- something Nick and I do often but something that I take for granted.

Last night was another party night and the weather was just gorgeous. I called Brad on my way to the party and suggested that he take Nick outside. His response was "I'm one step ahead of you"... he made plans to meet up with his Mom and Dad, niece and nephew for Rita's Italian ice in Suwanee. I was so happy. When I got home, he told me all about their evening. He picked up Chick Fil A for dinner and packed a blanket for them to sit on. He told me how Nick was watching a father and son throw the ball in amazement while he ate. I got a little emotional thinking about how just a few short years down the road, Brad will be outside playing catch with Nick. I can envision this in my mind so easily because of the kind of Daddy Brad is. He's always thinking of his family first. Always hugging and kissing on Nick. Always quick to get down on the floor and play Tickle Monster, catch, or to read him a book. Nick cries when Brad leaves for work in the mornings- at his feet looking up at him whining for one more hug and kiss. He's just a wonderful father and I'm so lucky to have him by my side.

We love you, Daddy!

the GROWING Stafford family....

2010-03-23T13:39:00.002-04:00

BABY #2 IS ON THE WAY!!!!

I am so excited to finally announce the pending arrival of BABY 2 BEE! :)

I am 11 weeks and 2 days pregnant and feeling great. I'm tired and nauseaus only in the mornings when I don't eat- I'm feeling much like I did with Nick. I'm very blessed!

I am due on 10/10/10... and we are NOT finding out the sex this time, either! It will be an awesome surprise! I've already felt boy and Brad thinks girl, so we'll see! Nick and the baby will be 20 months apart! Eeek! It will be crazy I'm sure, but so much fun!!!

We couldn't be more excited and can't wait to add another beautiful life to our happy little family!

Lauren*

ch ch ch Changes...

2010-03-15T16:40:00.003-04:00

Nick has been going through a few changes lately that are definitely worth sharing1

1. Nick is now 13 months old!!! Crazy!

2. He's taking steps all alone! No surfing! Like real steps! He's taken up to 8 at a time before he either falls down or reaches his destination! :)

3. Nick is now a complete moo milk kid. No more Mommy milk. I'm really sad about this one but it was definitely time. I said I would stop at 13 months which was last Thursday. On Thursday I said I would give it through the weekend. On Sunday morning, Nick made the choice on his own to not nurse. This morning, I got him out of the crib, changed his diaper, and we came downstairs for waffles and milk! He's such a big boy!

I know I will miss nursing A LOT.... it has been the best bonding opportunity for he and I. But I know he's ready to move on... and with time I know I will be okay with this idea, too!

Lauren*

12 years ago....

2010-03-09T15:31:00.002-05:00

12 years ago today standing outside of Saint Lawrence waiting on our parents to pick us up after youth group, Brad asked me to be his girlfriend. I can't believe we've been together for 12 years! It is crazy! We've been through so much together...many ups and downs, highs and lows, changes galore, times together and apart, but the bottom line is that Brad has always been there for me. He truly is my best friend. We constantly marvel at the fact that God put us together at 14 years of age and guided us down the path to marriage and now parenthood. We feel extremely lucky and blessed to say that we've been each other's one and only!

I love you, Brad!
Lauren*

My little monkey!

2010-03-08T16:53:00.002-05:00

I sometimes call Nick my little Monkey when he's swinging because of how much he loves it! He could swing for HOURS it seems.

A while back, ohhhhh about 6 months back, I bought Nick a Fisher Price swing.... and it sat in the garage and then sat in the basement. We had a BEAUTIFUL weekend that had us all outside and I reminded Brad about the swing and how much Nick would appreciate it if Daddy put his swing up. So off to Lowe's Brad went to get chain and hooks!

It was quite a little project but the words came right out of Brad's mouth before I could say them myself. When Brad saw Nick's face swinging, he said "Now that was so worth all of that hard work!"

THANKS, DADDY! :)

Video Update

2010-03-02T14:28:00.002-05:00

I need to be better about posting these! Here's a video of Nick eating his snack the other day!

SNOW AGAIN!!!

2010-03-02T14:13:00.003-05:00

I can't believe how much snow we've had this winter- and in MARCH for goodness sake! Nick is beginning to think this white stuff is pretty ordinary! I'm just glad we don't have anything major planned today, like say a 1st birthday party, like we did the last time it snowed!

Nick is definitely going through a little growth spurt- he is eating like CRAZY! I can't complain because a few short days ago I was throwing up my hands in frustration wondering why he wasn't eating anything I was making for him!

He's really starting to attempt to stand and walk lately. We went to Monkey Joe's on Saturday (which he LOVED) and I handed him his milk and he drank for about 10 seconds while standing up! I don't think he realized he was standing so when he finished his big gulp, he took a small step to hand it back to me, and fell! It was a step nonetheless, though! Around the house, he will stand up without hands for a few seconds! He's so close!

I also think we're beginning the transition to one nap a day. He's not falling asleep until about 1:00 these days and stays down until 3:30 or 4:00. I feel silly putting him back down for a nap at 5:30 just to wake him by 6 for dinner, so we're trying the one nap thing- it's working so far!

Tupperware has been great! I had my best month ever last month and was 5th again in consultants for my region. I was also asked to speak at our monthly sales meeting about "Selling in Sets"... I was nervous but everyone said I did great! I love my job!

Things are going great for us! Nick's last gymnastics class is this Friday and I've signed him up for swim lessons starting in April! We visited Bogan Park Aquatic Center last week and Nick LOVED the water. Everyone was cracking up at how much Nick splashes! He's definitely okay with getting his face wet! He's had a lot of pratice in the bathtub!

Stay warm out there!

Lauren*

To sign or not to sign?

2010-02-28T20:51:00.002-05:00

And I'm not referring to sign language! :)

I'm debating whether to continue the month signs until Nick is two! I love doing the signs and feel they really show in a creative way how much he's growing and changing. I want to continue, but just don't know how feasible it is! I love doing it with Nick, but will I honestly do it with the next one? I'd like to be consistent with all of my children but at the same time, I'm realistic in the fact that the 2nd child seems to be neglected a bit... I know because I am one! :)

So... what do you think? Continue the signs or stop at the BIG ONE?

Lauren*

A little BIG personality!

2010-02-24T20:16:00.002-05:00

It's seems like we've hit the terrible twos already! Eek! Nick's little BIG personality has recently begun to come out! He wants things the way he wants them when he wants them!

