Myma's Tigger

Every year Angela's work holds a Fall party. She works with the elderly and severely handicap. It is always a lot of fun. I didnt even think of dressing William up, but his dear aunt Theresa saw a Tigger costume about a month ago and got it for him as gift for both him and Angela (Tigger is her favorite....actually she IS Tigger).
There were lots of goodies and great entertainment. The people that she takes care of put on a skit for everyone there. William of course stole the show with his abounding cuteness.
I have to admit that I will go to just about anything where I can show him off.
Someone else really enjoys showing him off too....his Myma!

She loves her grandbaby. He's pretty fond of her too.

The bunch that Angela works with are such a hoot. You cant help but laugh when you are with them.


And here is Tigger with one of our favorite people, Yolanda. This is one of the funniest people I know. Not to mention sweet, genuine and just a great girl. William likes her too, but he likes her jewlry even more. She was dressed as a church lady.


Thank you Trucare for having us. We had a blast!

one BIG post!!!

Okay, I am not doing great with the 365 project. The hard work is not taking the photos but editing, and uploading them. I wish I could actually get one up everyday but it is almost impossible. So with this post I am going to do all of the recent ones at once.

Day 42 He fights sleep so hard! While eating, he constantly fights to sit up because he does not want to fall asleep. He refuses to play on his tummy if he is tired...because of course that could result in him falling asleep.
I know he will be out within minutes when he does this move. He has done this since he was tiny. I guess he has a flare for the dramatics.


Day 41


Day 40 Poppy's 60th Birthday.

Day 39


Day 38 I just love this picture! Watching Saturday football with Uncle Ricky.

easter and check-ups

Sunday was William's first Easter. I know that is a big day for parents, preparing baskets, coloring eggs and waiting for the "bunny" to come. Shea and didn't do any of that this year. First of all there is no need, from Shea's family alone he received 4 Easter baskets.
We have yet to decide on our apporach to this holiday.
Easter eve as we were going to sleep Shea had the history channel on the t.v. They were doing a special on the mystery of the shroud. As I was trying to fall asleep I could hear in the background details of what they thought the man that once lay under this shroud must have faced. The information was so technical and scientific, but they spoke about the brutality of this death. I didn't and still do not have an opinion on whether or not this was Jesus' shroud from His death none of that was what lay on my mind. Imagining His death and meditating on it stirred my heart. This Easter, pondering the magnificence of his death is much more significant to me. Now as a mother, the thought of such suffering pains me. I cant imagine what the Father faced as He allowed His Son to suffer the worst death possible. What is so astounding is that He did all that He did just to be with me. I actually tried to think of anything that would motivate my heart in such a way that I could allow my sweet son to face that kind of death. I shutter at the thought, knowing that His capacity to love is even greater, I know that it was the ultimate sacrifice. How He loves me, knows the details of my life and the true simplicity of all that I am, how is it He is ravished by me.
I want to love Him more and more and more.......


In order for Angela to see her grandson on Easter we had to make a trip to her church. After the service there was a little picnic . He slept in her arms the entire time. She loves her William.




William is 6 weeks old today. He went to the doctor last week and he is doing great. He is 9lbs 8 oz now. He is much more alert and awake more often during the day. We see a little smile here and there, I am really looking forward to more of those. When either Shea or I see him smile we call for other one "he's smiling."

Parenthood is so much fun....and so much work! Boy, are we tired! He is defiantly worth it all.

Here is my beautiful boy, this picture was taken at Aunt Theresa's house in front of that magnificent view of hers.

I saw him sleeping with his arms stretched over his head and I had to capture it. He looks like he is sleeping so good. I am so jealous that does look like some good sleep. What a little angel he is.

Baby's First St. Patrick's Day

This week was a big deal in this family St. Patrick's Day. It is also very special because it is also Aunt Theresa's birthday. We spent the day with her and Angela. We ate luch at Olive Garden and then stayed for several hours just enjoying being together. We always have such a blast with these two. I love all the stories about their childhood and especially stories of Shea's Papa that William was named after.

I have been looking forward to this day. I needed to get out of the house and be with people for a little while. I love taking care of my little man, but I also needed a day spent laughing. It is also so wonderful to be with people that love him so much. One of my greatest desires for my children is that they would have family. Family that loves and adores him in every way. I didn't even know what that would look like, but I see it now. We are so blessed to be surrounded by these people with such wonderful hearts.

Of course William had a really cute outfit for the day. He had to be all decked out for such a special day. (It reads "Shamrock and roll") His Papa William would be so proud.

William and his "Myma"

The last 2 days have been a whirlwind. Finally having William home has been an experience that words cant describe. I love holding him and loving on him. But anyone that has had a newborn will tell you that it also can be a ton of work. Not to mention if one is recovering from a c-section. I must say that this would have been even harder if it wasn't for my blessing of a mother in law. She is one of the most loving people that I know, she showers us with love and affection at any and every opportunity. My husband is a bit of a "mama's boy" and if I had any other mother in law that may be hard to deal with but not with Angela at all.
She has been here taking care of the house, me and Shea. Doing anything she can find to do around the house while we get to know our new little boy. I wake up every morning with coffee made, and breakfast on a plate waiting for me. We are being treated like royalty.
Having her here means so much to us, not because of the royal treatment but also because she gets to bond with her first grandchild. It is an honor to have given her the grandchild she has longed for for so many years. This baby is really in for some spoiling.......

