You Asked, I Answer

I've had a lot of questions lately through email and comments and instead of answering them all individually, I thought I would post answers here.  I am terrible about answering emails and comments, but I promise, I do read them all.  Please keep commenting, I LOVE knowing who is reading!  :-)

1. Where did I get my Christmas stockings?
I bought one for each of us and Spencer at Ballard's about 2 years ago then ordered one for Nicholas this fall to match.  They are SO CUTE and look great with our decor.  I highly recommend them!

2. Where do I shop?
This question makes me laugh because I think I dress really plain and kind of frumpy compared to other bloggers that always look so cute because my favorite clothes are jeans and sweaters or t-shirts.  My favorite stores are Gap, Ann Taylor Loft, and NY & Co.  My sweater on Thanksgiving came from NY & Co and all of my jeans are Gap Long and Lean (I am 5'2 and 135, not exactly long and lean, but they make you look like you are! PERFECT!).  I find myself wearing a lot of pink, black, brown, and yellow (in the summer).  I am not a fan of dresses, but I do own a few.  I just prefer pants because I stay cold all the time, even pregnant in the summer I was cold! Ha!

3. Where do you get Nicholas' monogrammed clothes?
I have bought some things on Etsy.  I really like SheSheMade and a friend of mine did all of our "N" shirts, bibs, and burp cloths.  Most of his clothes he wears on a regular basis are from Gymboree, Gap, and Carter's.  I may or may not have an addiction to Carter's.  Oops!

4. What do I do?
I am a RN, BSN.  I work in an office for two trauma surgeons Monday-Friday, 8-5.  I am so blessed to have a job that allows me to be at home on nights, weekends, and holidays and do NOT take that for granted.  I worked nights in an ICU before this and it was very hard being married and trying to balance it all.  I also had a couple of people ask how I got my job.  I answered an ad in the paper that I almost didn't reply to.  I didn't think I would like it, but it has turned out to be a great job and I can't imagine doing anything else now.

5. How did we discover Nicholas' milk protein allergy?
He was born at 38 weeks 1 day and slept most of the first two weeks.  On the 16th day he woke up a lot and just cried and screamed.  It was a Saturday afternoon and by mid afternoon he had many poopy diapers that were very runny and mucous (sorry, TMI, but important details).  His pedi wanted him to go to the ER.  There he was tested and everything came back negative.  On day 20, he started screaming 24 hrs a day.  I mean SCREAMING!  The next day we took him to the pedi and she decided he had reflux.  He started meds, but never seemed to get better.  At five weeks his stool tested positive for blood, a sign of a MPA.  I had already cut out all dairy, spicy, chocolate, and even some veggies out of my diet.  After a long talk with his pedi, she thought he *might* have an allergy to breast milk.  He was put on Alimentum.  It seemed to be our miracle cure for about two weeks, then his poop started getting really nasty again.  At 8 weeks he saw a GI dr for the first time.  He determined that he had a sever MPA and lost his entire intestinal lining.  No wonder poor baby was so unhappy!  He was put on another reflux med and pregestimil, a fancy, smancy formula.  Within a month he was a new baby!  At this time he is considered allergic to dairy, soy, wheat, and peanuts.  He will be tested at a year to see if he is ready for milk.  Until then we have to read labels on EVERYTHING he ingests.  I am praying he grows out of it, but due to the severity of his allergy, I won't be surprised either way.

I think that is all for tonight.  I hope I answered your question.  Keep commenting!  :-)

Deck The Halls...

...with pretty trees, baby bows, and Little People Nativities!  That is what you will find at our house!

Our tree at night.  I LOVE our tree this year.  I will show a better picture later, but here is a sneak peak.

 Our stockings.  Finally got to hang one for our sweet baby!  I love how cute his turned out and is the perfect combination of our stockings.