We've had some "difficulties" lately with sleeping at night, napping, eating, and playing. He's been up more during the night crying, he's hardly taking naps during the day, he won't seem to eat anything I try to feed him (even if he's had it and liked it before), and he's into everything he's not supposed to be. Being the patient, loving Mommy that I am, I've come to a conclusion that all of this couldn't possibly be Nick's "fault"... it's TEETH!!! He's just not his normal happy self and I hate it for him! :(

We went out of town this weekend to Gatlinburg for one night and when we returned Nick was MAD at me! He wouldn't even come to me- I felt so guilty. He came around after a good nap! Nick was supposed to stay with Grandma and Pop but my sister ended up having to come and get him. Carol ended up in the ER with terrible pain. Turns out she had gall stones! Say a prayer for her recovery! Brooke said Nick and Brice are really starting to play together and it's so sweet. She filmed them in the bathtub together having a splashing contest- sooooo cute! They were hysterical! I'm so glad Nick has an awesome Aunt and Uncle and a cousin so close to his age to grow up and play with. I did notice that while we were away his 5th tooth finally came through his gums- it's one of his upper teeth- 3rd one up there!

Nick is still not walking. He will stand alone for a few seconds but sits down to crawl rather than taking that 1st step. I know it will happen soon! He loves all of his toys from his birthday party and it's about time for me to do a "sweep" of the baby toys he no longer plays with!

I'm down to one nursing session a day- the first one in the morning. It's my favorite because Brad goes and gets him, brings him to me in bed, and he nurses while we snuggle. I'm sad to stop but I feel it's time. I am very proud of myself for making it almost 13 months. I know without a doubt that I've given Nick the best possible start for a healthy life. I have so enjoyed nursing and will miss it terribly but my baby is a big boy now!

Life is good! Between playdates, storytime, gymnastics, errands, and housework, we stay very busy!

Lauren*

Baby Bee's Party!

2010-02-17T20:32:00.003-05:00

Many people assume because Brad and I are die hard Tech fans, that that is the reason why Nick's nursery was bumblebees, that's why we called him Baby Bee, and that's why his party was a bumblebee theme. Well, I just have to set the record straight...

1. Georgia Tech's mascot Buzz is a YELLOW JACKET, not a bumblebee! :)

2. The nickname Baby Bee mainly came from us not knowing if Nick was a boy or a girl.

3. My grandfather was lovingly referred to by most as Bee and I don't know of a better man for Nick to have a nickname after!

4. My favorite color is yellow, anyway!

So... Nick's bumblebee themed birthday party was a natural theme for me to choose because we can officially say he isn't a "baby bee" any longer! I figured this is the one year I get to choose the theme so I went with it!

I planned and planned for this special day and had everything ready to go and then it started to SNOW... yes, you read that correctly. It started snowing on Friday afternoon and hadn't stopped by the time we went to bed on Friday night! We had about 4 inches by Saturday morning! I received many calls to verify if the party was on and I was bound and determined NOT to reschedule... especially since I had made Nick's 4 tier bee hive birthday cake the night before!!! Luckily the sun came out and melted the ice on the roads and almost everyone was able to make it. My Aunt Penny wasn't able to risk the roads and my Grammy and Aunt Chris just couldn't make the trip from Birmingham due to the road conditions. We missed them!

Everything went off without a hitch! Nick went down perfectly for his morning nap and we woke him up around 1:00 for the party! He was in a great mood.

He didn't dig into his cake as much as he dug into a cupcake the week before, but he did get into the homemade buttercream icing. He did great sitting in his new Pottery Barn chair (love it!) and opened his presents. When everything was open, he wanted to play!

It was a great day and one I won't forget for a long time! I can't believe my Baby Bee is officially not a baby anymore! Seems like yesterday I was having bee themed baby showers...

Lauren*

Happy birthday, Nick!!!!

2010-02-11T12:22:00.003-05:00

Well, the time has come- Nick is ONE!!! It's so hard to believe a year has passed. It went by way too fast!

We went to see Dr. Bramwell bright and early this morning.
Here are his stats:
Weight: 20 pounds 8.6 ounces (25th%)
Height: 29 1/4 inches (25-50th %)

He HATED the shots- this was by far the worst round with three! He cried so hard. I had to hold his little hands to keep him from sitting up and he had a death grip on me! I felt so badly for him! As soon as she was done and was putting the bandaids on, he immediately tried to tear them off! Poor guy!

We stopped on the way home from the doctor and bought some whole milk. I am excited to add another food/drink to his diet because he only takes water outside of nursing twice a day. My milk supply has recently plummeted and I can't keep up with his appetite! I'm still planning on nursing him in the morning and before bed for a few more weeks, but it will be nice to offer him cow's milk as another "feeding" to fatten him back up! He didn't gain much weight in the past few months most likely because of my supply issues as well as his HIGH activity level! I gave him a sippy cup with straight cow's milk before his nap today and he LOVED it- he's like his Mommy! I drink milk all the time and love it! I'm so glad he does, too! He drank 3 ounces right away!

He is all over the place these days! It's so much fun but he gets into everything- Sadie's food and water, the toilet, the toilet paper roll,the laundry baskets, etc, etc... you name it, he's gotten into it! He's a very curious boy! He loves to push on his push toys now without our prompting or encouragement. He's taking plenty of steps with us holding his fingers. It's only a matter of time before he figures out how to do it on his own (but I'm in no hurry for it)!

We are excited to celebrate Nick's big day for the next few days. Tomorrow, Brad took the day off so we can spend it together going to gym class and Emery's birthday party at Gymboree. Saturday is PARTY TIME! I am so excited! Sunday, we'll probably spend the day at home together as a family and then Brad also has Monday off! Woohoo! It's going to be so much fun to hang out together!

Lauren*

2010-02-09T22:14:00.002-05:00

One year ago tonight was my last evening pregnant and not in labor. I remember feeling so anxious that my due date was approaching and yet he/she (didn't know then) wasn't here yet! I was so impatient! I couldn't wait to meet my baby! I couldn't wait to see what he/she looked like and to hold him/her in my arms.

I can't believe how much has changed in a year- at no other point in my lifetime has a year been so wonderful. No other year has been so full of ups and downs, happiness and tears, giggles and smiles, hugs and kisses. My heart feels like it has tripled in size. He is my life. He is my everything. And I have God and my amazing husband to thank for it. I am so blessed.

Most of the time, I can't remember where I was, who I was with, or what I was doing one year ago. But I clearly remember today. My life was about to change for the better forever one year ago...

10 days...

