Hatcher 12-14 Months

As my sweet boy is getting bigger, it's hard to stay as up-to-date on my blog as I would like. To say he keeps me busy and on my toes would be an understatement! The past two months have flown by and Hatcher is learning at warp's speed. It is amazing how much these little ones can learn in such a short period of time. He is at such a fun age and his personality is contagious! He can go 100 miles a minute and I will be so exhausted by the end of the day, I can barely hold my eyes open. But once he's asleep and I've had time to unwind, I miss him so much! He is so loving and gentle yet 100% boy and into everything and anything he can get his hands on; especially the things he knows he's not supposed to get into. Isn't that how it always is, though? Here's a snapshot into what he's been up to lately and the fun things he's learned to do.

-He LOVES to eat. I swear to you he can eat like a grown man. I try not to worry too much though because he's so active that he's working off all of those calories he's taking in. Lucky for us, he likes to eat healthy food and the occassional not so healthy foods. He isn't a picky eater at this point and will eat anything you put in front of him. He can be a bit agressive at the table because he gets impatient when he wants more but he has learned to say "please" or as he says it "peeaassse." We have also taught him how to sign for "more" and that has worked nicely most of the time especially when we're in public.

-Sleeping has improved somewhat over the past two months although some nights aren't as great as others. For about 3-4 weeks now, he's been sleeping through the night in his bed. He typically wakes up about 5:30 and gets in bed with us until around 7:00. Some nights though, he's up and down and ends up sleeping with us because it's the only way he'll calm down and rest. We've learned to pick our battles and this is one that we feel he'll eventually grow out of but we're not pressuring him. We didn't start doing anything differently and he started sleeping better all on his own. I know this is a hot button issue for a lot of parents but co-sleeping has worked for us and honestly a well-rested baby and mommy makes for a happier day!

-He's starting to say more things. Although he doesn't say many words, he is very "talkative" and has lots to say. I have no idea where he got that from?!?! He can say...momma, daddy, dooley, please, hello, hey, and bye-bye. And he has also said "go dawgs" or at least that's what he's trying to say much to the delight of my hubby! :)

-He has 8 teeth and is currently getting his bottom molars in on both sides. Hence, a few sleepless nights and some intense irritiablity. Yikes!

-Things he enjoys playing with: Elmo guitar, Cozy Coupe, VTech Alphabet train, trucks and tractors, lawn mower, Little People school bus and his sports activity center. He loves to pull down all of his books & flip through the pages. Still not a big fan of sitting still long enough to read a book from cover to cover but we do attempt it. He loves bath time and has the best time splashing the water. He has also started putting his face down in the water and thinks it's hilarious. Hopefully, that means he'll enjoy swim lessons! He will steal an iPhone in a hot minute and he talks to Siri very often. I think she's confused most of the time. He loves to play football with his Daddy and I love hearing him squeal and laugh.

-Sweet boy loves playing in the laundry room and helping Mommy put clothes in the dryer. He also enjoys playing in my pantry and is constantly strewing food all over the house. It is both funny and annoying. If a bathroom door is left open, he will flush the toilet at least 5 times. He likes to give his puppy, Dooley, treats and loves for him to chase him around and play. He thinks Dooley is so funny and is obsessed with his tail. Dooley is not happy about that.

-My sweet angel has been sick a good bit the past two months. He has had two ear infections one of which was a double ear infection. He also had walking pneumonia and was very sickly for two weeks. He passed that on to several people and our household was under the weather for several weeks. I hate seeing my boy sick and feeling poopy. Glad we are on the mend...if these teeth would just hurry up and come in! :)

-His favorite tv shows are Sesame Street and Thomas & Friends.

-He learned to blow kisses recently and it's the most precious thing ever. He gives the absolute BEST kisses and hugs in the world! Melts my heart every single time. He can get away with ANYTHING with a good slobbery kiss and he knows it too!

We are so excited for Christmas! I cannot wait to see him on Christmas morning. I'm sure there will be a special twinkle in his eye as he sits in front of the tree opening his gifts from Santa and family! And although that part is exciting and fun, I always want him to know the real reason for the season and that of course is the birth of our Lord & Savior. I also want him to know that it's better to give than to receive. I don't want him to always think of the gifts he's going to receive at Christmas. I pray we can always instill those values in him as he grows up.

