William's Hospital Visit

So, I haven't been back to update, because life has been busy, and we've been running around making new friends, seeing old friends and family and preparing for holidays. However, on Thursday, I was reminded just how lucky I am and how important it is to stop and just soak in this time that we get to spend with our little family rather than rushing around and preparing like crazy for the holidays.

We were planning on heading out of town on Friday late evening to go back home for the holidays, and we were planning to be gone about a week and a half; however, William (2.5 months) was just not acting like himself. He's typically a very laid back and relaxed baby, and he was just fussy and inconsolable. I just felt like something was off, so I decided to make him a doctor's appointment before we headed out of town.

We went to the appointment, and his pediatrician said he had some definite congestion and his chest sounded coarse, but he wasn't too concerned. He sent him for a chest x-ray just to be sure, and he wrote us a prescription for breathing treatments and an antibiotic. We did the chest x-ray, and we went home. I honestly thought nothing of it, and I just knew he was fine...then, I got the call. His pediatrician called, and he wanted us to check William into the hospital as soon as possible. He had pneumonia...I had a total breakdown. I was not at all prepared, because I thought he was fine, and it was nothing, so I just started crying. I called Grant, and I told him he needed to come home right away. I ran to pick up Weston, and I broke down at daycare picking him up. I think the director, and his teachers thought I had lost my mind. Anyways, Grant met us at the hospital, and I dropped Weston off with Grant. I went with William, and we checked into the hospital for three long days. I spent most of my time at the hospital from Thursday afternoon until we were released on Sunday morning. It was terrible...

I had to see my baby get breathing treatments every four hours, have an IV in his foot then pull it out and have to get it put in his arm, have multiple attempts at getting the IV in, because he's a chubby baby, and it didn't go in easily, sleeping and laying in a tent as much as possible, so he could get oxygen and more...it was a nightmare. Not only that, but by Friday, I knew that I was sick too. I was achy and feverish, as well as, congested and coughing. It was terrible! I also had a mild case of mastitis, because he wasn't nursing well. It was truly miserable. I thought that Grant and I would be fine to not have anyone come down and help, but after feeling so terrible, I called my mom, and she arrived at 1:00 AM on Saturday morning. Grant came to the hospital first thing on Saturday to relieve me, and I came home to shower and nap. Then, I went back to the hospital and Grant headed home to be with Weston. Grant spent the evening with Weston while my mom and I were at the hospital with William. Then, I went home, and my mom stayed the night with William. I was just exhausted and sick. I REALLY hated to leave him, but I knew that I needed to get some sleep and try to feel better.

William came home on Sunday morning, and we are now back together as a family under the same roof. He has a follow-up visit on Wednesday morning at our pediatrician's office, and we hope that he is well enough to travel for Christmas on Wednesday evening. We were planning lots of visits with friends this week, but we aren't going to be able to follow through, unfortunately; however, I'm just grateful that he's going to be okay, and he's going to be home for Christmas. We are truly blessed and this just reminded me that we need to slow down and just relax and spend this time celebrating our family and not rushing around trying to get things done and do too much.

It's easy to take your babies health for granted...I hope to never take my healthy, happy babies for granted again. There are SO many people who don't have healthy babies, and they'll be spending the holidays in the hospital. Life is good, and William is recovering. I'm getting lots of snuggles and spending more time just relaxing on the couch and playing with my babies instead of constantly running around and feeling stressed!

William's Birth Story

As promised, I want to share Williams Birth Story with you all, as it was quite an adventure for our family. Grant moved to Brunswick in August when we closed on our new house, so he was five hours away, and we feared that he would miss Williams birth if things went quickly, and I went into labor when he wasn't in Athens.

