Before and After...

The pictures speak for themselves. He was SOOO skinny. You can probably imagine how much I LOVE those chubbies on him!

Happy Birthday, My Love!

Well, it is just past midnight, and I am typically in bed by 10pm, but Gage's birthday party is tomorrow night, and I have decided that I am going to start a tradition--in addition to the birthday cake for the guests at his party, I am going to make him his very own special cake every year. This year, I went with a baseball! It is by no means perfect, but if it were, then I would have started with the highest expectations, and that would be pure crazy. Okay, so that's just an excuse. I've simply no where NEAR mastered the technique of decorative cake baking.

I will take better pictures of it tomorrow as it sits on his high chair tray for a moment, before he destroys it...without an ounce of appreciation for the hours of careful effort and ridiculously sore hands of his mother.

Anyway, Gage spent his "actual" birthday at work with Mom, playing with Laura Grace. Tomorrow evening, we will have his party! Pictures will SURELY follow.

Reminiscing...

For the past week, I have been constantly remembering back to a year ago. On June 26 of last year, I was transfered via ambulance to a hospital with a NICU capable of handling a baby so early, because my water broke at 31 weeks, and the only option was to deliver. I was scared to death that my precious baby was going to be born "too" early. The ultrasound showed that he was about 3 lbs. Doctors were very concerned about his lungs, so they pumped me full of steroids to help them develop more quickly. And then for the next six days, I lay in the hospital bed, allowing him time to grow, as doctors watched closely for signs of infection or irregular heartbeat.

On July 1 (exactly a year ago today), at about 10pm, I started noticing a tenderness in my stomach that the doctors were concerned could be an infection, since I was much more susceptible to infection without sufficient water around the baby as protection.

Early the next morning, after an exhausting c-section at 2:45am, I burst into tears as I heard the doctor say "he has baby fat!", and I heard that loud cry, his first noise--a sound I will never forget as long as I live.

I had prepared myself (as well as I knew how) to hear no baby sounds as doctors hurriedly allotted me a quick glance at my silent baby and rushed him away shoving tubes and needles in him. So I cannot begin to explain the joy I felt when I heard him crying so loudly, saw doctors smiling (obviously relieved that he was not as tiny or dependent as expected), and watched as Josh took him in his arms and brought him to me, and I will never forget that first kiss when Josh brought him close enough for my lips to brush his.

Gage was a whopping 4lbs 5oz, he had very slight breathing complications, but improved quickly, and though the doctors anticipated his hospital stay would be every bit of six weeks, he came home eleven days after he was born. God is so good!

I am convinced that this world is a better place because Gage is in it. To know this little man is to love him. He is a gift, and I cannot imagine life without him.

Tomorrow, he will be one year old, and this has been the best year of my life! I will be forever grateful because of this miracle with whom God chose to bless us!

My little chef

Josh may kill me for posting a picture of his BOY in Gracie's kitchen set, but he was just SO cute! And please forgive the quality of picture-it was taken with my blackberry.

Here are some snapshots of the past two weeks, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get the pictures WHERE I want them to correspond with the text, so I will have to explain... It is HOT here in North Carolina, so any outdoor activities require WATER! We've done lots of swimming at Jim and Michelle's beach house, but other than that we enjoy air-conditioned activities such as storytime at Barnes and Noble (where you can see Gage and Gracie were more interested in the Thomas the Train set).
Gage did NOT drink that Capri Sun (for you health crazed moms out there:) . He was simply enjoying chewing on Gracie's empty juice container.
The picture of Gage sleeping on Daddy was ironically taken on Father's Day. They had a sweet nap together. Gage has been fighting a bit of a cold (yes, it is 90 degrees here), so he has been spoiled a bit in the sleep routine department.
And yesterday, he decided to unravel the wrapping paper left out from Father's Day, and this is how I found him--happily in mischief.

Eleven Months

I can't believe my itty bitty preemie will be a year old in one month and is nearing the 25lb mark. Sometimes, I wish I could freeze time! He's growing too quickly. Here is a picture of his "curly after bath" hair and his five teeth (three on top, and two on bottom)!

Silly Sleeper/ Xander

I am constantly capturing Gage's adorable sleeping positions, but have neglected to post them for fear of rebuke from my safety consious friends (because he has a few pillow toys and a blankie in his crib). However, I just can't resist with this one. This is how I found him asleep for his morning nap just moments ago.