His 15 month check-up is after Christmas and I can't wait to see how much he's grown in the past 3 months. We'll update then! :)

Merry Christmas to all of you & God bless you in the New Year!

His first goose egg & being sick all in a two day period. Poor baby! 

Helping Daddy work!

What a stinker! :)

Picking out the perfect pumpkins at the pumpkin patch!

So silly!

Our scary monster on Halloween!

Halloween 2013

Outlaw Family Reunion in Dublin

Serenading me with Elmo's World!

War Eagle!!! 

Hatcher is One! :)

My sweet baby turned ONE on September 24th!! I absolutely cannot believe how quickly the first year of his life went by. People always told us not to blink because he would grow up so fast. Boy, was that the truth! The past year has been amazing and a gift I am forever grateful for. I dreamed of being a mommy and what that role would be like my entire life. I can truly say it's far better than I ever imagined it would be. Hatcher has made me see life from a whole new perspective and he will forever be mommy's baby even if he is quickly becoming an independent toddler!

We had the most wonderful birthday celebration for our little guy which I will post about later this week. It was everything I had hoped it would be for him & much more. So, here are the things Hatcher is doing now & the things he's enjoying! :)

-He's WALKING up a storm! Let's be honest, it's more like running at this point! We have finally given him pretty much the complete run of the house. We keep the stairs gated off & any rooms he doesn't need to be in closed off. That includes the bathrooms because he has found the toilets & our bedroom because he's found the dog bowls. Yes, he has turned the water bowl over his head! He thought it was funny, Dooley & Mommy not so much.

-He's starting to make the "n" & "b" sounds when he's talking. The words he knows best are dada, mama, Dooley, hey & bye.

-Big guy is eating all table food now. He loves chicken (grilled or fried), any kind of fruit, sweet peas & carrots, goldfish & yogurt to name a few!

-He officially is a MILK drinker now! We made the official transition on 9/25, the day after his birthday. Since he did have milk sensitivity earlier, we made the transition slowly. I started adding milk to his formula in early September. He did really well & now we're working on the transition from bottle to sippy cup. He really likes the Nuk sippy cup with the soft nipple but we're working on the Nuk cup with the hard nipple now because it leaks less. He's taking 3 cups of milk a day. Typically, first thing in the morning, before his afternoon nap and just before bed. He takes water or very watered down apple juice at meal time.

-Some new tricks he has mastered are dancing...he likes to shake his booty when he hears music! Too cute!! He can point to his belly and we're working on pointing to our nose. One body part at a time! He loves to sing Patty Cake and when you get to the part where you say, "and mark with an H for Hatcher & me, " he marks the palm of his hand likes he's trying to make an "h"!! One of his absolute favorites is to make the "ahhh" sound and then to run his hand over his lips. It's so funny & he cracks up! Waving hello & bye bye has become a new favorite too. He knew how to do it months ago but now he does it any time you say it.

-His favorite toys are his John Deere tractor, Elmo guitar, sports activity center and pretend cell phone! He enjoys pulling all of the books off his book shelf and flipping through the pages to see the pictures. He will rarely sit down long enough to read the book with us so sometimes we read to him while he plays.

This boy is growing up way too fast!! We are so in love with him and can't wait to see what the next year of his life holds! I've said it before & I'll always say it, Thank you, Lord, for our precious son! :)

Seagrove Beach - August 2013

I've got to get better at blogging...I'm so behind! I want to share a little about our beach trip & some pictures from our fun trip.

We got to spend 8 full days at the beach in Seagrove with my parents. It was such a fun and much needed vacation! We hadn't been on vacation with my family in more than 5 years so this trip was a great get-away and such a good time. We stayed in a condo right on the beach and boy did Hatcher enjoy himself. On our trip back in May, he wasn't a big fan of the sand or the ocean so we spent most of our time at the pool. This time was completely different...he hated the pool & loved the beach! Perfectly fine with us because that's where we'd rather be too! He loved playing in the sand & sitting at the edge of the ocean with his daddy and letting the water run on his little feet. It was the sweetest sight! We ate great food all week and even enjoyed some nice dinners out. Since it rained some while we were there, we did some shopping & sight seeing. My parents were awesome & even let Johny & I have a date night one night which was so much fun! Hatcher did catch a little bug while we were there so we did keep him in out of the heat one full day. Not sure what was going on with him but he had an upset tummy & just couldn't seem to stop crying. So unlike him & it was hard to see him feeling yucky on vacation. Being away with my parents and my two boys was so much fun & I'm already looking forward to next year's trip! 

