Labor Day

So, I totally swiped this from Christina's blog (thanks!)!! Here's everything you never wanted to know about the birth of our sweet baby boy!!

Child/ren's Age? 18 months

Name? Preston Lee

Birthday? 3/31/07

Time of birth? 3:07 a.m.

How long did labor last? right at nine hours

Who was in the room when baby was born? Justin, my mom, Dr. Turner, Bernice (the nurse that sang "Happy birthday" to Preston) and the rest of the L & D staff

How long did you push? About 30 minutes (3 times)

Weight? 7lbs. 11oz.

Length? 17 1/4"

Any hair? A TON (literally a little fro!! Solid black... now it's light brown/dirty blonde/strawberry blonde!!!!)

Who does baby look like? JUST LIKE his daddy... so much so, someone even asked if I was in the delivery room when he was born!

Be honest...how much weight did you gain while pregnant? So embarrassed to say this... but over 70lbs. And that was before he was born... Justin ended up hiding the scales from me b/c the number along with hormones = depression!!!

Were they late or early? Early! He was due on April 10.

Who drove you to the hospital? Justin

How many baby showers did you have? I had 3 before he was born and 3 after.

When did baby start sleeping through the night? At 7 wks!!!! We were VERY lucky! (I definitely reccommend "Babywise" for you mommies to be!)

Did you breastfeed? I tried and was unsuccessful. Evidently, my breasts are just for decoration because they don't work.

Who keeps your baby the most? A wonderful Christian woman who God has blessed us with!

How did you pick the name? I love family names... fortunately we have good ones!! Preston is Justin's maternal grandfather's name and Lee is Justin's middle name

How did you know when it was time to go to hospitaI? My water broke... gross

Did you go home or somewhere else when you left the hospital? Home... where else would you go??

Anyone spend the night with you first night home? My wonderful mother!

Did you cry the first time you held the baby? I didn't cry, but I definitely got teary eyed.

Who cut the cord? Justin... after he said he wouldn't be sure if he could (weak stomach), which was one of many things he has done after thinking he would be grossed out by it.

Where was the baby born? Tupelo, MS

Did you video tape the birth? NOWAY

Are you happy with how things turned out? Absolutely!!! I had a great delivery!!

Do you want to have another? Totally!!! But in God's time!

Song of the week!

Are you surprised that I've done it for 2 wks. in a row! I sure am! This is another of my favorites right now. It's by Chris Sligh... remember from American Idol? It's so nice to see him in the Christian music realm! Anyway, this song really speaks to me. Hope you enjoy it!

Chris Sligh - Empty Me
From the album Running Back To You

I’ve had just enough
Of the spotlight when it burns bright
To see how it gets in the blood

I’ve tasted my share
Of the sweet life and the wild ride
And found a little is not quite enough

I know how I can stray
And how fast my heart could change

Chorus: Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds onto
Lord, empty me of me so I can be filled with You

I’ve seen just enough
Of the quick buys of the best lies
To know how prodigals can be drawn away

I know how I can stray
And how fast my heart could change

Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds onto
Lord, empty me of me so I can be filled with You

‘Cause everything is a lesser thing
Compared to You, compared to You
‘Cause everything is a lesser thing Compared to You, so I surrender all

Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds onto
Lord, empty me of me so I can be filled with you.
Lyrics may not be reproduced without permission from the publisher.

Old McDonald's Petting Zoo

One of the doctors that I call on told me about this place right outside Huntsville. He had taken his kids when they went to Chattanooga and said that they really liked it, so we had to take Preston! He had the best time... probably the highlight of his trip... and ours. He was facinated by all of the goats! Here are some pictures and I'm going to try and figure out how to post the video of him feeding the goat! The funny thing was that when I handed him the cracker to feed the goat, he held it out toward the goat and then put it in his mouth instead! Too funny!!

