Sunday, June 26, 2011

A Safari Party For Our Wild Boy!

Today was one of the days I dreamt of all of those hard, long days of infertility...The First Birthday Party!!!!  Nicholas' actual birthday is on Friday, but since that is July 4th weekend, we celebrated with family and friends today!  I will do a much more detailed post later this week, but here are some pictures for now!
Here is a picture post of some of my favorite moments of our Safari Party!


 








Thank you to all of our friends and family who helped make today so much fun and for all of their love and support over the past year.  We love you all!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Fabulous Finds At JBF!

I meant to have this post ready to go on Saturday, but it just didn't workout.  I had too much to do, but without further delay, let me just tell you that my LOVE for JBF continues to grow!  For about four months I've been in the market for a Little Tikes Castle Slide, but I didn't want to pay full price for one at TRU ($79.99) for something that he may or may not even like.  I decided to try Craigslist, but just couldn't find one that looked new or it was too far away.  I had given up and decided that I would just pay full price for one if I didn't see one at JBF I liked.  Thursday night at drop off I found one I was slightly interested in, but wasn't 100% sold on it.  After coming home and thinking it over for a two days I decided if it was still there when I shopped at 11:00, it would be meant to be.  Well, it was still there and after I pulled it out of line and looked it over, it looked brand new!  I was sold!  So, I managed to find Nicholas' birthday present for 50% of retail at $40.00!!!  I am so excited to give it to him!  Here it is in the driveway.
If you saw my Father's Day post, you also saw the other awesome deal I got!  That backpack retails on the manufacturer's website for $185, guess what I paid...$15.00!!!!  It looks great and like it has been very gently used!  SCORE!
I redid Nicholas' bathroom last weekend to a funky monkey pattern that I found at Target last year when I registered, but just haven't put it all together yet.  I still needed the towels, vanity accessories, and another rug.  I had already walked through the room with bedding, but didn't look too seriously since we didn't need any.  However, when my mom got there I went through again with her and she got super excited that she found a bag with all of this in it...his entire set!  It is about $125 new and I paid $30 for everything!  Two rugs (I forgot to put them in the picture, I have one in the bathroom with his other one I already had and one in his room), shower curtain, bath towel, 2 hand towels, toothbrush holder, soap dispenser, and 2 hooded towels!  SCORE again!!!
Since this was the All-Seasons sale, I went ahead and bought a lot of holiday sleepers, outfits, and pjs, along with a couple of just warm, winter clothes.  
I also found quite a few cute school clothes for this summer since he has already outgrown half of what we bought him in March!
All of those clothes were just a little over $100!!!  It is seriously the way to shop if you are a Mom on a budget, which I am.  I am going back Saturday morning to the half-off sale!  There were a few things that if they are still available, I will get then.  Be sure to check out the sale this week at Camp Jordan and don't forget it is half off day on Saturday!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Happy Father's Day!

Today was Michael's first "real" Father's Day.  Just like Mother's Day, we did gifts last year, but this year we celebrated our best gift ever, Nicholas!  He arrived just 11 days after Father's Day last year and I was on modified bed rest at this point last year (hello swollen body and high blood pressure!)...
What a difference a year makes!  Here we are this year!
When we were going through infertility and our miscarriages Michael was my rock.  He had faith it would happen, just to be patient.  He kept me going on so many bad days, although looking back, there were times the fact he just KNEW it was going to happen drove me crazy!  I wanted to kill him at times because I was so down and he was so positive! Haha!  I always laugh when I told him my water broke and he asked if I was sure...um, yeah, pretty sure!  I also think my very, very most favorite moment of our nine years together was the moment I saw him fall in love with our baby.  I am so thankful that I was able to be awake (I almost had to have general anesthesia) and see that moment!
Nicholas loves his Daddy so much!  It always makes me smile.  When he comes home from school the first thing he does is go to his Daddy.  He can't wait to spend time with him and Michael is the same way.  Michael has been so supportive to me in my struggle to be a good working mom.  It is the hardest thing I've had to do to juggle home and work and I know I couldn't have done it without him!  I am so thankful for all of his help.
For months Michael has been wanting a backpack carrier to take on hikes or wherever we want to take Nicholas.  However, he didn't want to spend a lot of money on one in case Nicholas hated being in it (a good possibility!).  Thursday while i was dropping off my JBF stuff, I noticed this for an unbelievably good price.  Yesterday once I found a few things that were on my priority list, I ran back over to where this was and it was still there.  I was so excited!  They both seem to love it!
We had a busy Father's Day starting with lunch with Michael's family at his Grandad's house.  Nicholas had his first taste of banana pudding!  He loved it!!!
He spent some time with his Grandad, Papaw (Michael's Grandad decided he wants to be Papaw now!), and Daddy.