 Funny story time.  I had JUST bought a nativity that I LOVED two weeks before our fire, but as luck would have it, it was crushed by the ceiling falling in.  I have searched high and low ever since, but just can't find one I love as much.  I ran across this Little People's nativity a couple of weeks ago and until we no longer have small children, I think it will serve the purpose.  What do you think?  :-)

 Our dining room centerpiece and table set for Christmas

Nicholas' first tree!  I had this tree in my room last year without the green or baby's 1st Christmas ornaments, so I moved it to his room this year.  I thought the green ornaments and of course the bow from our door when he was born was the perfect addition for a baby tree!  :-)

Spread Some Cheer This Year!

Who likes free things this time of the year?  I know I do!  Shutterfly is giving away FIFTY free cards to anyone who blogs about their giveaway.  You can get more information here.  I have always used shutterfly for photo ordering and online sharing.  I think I created my account in 2003!  I've ordered my cards here before and they turned out great!  I wish I still had one to show you, but sadly, I don't. We usually send out between seventy-five and one hundred cards, so this is a huge help to my holiday budget.  This is an important year for us too because it is Nicholas' first Christmas.  Here are a couple of the front runners for our card.  There are so many to chose from here. As you can see, they offer a wide variety of styles...if only I could decide my favorite! Ha!  I know I want one with a large picture and two or three smaller ones as well.

This year I am considering making calendars to give as gifts.  I love the ease of making a calendar at Shutterfly.  Here are some cute examples on their site.  I am just having a hard time narrowing down which pictures to use! Ha!

Of course, you all know what a major OCD planner I am, so I am already getting ideas on cute birthday party invites.  I have found a few I like here.  I just know I want something to show off my cute little monkey on his first birthday and they have a lot to choose from!

Be sure to come back closer to Christmas to see the Ledford Family Christmas Card 2010 edition!  I will be sharing it as soon as it is delivered to all of our friends and family!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Happy Thanksgiving from the littlest turkey!

 I LOVE his outfit made by the wonderful, talented SheSheMade!

Nicholas let us sleep in until 7:00 (about 30 minutes later than normal), but we had to get up and get moving.  We had to be in Cleveland at Michael's Granddad's house around 11 to finish cooking and get ready for lunch at noon.  Nicholas proved to be the star of the show, as always.

 Nicholas and his Papaw (Michael's Granddad)

This is what happens to babies that have too much cereal at lunch on Thanksgiving!

 Nicholas playing on the blanket that was made by his Great-Great Aunt for his Grandmother Lisa.

  After spending all day with the Ledford Family, it was time to load back up to come back to Chattanooga to spend the evening with the Jacobs/Ross Family.  We were still full, so we didn't eat much.  I plan to enjoy it tomorrow after a day of shopping!  Ha!

Four generations...Nicholas, GiGi, Nana, and me

 Nicholas and Grandpa watching the Cowboys Game.  Nicholas is definitely a member of our family!  He loves his football!  Haha!

 Our happy little family after a long day of being thankful for being a family.  

 My cousin Lindsey gave Nicholas a bath earlier after he spit up on his cute outfit for 599 time today, so we just put him in bed when we got home around 7:30.  He was absolutely exhausted because he only had about two hours worth of naps all day.

I am so excited to start our own little holiday traditions, so I started one tonight.  Look who has arrived in Ringgold for the first time...

Our Elf On The Shelf!  He is currently watching Nicholas from his dresser where he will greet him in the morning.  I am very excited about this tradition.  I couldn't wait to bust him out!  I am getting ready for bed now.  I have a long day of shopping ahead of me.  My mom, Nicholas and I are hoping to get to the mall by 7ish for a day of good deals then Michael and I are planning on taking Nicholas to the Grand Illumination downtown tomorrow night.

Hope everyone is stuffed and had a very happy Thanksgiving!

Overwhelmed With Thanksgiving

Every year since I had my mac blog I've written a post on what I am most thankful for. I had such sadness in my heart when I made those posts (even last year because I was still scared something would go wrong between then and July and we were only seven weeks pregnant). This year things are so different.  I am not dreading spending yet another holiday without a baby, but I am blessed to be spending it with my sweet boy!  