To attempt to have William when Grant was in town...I did everything. I walked, miles and miles and miles, I ate TONS of eggplant Parmesan, I saw a chiropractor and an acupuncturist, I tried castor oil, etc. You name it, and I probably tried it to get William to go ahead and make his big debut. Nothing worked, and I was SO frustrated. I was SO tired and ready for him to arrive, and I really was more than anything ready for our family to be back together again, because it was hard to see Weston cry every Sunday when Grant left for the week.

I had contractions all day on Saturday, September 24th and Sunday, September 25th at almost 39 weeks; however, they kept coming and going, and they weren't consistent. My doctor had stripped my membranes on Friday, September 23rd, and I just knew that this was it, so Grant made the decision to stay and work from Athens on Monday. I was scheduled to be induced on Wednesday, September 28th, because my doctor wanted to try to make sure that Grant could be in town for Williams birth. I took off work on Monday, September 26th, because I was feeling so worn out from all the contractions, and I went to the mall, and I walked. I was 39 weeks that Monday, the 26th. Grant and I walked again that evening, and I woke up to bloody show on Tuesday morning. Grant went on to work on Tuesday, the 27th, and I decided to take Weston to daycare, and I was going to get my haircut and walk at the mall. I went to the mall first, and I walked just over two miles. After the walking, I was having contractions, but they didn't hurt, so I went on to my hair appointment.

I was having some fairly strong contractions about 10 minutes apart during my hair appointment, but I just knew that it was nothing, and they were going to stop again, so I headed back to Monroe, and I tried to lay down and take a nap. The contractions started getting closer and were about five minutes apart when I finally emailed Grant. I still didn't think I was in labor, because they didn't hurt. They were strong, but not real painful. I emailed Grant and said "I'm having contractions about 3-5 minutes apart, but they don't hurt or anything. Do you want to come to Monroe and try to work from here a bit this afternoon." He called me and headed straight back to Monroe.

He got to Monroe, and they were about 2 minutes apart but still not painful unless I was walking. He told me that I needed to call my OB, but I was being stubborn, so he called. They told him to go ahead and bring me in to the hospital. We headed in to the hospital on the way there, and they were between 1-2 minutes and getting stronger and more painful by the minute. At one point, I told Grant to drive faster. We got to the hospital, and we registered, and I was in a lot of pain every time a contraction came by that point. We got into the room, and they got us set-up at 3:30 PM. They checked me, and I was dilated to an 8-9 at 4:00 PM. I couldn't believe it...they tried to convince me not to get the epidural, but I was in tears by that time and begging for it, so they got it, and things slowed down a bit from there. They broke my water, and the midwife let me just relax for a bit. I was feeling a lot of pressure around 6:30 PM, so I called the midwife and asked her to check me. She came in, and checked me and said I was ready, so I pushed. He was immediately crowning, and she told me to stop, because we only had one nurse and no nursery nurse present yet. She was calling for the nurses, but I couldn't hold on any longer, so I pushed once more with just the midwife and one nurse, and he arrived at 6:41 PM.

William Thomas Harvey weighed 6 lb., 12 oz, and he was 19 3/4 inches long. He was smaller than his big brother at birth but absolutely perfect! We are in love, and he is a wonderful, calm, quiet and relaxed baby! Thankfully he's so easy, because his big brother is a handful at this phase!

A lot has changed...

So, I have been SO bad about updating but life has been crazy busy, and I just haven't had much time to get my thoughts together enough to update the blog! But I've gotten a number of emails and comments asking how things are going, so I knew it was time to come back!

As my title suggests, a lot has changed since my last post, so this post will be full of bullets:

- We sold our house in Athens to the company that Grant and I both work for, because no one had bought it before our 60 day offer came to a close, and we closed on a new house in Brunswick in August. We sold our house on August 8th and closed on our new house on August 10th...

- Weston and I moved in with my parents, so I could continue seeing my doctor, stay at work in my office and Weston could keep his sitter in late July.

- We set-up the house in Brunswick, but we have yet to decorate and get everything like I want it; however, we were able to set-up both boy's rooms before I was unable to travel and William arrived.

