Hello blog world...we're back!

Oh, to think that I used to be able to blog everyday with new stories and photos to share with family and friends.

Although I appeared to have fallen off the blog world these past few weeks, I am still here!!

Through some crud that has been my life (AKA time I've had to spend away from my baby and focusing on legal matters with Mr. Narcissism, himself, and now, CROUP!), blogging has been pushed to the back burner.

I used to never cry. Well, I used to never let people see me cry to make it appear as if I never cried. When you have a child, your emotions seem to magnify. I had never happy cried until I had Connor. I had never cried for someone else's pain until I had Connor. I had never felt so strongly about fighting for what's right until I had Connor. It's funny how the power of Motherhood comes over you. I understand what my Mom always tried to explain to me now that I can relate as a Mom myself. The strength of Mama Bear must not be messed with!

I will not pollute my blog with negative thoughts, but that was my brief vent to help me move on. I deserve one of those every once in a while! :)

So with my sick baby trying to nap between the coughs let out every 10 minutes or so, I figured I'd update everyone with new pictures of the latest happenings around here. Connor has been great---spitting out new words here and there (or at least his spin on what the word should sound like!). Connor seems to become more like a little boy and less like a baby these days (except for the precious moments of Connor wanting to cuddle with me lately since he's had the 'croup funk'). He's venturing out on new obstacles on the playground and he would rather play with boys twice his age than the little guys his age! :) Here are some pictures from the past few weeks...

We don't really experience seasons here in FL, but the park we went to seemed to think otherwise! The beautiful "Fall" leaves left mounds to play in...Mr. Smirf would pile them high then run full speed and plop right in the middle of the stack! Cheap entertainment at it's finest!


We've officially become bored with the 'baby playground' and have graduated to the 'big boy playground'. The big boy play ground should come with bungee cords and net apparatuses to catch falling children!! Don't be fooled by the picture--this was the only time I was more than a finger's length away from Connor while he was on this climbing contraption. It was about 4 feet from the ground and gave me a severe heart attack every time he took a step!




Connor's newest buddies--Carter & Cameron--Yes, All "C" boys make it somewhat difficult to call them out when they're in trouble together! Carter, who is a year older, weighs 11 pounds less than Connor! I always get a kick out of Connor's 'giantism' when he's around other little boys! These kids play great together & Connor tags right along as if he's just as old as they are!


After spa time, the men played cavemen and built a nice fire in the firepit outside. Connor and I practiced saying "Hot" as we sat on the swing.


As the days went by, my little smirf became more and more congested. Since I have never seen him sick (aside from a running nose here and there), I kept a close eye on him. He woke last Thursday with the famous "barking cough," so my Mommy instincts told me to take him to the Dr. Sure enough, my barking seal has croup! Within a day, Mommy and Matt both had symptoms as well. The worst part for Connor and I are our nights. The past week have consisted of Mommy sleeping on Connor's floor, Nana sleeping on Connor's floor (on the night's that Mommy has to get up for work the next day), Connor getting up several times in the night, Connor sleeping in Mommy's bed, and introducing the good ol' humidifier to Connor's room (which coincidentally makes his room all humid-sticky-hot like a sauna...who woulda thunk?!!). I try to be firm on the whole night time routine to keep Connor from getting used to sleeping in my bed or needing me to help him fall asleep at night, but the past few weeks...I just don't care...if it means we both get our sleep, then that's all that matters right now! In a few weeks, Connor will be promoted to a double bed! Big boy bedding is here. Safety siderail is here. We're just waiting for the perfect time to make the transition. When that day comes, we all better be sleeping in our own beds all night long again!! :) Let's all pray for an easy, lovely transition! I'll try to think positively...instead of realistically!

Hello Mr. Sleepy Croup! Notice the pile of used tissues on the night stand...ever tried to blow your running nose without trying to wake a sleeping boy next to you?! After retiring a good 3 boxes of tissues this week, I'm quite the professional now.




So as we were stuck in the house with a rainy, foggy mess outside and sick, croupy funk inside, we decided to try coloring! Connor has never shown an interest in coloring, but he got these adorable Mickey Mouse character crayons for his birthday, so I thought we'd give them a try. A success, it was! The only problem was that I pulled the crayons out too close to nap time, so when it was time for a nap, Mr. sicky pants didn't understand why he wasn't allowed to cuddle with his crayons in bed! Connor has developed a deep joy in taking his newest, favorite toys to bed with him. I envisioned crayon doodles all over his bed and walls, so I stood my ground with a firm "NO". About an hour after giant tears and tantrums from my sick child, I tried to regain my sanity and caved to let him cuddle with one crayon for bedtime. Connor and I both needed nap time and I wasn't about to sacrifice the 'nap window' with a power struggle over a crayon. After he woke, Mommy hid the crayons for now. :)

My sick little guy is still napping (after 2.5 hours) which is the longest stretch of sleep he's had in about a week! Praise God! Not sure why I'm not taking advantage of the nap time myself, but my bloggy friends deserved an update. Until next time....xoxox

Happy belated birthday to me!

It was weird to have a "me day". It was so weird that I forgot to load the pictures, since I'm usually looking for "Connor pictures" to load only.