Creative Discovery Museum

Chattanooga has the GREAT children's museum!!! Preston had a really good time.. and so did Mommy and Daddy!! Preston's favorite thing was the slide in the toddler's room. Once he figured out what it was and how to do it... he LOVED it!! He also loved the water! The Clifford the dog exhibit was there, but I was surprised that he didn't care about it! Anyway, here's a little slide show from our adventure! Enjoy!!

Fun for the little man...

So this was hillarious to me... our hotel room had bedside tables with openings under them. Preston decided that this was the perfect size for him. He would take his baba, books, toys... really anything he could find (including my shoes) into this little cubby hole and just hang out. Is it not the cutest thing you've ever seen??

Due to requests from my husband, I've tried to start dressing my BABY in more little boy clothes instead of the "sissy outfits" I've been acused of putting him in. I thought that Jill's rehearsal dinner would be a good time to give this a trial run. I wish I could have been better prepared to see what I saw!! My baby wasn't a baby!! He was a little man! With a long sleeve button down shirt, khacki pants, belt and loafers, he looked like he was ready to head off to college!! I almost couldn't stand it. Of course, when we got back from the rehearsal and it was time to change his diaper, reality set in that he isn't grown! Here are some pictures of us trying to get him undressed! (and when I say trying I mean it... we have to chase him down!)

And before I forget... the reason we went... Jill and Matt!!

Of course, the main reason we went to Chattanooga was for Jill and Matt's wedding! It was held at Laurelwood Farms, which is a working llama farm... that's right... I said llama farm. And the llama farm was on top of a mountain! But it was beautiful!! The farm was beautiful, she was beautiful, and it was a beautiful service! Here are some pictures from the rehearsal and wedding!

The Tennessee Aquarium

Preston was half asleep when we went through this!! He did enjoy getting to try and touch the sharks and sting-rays... although I think it was more he enjoyed getting to put his hands in the water!!

Justin and I really enjoyed it. But we've always enjoyed this stuff. Several months after we had started dating (the same month we got engaged in actually) we went to the New Orleans Zoo and Aquarium, which was great. But getting to see all of this through my little man's eyes was amazing. Probably one of the best parts of being a mom is seeing everything you take for granted new in their eyes and how excited they get over the smallest things!

One of the cutest things Preston did (and it's a little sad, but so cute) is when we went through the darker areas of the exhibit, he would get a little nervous and want to touch one of us or at least have one of us in his sight. So, I ended up walking in front with P and Daddy behind me. At one point (right after he was nodding off) we got him out of his stroller and Daddy was showing him a big shark. He could have cared less. So I started pointing at it too. The result is this precious picture of my boys both pointing... Justin at the shark and Preston just because we were! So cute!!

And then there was the otter... This otter found us and Preston was really curious about him!! He didn't cry, which surprised me!! Instead, he just stared at him... the entire time!! He wouldn't even look at me for a picture!! I'm thinking this is a little glimpse into what sitting on Santa's lap will be like this year!

Here's a little slide show from the rest of our trip to the aquarium!!

Our first family vaca!

We went to Chattanooga last weekend for my friend Jill's wedding. When we arrived and started talking, Justin and I realized it was our first time to be away from home without any of our extended family around. No extended fam=our first family vaca!! Knowing that, leave it to me to try and cram as much stuff as we possibly could into the trip!! I'll put up a few posts so you can experience every little detail!!

But some things I didn't get a picture of that were funny... Preston has discovered the toilet (this will no doubt come in handy for the ensuing potty training)!! We had to be careful to shut the bathroom door when the toilet was and wasn't in use. When we first got there, he ran into the bathroom and stuck his hand down in the toilet water and started splashing it... of course being the germaphob I am, I freaked while Justin was saying... it's just clean water... so gross. Anyway, we washed his hands and then P ran in on Justin once, and I once while we were in there and he tried to put his hand in the toilet regardless of the fact that it was more difficult to reach the water with someone standing in front of or sitting on the toilet (is that too much information??). And putting down the toilet lid is no match for our inquisitive 18 month old... he figured that out in about 2 seconds... hence, the door remained closed throughout our trip.