- William arrived on Tuesday, September 27th at 6:41 PM...birth story to follow. :)

- The boys and I packed up our things from my parents house and moved down to Brunswick on Friday, October 7th.

- We've gotten settled and transitioned to life with two boys in a new town. We've found a new church that we really enjoy where there are a lot of young couples with children. They've invited us to attend gatherings with them, and we are really enjoying spending time and meeting new people in our area.

- We enjoyed a fun Halloween where Weston dressed up as a fisherman and William didn't dress up, because I didn't want to spend money on a Halloween costume for a one month old. We got bit up my sand gnats and mosquitoes.

- Grant got awarded the Distinguished Young Alumnus award for the UGA Warnell School of Forestry this past weekend, and we were invited to a celebration dinner, brunch the following day, two tickets to the Sky Box for the UGA vs. New Mexico State Homecoming game and a two night stay at Hotel Indigo in Athens, GA. William was able to attend with us, and it was a great honor for Grant to receive the award.

Anyways, I've got lots more to update on, and over the next few days, I'll do posts about the following: Williams Birthday, Weston's Allergies, Asthma and Eczema, Halloween and the Boy's Rooms at our new house.

For the moment...I'll just share a photo of our new little guy and his proud big brother, Weston.

It's been hard...

I'm not going to lie, life has been really difficult lately, and while I have so much to post about and so many updates in our life, I haven't been updating my blog much lately, because every time I sit down to type, I feel the tears well up to my eyes when I think about how overwhelmed I've been and how much I'm struggling with the changes that are our life right now.

So, I'll sum it up in bullet points now with some details, and I'll try to be more regular posting on my blog.

- As I posted in early May, we are moving about four and a half hours away from our friends and family, and it's hard. Weston and I are here in Athens while Grant spends most of the week down in South GA. It's hard to be pregnant and alone with a toddler...the emotions are high, and it's just tough. I'm also very sad about moving away from my friends and my home, and it's been really difficult making this transition, and I haven't even had to do it yet!

- My blood pressure is already high at 26 weeks pregnant...I am now making regular visits to my doctor, monitoring my salt intake and drinking lots of water. I'm also trying to relax a bit more, but I'm not real successful being home along with a toddler.

- The struggles of working with a relocation company and a down economy have been difficult...it's been shocking, and we still haven't even made an offer on a house yet. We are hoping that we will make offers this week and next, and we'll be able to move the first week in August, but we still don't know. It's tough...it's emotional to think that we are moving, and we don't have anywhere to live and Weston and William don't have rooms to sleep in. I know they will, but I'm a planner, so this is tough for me!

- Weston is getting tubes in his ears on July 18th...I'm nervous, but I'm also excited. I'm anxious to get past this chapter in our lives where he is living in pain, because his ears hurt. I'm SO grateful that he will finally be able to feel better and hear!

- I'm having to do quite a bit of travel for work, and I despise it...if I never had to travel again for work, I would be happy. I can't stand it, and it's making a me grumpy sometimes, because I don't think that this is a feasible situation when William is born. I don't think there is anyway that I can travel and live this far away from any family. I'm struggling with this...

- Gaining weight...I hate gaining weight, and I know it's inevitable when I'm pregnant. I feel huge though, and I constantly get comments like, "Oh you are big...you aren't going to make it to your due date!" Keep in mind that I'm 5'0 tall, and I don't have much room for this baby to go, so I may look bigger. No matter what, it doesn't make me feel very good.

- The truth...Grant told me that I was gaining weight all over, but it was "normal" for pregnant women. I already feel huge, and I know that I asked him if I was gaining weight, but I just wanted the answer to be "no". He is such a truthful guy, and I know he didn't mean anything by it, but it hurt. I won't let him know that it hurt my feelings, because then he would feel bad, because I know he didn't mean anything by it.