2010-02-01T11:41:00.002-05:00

10 days until Nick is one! I can't even believe it has been a year. It has gone by so quickly and yet I can't imagine he hasn't been here forever!

10 things I love about Nick...
1. I love that the moment we meet eyes, you light up in a big smile just for me.
2. I love the way you laugh whenever I put your lotion on after bath before bed because of how ticklish you are!
3. I love the way after I nurse you in our bed first thing in the morning and as soon as you hear Sadie's tags jingle, you lean over the side of the bed to look for her!
4. The way you throw everything except your blanket and your paci out of the crib before settling down for your naps!
5. I love when you're eating how you "chew" your food by smacking your lips!
6. I love when we read "Water, Water, Everywhere" during bath time (which Daddy and I know by heart), you kick your legs in excitement as if it's the first time you've heard it!
7. I love when anyone lets Sadie out to go potty, you immediately stop whatever you're doing to go to the windows next to the door to watch and wait for her.
8. I love the way you say you're sorry with a special whine when Mommy or Daddy say "No"!
9. I love when we're riding in the car and I look at you in my mirror and can see your smile through your paci!
10. I love when Daddy and I say our prayer before meals, how you look at us.

I could go on and on. I just love everything about you!
Mommy*

Beep beep!

2010-01-28T18:38:00.002-05:00

Nick will be ONE 2 weeks from today!!! I can't believe it!

I gave him his birthday present early! I couldn't resist because it's so cute and the weather outside was GORGEOUS! He loved it! He honked the horn and loved the view and freedom that he doesn't get from the stroller.

In recent news...
We've been enjoying Mommy Club on Wednesdays with my friends Katie, Mary, Laura, Alyshia, and Rebecca. It's a great group of girls with Nick being the oldest baby in the group! We have so much fun rotating houses and sharing recipes for lunch!

We still go to storytime at the library every other Thursday... Nick loves to crawl around and check out the other babies and kids. He's starting to really enjoy reading books and we read every night during his breathing treatments... he reaches for his book basket and we read "Buzz, Buzz Busy Bees" almost every night! Some other favorites are "Mammas Right Here", "I love you", "Driving Daddy" and recently "Where is Baby's Birthday Cake?"... he loves lift the flap books!

Speaking of treatments, Nick's asthma has been great!!! We finally have a handle on things and he hasn't had any issues in a while! Yeah!!!

We started gymnastics classes last Friday! The local community center through Gwinnett County Parks and Rec offers really inexpensive classes for babies and kids. He had soooo much fun! There's a tunnel, a "balance beam" to walk on, a ramp to crawl up and down, a mat to do sommersaults on (with help of course), and a balance ball to rock and bounce on. He had a blast! We have several GAM Moms and babies who take the class with us! Did I mention how fun it is? Classes are every Friday for 30 minutes!

Saturday, Brad and I went up to Cataloochee, NC for a day skiing trip! Nick spent the day with Aunt Brooke, Uncle Brent, and Brice. They said he was great! We missed him like crazy but it was nice to get back out on the slopes. It was nowhere close to what we're used to in CO and the weather was terrible with thick fog and terrible visibility, but we had a great time!

Sunday, Brad caught the flu and was out of commission for most of the afternoon/evening following my Tupperware party. He had an early morning flight on Monday and was in San Diego until this afternoon. We're glad to have him home!

Tomorrow, we have gymnastics and we're going to Imaginations at Play in Buford with GAM. I'm very excited to take Nick! We went back in May for Logan's birthday party but Nick was so young- I know he'll have fun! Brooke and Brice are even going to join us! Nick's buddy Sam is 1 tomorrow- happy birthday, Sam!

Nick's birthday party is coming together... I am SOOOOO excited about it!

We're busy as always but loving every minute of our incredibly blessed life! God is so, so good!
Lauren*

Clapping!

2010-01-19T15:26:00.003-05:00

Nick started clapping yesterday! It's so cute! The funny thing is, when I do it back, he stops like "Mom, I'm the only one who can clap!" He's so much fun!

We visited the Yellow River Game Ranch yesterday with GAM and had a ton of fun! He enjoyed the animals but it will be so much fun to take him when he's a little older so that when I give him a cracker/carrot/peanut, he feeds it to the animals instead of feeding it to himself! It was a ton of fun and I got some good pictures (soon to come) out of it!

I am super excited about Nick's 1st birthday party! I know at this age, the party is more for the adults than the child, but I will take a ton of pictures and one day he'll see how many people gathered to celebrate his little life (and maybe he'll notice and appreciate all of the care and time that his Mommy put into planning it- just maybe). Invitations went out today and I'm working on cake ideas... I'm thinking about making his cake myself. I want to make a hive and then a small bumblebee cupcake for him to tear into!

Here's a pic of a similar cake:

I can do that, right?!?! :) I'll keep you posted!

Lauren*

11 Months Old!

2010-01-11T11:55:00.004-05:00

I cannot even believe that Nick is 11 months old today! Time has just FLOWN by and I am just amazed at how much he has grown and changed in such a short time.

Here are some updates on him:

- Nick is a proficient "cruiser" and moves all over the place with 1 or 2 hands on the furniture or anything else he can reach

- In turn with the cruising, Nick has had his first of many bumps and bruises. He runs into things all the time!

- Nick has eaten his first dog food! I caught him in the kitchen in Sadie's bowls and checked in his mouth and there was one little pebble! Yuck!

- Nick loves Sadie and will chase her all over the house... Sadie just doesn't quite feel the same way! :)

- Nick loves to babble, yell, scream, sing- anything to be heard

- He's very strong-willed and likes to be in charge... wonder where he gets that from?

ONE MONTH UNTIL NICK IS ONE!!!!

Lauren*

CrAzY Hair!

2010-01-08T13:35:00.002-05:00

These are some pictures I took of Nick after his bath the other night. His hair was so crazy after Daddy towel dried it! He loves bath time and his bedtime routine is one of Brad and I's favorite parts of the day with him.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T22:43:00.003-05:00

I must admit, I was sad to see 2009 go. It was the best year of my life. A year which brought me Nick. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me and I continue to be amazed at this gift from God. I don't feel worthy of this love. Nick can make me smile when I want to frown and laugh when I want to cry... all without even saying a word. I can't even describe how much I love being his mother. Everyone told me it would be a whole different kind of love, and while I didn't doubt them, I didn't fully comprehend it until I had him. It's an amazing feeling knowing this little person is actually a part of you and your husband and was given to you by God because of the love you share together. He's a miracle- that's the only word to describe him!