...and these are a couple of pictures of some more fun in the sun at the beach house. I took Xander with me this weekend, and he had a lot of fun with Laura Grace and her glorious pool! Gracie's favorite activity in the pool is getting thrown, and there is no such thing as "too" high to her, as you can tell from this photo of her being thrown by her daddy.

Memorial Day Weekend

We had such a great weekend! It was our first time staying at Jim and Michelle's new beach house (which is arguably more of a RESORT than a house). They have been building since this time last year, and we have watched it quickly come together these past few months. It is absolutely amazing, and Gage had a great time, especially in their pool, complete with fountains (that change color at night) and hot tub!

Laura Grace has become a little fish, and is rarely OUT of the pool. She and Gage had a ball!!

Monday, we drove back from the beach and had a cookout with Josh's family at his brother's house. We had beautiful weather the whole time and really could not have asked for a better holiday weekend.

As an added note, you simply MUST check out the newest picture of my nephew, Hayes on Theresa's blog.

More VB...

Today is my birthday, so Josh and Gage surprised me with this matching wallet and make-up bag this morning with a VERY sweet card! I just love it! I'll ignore the fact that my first surprise this morning was of a much different sort and was delivered via Gage at 5 am!

And can you believe that it is not even 11am, and I have had SIX people (not including Josh and Gage) send me an e-mail, text, or phone call, wishing me a happy birthday already?!?!?! How sweet is that? I feel so loved today!

Gifts

For my first Mother's Day, Josh gave me this Vera Bradley bag (the bigger size was much needed since mommyhood), and Gage gave me this personalized frame (he's very thoughtful at such a young age:). I just thought I would share about the generosity of the two men in my life...

And as a side note, this particular VB bag has oodles of pockets inside to keep all of my goodies organized--goodies such as wipes, camera, wallet, hand sanitizer, etc... Such a "mom" gift REALLY!

And as another sidenote, the picture in the frame was taken during our Christmas vacation in Michigan--the only time Gage has had an excuse to wear such adorable winter clothing (thanks to his big cousin, Preston for sharing).

Happy Summer!

I know that it "technically" is not summer for another month or so, but it surely FEELS like summer here in North Carolina! I just love
this time of year, and spending time in the sun and days at the beach are even so much more fun with Gage.

This time last year I was very pregnant and a tad miserable in the heat, so I am all the more grateful for May weather
this year!

Here are a couple of snapshots of two of the
greatest joys in my life...

Mother's Day...

Ten things I love about being a mom (even though there are LOTS more):

Playing on the floor
Gage's breath (there is no greater smell in this WORLD to me than that!)
Big blue eyes that I can read better than anyone else
Fresh from the bath smell (apparently, I am really into "smells" lately)
Kissing chubby hands, legs, and every part of his head and face all day long
Baby noises-he "sings" and "screams" a lot lately
Kissing boo boos
Hearing Gage laugh
Going to the park
Observing "Gage and Daddy time"

TEN MONTHS!!

Wow! I just can't believe that my little boy is ten months old now. This picture is to commemorate this milestone. Notice he is sporting Daddy's Chicago Bears.

Strawberry Patch

We took Gracie and Gage to pick strawberries on Wednesday, because Josh had the day off, and I like to plan those particular activities when I have a little "back up" help. Gracie thoroughly enjoyed it, and Gage thoroughly enjoyed watching her enjoy it (that's really all it takes for him). Anyway, it was a beautiful day, and we had a great time. The strawberry patch was followed by lunch at Sonic, which lasted about two hours, because they have the BEST playgrounds!

A day at the park...

Typically, one would describe a day at the park as "fun" or "relaxing" or at the very least "leisurely," right?! Ours was not to be.

Last Friday, my sister in law,Theresa and I decided that we would take the boys to the park, which is about a mile from her house and let Xander and Cade ride their bikes, so we could push the little men in strollers and get a little exercise and fresh air. We planned to get there at about 11am (Gage usually naps from 10-11, so we thought this would work well), but Gage decided to sleep until noon, so we headed over to Theresa's to pick the crew up about an hour past schedule. Theresa had decided to feed the boys lunch by this time, so when I got to her house, I thought it best to feed Gage as well. Hayes (the only "low maintenance" one of the bunch) had eaten at 11, so he would be good until 2 -ish. We started to load up the boys. About 30 minutes later, we had all three carseats in place (Xander would have to go without the booster this time-after all, it was only a mile), but there was not a chance we were going to fit two bikes and two strollers in the back of my Yukon (a car that most would consider LARGE). We DID try, but to no avail. At this point, our trip to the park had become more of a challenge. Kids are getting fussy, and we are running out of options. We finally decided to borrow a car from Aunt Char to transport the bikes and strollers. We all drove to her house, dropped Tree off to drive the borrowed car, drove back to the house, loaded up the bikes and strollers, and she followed me to the park. We unloaded the boys, strollers, and bikes, and we placed every one in their appropriate places, and off we went down the track. I think we got to the park by 3pm. Between diaper changes, potty breaks, and feedings, we got a mere two laps around the track and about thirty minutes on the playground. By the time we loaded everyone and every thing back in the car and arrived home, it was time for baths and bed. Whew... May be a while before we venture off to the park again. Though it made for a lot of laughing, we are not convinced the visit was worth the effort.