- My marriage! This is probably the biggest thing...Grant and I work together SO well as a team, and we have the things that we do around the house, and we get everything done, and it works perfectly. He spends a lot of time with Weston on the weekends and let's me run errands, so I can get a break after spending all week with Weston by myself, and it's SO nice. He also lets me sleep in every Saturday and Sunday morning. It's great! We have a great time spending time together on the weekends and just enjoying one another's company, but I feel like we are just in this "routine". We don't see one another all week, and it's just like we have so much to do and want to do on the weekends, that we don't just sit and talk to one another. We don't relax or have time to watch movies together in the evenings. We go to bed at different times, because we both have different things that we want to get done, and I don't feel like we have that excitement in our marriage anymore. We don't do anything spontaneous or get to spend time just us together. We are so busy with the move and trying to find a new house that we just don't have time to think about all those romantic things and doing things for one another that makes you feel good. We love one another so much, but it's just hard right now...I know that it's just a phase, and it will get better, but right now, with a pending move and upcoming new baby, it may be awhile, and I know that I have to be patient.

Anyways, I think that's it...though probably enough! Lots of updates and struggles in our life right now, but we are working together, and it will get better all around.

Big Boy

I've got lots of updates and life has been crazy, but for now, I'll leave you with this...our big boy! Weston has been sleeping in his "big boy bed" for about two weeks now, and he's doing great. He likes to get up a little bit earlier than I would like and come in and see us, i.e. 5:45 AM, but he's not getting up all hours of the night, and he's doing really well.

Here is my little guy...

Double Ear Infection, Take 2

So sad to report that Weston has another double ear infection this time with pus in both ears, and our doctor is a bit concerned that his speech may start to be delayed, because he can't hear us. I'm SO sad that it may cause him developmental issues, because he can't hear us.

He's not responding to antibiotics anymore, and he's allergic to penicillin, so we had to do the antibiotic shot today. We have to go back for the second one on Thursday. Hopefully, it works! Anyways, we have a referral to an ENT, and we hope to get in and get the tube surgery quickly! I want my angel to be well!

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we move forward with this journey!

My Little Climber

I was hopeful that Weston would be able to move to a "Big Boy" bed before William arrives, but I know that he's still going to be a bit young when his little brother arrives, so I was worried that it might not be possible; however, Weston decided for me that at a mere almost 16 months old...he is ready for a Big Boy bed!

He may not understand that he is going to be moved and why he needs to stay in his bed right away, but unfortunately, he has to be moved quickly. He has become quite the climber, and he can climb/fall out of his crib even though there are no bumpers and the crib is all the way lowered.

The first time that he did this...he scared me to death! I heard this HUGE thud, and I was sound asleep. Talk about getting my adrenaline running at 6:00 in the morning!! He has done it twice since then, and he has become more and more graceful with each climb/fall from his crib. He definitely needs to be moved out of his crib, so he doesn't get hurt. We are working on converting his crib to a toddler bed, and we are also working on getting a more permanent bed for Weston. (Thanks Amanda!!)

Wish us luck that the move won't be too difficult for us!

This is tough...

Now, my little boy has a double ear infection, and my heart is broken! He spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights waking up every 1-2 hours, and I knew that he must have an ear infection. On Friday night, he spent the night with my parents, so Grant and I could get some stuff done around our house in preparation to sell. My mom said he was up and down all night crying, and he might have an ear infection...he had a cold and runny nose last week! On Saturday, he was up every 1-2 hours, and he got up for good at 5:45 AM. It was the same thing on Sunday.

I called at 8:00 AM when the doctor's office opened, and they got me in at 9:15 AM. Dr. Baker, our pediatrician, saw us in the waiting room, and he waved to us, because we are old friends. The nurses said "Hi, Weston!" as soon as we walked in the door. I think that's a sign that we are there too often! Weston has been off the last antibiotic for 11 days, and he's back on another antibiotic. I feel SO bad, and I don't know what to do. I'm at a total loss, and I just feel like a terrible mother. I know that it's not my fault, but I do everything that I can, and he still gets sick. I nursed him for an entire year, and I thought that might help his immune system, but it seems to have made it worse.