We did have fun ringing in 2010 with friends at the Duluth Gala. There was a catered buffet, improv show, band, and peach drop style countdown. We had a great time but this Mommy was feeling pretty badly the next day! My responsibilities have been in the right place this year and have kept me away from late nights! ;)

Nick spent the night with Grandma and Pop- this was the first night he spent the night away from home without us. He did great but we sure did miss him!

It has been VERY cold here in Georgia this week so Nick and I have stayed warm inside- Nick even stayed in his footie pajamas most of the day today. We have plans for a playdate on Wednesday and story time at the library on Thursday. I'm very excited that we start gymnastics class on the 22nd! It will be so much fun! I'm also looking into Kindermusik classes as well as swim lessons in the spring!

I'm already busily planning Nick's 1st birthday party! I'm so excited about it! I can't believe he's already almost 11 months old! Time has passed way too quickly (that's another thing people told me but I didn't fully understand)!

Nick is easily pulling up on anything and everything and is getting into trouble every time I turn around... more baby-proofing is necessary! He's cruising all over the furniture and loves to move between standing toys but doesn't let go and "walk" yet. He's a very curious guy! I think he'll be walking soon enough!

Happy New Year, everyone!
Lauren*

Our first family Christmas!

2009-12-29T20:00:00.006-05:00

We had a wonderful first family Christmas!

On Christmas Eve, we went over to Dad and Carol's house for brunch and gifts! Brad and I both got what we wanted- towels and an engraved wreath hanger from Pottery Barn! Nick got a bike and a bumble bee pull toy that will stay at their house to play with when we visit!

Then at 3:00, we went over to Brooke's for a delicious dinner and more gifts! We got the rest of the towels we needed for a full set and Nick got some clothes and a book from Aunt Brooke, Uncle Brent, and Brice! It was nice exchanging gifts!

I had to sing at 7:00 mass, so we were to church by 6. It was a very nice mass. Immediately following mass, we headed home for dessert and games with everyone- we missed BB&B but understood! Everyone headed home around 11.

Santa came to our house and boy, was he nice!

Here are our "lists":

Brad:

Jeans

Polo shirt

Undershirts

A personalized coffee mug

Financial Peace Junior (for teaching Nick one day)

iPod headphones and car charger

Lauren:

Laptop

Laptop bag

Glee soundtrack

Crock Pot

Balderdash and Cranium games

A dustbuster

Isn't Santa so practical??? :)

He was more fun with Nick! ;)

Nick:

A learning cube

Baby Mozart music cube

Candy Land game

Sweaters

Converse One Star stars

A working motorboat for the bath

Elf on a Shelf

After breakfast and time together as a family, we went over to Brad's parents for lunch and gifts. We got a dinner gift certificate that we're excited to use! Nick got a push toy, a personalized Sesame Street book, a handprint memory kit, and a "Nick's 1st Year" DVD. I also got Twilight on DVD and Brad got a gift certificate to the local coffee spot!

We were so blessed this year. We look forward to telling Nick the story of Christ's birth when he's older and can understand it. We hope to start a tradition of giving back in some way each year. This year, we escorted the high school teens to a nursing home to sing carols and deliver cards and cookies. Needless to say, Nick was a hit with the residents! We hope to instill a sense of charity in all of our children to remind them that CHRIST is the reason for the season and that the greatest gift cannot be found under a tree. Christ gave us the ultimate gift of his life for our greatest gift- eternal life.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Lauren*

10 Months Old!

2009-12-23T21:56:00.002-05:00

I can't believe Nick is already 10 months old! He is getting to be such a big boy! Here are his 10 month pictures!

More Milestones Met!

2009-12-22T14:42:00.004-05:00

We have had a busy few weeks- sorry for the delay in updating!

We took Nick to meet Santa on the 13th! We thought surely he would love the big guy, but no such luck. Nick had met Santa before in Lawrenceville on Thanksgiving and at Peterbrooke Chocolatier with no problems but we wanted a nice professional picture with Santa for Nick's first Christmas! Nick has recently become very aware of strangers and even with Mommy and Daddy's reassurance, he won't have any of it! He wants me most of the time or to at least be able to see me. We put him into Santa's lap and he let us know right away that wasn't going to fly! We ended up having to get into the picture with Santa! It turned out okay but I'm hopeful that next year, we'll get some of Nick and Santa alone! After meeting Santa, we took Nick to Steak and Shake and ended up getting Nick his very first meal out (only because he was free of course)! He ate all of his grilled cheese and a few french fries! He loved it!

MILESTONE ALERTS:

- Nick can now pull all the way up to a standing position. He's even let go to stand for a few seconds! He loves it!
- Nick is finally crawling on his hands and knees instead of army crawling. He is much faster now! Watch out!
- Nick has 4 teeth- the top 2 and bottom 2- they are SO cute!
- Nick is loving finger food and I think our days of purees are numbered. He loves his mini-waffles for breakfast, Fiddlesticks, crackers, Cheerios, and yogurt melts. He is very good at picking things up and loves to feed himself.

We are looking forward to Nick's first Christmas coming up. We are excited to experience all that Christmas has to offer through the eyes of a child. We can't wait to break out the video camera and start fun new traditions!

Love to all,
Lauren*

"Bottle them up" moments...

2009-12-12T23:29:00.002-05:00

I've had several of what I call "Bottle them Up" moments with Nick this week- moments that I want to bottle up and save forever.

One was when he fell asleep during his night-time breathing treatment while I sang "Silent Night" to him. He usually passes out while I nurse him, but I hadn't even done that before he fell asleep in my lap with the mask on his face!

Last night's was the best moment we've shared. I had given him his breathing treatment and nursed him and he was still wide awake, so I was rocking him and singing "Silent Night" to him. He was looking up at me and all of a sudden, opened his little mouth and starting "singing" back to me. It was the sweetest thing I've ever heard. I cried like a little baby. After I put Nick down for the night, I walked across the hall where Brad was in the office. As soon as he looked at me, I knew that he had heard the whole thing. We both just smiled and sighed at one another. We think our baby boy is the sweetest boy in the world and definitely the best thing that has ever happened to us. We are so blessed.

Moments like these are what life and love is all about.
Lauren*

The countdown begins...

2009-12-02T21:22:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of time with family! We ate two fabulous Thanksgiving meals- one here at our house with my side of the family and one at Brad's parents with his family. Both meals were delicious! Then we headed to downtown Lawrenceville where my Mom's new consignment shop is. They had already lit the tree, but we took some great pictures and Nick got to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus! He was very interested in Santa's beard! We took some awesome pictures!