He loves the bathtub. Some of you may know this, but even I didn't know he loved it enough to hop in it when there is no water. While I was getting ready, Preston came in with a pair of my shoes (no surprise there) and climbed up in the bathtub. He then began dismantling the faucet in the bathtub, resulting in him pulling the knob that controls the water and water temp off of the wall! Thankfully Daddy came to the rescue and fixed it before we had to buy the hotel a new shower!!

Here are some pictures from our last day in Chattanooga. We went to see the Chattanooga Choo Choo... which, I learned, is where my parents spent part of their honeymoon (gross). And when I say my parents... I'm referring to my biological parents... as in Ron Bolen and Penny Vaughan. Yeah... like I said... gross. I even told my sweet baby... "P, this is where Mimi and Papa spent part of their honeymoon... isn't that gross?" Let me mention, it's not that this is where they spent their honeymoon that's gross... it's the idea of them actually being married that grosses me out! haha!!


This is Preston and Daddy on the Chattanooga Choo Choo. He was so sleepy!! He had starting nodding off when we were walking into the train station/hotel. The rest are just some visual things that I liked. I'll post more with sweet P soon!!

I have a confession...

Several...

#1. I am a HUGE LSU fan...
Now I know for some of you, either you didn't know this, think you knew this, or really don't care. If you don't care, just go on and skip down to #2. If you fall into the other two catagories, let me explain. If you think you knew this, then that's exactly right... you just thought you knew. But you have NO IDEA. I LOVE LSU. And I know, I've used the whole Nick Saban story to try and explain, but that's just a ploy. Really, truth be told, I considered LSU for college, but due to a certain significant other in my life at the time, I went to Ole Miss. I really wanted to apply... REALLY wanted to apply, but I didn't. I don't regret it, but I'm saying this to let you know how far back my love goes. Now I know, being an Ole Miss alum, it's supposed to be a cardinal sin or something to be a LSU fan, but I can't help it!! I love the university (LSU), Baton Rouge, the people, the lake... EVERYTHING!!! One of the most fun times in my life was dating a guy who went to school down there and I would go visit. Tiger stadium at night? You can't beat it!! That's why I am so SUPER excited that Justin and I are going to Baton Rouge this weekend to see State get slaughtered. And I'm admitting it now, I'm really pulling for LSU (I can hear "Boo!!" "Hiss" coming from some of you). I realize the truth hurts and may even depress some of you. If so, tell me, I can send you to a great dr. who can give you a great AD to get past it!!

#2. I am addicted to digital scrapping...
I know, such a dork, right? But I can't help it!!! And it's not even really the scrapping part... it's the thrill of the hunt. Well, the hunt of finding the free digi downloads! I love it!! It reminds me of the good 'ol Oxford Printwear days being on the computer... although I never really mastered it. I'm working on some pages right now and I'm pumped to think about getting my first photo book in the mail, but that's only going to happen if I can get my focus off of finding freebies!!

#3. Justin being at home isn't so bad...
Is that terrible?? I miss him like crazy, but it's nice sometimes to have an hour or two to yourself. I'm pretty sure he'd say the same thing. Again, I miss him so bad it hurts...I can't go to sleep until I can't keep my eyes open when he's not here. But just to have some time to catch my breath is nice. I'm pretty sure this one will change... like next week. He'll be gone next week too (that's 4 weeks in a row if you're keeping count)... And I'm only pointing this out b/c I think a lot of people feel bad for me or something... or at least that's the response I get when they ask about Justin and I tell them he's traveling a lot. It's ok, people. We're ok... and like I've said... God's not giving us anything we can't handle. Of course that doesn't mean it's easy, it just means we can make it.

I guess that about does it right now. When I have more earth shattering revelations, I'll let you know!!

Song of the week!