My heart is breaking, because I'm getting constant comments from friends, co-workers and some family to the effect of..."OMG, is he really sick again?!" or "Unbelievable! Weston is ALWAYS sick!" or the best one..."What's wrong with that kid?" And I feel bad...those comments are not very encouraging to me and don't make me feel better. I feel like I did something wrong or something is wrong with Weston, because he's always sick. I'm trying so hard, but I still feel like a bad mother, because I can't do anything about it! As I sit here in tears, I just wonder if there is anything else that I can do...Is there something wrong with him that I don't know about that is making him sick all the time? We are going to the allergist on Friday, and I'm praying that he can help us figure something out. I would do anything to be sick all the time and have my little man be well!

Moving

Yup, that's right...our little family is moving! Grant was promoted to Resource Supervisor over our companies Coastal Unit, so we are moving from Athens to Brunswick, GA in the next few months. I'm SO sad about the move, because we will be leaving all of our friends and family, and I've lived here my whole life. But it's a great opportunity for our family, and I'm looking forward to the potential for me to work less hours, so I can spend more time at home with my boys.

The hardest part is that Grant will be moving in the next month or two, but Weston and I will be moving in with my parents while we await the arrival of William in late September/early October. I'm not too thrilled about the idea of finding a new doctor and hospital, so we've decided that it's best for me to stay here with my family and Weston and keep Weston with his awesome daycare provider until William is here.

After William arrives, I plan to stay here for a couple of weeks while things settle with a newborn, and I have some help since my dad works from home, and then the three of us will join Grant in Brunswick. I'm anxious to move forward with the process, so we can find a new house in our new town, and we can get settled in with our things before William is here.

Does anyone live in Brunswick? Or in the surrounding area that reads my blog? I'm guessing probably not, but it's worth a shot...I've started my search for things in the area that we need to find shortly after we arrive, i.e. pediatrician, doctor, gym, etc., and I'd love advice from anyone who is familiar with the area.

Weston @ 15 Months

So, I haven't updated any statistics on Weston in quite awhile, and I feel terrible, because I haven't been keeping up-to-date. Anyways, we had Weston's 15 Month appointment yesterday, so it's fresh on my mind, and I'm going to update.

At 15 months old...
- You are ALL over the place and your pregnant momma can barely keep up! You love being outside, and you pitch fits when we have to come inside or you want to go outside, and we're not ready to go out yet.

- You've started pitching fits when you don't get what you want, and it's not much fun. :) You also pitch some fits when you try hard to do something on your own and you aren't successful. I know that this is just the stage that we are in, but it's stressful and trying at times.

- You talk constantly...you have a big vocabulary for your age. You say the following words: hi, bye, ball, doggie, mommy, daddy, clock, hot, cold, go, car/truck (you currently combine the two into one word), kitty, baby, out, broo (broom) and all done/all gone.

- You have this really soft, sweet voice that you use sometimes...you only use it when you are saying "hi" to little people your size or when you see a baby. Sweet little boy... :)

- You like to figure things out...you were sick last week and on medicine, and you worked SO hard to get the medicine dropper together. After some trial and error, you were successful. You like to put things together and put things where they belong.

- You like to sweep...you hate the vacuum cleaner, but you love the broom. Every time you see it you say "broo" without the m, and you go directly to it to start sweeping the floor. I must sweep a lot! You also do this in the garage with the big broom.

- You repeat what we do and/or say...we now have to be really careful about what we do and say around you, because you are constantly watching and taking it all in.

- You sign more, milk and all done. Other than that, you don't really care to use signs that often.