This was our family last year.  I just THOUGHT I was thankful then!  I am actually overwhelmed with thankfulness tonight when I remember back to the last few Thanksgivings.  I think there will be a lot of tears of happiness and thankfulness over the next month as we go through our first holiday season as a family.

I am so thankful that God allowed me to have a successful, healthy pregnancy, delivery, and that I was able to be awake for it (for those of you who may not remember, I was supposed to have general anesthesia, but they decided to try a spinal at the last minute). 

  I am so thankful that He gave us a big, healthy, beautiful baby that changed our lives immediately.

 I am thankful for all the sweet moments I've had over the past five months with this sweet baby.  I am so thankful for his happiness, loving smiles, and big laughs.

  I'm thankful for fat little hands and feet to kiss and love on!

 I am thankful for even the moments when we are changing a dirty diaper...

   or getting spit up on.  There were so many times I prayed for that opportunity.  I am blessed to have it.

I am thankful for the days where Nicholas becomes fussy and the incredible non-napping baby.  He is NOT a napper, but that is ok, I am happy to spend that time with him.

I am even thankful when we have moments like this.  I always remember how many times I promised God that I would never complain about 4 am feedings, long nights, or a fussy baby and I have spent many nights in my glider feeding Nicholas and praising God for him.

Tomorrow is a day I've looked forward to for so long.  Our first major holiday as our new little family. I hope you remember what you are most thankful for and give thanks to God tomorrow, and every day. 

For those of you still waiting on your blessing, I am thinking of you and praying for you.  I know how heavy your heart is and how much you long for the chance to spend a holiday with your baby.  I am praying for peace for you over the holiday season and for you to be blessed with a miracle soon.

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. Psalm 9:1

I've Caught The Fever...

Royal Wedding Fever that is!!!!  How could you not?  I am loving Kate and William and I think they are a great couple.  I have hope for this marriage.  She has been around the family for over eight years, I think she knows what is in store for her.  I think she is so classy and beautiful and I think his mother would be so happy with his choice.

I have a confession to make, all of my life I've been obsessed with all things royal.  I love all things Windsor and I guess you could say that my trip to London was basically my journey to Mecca.  I couldn't get enough of the royal jewels, palaces, cathedrals, etc that I had read about and seen pictures of in countless magazines since I was three or four years old.  Yes, you read that right, this obsession literally spans my entire lifetime! Haha!  I can remember watching Prince Andrew marry Sarah Ferguson when I was five years old...and I probably still have a people magazine about it somewhere that my Nana bought for me!  Imagine my giddy happiness today when I realized that there was going to be another royal wedding!!!  It's hard to say what my deepest love is, weddings or royals???  Admit it, who doesn't consider Diana's wedding one of the classiest of all time?  I think the trumpets and great flare was fabulous.  I even walked down the aisle to Trumpet Voluntary, oh yes I did!  I also LOVE that Kate is sporting Diana's ring, but I am praying she doesn't bust that dress out of storage (the one thing I didn't like about the wedding, it was a bit over the top)!  :-)

Tonight while discussing the royal wedding with some girls on twitter I thought it would be fun to have a "bloggy royal wedding party" the day of the big wedding.  I say we all pull out our biggest, fanciest hats (because who doesn't love to see all the big, fun hats at a royal wedding), take picture of yourself, and post it to link I will have on my blog that day!  Who says you can't pretend that you attended the big event!  We'll just do it bloggy style!  So, when we get close to the big day, watch for details on how to attend the bloggy wedding party!

Weekend Wrapup on Monday

We had a good weekend, although it got off to a rather bumpy start.  Michael woke up at 2:45 Friday morning with the same virus Nicholas and I had earlier in the week and needless to say, neither of us got much sleep.  We spent most of Friday evening trying to keep Michael's food down and Nicholas away from him and his germs.  Saturday I had a busy day to say the least!  I am so sad we didn't get any pictures, but I had coffee in the afternoon with my good friend from college, Chea.  She was in town from Dallas and it was great to see her after all these years.  I have really missed her and we HAVE to stay in touch a little better this time!