We'll see how consistent I am with this... but recently I've been listening to a lot of Christian radio. It's so uplifting and calming and just wonderful. This song really spoke to me and I decided to post the lyrics and make it my song of the week! It really makes a lot of sense to me and was a great reminder. You have to guard your heart so closely... the enemy will try and take advantage of anything; meaning, if you find yourself justifying even the slightest, smallest, tiniest, most insignificant thing... watch out. It can lead to a slow fade...



Casting Crowns - Slow Fade
From the album The Altar And The Door




Be careful little eyes what you see

It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings

Be careful little feet where you go

For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow



Chorus

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away

It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray

Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid

When you give yourself away

People never crumble in a day

It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade



Be careful little ears what you hear

When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near

Be careful little lips what you say

For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray



Chorus



The journey from your mind to your hands

Is shorter than you're thinking

Be careful if you think you stand

You just might be sinking



It's a slow fade when you give yourself away

It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray

Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid

When you give yourself away

People never crumble in a day

Daddies never crumble in a day

Families never crumble in a day



Oh be careful little eyes what you see

Oh be careful little eyes what you see

For the Father up above is looking down in love

Oh be careful little eyes what you see

A few more new pictures...

Happy boy!!! Notice the running... he's full speed, high gear, high octane, 100% boy!! But oh, so precious!!

He wanted the camera sooo bad.

Yummy ba-ba (aka sippy cup... we've been off the bottle a while!)

Speaking of bottles, P playing with a Kroger water bottle... his all-time favorite toy!

Sweet picture of our precious baby, looking out the window for Daddy (who was outside doing yard work)

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!!

I've said it before, but PB & J is my little man's FAVORITE thing in the world! Mac and cheese comes and goes, but PB & J is forever!! Here are some pictures from when I finally gave in and let him feed himself. Sooooo messy!!

So, I thought we were ready, but we're not...

On several things:

#1. Selling our house
#2. Getting pregnant

It's amazing how God answers prayers! We were really dead set on selling our house and the baby bug seemed to have bitten me bad (how'd ya like all those B's), but after a lot of prayer, all of it has disappeared... thank you God! I'm sure it will return when HIS timing is right!

#3. Potty training

So Preston has been grabbing his diaper after he wets it for a while now. Supposedly, this is the first sign that kids are ready to potty train. Not only that, but he's been waking up from naps with a dry diaper. So, we bought the training potty. And wouldn't you know it... as soon as we bought it, he reverted back to his sweet baby ways of being completely unaware of his wet diapers and waking up with a wet one as well as losing interest of what Mommy and Daddy are doing in the bathroom. So, I guess we'll wait... although I'm a little ready to be done buying $40 cases of diapers, at least he's still officially a baby.

#4. Taking Preston to the football games

After this weekend, I am 100% convinced he doesn't need to go to the State games yet...
a) Our tailgate is right next to the street and he's a toddler... think that explains that
b) It is LOUD...
c) Cowbells scare me and I'm 28
d) Disgruntled fans scare me and I'm 28
e) The way disgruntled fans behave... I mean really, people. Slamming your cowbells down on the aluminum seats because things aren't going your way... is that really how an adult should act?? Oh, and then saying that you "dropped" it? I don't think I want my baby around that until he can understand that his level of maturity is higher than theirs. (Understand, this was going on everywhere around us, not just people immediately close to us... it was like bombs going off everywhere. I'll take Hotty Toddy and a couple of cuss words before that any day... all though neither are appropriate)

#5 Justin being gone so much.

I promise, I promise, I'm not complaining. I've said it before and I'll say it again. We can handle it. God isn't going to give us anything our marriage can't handle. But this month he has been gone a lot. I think in the last 3 weeks, he's been home one of those. I'm grateful to God that he has this amazing wonderful job that he absolutely LOVES, but I guess I never realized how much I depended on him! From helping with Preston to taking out the trash to this invisible security system that just having him next to me at night provides, I just wasn't ready for that BIG of a difference!

#6 To blog more...

I know it's been a while since the last one, but it's a work in progress. This goes along with #5. And while I have more time to myself when he's gone, time just seems to slip away... I promise I'm trying to do better!