Brad went to Wal Mart from 12-5 am and got me a new laptop on a Black Friday deal. I am so excited! He has already wrapped it up and put it under the tree for Christmas morning. Even though I know what it is I am excited to unwrap and play with it on Christmas morning!

Speaking of... I am so excited about Christmas! Nick is already showing me so many things for the very "first" time. He loved touching the branches on the tree we picked out at the Saint Monica's Christmas tree lot on Sunday! He loved crawling under the tree with Daddy to water it for the very first time! He loves touching the shiny bows on the presents and we have to constantly watch him near the tree or Christmas will come early this year!

Nick has been great! The daily breathing treatments have really helped his asthma. We visited the opthalmologist today and his tear ducts look perfect- no need for surgery! I am so relieved!

MILESTONE ALERTS:
- He's starting to pull up to his knees now- it's only a matter of time before he'll be able to pull all the way up!
- His second tooth came in on Monday! It's the lower right tooth. They're so cute! He shows them to us every time he flashes us his adorable smile which (lucky for us) is often!
- I had to give Nick his first "haircut" yesterday! His hair was growing over his little ears and was very long in the back so I gave him a little trim myself. He looks so much older just from that small trim!
- He has started to say "Uh, oh"! It's so cute!
- He's learned the "If I drop this, Mommy will pick it up for me" game... fun for one of us!

Life is great! We have so much to be thankful for!
Lauren*

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T21:37:00.001-05:00

Our little turkey says "Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!"

Sick :(

2009-11-24T09:37:00.002-05:00

I had to take Nick to the doctor last Monday because he had a terrible cough and stuffy nose. We had just been to the doctor but he had gotten worse over the weekend. He has an ear infection- his very first one! Poor guy. Good news is, he loves the Amoxicillin! We're almost done with it!

Dr. Bramwell also recommended 2 breathing treatments with Pulmicort every day. He does well with them but sometimes fights to try and get the mask off! I have to work really hard to distract him!

Due to Nick's illness, we didn't do much last week. By Friday he was feeling better in time for us to have our GAM Thanksgiving party! We had a good crowd at the house for some yummy food and fun! Saturday, I entered the neighborhood chili cook off- I didn't place but it was still fun! The same guy had won 3 years in a row now! Sunday we went up to the outlets in the rain, went over to Mom's for an early dinner, and then went to mass. It was a nice weekend.

Yesterday Nick and I got a good head start on the Christmas shopping! We got my Mom, Brooke, Brent, and Brice taken care of. We also already have Hailey, Logan. and Ryan done! Woohoo! I know the holidays will be here so soon!

I'm also excited about putting up our tree on Friday!!! The Tech vs. UGA game is on Saturday- we're looking forward to that!

I am so very thankful to have Nick in my life this Thanksgiving. He's a true blessing from God.

I hope everyone has a blessed and safe Thanksgiving!
Lauren*

MILESTONE ALERT: NICK HAS A TOOTH!

2009-11-13T08:40:00.003-05:00

Nick has his first tooth! I noticed it last night after I nursed him and went to wipe his gums. It's the lower left tooth! He did drool a lot this week but no fussiness or anything to indicate he was uncomfortable. I also gave him his first biter biscuit this week so that must have pushed it right through! Yeah for Nick!

Lauren*

9 Months Old!

2009-11-11T16:38:00.002-05:00

I can't even believe that Nick is 9 months old already! He's getting so big! I switched out his infant carrier for his convertable carseat today! WOW!

Nick had a great check up with Dr. Bramwell today who said "He's fantastic" and I agree! :)

Here are his stats:

Weight: 19 pounds 6 ounces (25th-50th %)

Length: 28 3/4 inches (50-75th %)

We have to see an opthomologist (sp?) for his clogged tear duct because it's just not clearing up on its own. I am going to make the appointment tomorrow.

Even though Nick STILL doesn't have any teeth, we were instructed to begin more table foods! I know Nick will love this and will be great at it because he LOVES to feed himself Puffs!

Life is good!

Lauren*

Video Montage...

2009-10-23T16:01:00.002-04:00

Here are some video highlights of Nick in October...

Fun at the park on October 1st...

Eating puffs and drinking out of a sippy cup on October 5th...

And playing Ticklemonster with Mommy on October 6th...

8 Month Photos

2009-10-23T15:55:00.004-04:00

Here are pictures from Nick's 8 Month Photo shoot on October 11th... better late than never, right? :)

He is getting bigger by the second!

MILESTONE ALERT: NICK IS CRAWLING!

2009-10-14T12:25:00.004-04:00

HERE....

I...

COME!!! :)

Nick started crawling on Friday, October 9th. He army crawls on his belly and drags one arm and the opposite leg to get where he needs to go! It's very cute but we are scrambling to baby-proof! We have gates and cabinet locks ready to install! The only thing we can't baby-proof which probably needs it the most is Sadie! The poor dog is Nick's favorite toy- if only she felt the same way about him! Enjoy the pictures and video of our big boy crawling!

Time flies when you're having fun!!!

2009-10-14T11:52:00.003-04:00

Wow- where do I begin? So much has happened in the last month!

Nick is still loving solid foods and we've added several new things to his meals:
Nectarines, chicken, turkey, puffs, yogurt, and apricots. He loves it all! He's also started using a sippy cup. I introduced a straw sippy cup and he took to it immediately! He loves to drink water and I actually have to limit his intake so he'll continue to nurse frequently!

Nick has really started "talking" and can say Mama and Dada- sometimes even on cue! He loves to talk and has the funniest growling noise that makes everyone laugh which is probably why he does it so often! He's a little ham and can also be a big flirt. We haven't seen any separation anxiety which is good- he seems to love pretty much everyone he meets!

Nick still doesn't have any teeth and isn't showing any signs of teething- he's still sleeping through the night and isn't drooling excessively, so we'll see. Brad got his teeth at 6 months and I had mine at 8, so he's a little bit behind his parents in that department!

Nick went to his first Tech game on Saturday, September 26th. We played UNC and beat them easily! It was a beautiful day and Nick even took a nap in my arms for about 45 minutes. It was great! Cousin Brice was there for his first game, too. It rained on us on the way to the car, but other than that, it was the perfect day!