Christmas at Home

After a long drive back from Georgia, I realized that there really is no place like home. Before we left for Georgia Shea and I went out to eat with his aunts and mom to exchange gifts. There was no big family gathering, which was really nice. We spent Christmas day at Shea's parent's house.

Unfortunately we awoke Christmas morning to pouring down rain. It didn't ruin our day though. We spent the day just relaxing, opening gifts and talking about how great next year will be with a little one here.
Speaking of William, even though he is not currently present he was showered with many, many Christmas presents from Shea's family.
We had a wonderful holiday. I will cherish this first year Christmas together forever, knowing that holidays in the years to come will never be the same. I so look forward to sharing next year with my baby boy.
Here are a few pictures.....

Catching Up

It seems like every few days I think about something that I need to post. It just seems like the actual appointment to sit down and do it never arrives. There are several events that I needed to post over the last month or so , but I kept putting it off. So, now I am going to cram them all into one post and just try better next time.
First of all.......at the end of last month I had the pleasure of going to Jacksonville, FL to visit my dearest friend, Jamie. It was the first time I have seen her since stopping by on my way home from our honeymoon.
This was especially exciting because I got to meet the newest addition to the Graston family, little Noah Justice.
The time I got to spend just sitting and talking with Jamie was all very refreshing. In a way, when I am with her it feels like going home, to a place that is familiar and comfortable. Her friendship is so precious to me, so necessary almost like oxygen to my soul at times.
Another great pleasure from the visit was that I got to take photos of Jamie and baby Noah together. They are very sweet pictures. I really loved being there with a brand new baby. It only made the yearning for William's arrival next year even stronger. I got some good baby 101 from the best mom in the world too. I wish she could be here to give me a refresher course when he does finally arrive.
It was a wonderful trip and I cant wait for my next one! Here are few pictures of Jamie and Noah.




I enjoyed the visit but was anxious to get home to see Shea and the dogs, what began as only a few days from home though turned into almost 9 days away on the way home.
Shea called me as I was driving back to tell me that he had the dreaded H1N1. That meant that I couldn't go home. Thank God I was gone the days that he was exposed to the swine flu. The Lord shielded me and my son.
Luckily we have a wonderful family here. Aunt Theresa allowed me to stay with her until it was safe for me to return home. As Shea rode out the flu, I was living the high life. Enjoying the magnificent view of the river from her condo, being treated life a queen. Shea said every time he called me we were always doing something. One of this family's favorite pass times is Scrabble....and we played a lot of Scrabble.
Here is a picture of that majestic view of the river.

And here is her cute dog, Willie. He dressed as Batman to pass out candy at Dianne's house.a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UuajMR5K-Rts75l40fWk9yVHpzaXPiQt_qA_9qHz5kOhtD4yCYyx1pnwvRWaYAjpffZtsrYHHIXtMSCb6f4riyDZRqJYNJJNltjQRRPcOnv03-Wo0439v-gyRZ94muITEaeZXxFAhSLf/s1600/HPIM8633.JPG">
Last week, another one of our wonderful aunts, Aunt Cathy asked us to house sit for her and Uncle Tim. We took care of her 3 dalmatians for a couple of days. It was a lot of fun. We got to spend some time with Shea's cousin Mark too. It felt like a little mini vacation for us as well. It's nice to get away even if just for a short time. Even if it's not in a hotel in a land far away!
In case you haven't noticed.....(for the most part anyway) we are all dog people in this family!

Finally one of the last big events of this month........we celebrated Aunt Cathy's birthday with her on Tuesday. A hand full of us went to Outback for dinner and then headed over to her house for some.............you guessed it SCRABBLE. Another note on that little game of Scrabble...... I won! Just thought I would throw that in.



Now, November is almost over and the last event of this month will be Thanksgiving. Let's hope that I post photos and memories from that day before Christmas gets here.

Life is hectic right now, but it's starting to fizzle down. I have finals coming up in the the 2 weeks and a couple of research papers due. I am looking forward to this semester's end. At 25 weeks pregnant, I am noticing that my brain does not function at it's highest levels. I am praying for clear handedness the week of finals.


Pregnancy is beginning to get pretty cool! Finally, at 21 weeks I felt the baby move for the first time. I was at Jamie's house laying on the floor when felt him for the first time.
I called Shea to tell him about it and he said....." I am not sure you should be doing that, you could crush him." Once I figured out that it was easier to feel his movements whe I lay on my stomach, I did it all the time.
At 22 1/2 I began to feel him more throughout the day. It is one of the coolest experiences. Last night for the first time Shea put his hand on my stomach and felt kicks. That was also really special. I love experiencing him in new ways everyday. I think almost daily about how blessed I am to be giving the gift of fertility and motherhood.

I thought these were cute pictures of the dogs.........






This is one of my favorites!! This is how I feel 90% of the day!