First ice cream cone! 

Toes in the sand!

I want to remember moments like this forever! :)

Grammie & HT on the beach! 

My boys in the ocean!

Be still my heart.

This is the life!

Dinner out on the town!

He thought he was so big riding in the race car buggy at Publix with his Daddy & Poppy!

HT with Grammie & Poppy in Destin for dinner!

My whole world.

Look at that baby in his Polo baseball cap. Too cute!

My little family!

Sacked out in our beach wagon.

Which he could also stand up in & thought was too funny!

With the gator at Bayou Bills!

Family dinner night at Bayou Bills minus Johny.

On the beach with Grammie & Poppy

I could eat him up!

11 Months Old!

Our little man turned 11 months old on August 24th! We're less than a month away from his first birthday party...wow!! Hatcher had an eventful 10th month filled with lots of fun adventures. He is getting so big and learning so many new things. It seems impossible the amount of things he learns from month to month. Children really are like sponges and our boy takes it all in. Here are some fun things he's doing right now!

-WALKING!! Hatcher took his first steps a few weeks back and up until the past day or so crawling was still his main source of mobility. He wasn't so sure of the whole walking thing. He seemed to get the hang of it though while we were at the beach. He was walking on his tippy toes a lot before but I think the sand taught him how to get his balance and walk more flat footed. Yesterday and today though he's been cruising really well on his own but is still working on standing from a seated position.

-Hatcher is eating more & more table food. He will still eat baby food though which is honestly nice sometimes when I'm in a pinch and need a quick go-to meal. Some of his favorite foods are: bananas, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, pears, cinnamon toast, yogurt, oatmeal, grits, avacados, cheese or turkey sandwiches, chicken salad, pasta salad, spaghetti and chicken & rice. He's not a picky eater at this point and I hope he never is.

-He loves to wave hello & goodbye! He's a very friendly little fellow and enjoys riding in the grocery cart or his stroller and waving to people that pass by. He's very observant and takes everything in when we're out and about. He's starting to say more words..."dada" is still by far his favorite but he can also say "hey" and "doooey" which translates to Dooley our beagle! So sweet to watch him call Dooley when Dooley is outside playing.

-Hatch decided he isn't a big fan of being in the car unless he can watch Sesame Street so we invested in an inexpensive portable DVD player for the car and a few $5 Sesame Street videos to keep him entertained while on the road.

-Bath time is a FAVORITE and he loves winding down before bed time with a bath! He outgrew his infant tub and honestly it was quite difficult trying to keep him in it. So, now he takes a bath like a big boy! We bought him a non skid mat for the floor of the tub and lots of little toys and he has a ball! He's all over the place though so it's quite the work-out!!

-He is becoming more interested in books and will just sit and flip through them over & over. He loves to play in his room and empty out all the toy baskets on his book shelf. He can entertain himself and us in there for hours!

-The little guy is starting to have little tantrums when he doesn't get his way. It's so unlike him and we haven't seen any of this behavior before now so I'm hoping it's just a phase and that he'll figure it out soon. Right now, we just try to ignore the behavior and give him the attention he wants once he's calmed down.

-He's finally getting his 4 top teeth in that he's been working on since he was 6 months old!! Ahh!! One top tooth is through the gum so maybe his pain & irritibility will be over soon enough.

-We're giving him more & more freedom around the house as he gets more mobile. We still watch him like a hawk because I'm so afraid of him falling & getting hurt but I know that's just part of him growing up & learning.

-Hatcher has started Mother's Morning Out at our church. It began 3 weeks ago but he's only been twice because we were at the beach the second week. He's going one day a week for 3 hours. To be honest, it hasn't gone well so far and he has cried a lot of the time but I'm praying that he'll get the hang of it soon. I really believe he needs this interaction with other children and I know it's good for him to be away from me sometimes but it really is heart breaking. I feel so bad leaving him but the love I get when I pick him is so sweet! Please keep us in your prayers that HT will start enjoying his time there.