- You NEVER sit still not even when you are sick...you have yet to watch more than 2 minutes of anything on TV or any movie or cartoon. I suppose that's a good thing, but occasionally it would be helpful if I could let you watch a quick video while I get something done.

- You have been constantly sick since I stopped nursing...we think you have some kind of allergy. We have an appointment with the allergist in a couple of weeks. It breaks my heart when you don't feel good, and it scares me to death when you have a fever that reaches 104.5. You also have eczema, and you've been prescribed a cream for relief. It always gets worse when you have a fever and your body temperature is elevated.

- You've lost weight after being sick last week and not eating, and you weigh 23.4 lbs, but you are still growing, and you are now 33.5 inches tall. I think you got your daddy's height! :)

- You are going to be a Big Brother soon, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us and our family of four!

- You constantly have bruises on your face, forehead and little legs. You are always falling or tripping, and you have NO fear. You are such a boy! :)

We love you, and we cherish these days that we spend together. We can't imagine life without you, and you completely brighten my day and make my morning every time you look at me, hold your arms up and say "momma" or "hi". I love it!

Note: These pictures were taken with my mom's camera and some of them are a bit blurry, but so cute, and they display W's real personality. So, I had to include them!! :) And SORRY for the picture overload! I can't help it!

Sick Again...

Weston is sick again, and I'm SO sad about it! I stopped nursing Weston around his first birthday (January 20th), and has been non-stop sick since I stopped nursing him. We have been to the doctor or on an antibiotic every single week since I stopped. Did I do something wrong? Should I have done something differently, so his immune system would have built up better? I just can't help but blame myself though I truthfully know that it's not my fault.

It all started with the flu, then he had an ear infection, then he had bronchitis that turned into RSV along with another ear infection, then he had strep throat, then he had pink eye due to a terrible ear infection that was making his eyes inflamed and now he has strep throat again. Seriously?! He just finished his antibiotic for his ear infection last night, so 10 days ago we were at the doctor, and we were back the day after he finished the antibiotic. He woke up around 5:30 this morning with a fever of 103. He had a really red throat, so we decided to take him back in this morning.

He was given another antibiotic, and he was sent for bloodwork. The doctor wants to make sure that he doesn't have mono or something else, because he shouldn't have gotten strep throat while on an antibiotic especially since it was the same one he took to clear it up the last time. I'm SO sad for my little boy, and I just don't understand. How many kids at 15 months old have had strep throat twice?! How many doctors even question mono for a 15 month old?! I'm just really, really sad about it, and it makes me devastated to see the thermometer read 104.

On top of the sickness, he has terrible allergies. He loves being outside, but if he touches the grass, then touches his face...it swells up and breaks out. He sneezes and gets watery eyes outside, and it's just miserable for him. Also, he has a rash all over his neck and body. It's not a bad one, and the doctor says it's just his sensitive skin and the hot weather, but I've tried changing detergents and everything, and he still has the rash. Any ideas on how to get rid of it?

I pray that my child gets better and is able to stay better...I want him to be happy and healthy and enjoy life and not spend it sick all the time. Please be thinking of us if you have any spare time...we haven't had a really healthy last three-four months, and I'm hoping that it turns around soon. :(

It's a...

We had a Gender Reveal Party this past Saturday, April 16th, and we cut into our cupcake to find BLUE! We are having another precious little boy. We are going to name him William Thomas, and we are SO thrilled to be having another boy. We are planning to create a "Big Boy" room for Weston, and William will be moved into Weston's room. We feel so blessed to have two little boys close in age who will play together and have so much fun growing up together!

And it always helps that we have clothes and toys and everything else that is blue and boy! I will post photos from our Gender Reveal party later this week. It was SO much fun, and we feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family who share these special occasions with us! :)

Needs for Baby #2

So, obviously, we already have most, if not all, of the baby essentials, and we do not have to buy them for Baby #2. It's definitely easier the second time, because I don't have a list a mile long of needs...but right now, I don't have anything on my list yet for Baby #2.