I had an amazing day and it felt weird yet wonderful to have the day just for me :). It was a wonderful mix of family and friends (and of course, cake!). We had a family lunch at Papa Joe's (the Whitaker and Sears clan), cake and presents at Mom & Dad's, Dinner date night with Matt, and midnight bowling with Matt, Kerri and Justin. The whole day was wonderful!

Mr. funny man heard "Happy Birthday" and once again, assumed it was his birthday! Oh I adore him!

Connor is all about some cake and "Happy birthday" singing!

Juice break with Nana

We had such a blast bowling and hanging out that night. I can't say I dominated in bowling all night, but I did beat everyone at least one game! :)

Thanks to everyone for making my day so great!

xoxo

What's up

What's been up with us...well...LOTS!

May not seem like a lot by the photos, but Connor's been busy. Playdates, park dates, smoothies (a new favorite), Kaylee's 2nd birthday party, luxurious baths in a new tub, and hanging at Nana & Papa's. I'll let the pictures tell the stories...

These 2 two year olds had a great time cooking up some yummies in Kaylee's play kitchen last week. Connor did his famous "Mmmm" while Kaylee did all the cooking. They were like an old fashioned couple...

Just a random shot of the smirf. It's funny how I went from having about 20 pictures of Connor a day when he was a baby and practically immobile. Now, I'm lucky to get one good shot of him that's not blurred while he's in motion! He has really sprouted up lately...looking taller and leaner...and starting to grow into his head, hands, and feet! :) I love his little man build when he doesn't have a shirt on...like tiny man muscles. This picture captures his tiny scar on his upper chest too. Can't believe his surgery was just over a year ago. Scary how fast time flies.

As Jimmy B would say "The weather is here. I wish you were beautiful!"

The weather has to be just chilly enough to fully enjoy Liam park (since the lack of shade and direct sunlight seem to make that park roast in the heat). The weather was perfect. We had the park all to ourselves!

I always look at this contraption and wonder "What parents let there kids on that thing?!" It looks like an injury waiting it happen...Well...guess which dare devil kid decided to give it a try! Connor put his climbing skills to the test and jumped right on. I was hanging near him the entire time, but he did awesome.

Matt snapped me a few shots from up top :)

My monkeys!

Pretty sure I got a "Cheeeeeese" out of Connor for this picture. I L-O-V-E to hear words!!!!!!!

I've also become quite discouraged in the kitchen these days. Mr. Picky Eater (no idea where he gets that from.... ;) ) makes it so hard to try new foods. I want to make sure he's getting his veggies and fruits, so I've been busting out the good ol' Magic Bullet to make some smoothies. We use bananas, strawberries, blue berries, raspberries, black berries, low fat yogurt, and a baby food jar. I still keep baby food stocked (the half fruit/half veggie combos), refrigerate them, and serve them as "apple sauce" to Connor still to sneak in those veggies whenever I can! Since I have yet to make a smoothie that Connor doesn't like, I'm gonna venture out and toss in a few veggies with his fruit to see if he'll take the bait!!! :)

This past Saturday was Little Miss Kaylee's 2nd birthday. Connor has googly eyes for this little girl and never misses a chance to give her a hug when he sees her! Connor had a great time trying to keep up with the big boys, tossing bean bags, climbing the swingset, and endulging his a few cupcakes :). I love how his face lights up when people start singing "Happy Birthday!" I'm pretty sure he assumes that it's always his birthday and knows to look for cake!

Trying to give his hug to the birthday girl

Super Connor on the big boy swing!

The birthday girl!

One of my favorite gifts this year was a surprise from my parents--they had my bathroom painted for me while I was at work right before Christmas! I was so surprised and thrilled, since its the one room I never had painted (and so badly wished I had). With the bathroom feeling a little more pretty, I've decided to hang out in there a little more. Connor got to take a luxurious bubble bath in Mommy's tub (and has every night since this time). He loves the extra room to splash and the new view! I've also found that one of the greatest bath toys is a bar of soap! Shaped like a rock, cleans you while you play...it's Connor's new fave! :)

We spent some time hanging out at Nana & Papa's last weekend and enjoyed the weather as we played in the rocks, on the swing, and tried out his new bike from Christmas (the photos will be loaded later from my phone camera since my digital camera battery died just before his venture out on his bike).

I need to get in gear for our professional photos in 9 days! Hair cuts, outfits ready, no bumps or bruises hopefully beforehand....wish us luck! :)

We have WORDS!!!

My little boy has been a 'mover' right from the start...

I remember waking in the night to his flopping around in my belly.

I believe when he was born, he was fully frustrated with the fact that his body wouldn't get him where he wanted to go.

His crawling led to walking which quickly led to running all the time!

I think his focus on being mobile left little focus on verbal communication.

Well the time has come...

Although it's just a start, my little monkey is saying words!!!

I could not be any more excited!!!

I was able to get my little guy to perform for the camera to show off some new skills.

Current vocabulary consists of Sink, Sing, Straw, Tweet Tweet (noise bird makes), Dottie (cat from his favorite show, "Oso"), All Clean, duck, Ninnie (yep...the word we use to identify 'teets'...I'm blaming his fascination on these to being nursed...), Nee (Ernie from Sesame Street), Ma (that would be me!), Nana, and that (used to pretty much identify everything).

Watch & enjoy :)