Saturday evening Nicholas, GiGi, and I went to my cousin's baby, Caleb's 1st birthday party!  It was a cute party and Nicholas had a big time.  He loved watching the older babies and even sat up by himself for the first time, check it out!

 He was so busy playing with Caleb's toys that he would NOT look at the camera for a picture!  He had so much fun he was worn out when we left!

 Wendy, Caleb, and Ryan.  You can read Wendy's blog here.  Be sure to stop by and tell them hello!

 Someone wasn't too happy that he didn't get a cupcake too!

 Sunday we had a lazy day at home other than I ran out for a few minutes to the Just Between Friends consignment sale, but was NOT waiting in line for over an hour to save $20 off Nicholas' Christmas gift.  I'll just pay full price to NOT wait in that line.  We also had a visit from my good friend Michelle from Murfreesboro.  She was one of my biggest supporters and did a lot of praying when I was going through IF.  She had the same problems years ago and knew what I was going through.  She came by to meet our sweet boy, but again, I'm a bad blogger and forgot to take pictures.  When Nicholas started daycare I was given a poster board to make his "about me poster" for the foot of his bed at school.  I finally sat down and worked on it and this is what we finished with.  I'm pretty proud of our first school project! Haha!

Impacting Lives

A few weeks ago, I asked you to please pray for a sweet, elderly couple that was in a car accident.  Mr. Millirons passed away on Wednesday and she passed away of Friday.  I have so many wonderful childhood memories that included this couple.  I stayed in their home preschool/daycare for four years as did many, many other children in the East Brainerd area.  I remember her as very strict and structured, but also very loving and provided an environment I always felt at home in.  Her attention to detail and structure is something that I carried with me that has helped me so much in my life.  I am forever grateful and thankful for the love, care, and education she gave me.  I am also very thankful to Mr. Millirons and their sons for allowing her to make such an impact on so many young lives.

I have thought about them a lot over the past month since their accident.  One memory I distinctively remember was the day she asked us to draw a picture to represent what we wanted to be when we grew up and I remember drawing a nurse.  She told me that she thought I would be a wonderful nurse, but yes, I was five and I'm sure she said the same thing to everyone that day! Ha!  I was so looking forward to her follow up in our office so that I could tell her that I remembered that and I had become a nurse! It is so strange to me to think that day I had no idea how our paths would cross again years later, that they would be cared for by my boss.  It made me so sad on Friday to think that she didn't get to come in to the office so that I could tell her that I remembered that.  I know it would have made her heart so very happy!  Many on FB have paid tribute to them and I saw this story on the local news channel where he worked.  I felt like I needed to share a memory I had as well.  I hope they realized what an impact they had on so many children and families.

Please continue to pray for their two sons and their families as they prepare for a life without such wonderful parents and grandparents.  I can only imagine what fabulous grandparents they were knowing how loving and caring they were to so many other children.  Also, please remember them next time you are driving and texting and let it remind you not to do so.  It is something I'm trying to avoid now.  It is amazing how something like this changes how you view something we are all guilty of.

Becoming A Big Boy

I have taken a few pictures this week and I have noticed a common theme in all of them...my baby is becoming a big boy!  He is playing in two of his seats that he has been too small for and (even though I don't have a pic of it) he is starting to hold his bottle by himself for a few seconds at a time.  So hard to believe in six weeks he will be six months old!  It will be July 1 before I know it.  Oh the tears!

 I'm finally big enough to REALLY like my jumperoo!

 I've started grabbing onto blankets, burp cloths, clothes, hair, earrings, you name it, I grab it!

 I love my superseat!  Thanks Jenna and Brayden for the recommendation!

 Just a cute little face for you!  He is just too sweet for words!

Happy Birthday Aunt Melissa!

Nicholas says "Happy 24th Birthday Aunt Melissa!"

Today was Melissa's birthday, so after work I ran home, fed the baby, changed our clothes, and we met the family at Fuji for a Hibachi and sushi dinner.  Nicholas LOVED watching all the activity around us and it was so fun to watch him.