We visited Dr. Bramwell on October 1st for what I thought was an appointment for Nick's flu booster but when we arrived, we were told they were all out! Boo! But I was able to get in to talk to Dr. Bramwell about his eating habits, etc. We also weighed him in at 18 pounds and 15 ounces! We go back today for the booster- it better be for real this time! :)

My Tupperware business is growing and I've been busy with parties! I'm also still busy planning events for GAM. Brad and I celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary on the 23rd and are taking our first trip away together without Nick- we leave on Sunday and return on Wednesday. We feel very lucky that Aunt Kristina will be able to come and stay at our house to watch Nick (and Sadie). We're looking forward to some time together but I know we'll miss him like crazy!!!

Hope everyone is doing well- I'll try not to go so long again! :)
Lauren*

7 Months Old!

2009-09-15T17:05:00.003-04:00

Nick was 7 months old last Friday, and we had to take his monthly picture! In honor of Nick's 1st Tech football season, he wore his GT shirt in the pictures! Go Jackets! Sting 'em!

I am feeling better and haven't had a fever in over a week- thank God for that!

Nick is still eating like a champ. We're working on getting him to eat more green veggies- he likes the orange variety! Today we are trying nectarines for the first time! Yummy! We are up to 2 meals per day- rice cereal and applesauce for breakfast and a 1 fruit and 2 veggie dinner with rice cereal.

Thursday night will be our first time watching a Tech game with Nick. He's had to stay behind these first 2 games. I'm excited! We are having friends and family over to cheer on the Yellow Jackets! Nick will hopefully get to come to the Tech vs. UNC game on the 26th. We're STILL waiting on a game time to help us decide if he can come. The weather will have to cooperate, too! :)

More later! Enjoy Nick's 7 month pictures! He sure is growing fast!

Lauren*

Happy Birthday, cousin Brice!

2009-09-01T10:26:00.003-04:00

We celebrated cousin Brice's first birthday this past weekend! I can't believe he's already a year old. I know Nick's 1st birthday will be here before we know it!

I apologize for the delay in updating- I haven't been feeling well. It started back on August 17th when I got my first fever. I've had one every day since! 2 rounds of bloodwork figured out that I have mono. Ugh! I am so tired and have no energy. I'm trying to slow down and let my body catch up. It's been hard to keep up with everything while feeling puny at the same time, but we've been as busy as ever...

I've had a Tupperware Open House and 2 parties which have all been successful. We've been to storytime at the library, and our friend Carson's 1st birthday party! We also had his picture taken at Mom N Me. They turned out great!

Nick is still eating like a champ and we've introduced the following foods so far: apples, sweet potatoes, bananas, peas, peaches, and green beans. Next up... pears! I need to make a run to Fresh Market for some more fruit to make! Nick loves to eat!

Nick went back to Dr. Bramwell for a flu shot last week and I snuck him on the scale- 18 pound 6 ounces! WOW! It was a different scale, so I'm not sure how accurate that is, but I think it's safe to say solid foods are agreeing with Nick! It's almost time to put him into his big boy car seat!

Nick has been riding in the shopping cart for a few weeks now which has been wonderful! He loves to sit up and look around. I have one of those great shopping cart covers that keep him safe, secure, and comfortable! Not to mention clean- who knows what's on those things!!!

Nick continues to grow and thrive. We can't get over how big he's getting. We're so proud of our little man!

Lauren*

Yum, yum!

2009-08-19T15:07:00.003-04:00

Nick has FINALLY learned what to do when that spoon comes towards his mouth! Last night, he finally ate! And I mean HE ATE! He chowed down on sweet potatoes, applesauce and rice cereal. Today I introduced bananas and he loved those, too! I knew if I was patient it would pay off! I am so proud of my hungry little man!

Nick is now able to sit up all by himself if I set him on the ground that way. He won't fall to the side anymore. I'm sure he loves the new perspective and I love that I can put him down with a ring of toys around him and he can PLAY!

Last Friday, all of Nick's little friends and their Mommies came over and I showed them how to make baby food. It was a ton of fun watching the babies interact! Saturday night, Brice came over while Brooke, Brent, and Mom went to the Steely Dan concert for Mom's birthday. On Sunday, we celebrated my cousin Julie's upcoming arrival of another BOY- Griffin- who will be arriving soon. I don't think it's just a coincidence that all babies born after Bee's passing have been boys! ;) Sunday night we celebrated Mom's birthday!

On Monday night, I started feeling pretty puny- aches, pains, headache, etc. By yesterday I had NO energy and felt awful. About 7:00 last night, I checked my temp and it was 100.4 by 8:00 it was 101.4- I have mastitis! It's AWFUL. I am so glad that all I had to do was call my OB and he called in an antibiotic for me. The last thing I wanted to do was go to the doctor. I am already feeling much better!

We have yet another busy weekend ahead! More later!
Lauren*

Tech Fan Day!

2009-08-16T09:37:00.003-04:00

Pop, Brad, Nick, and I visited Tech for fan day on Saturday, August 8th! Nick had a great time! He got to meet the cheerleaders (he was entranced by their shiny gold pom poms) and Buzz- he was such a happy guy! Pop bought Nick his first Tech hat at the campus bookstore and Mommy got him the official poster for this season. We're already working on saying "Gooooooo Jackets! Sting 'em!"... maybe "BUZZ" will be his first word! :)

Lauren*

6 Month Check Up!

2009-08-13T13:02:00.003-04:00

Nick and I visited Dr. Bramwell today for his 6 month check up. The shots were no fun as usual. I had a ton of questions about the adventures of solid foods. I absolutely LOVE Dr. Bramwell- she is so patient with me and never makes me feel silly or acts rushed to see the next patient. I am so thankful for such a wonderful doctor to take care of Nick (and me)!

Here are the stats:
17 pounds 8.4 ounces (50th %) and 26 1/2 inches (50-75th %)

I am pretty surprised- I thought he weighed a little more but that's probably because I carry him around all day long! :)

I am so proud of my little man- he's getting so big! We tried applesauce with rice cereal today and he loved it! He's getting water out of his cup when I hold it for him. He can hold it and loves to teeth on the spout but can't tip it enough to get water out of it on his own. I am so excited to start feeding him the home-made baby food I've been preparing! I'll keep you posted on the latest and greatest food adventures!

Lauren*

Oh, Canada

2009-08-10T10:48:00.004-04:00

The crick!
Mini Golfing

Niagara Falls

With Great Grandma

First plane ride!

Hello! We're back from another wonderful family vacation. We had a great time visiting family in Pennsylvania and had a great time visiting the Canadian side of Niagara Falls!

Nick was such a trooper and did really well on the plane even with a slight delay taking off! He didn't fuss at all and even fell asleep in my arms on the way home.