I know that so many of my blogger friends are pregnant or recently had Baby #2 or #3. What was on your list of needs for these babies? What did you have to have this time around that you couldn't re-use from the first go-around? Was there anything that you didn't buy for Baby #1 but purchased for your second or third?

Any advice is welcome! :)

Thank You!

Thanks to all of you for your great advice after Weston was feeling so badly, and I was out of town! Grant ended up taking him to the doctor on Tuesday, and it turned out that he was indeed very sick! He had strep throat. He's back on a 10 day antibiotic, and we are hoping that this will be the end of his sicknesses for the winter!

I'm SO worried though, because I feel like the RSV has caused him to be worn down and not be able to fight things off quite as easily as he did previously. I'm hoping that this doesn't continue to be the case, and he can stay well.

Thanks again to everyone! I really appreciate your advice and support! It is SO nice knowing that there are people out there that are so SUPPORTIVE and can relate to me when I'm going through this difficult times with my little guy.

Mom Advice Needed

So, Weston has been really sick the past four weeks, and we are SO ready for all of this sickness to be over. We thought that we had overcome the sickness, but apparently, we haven't.

It all started with a runny noise, then turned into difficulty breathing. We were at the doctor with the diagnosis of bronchitis and a prescription on a Thursday. He struggled to breath over the weekend, and we started breathing treatments prior to doctor recommendations on Saturday. He began wheezing, and we were back at the doctor on Monday. He tested positive for RSV, and he was put on a steroid and breathing treatments every four hours. He also had an ear infection in his right ear, so he was on an antibiotic for that. He was okay for the remainder of the week on steroids, antibiotic and breathing treatments. I took him to the doctor this past Friday for his follow-up appointment after being diagnosed 11 days earlier, and he had been running a fever the night before. I thought for sure his ear infection hadn't gone away...I was wrong. His ears were perfect.

He has continued to run a fever every day/evening since Thursday. It's been off and on, and it hasn't reached over 102. I'm concerned, but I'm not sure what's going on. The doctor said his ears look clear. He had a fever all afternoon yesterday, and he was sent home from daycare today with a fever. Did he catch something else at the doctors on Friday? Does anyone have any suggestions?

The worst part...I'm seven and a half hours away in Mississippi for work this week. I can't do anything...I can't check on him. I'm SO sad. I feel stressed and helpless. The worst feeling ever!

MIA and Here's Why...

So, I've been MIA for over a month now, and I totally left off on finishing up the posts with Weston's 1st Birthday details; however, I have one or two more posts, and I'll finish posting those this week!

I've been SO excited, but we weren't ready to share the news with everyone quite yet, so I didn't want to post on the blog yet, and I knew if I started to update, that I might let it slip. We told our families a couple of weeks ago, and we are planning on announcing it to everyone else after our second ultrasound and appointment next Thursday. Until then...it's still a secret to most! :)

Baby Harvey #2 is due on October 5th, 2011! We feel SO blessed and grateful and can't wait for our second little one to arrive and make our family complete! We found out about Baby #2 on Tuesday, January 25th...just five days after Weston's 1st Birthday! :)

Weston's Wild Rumpus - Part 2: The Guests

So, I'm delayed again in getting back to the "Where the Wild Things Are" party photos, but I was out of town last week, and I didn't have a moment to spare. I'm finally back, and I think things are calming down, so without further adieu here are photo's of Weston's guests.














Emma #1 & Meghan from "Bundles of Joy" (Breastfeeding Support Group)

Aunt Anna














Aunt Amanda




















Sisters, Madison & Kylee, friends from our Neighborhood




















Emma #2 - Friend from Bundles of Joy














Zachary - Friend from Bundles of Joy














Brady - BFF from Daycare














Brady & Weston




















All of our family from the party...We are only missing Aunt Ashley!