He was truly fascinated!  He was so tired when we got in the car that he went to sleep almost immediately and didn't wake up moving from his seat to his bed.  It was a late night for Little N, but he did great!  He was our entertainment by talking and laughing all night.  He sure knows how to work the crowd! 

Melissa loves Nicholas very much!  He is very lucky to have her as his Aunt.  She has given us a sneak peak of his 4 month pictures here.  I LOVE it!

It's About That Time and I Can't Wait!!!

Saturday my mom and I hit up a Christmas open house at a local store we have gone to since I was in 7th grade.  We couldn't wait to see what Nicholas did when he saw the pretty lights and decorations.  He was asleep when we got there, but once he woke up, we took him out of his seat and he was mesmerized by the trees.  He just stood there with his mouth open staring!  I decided then to do something I have always sworn I would NEVER do, put my tree up before Thanksgiving!  

I am so excited to start our own traditions with our little family. I have so many things planned in my head.  I'm excited to start Elf On A Shelf, listening to Christmas music in the car with Nicholas, riding around looking at Christmas lights, and only reading Christmas books at bedtime!  My parents gave us Elf On A Shelf last year and I think he is going to appear in our house on Thanksgiving night/Friday morning. I've been debating on whether I should go ahead and name him or wait on Nicholas to name him in a few years.  I think I'll name him and that way he can always call him by name (not that he will this year, but you know what I mean).  

What are your favorite Christmas traditions with your children?  Do you have any favorite CDs or books you would recommend?

Sick Again

Sorry for being MIA again, but we have been a little under the weather yet again.  This time Nicholas' class at school passed a GI bug around and he had a rough Saturday not wanting to nap, diarrhea, and excessive spit up.  Then by 3:00 Monday afternoon I had bad nausea and a sharp pain in my abdomen.  I left work a little early and come home and when I took my temperature, it was 100.7!  That is SUPER high for me, my average temp is usually between 97.0-97.5!  I don't think I have ever felt like I did last night, including when I was constantly sick and pregnant!  I took some tylenol and went to sleep for about eleven hours.  I still felt a little queasy and my abdomen was very sore, but no fever.  I took some zofran and went on to work.  By mid afternoon today I was feeling almost normal, but completely exhausted.  I am just really weak and sore.  My boss told me to get some pepcid and take it for a week and see how I do.  I've had this feeling before and he thinks it could be an ulcer, especially since pepcid or nexium always seem to help.

I'm hoping to get a new post up soon,  but here is a picture I took one morning before school.  Enjoy!  :-)

Lots of Questions

Ok, excuse me while bombard you with some random questions.  I am trying to decide what to ask for Christmas.  My parents, Michael's family, and Michael all want to know what I want and I always struggle with that.  I have never been one to make a list, anything is fine.  It always stresses me out when everyone wants to know what I want.  I'm not picky and I hate to sound greedy by giving a list.  The problem is now I have to figure out what both Nicholas and I want now.  Here is where you come in.  I need suggestions on toys or any idea for a six month old baby.  I know Santa is bringing him a Leap Frog Musical Table, a ball popper, a Leap Frog Scout, and a Little Zoomer's Speedway. I am also pretty sure he is bringing him a wagon and toy box to my parents house (yes, apparently Santa makes multiple stops for Nicholas and yes, he is rotten!).  The only thing I know he DOESN'T want is clothes! This kid has waaaaaaay too many!
Now, onto what I am thinking that I want.  My parents bought me a Canon XSi for my birthday and I need a good zoom lens.  Any suggestions?  I am clueless when it comes to my camera as far as accessories go, so any feedback would be awesome!  I'm also thinking of asking Michael for a video camera.  Right now I am using my old camera that has video capabilities, but I know I want an actual video camera as Nicholas gets older.  What video camera do you have?
The last question of the day: since we "fall back" this weekend, how do you adjust your baby's schedule to keep them on a normal routine during time changes? I'm stressing on this one!  Nicholas goes to bed by 7 every night and wakes up between 6:30-7 in the morning.  HELP!

And now some pictures so Nicholas' fan club doesn't get upset at this boring post!  :-)