We enjoyed visiting family in PA and doing all of the yearly traditions for the first time with Nick- we visited Lake Edinboro, visited Great-Grandpa Stafford's gravesite, went to Dairy Supreme (next summer he'll get to taste it), mini golfing, and the crick. He also got to sit on a tractor for the first time! It was wonderful that he got to meet so many people for the first time!

On Monday, we ventured into Canada and saw Niagara Falls... it had been a few years since I'd been but it was just as breathtaking as I had remembered. We took TONS of pictures- check out the Shutterfly page to see more!

We were home late Wednesday night! We had a great time but were glad to be home, too- we missed Sadie! :)

Lauren*

Update!

2009-07-28T09:54:00.002-04:00

I can't believe another 2 weeks have passed us by! Nick is growing so quickly... I would love to hit pause and keep him in this stage a little while longer! He is still as sweet as ever- teething has definitely altered his happygoing personality at times, but we do the best we can with teething toys, and Tylenol! He loves his Johnny Jumper and we have gotten rid of a bunch of his "baby" toys already- so sad! He is talking a lot, loves to giggle, and can almost sit up completely unassisted- our little boy is getting so big!

Since my last update, Nick and I have been very busy... surprise, surprise... I am more busy now than when I was working full time teaching! The week of the 13th, I had a dentist appointment so Nick had a visit with Nana, Hailey and Logan for a little while on Monday. We went to a Kindermusik class, had a playdate at Carson's house on Tuesday, had a pool party with my GSU teacher group, I went to Mom's Night Out and Nick hung out with Daddy on Wednesday, we had lunch with Nikki and went to a consignment sale on Thursday, had breakfast with Nana and went to Mom N Me class on Friday, and went to Lake Sinclair with the Lake's for the weekend- whew!

Last week, we had GAM Meet & Greet on Monday, Mommy had court so Nick stayed with Roxann and then went to the aquatic center on Wednesday, went to Aunt Brooke's for another consignment sale and baby food making on Thursday, took Hope and Autumn to the mall and then went to the pool for a playdate with Emery on Friday, and went to the Suwanee farmer's market and the lake on Saturday! Another busy week!

I had originally wanted to start Nick on solids yesterday but decided to wait until we get back from Pennsylvania. One of the main reasons I wanted to start him before the 6 month mark was because he didn't seem satisfied with breastfeeding. I decided to drop a feeding and go down to 4 a day at 8, 12, 4, and 8- now he is much more interested and eats a lot more. He used to fuss and be "Mr. Distracto"- his alter ego- during his mid afternoon feeding. This made me feel like he wasn't hungry for milk when in fact he just wasn't hungry for anything at all!

I am going to make my own purees for a while- it's so inexpensive and I know exactly what is going into his little body! I've made bananas, peas, and green beans. I bought squash at the Suwanee farmer's market on Saturday and plan on making that tomorrow. I also bought organic applesauce to give him. I have rice cereal to start with when we get back next week!

This week is busy as usual. Yesterday, we had a walk at Sims Lake park and then a playdate at Connor and Olivia's- Nick is usually the youngest baby there but I appreciate the invitations to playdates very much- at this point, they're more for Mommy, anyway! :) Tonight, I'm hosting a Tupperware party at the house- I know so many people are excited to see Nick! Thursday night, we have Jack's 2nd birthday party. Friday morning we have a GAM event scheduled before I have to pack for our trip- I hate packing!!!

On Friday, we leave for Pennsylvania to visit Brad's Dad's side of the family. This will be their first time meeting Nick. He'll get to meet his Great Uncle Dave, Great-Great Uncle Tommy and Great-Great Aunt Sylvia, and his Great Grandma and Great Grandpa! It should be a GREAT trip! Nick's first plane ride, too! We are excited to also take a trip into Canada to see Niagara Falls while we're there. We'll be back on Wednesday with stories and pictures to share!

Lauren*

Vacation!

2009-07-13T16:43:00.003-04:00

I am 5 months old!

Lasershow at Stone Mountain!

We had a wonderful time at the Girodo family reunion. This year, we were in Kentucky on Nolin Lake where my aunt Teresa has a beautiful houseboat! Nick was his happy self and enjoyed meeting his great aunts and second cousins! He was a hit! We celebrated my aunt Felicia's 50th birthday by taking a cruise around the lake and singing karaoke! It was a blast! We came home on Wednesday night.

Thursday, we went to the fountains in Duluth at one of my planned GAM events. We had a good turnout but unfortunately the fountains were a little too powerful for Nick- maybe next summer!

Friday night, I surprised Brad and planned a night out for our little family. We went to the lasershow at Stone Mountain! The weather was perfect and I packed a delicious picnic of chicken salad, pasta salad, and a fruit and cheese tray! Yummy! Nick loved the show and the fireworks and fell asleep between Brad and I on our blanket!

Nick turned 5 months old on Saturday! How the time is flying! He's getting bigger and bigger by the day and is so strong! No sign of teeth yet but he's sure drooling! I am getting close to starting him on solid foods. He's showing me all of the signs that he's ready- sitting up with minimal support, looking and reaching for our food, and acting hungry all the time! Soon enough, buddy!

Saturday I had a tennis match and then powerwashed for 6 hours! Nick and Daddy spent some QT together indoors! Saturday night we went to the Lake's house for a cookout. We had a great time!

Yesterday, we went to Dad's house for a quick visit and boatride before church. After mass, the Stafford's came over for dinner!

This week is another BUSY one! Tomorrow we're going to a free Kindermusik class, Wednesday, we have a park walk, GSU reunion pool party at our n'hood pool, and Moms Night Out trivia with GAM! Thursday, we're doing lunch with Nikki and then the first consignment sale of the season!!!!! Can't wait for that! And then on Friday we have Mom N Me. This weekend, we're going to up to the Lake's lake house on Sinclair! That should be a ton of fun!

On a separate note, be sure to add Nick's new photo website to your favorites! It is:
http://www.nicknack.shutterfly.com/

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

Lauren*

Summer Time!

2009-07-01T15:50:00.002-04:00

I have returned from my first trip away from Nick! It was wonderful, relaxing, and fun to just be Lauren and not Mommy for a few days! I had a great time but of course worried and thought of Nick a lot during the time away. He did great! Everyone took excellent care of him so that I didn't need to worry at all!I am so grateful for our families! Apparently, he eats even more than I thought because he was chugging down 6 ounces and looking for more! Wow! What a hungry little guy! I was glad to get away but excited to see my boys when I got back.