Around 4:30 we left and headed back to Chattanooga for dinner with my parents.  My mom cooked roast, green beans (from my dad's garden), mashed potatoes, carrots, and fried okra.  YUM!  I think I am still full!  Nicholas again enjoyed some tasty banana pudding! Ha!  He made sure Grandpa read his card that he made for him!
He was very, very tired and didn't get a nap, so he was very cuddly and tired after his bath.
When we got home he had a little bit of a second wind, but not for long.  I found him on our computer bookshelf like this about 1 minute before I put him in bed!  It was a VERY long day for my sweet boy!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Becoming a Big Boy With New Foods

It seems like the past couple of weeks Nicholas has really grown in several different ways!  He has gotten bigger, more independent, *almost* walking, and now eating and drinking whatever he wants!!!

Last Friday night I decided it was time to try some dinosaur pasta (think spaghetti O's, but dinosaurs).  At first he wasn't too sure at all...
After he ate a few bites, I'll let you decide what he thought...
 He LOVED them!!!  Needless to say, he was stripped down and bathed immediately!  Haha!  The next morning we tried blueberry pancakes for the first time...again, a huge hit...he ate TWO! (isn't his bedhead cute?)

I caught this cute picture Friday night.  He was standing at our front door watching Michael talk to the neighbors.  I love how big he looks!

We have slowly been giving him foods that included COOKED dairy, soy, and egg, but of course, still no peanuts.  Today we had our last GI appointment!!!  He gave us the go ahead to give him whole milk. Ms. Carla gave him 2 ounces at lunch (with his taco salad! Ha!) and now he is refusing a bottle and his formula!  He has done fabulous!  Absolutely no signs yet of a problem!!!  I think we are officially weaned from a bottle and formula!

Because I want to remember his weight and length from today's visit, he was 22 pounds exactly and 30.75 inches long!!!  He is definitely getting to be a big boy!!!  That is 90% in height and 25% in weight!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

It's Almost That Time Again...JBF Time!!!

For those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile,  you know I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our local Just Between Friends sale!  You also know that I do not do advertisements or giveaways, however I love our local JBF so much, I have agreed to do some advertising for them!  I have gone to every sale since I attended the first time mom's sale in March 2010.  Now that I have Nicholas, I love being a consignor almost as much as I love shopping it!  It is my favorite place to find good quality, brand name clothes for Nicholas without sacrificing our budget.

This past March I found some great deals on boutique brand shortalls, swim trunks, and always a lot of Carter's stuff!  I got all of this for just over $100!!!
You are looking at 4 sleepers, 8-10 Carter's outfits, 4 boutique shortalls (one of which reversible), 4 swim trunks, a UTC onesie (my alma mater!), 1 pair of jeans, and 5 pairs of shorts!  Can you say a good deal?!

I have also found several toys for Nicholas there.  The last sale I got these two toys for a total of $8!  Almost $30 off retail!  I was super excited about that!

There is over 1,000 consignors with everything you could need for your child!  The items include clothes, formula, diapers, bibs, toys, baby gear, maternity clothes, and even dress up costumes!  They range from newborn to children's size 14.  Everything that is brought in by consignors are thoroughly inspected for quality and will not be accepted if there are any tears, stains, or it is outdated.  I have never had a problem with anything I bought at JBF.

I have to admit that as a very picky Mommy, I was skeptical about attending my first JBF sale and buying Nicholas second hand clothes.  However, once I walked in and saw the quality of the items, I never thought another thing about it.  I love that I can still dress him in cute, stylish clothes, but still have money in our budget for other things too!  JBF has been a blessing to our family on a budget.

JBF is at Camp Jordan Arena three times a year.  Usually in March, June, and October.  There will be a sale starting next Sunday, June 19!!!  It is the All-Seasons sale where you can find both summer and Fall items!  It will be a great way to stock up on back to school clothes!  As a consignor myself, I will be shopping the presale on Saturday, so check back Saturday afternoon to see all of my awesome finds and I might even give you a sneak peak of some things I saw there you might be interested in!

To read more about JBF in Chattanooga and the North Georgia area, go to http://chattanooga.jbfsale.com/pages/home!  Hope to see you all there!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Best Friends and A Day By The River

We had a really fun weekend last weekend and we did a couple of things I don't want to forget. 