Catching up...

1. Springtime: We have spent some time at the beach already this spring-not really swimming, but playing. Gage was introduced to the "actual" beach for the first time (he's been lots, but this was the first time he actually touched the sand). To my surprise, he did not eat it! That was a shock, because my little porker eats EVERYTHING!!

2. My brother and sister in law came down for a visit a few weeks ago, and it was so nice to visit with them and get some good quality time with my niece, Chae. We spent a couple of days at the beach, and Chae and Laura Grace became fast friends, of course.

3. Gage is officially crawling and pulling himself up (on EVERYTHING)! I say "officially," because he has been "army crawling" on his belly for a while now, but now he uses both hands and knees. He has been healthy, other than a couple of minor colds, and growing up so much daily. I feel like my baby has turned into a toddler already... He loves food (as I'm sure you can tell), and he actually bypassed stage 1 foods altogether! Now that I think of it, I believe he bypassed size 1 diapers too, and went from newborn to 2! I miss my baby, but I have fallen so deeply in love with this little man!

4. Josh's position at Segrave Aviation changed from "charter sales rep" to "dispatch," with hope to be moved into a management position within the 3-4 months. For that, we are extremely grateful.

5. Laura Grace is changing by the minute. She is a sharp little girl. Lately, we have been working on a "50 states" song, identifying the states on a map, and learning how to recognize letters. She is such a quick learner, and that makes teaching her a BREEZE!

6. My newest nephew, Hayes has exceeded the 8 lb mark and is doing fantastic! He is such a handsome little man, and Theresa's wisdom will surely come in handy for me, since this is her THIRD boy! Theresa has recently joined the blogging world, so check her out if you get a chance! She is a high school AP and honors English teacher, so everything she writes is an easy read!

Daddy's boy

Gage really did seem to be into the "ESPN" magazine... Dad was so proud!
And here is a picture of Gracie, giving Gage a ride on her sit n spin. While her silly face may seem to be that of a frustrated child, that is actually a "sweet" face. She was loving on him the whole time-she's very sweet to Gage (most of the time:), and for that, I am VERY thankful!

Happy Easter!!

Okay..... I'm gonna do a little survey here. Let me preface by saying that I LOVE my baby boy's happy face! However, I prefer picture #1. I have this great camera (thanks to my employers), and I have the option of using my flash. I prefer not to. I think that the picture looks more natural without the flash and the colors are better. However, the camera does not allow ANY movement when not using the flash, and when Gage smiles, he giggles and moves A LOT...are you keeping up with me here? :) So, it is either a smiley picture with flash or somber (still) picture without flash. What do you think?!?!?! And does anyone out there have any photography advise (except to buy a more expensive camera!)?!?!

Hayes Update

Whew... I finally got a post on there to announce his birth and request prayer, and I already have an update! Theresa called earlier today and said the ventilator is out, and she was able to feed him! Yay!! I can't WAIT to see him sans...tubes and at home!!

Jaxson Hayes Golden

After a rough pregnancy, having been enduring contractions since December, my sister in law,Theresa had her third boy Tuesday, March 18th! Hayes was 6 lbs 8 oz, 19 inches long (a big guy for 35 weeks)! He is in the NICU with some respiratory problems. They had to put him on a ventilator early yesterday, but are hoping they can take that out soon-maybe even today. He is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO cute with LOTS of hair (surprisingly since Xander and Cade were baldies, as well as Gage:)!! Here are a couple of shots I took last night, visiting with him. Doesn't Mommy look great too?!?! Please keep him in your prayers...Theresa too!! I remember all too clearly how painful it is to leave your baby in the hospital-pray for strength for her and Shane, as they have the added responsibilty of caring for two other children at home! We are hopeful that Hayes will be home very soon!!