We are excited to celebrate Nick's first 4th of July. I can't wait to put him in his American flag bathing suit! He's going to be so patriotic! I'm pretty sure he'll sleep through the fireworks but it will be fun to celebrate at the lake on Saturday.

Sunday we leave for our Girodo family reunion in Kentucky. I am so excited for everyone to meet Nick for the first time- only Grammy and Chris have met him before! I can't wait- it's up on the lake in Kentucky, so Nick will have the chance to show everyone how well he does in the water! We come back on Wednesday!

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July! Be safe!

Lauren*

Rolling Over!

2009-06-29T16:52:00.004-04:00

This is a video from June 18, 2009 when Nick rolled over for the first time! He was 18 weeks and 1 day old!

WOW! Time flies when you're having fun!

2009-06-24T15:38:00.005-04:00

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I've updated! SO much has happened...

On Friday the 12th, Brooke let us have her Gwinnett Braves tickets AND watched Nick for us... it was so nice to have a date night out!
On Saturday, we went to watch Madagascar 2 at Suwanee Town Center and met up with the Sundseth's and Ryan and the kiddos. It was great! Nick passed out on the blanket in between Brad and I. We had a nice time!
On Sunday, we went to the lake all day after I sang at 10:30 mass!

Last week was busy with GAM (Gwinnett area mommies) events. Meet & Greet on Monday and Playtown Suwanee Tuesday. Since I wrote last, I have become the GAM North Gwinnett Area Moderator. I plan the events and get togethers for Duluth, Buford, Sugar Hill, and Suwanee! I love it! Thursday we had lunch with my friend Melissa from GSU- it was great! Friday, we had Mom N Me in Alpharetta!

BIG NEWS!!! On Thursday, June 18th Nick ROLLED OVER! :)
He can now roll from his back to his belly and does it all the time! He wakes me up every morning crying because he wants to be on his back! He knows how to roll both ways but we need to refresh his memory on how to get from belly to back!

Saturday, we celebrated Father's Day with my Dad at the lake. It was awesome! The boys happened to fall asleep at the same time, so we left them with Dad and Carol and went out for a quick ride and some skiing! It was a great day!

Sunday was Brad's first Father's Day! Unfortunately, he wasn't feeling great with allergies bothering him :(
We had the Stafford's over for brunch (minus Hailey and Logan who were gone) and celebrated with them. Brad loved his present- a pottery frame with Nick's footprints and a pictures of Nick inside! I had to cantor 5:30 mass.

This week has been very busy, too! We have had Sage since Monday since Scott and Roxann are in Vegas celebrating their anniversary! Yesterday, we went to the park and the pool- Nick continues to love the water!

I leave tomorrow for my girls' trip to Destin. I am mixed about it... I can't WAIT to hang out with my girls at the beach but am so sad to leave Nick for the first time. I am going to miss him sooooo much. I have never been apart from him (the longest was 6 hours) and am going to be worried about him even though I know he's in great hands (my Mom, Dad, and Patti are helping out)! I have PLENTY of frozen milk for Nick to eat but am worried he won't like it or won't like it from me when I get back! I am so glad Brad will be able to spend some quality time with Nick but I already can't wait to get back to him on Sunday! I don't know how people can be away from their kids for long periods of time... I now know why Brad always wants me to text him pictures of Nick while he's away on business! I am going to be checking in on him a LOT! :)

That's all for now! I'll update when I get back from the beach.
Lauren*

4 Months Old Today!

2009-06-11T16:11:00.005-04:00

I can't believe Nick is already 4 months old today! He did great at his checkup- all of the nurses just love him- and he did okay with the shots! I hate to see him cry like that :(

Here's an update of Nick's growth:

Birth: 6 pounds 13 ounces (25th %) and 20 inches (50-75th %)
1 month old: 9 pounds (25th %) and 21 7/8 inches (50-75th %)
2 months old: 12 pounds (50th %) and 23 1/8 inches (75th %)
4 months old: 15 pounds 10.6 ounces (50-75th %) and 25 inches (50th %)

As you can see, he's been eating great! :)

I am going to wait until Nick is 6 months old to start solid foods. I hope that exclusively breastfeeding will help his chances of being a healthy, allergy and asthma free kid! He has to start taking a Vitamin D supplement which I'm sure he won't care for! He'll begin to get the iron he needs when he starts on rice cereal since it's fortified with Iron. I am excited about the solid food adventure but am enjoying the moments we share when I am breastfeeding! I don't want to rush anything! It's already going by too fast!

Lauren*

Nick's Pics

2009-06-10T21:12:00.002-04:00

Check out new pictures of Nick here:
www.pictage.com/client/eventPhotos.do?event=667633&category=6

The ones of him in the CEO outfit are Brad's Father's Day surprise! We went and painted a frame at the pottery place today with Nick's footprints to put the picture in! I can't wait!

Lauren*

1 Year Ago....

2009-06-09T09:22:00.002-04:00

our lives changed forever! One year ago yesterday I found out I was expecting a little miracle. I remember laughing, crying, and jumping up and down at the same time! I couldn't wait to get home to tell Brad. He was SO happy when I told him we were pregnant! I am so amazed at how far we've come in just a year. I know it's a day I'll never forget!

Lauren*

Siesta Key, here we come!

2009-05-28T21:03:00.004-04:00

Superbaby!

With Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma

So big!

We had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! We spent it with family! Saturday was Jessica's high school graduation party. Nick was very sweet for his Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa. Sunday we stayed home. It was rainy and Nick had been wheezing. I didn't want to get him out so we stayed in and had a lazy day! A few breathing treatments later, he was as good as new. The nebulizer is our friend. Monday we went to Dad's for a cookout and boat ride! It was beautiful! Then we went back to Uncle Mike and Aunt Rita's for dinner before saying goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa!

We leave tomorrow for our first of many family vacations. I am so excited! The idea of packing is overwhelming and I am realizing how much one little man needs! The car is sure to be loaded to the brim!

Nick has been great! He just gets sweeter and sweeter every day. He's getting so big and strong. He loves to play "Superbaby" and gives us a smile every time we lift him into the air. I think he loves the view up there! He laughs often and is very ticklish under his chin! Brad and I still can't believe how much we can love him.

I can't wait to update when we return from our first family vacation. I am so looking forward to seeing the ocean through our little boy's eyes. It will be so much fun and I'm sure we'll create memories to remember for years to come! It's the first of many Stafford family vacations, I hope!

Lauren*