There will be more posts to come about things Hatcher has been up to the past month. He had a week long stay with his Grammie while Johny & I went to Las Vegas, he took a trip to LaGrange for a wedding with us, had some QT with his Aunt Britney while mommy volunteered for her sorority for a few days and then most recently he spent 8 days at the beach with family! All of those posts & pictures are to come in the next few days.

Johny & I were talking just this morning about how fun this age is right now! He's so cute & his little personality is really shining through. I love him more & more every single day. Below are pictures from our little 11 month photo shoot! :)

Hatcher Turns 10 Months Old

Hatcher turned 10 months old on July 24th, which was the same day Johny and I left for our first trip away together since Hatcher's birth. {More on that trip in a later post} This sweet boy is growing up so quickly and I swear he grows so much each week. He's getting so tall and feels like he weighs a ton. He's losing that baby fat since he's getting more & more mobile but he's still just heavy. I should have very toned arms like Tracy Anderson talks about in her workout DVD {which I bought & have done once & didn't even finish the entire workout}but I don't!

Here are some fun facts about what our sweet boy is doing now:

-HT learned to walk!! He took his very first steps on July 31 and we were so very proud of him! We had noticed that he was trying to figure it all out & were so afraid he was going to do it for the first time while we were in Las Vegas but he didn't. He knew that would break his mommy's heart! He took about 10-12 steps not all at once but over the course of the day. It's on now...life is about to get even crazier!! It just doesn't seem right that my 10 month old BABY can WALK!!!
-He has discovered that he can crawl anywhere he wants too {although this doesn't mean mommy & daddy want him too} and this means he doesn't always want to be held. He also doesn't always want to play in his walker or any of his other toys. I mean why would he when he can crawl all over the place & get into all of the things he's not supposed to get into. He's a handful but it's super fun!
-He still hates having his diaper or clothes changed. You gotta be quick & sometimes he just goes pantless because it's easier than fighting the battle. You gotta choose what's more important, right?
-He is no longer drinking Nutramigen. We have transitioned him to Enfamil's Genlease which is a milk based formula but the milk is more broken down than in a standard milk based formula so it's a little easier on his tummy. He's still experiencing some constipation but his pediatrician says this is better than the alternative & shows that he isn't allergic but that it's just a sensitivity that he will likely grow out of. We figured this transition would make going to whole milk a little easier.
-We are slowly transitioning from solid, pureed foods to finger foods. He had his first complete meal of fingers foods on July 30 and he LOVED it! He had sloppy joe meat, green peas, blueberries and puffs. He ate every bite & did so well feeding himself. He has officially mastered the sippy cup and loves drinking water.
-He is beginning to enjoy the church nursery more. He still gets upset sometimes when I leave him or if one of the other babies is crying but they say it stops within a few minutes & that he just plays his little heart out. He is so good around other kids & as a stay at home mom that makes me feel good because we worry about them not socializing with other children as often as children who go to daycare.
-We're still in teething mode & he has 6 teeth trying desperately to break through on the top. It'll look like they're coming any day & then it seems like they just stop. He's drooling a lot this go round & can't find enough things to chew on. He's a trooper though & we're just praying they break through soon so he'll feel better.
-HT can say dada, mama {although that one's rare}, hey and he tries to say Dooley...comes out a little like Doo Doo unfortunately! :) He's also waving which is too cute!
-Sleeping is still not where we'd like for it to be but we're dealing. We know some of it is the teething & some of it is separation anxiety. We're still rocking him to sleep and hope that after our beach trip later this month that we can start teaching him how to fall asleep on his own. But I gotta say, rocking him to sleep is one of my favorite things to do because it's our time to cuddle and he's so sweet! I'll miss this when we're not doing it anymore.