Saturday was the day of birthday parties.  First, we had Nicholas' 11 month cake (see previous post) and then Saturday day night we went to my best friend of 22 years 30th birthday party!  It was a surprise party at a nice restaurant downtown planned by her husband, Eric.   He did a fabulous job pulling it off! She was totally surprised!
I had an amazing Braised Veal dish that was very tasty and for dessert Eric had the waitress bring out cupcakes from Chattanooga Cupcake.  To.Die.For!  I had the double chocolate! FABULOUS! 
Lauren and I laughed that we have been through so much together.  We've been through some hard time during her childhood together, survived friendship at two different high schools, ex-boyfriends, and college.   The first fifteen years we were friends were huge and eventful, but nothing in comparison to the last seven.  In December 2003, we got engaged four days apart (she on Sunday, me on Thursday), and then we planned weddings together (I got married in January, she in December of the same year).  
The next five years proved even more up and down.  In February 2007, 14 months after her wedding, Eric was in critical condition after being hit by a drunk driver while on his motorcycle (even after I told her not to buy him one!).  I spent the four weeks he was in the hospital on our trauma service spending some nights with her and a lot of time translating what our surgeons were telling her.  She was such a rock and to this day I am beyond proud of her and the display of faith she had that week.  I will never forget how hopeful she was, even during times I wasn't sure Eric would make it (I never exactly told her how close he came several times until years later. Only her mother knew and she has thanked me for not telling her several times.)  I relied on her strength and faith during my darkest days of infertility when there were days I was afraid I might never have a baby.  She always promised me that one day we WOULD have a baby shower at her house!  It WOULD happen!  Here I am with Lauren and her mother (as if you couldn't tell!).

 We laughed Monday on her actual birthday that as huge and epic as the last decade was, we can't wait to see what excitement our 30s bring! I know that no matter what it is, we can face it together with lots of class, fun, and always a lot of wine! :-)

From Lauren's party, we went across the river to Michael's best friend's house where he was having a party for his birthday!  Michael and Chad have been best friends since they were 15 and 16 (he is a year younger than we are).  They have also been through a lot and have remained close friends for years.  Unfortunately, my camera was dead by then, but here is a pic of them from our wedding.  Yes, Chad caught the garter and no he was not the next to get married! :-)
I'm sure over the next few years Uncle Chad will teach Nicholas some very important life skills! :-)

Sunday we were lazy other than going for breakfast, picking up the baby from my parents house and then we went as a family to the riverfront.  We LOVE Coldstone Creamery so we decided to take a little trip downtown to get a couple waffle bowls of ice cream!  We sat on the pier and ate our ice cream while Nicholas snacked on some puffs.
 His new favorite things are being held upside down and spinning around in a circle really fast!  He laughs so hard!
 Sweet Boy!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Happy 11 Months!

Sweet Nicholas, where has the time gone?  Once upon a time you looked like this
 Now you look like this
On Saturday we had your LAST monthly cake.  This makes mommy a very sad mommy!  I've loved celebrating all of your little milestones with you, especially your monthly birthdays!  This month you REALLY practiced your cake smashing skills.  Only a few more weeks until you get your very own cake to eat (I would say play in, but you are VERY serious about food and there is no doubt you will actually EAT your cake! Ha!). 
I loved the creativity Becky, the cake lady, used this month!  I told her I wanted something beachy-summery and this is what she came up with!  LOVE!

Nicholas what are you up to these days?  I don't know how much you weigh, but I would guess around 22 pounds!  You have gone through a huge growth spurt over the past couple of weeks.  We can tell when you pull up on things how much taller you are!  You are still in size 9 months, but you can also wear some 12 months in some brands.  I can't believe you are already in that size!  You are still in size 3 diapers and size 4 shoes. You have HUGE feet!

You eat solid foods at all meals and snacks now.  Two weeks ago you decided you were completely finished with baby food and refuse it.  You are eating everything except milk, cheese, eggs, and peanut butter (pretty much).  We go see your GI dr this month, so I'm excited to get to try those things.  Your favorite foods appears to be chicken nuggets and squash.  You are also starting to refuse your formula.  We are having to all but pour it down.
You are ***this*** close to walking.  Pretty sure you will be walking by your birthday.  You took a step at your Gigi's house on Sunday, so I'm thinking any day now.

You have FOUR teeth, two on top and two on the bottom.  You have almost cut two more on top.  They should be in by the end of the week, I think.

You had your first haircut on Saturday too.  You were SUCH a big boy!  I was so proud of you!

You still just say Mama, Dada, Dog, and Bye Bye.  We are working on a few more.

We love you more and more everyday.  I thank God several times a day for the blessing of being your Mommy!  You truly are the love and light of my life.