Next Up...Photo's of the Birthday Boy enjoying his party! :)

Weston's Wild Rumpus - Part 1: The Details

So, I've been a slacker, and I know that some of you have been waiting for me to upload photo's from Weston's Wild Rumpus. We've had a busy week and a half, but I've finally been able to stop for a moment and upload the photos.

As I mentioned before, Weston had a great birthday part, and we had tons of friends and family celebrate with us. I started planning Weston's birthday party back in June, so I had plenty of time to work out all the details. I knew right away that I wanted to do a "Where the Wild Things Are" party, so I started looking online, and I was able to find lots of great ideas!

Now on to the details...

I went with mostly oranges and yellows with splashes of green and blue, so I got orange and yellow napkins, and I had napkin tags made to wrap around the utensils. I loved this!














One of my closest friends and I made Monster Hats for all the kids and adults, who wanted to wear them. They were a huge hit, and everyone enjoyed them! This was a fun, easy project for anyone who is interested in making some for their next party.

Weston's Highchair with his Birthday Banner, Bib & Birthday Hat

The favors...We did crown cookies and cake pops for the favors! They were delicious, and we added tags to the favors that say "Thanks for coming to my Party! - Weston"














Here is a better shot of the favor table...as you can see we had cookies and cake pops laid out, we then had a sign that said "Thank You", as well as, photo's of Grant and I holding Weston during his first couple of months.














Here is a better shot of the table with the cake...we had Orange plates, napkins, the big cake and Weston's smash cake. The smash cake had Weston's head on top of the Max. It was SO cute!














These are the photo's of Weston's 1st Year! We had Months 1 - 12 in the flower pots with beans spray-painted green by my wonderful husband inside the pots. We also had a "Where the Wild Things Are" book on the table that we asked everyone to sign as they arrived at the party, so we could save as a keepsake.




















Here is the wreath that my friend, Abby, made for Weston to go on the front door. She is so crafty, and this was her gift to Weston for the party!














Grant cut the logs, and we cut branches and taped the photos on them of him throughout the first year. I ordered the Happy 1st Birthday sign on Etsy.















We had photos of Grant and I from our 1st Birthdays, as well as, a photo of Weston a couple of days before his party! He definitely looks more like Grant! :)














Here is a close up of our "Monster" cake pops!














I ordered stickers, and I put them on all of the cups! They said "Weston Is One!"

I had a couple of other personalized items. I had a banner that said Weston, and I had some pictures in various places and "WTWTA" stuffed animals, as well as, acorns laying out in various locations and cut out leaves. I unfortunately didn't get a photo of this...I also had paper pom's, and I didn't get photo's of these either. I was SO busy with everything else, that I didn't get all the photos that I should have.

For food, we had lots of stuff for the little ones...blueberries, cut up grapes, bananas, apples sauce, gold fish and cheerios. For the adults, we had a pineapple dip and crackers, cheese and crackers, vegetables, grapes, corn dip and fritos, sugared pecans, chicken nuggets and sausage balls. I'm sure we had other items, as well, but I can't think/remember off the top of my head. For drink, we had a couple of soft drinks, homemade hot chocolate and wassail. It was all delicious and a HUGE hit!

P.S. Sorry for the strange formatting...I don't know what's going on, but I can't get it to look right, and I don't have lots of time to try to fix it this morning!

Sneak Peak of Weston's 1st Birthday Party

Weston's 1st Birthday Party was on Saturday, January 15th at my parents house, and we had such a great turn-out. The party was a huge success, and I'll do a series of posts including the details, as well as, guests, but for now, I'm going to leave you with a sneak peak from my little man's big day!

Weston's Highchair Decorations, Bib & Hat

Favor Table w/ Cookies & Cake Pops for Weston's Guests

Handmade Monster Party Hats

Our little family with our Monster Hats!!

Cake Pops made by my sister...they were a huge hit!!

Weston's Smash Cake

Birthday Cake for Weston's Guests