I also want to share a sweet moment that happened about two weeks ago. In my Bible study group, we were talking about moments when we've experience "pure joy" in our lives. I talked about the moment I realized that Johny and I were going to be more than just friends and that God had designed him especially for me and that he would one day be my husband. That was "pure joy" because he was so special to me and I was excited to see where our relationship would go. There are honestly many moments of joy in life like the day you get engaged, the day you get married and the day your child is born. But there are also days where you experience joy in the little things of life. That happened to me two weeks ago when I was rocking Hatch to sleep. He had been giving me a hard time. He would fall asleep in my arms and then wake up talking like he was playing possum with me. I kept thinking about all I had to get done during his nap & that I needed him to go to sleep quickly. Then it happened. Pure joy. He lifted his head off of my chest pulled out his pacie, smiled at me and kissed me right on the lips!! I started smiling and laughing and then he started laughing! God was reminding me that this time with him is short and before I know it he'll be 18 years old and going off to college. He was reminding me to enjoy these little moments and to soak them in because all the chores in my home can wait. My heart was so full as I fell in love with this sweet child all over again and tears streamed down my face. Then he laid his little head back down and fell asleep. I'm not going to lie, I held him a little longer that afternoon before laying him down. He's precious and such an amazing gift from my Heavenly Father! I'm so very thankful for him and am so proud to be his mommy!

Here are some pictures for month 10:

10 months old!!

Momma...this thing is sticky!

So cute!

Look at me, I can walk!

Loves pushing his puppy toy around that his Grammie & Poppy gave him!

Hatch goes to Birmingham!

This past weekend we took a trip with my mom (Hatcher's Grammie) to Birmingham to visit my sister. I hadn't been there in about 2 years and since my last visit she had moved into a new apartment with her roommate and friend since college, Kylee. Britney had invited us awhile back to come for a long weekend and now that Hatcher was a little older I thought it was the perfect time to go. Hatch & I drove over to LaGrange on Friday afternoon and spent the night at my parent's house. We packed up and left early Saturday morning to head to Birmingham...just in time for Hatch's nap time and he slept all but 30 minutes of the 2.5 hour trip! We arrived in the pouring down rain, so Britney came down to grab Hatcher and take him inside while mom and I unloaded the car. Well, Hatcher wasn't too thrilled to be going into a new place with new people without his mommy and he cried for probably 20 minutes. Poor guy and this separation anxiety truly breaks my heart! He warmed up to everyone though and loved showing off his new tricks he's learned since my sister last saw him in June.

Britney had to work Saturday night so we got to spend some time with our Macon friends, Brooke & Brandon, who relocated to Birmingham last year. It was so great seeing them and their new home and seeing how much their kiddos, Brody & Brynlee had grown. They had never met Hatcher so it was fun introducing him and watching our babies play together! I'm so happy they're loving Birmingham but boy do we miss them here!!

On Sunday, my dad drove over and we all had brunch at a restaurant called Five. It was delicious!! Afterwards, we went shopping for a bit to find Hatcher some new shoes that will help him with learning to walk. Then, we were off to the McWane Science Center. Oh what fun!! We met up with my friend, Lauren, from high school and her husband Sam and their twin boys Charlie & Bo. We had not seen each other probably since we went off to college ten years ago but it was like we hadn't missed a beat and we had the best time catching up and watching the babies explore the museum together! To end this fun and busy day, we had dinner with my sister and her boyfriend, Chase.

We are so thankful to have been able to spend some good quality time with my sister and her friends as well as some of our old friends! Watching the relationship between Britney and Hatcher grow is so amazing! They both love each other so much!! It was fun watching Hatcher exploring new places and things. It's hard to believe he'll be one in just 2.5 months!!

Here are some pictures from our trip:

Grammie & Poppy surprised Hatch with a pool full of balls & new toys at their house!

He had the best time & was worn out afterwards!

Having lunch at Aunt Brit's apartment. He did so awesome in his new booster seat.

I love these two!

Fascinated with looking out the windows & seeing all the cars & people in the parking lot.

Big guy is doing so good with his sippy cup!

Miss Brynlee is too cute & has the cutest little personality! 

The Lerner Family minus Brandon {he was taking the picture}! We miss these guys so much & wish they still lived just next door! :)

Brunch at Five

Playing in the water at the McWane Center!

I was so proud of Hatch...he stood up all by himself playing in the water station with all the big kids. He didn't fall down once & was soaked from all the water afterwards!!

Hatcher with Charlie & Bo! 

Mommy & Hatcher

Playing in the wall of water with Aunt B!

My precious family! :) 

Such a great time catching up with Lauren & her twin boys!

Looking out that window again! :)

Enjoying his first post-dinner cookie!

Hatcher & Brynlee! :)

One of Hatch's favorite things to do when Daddy isn't with us, FaceTime!! He loves it!