San Jose & Santa Cruz Trip

We recently took a family trip to San Jose for my older brother Tony & his girlfriend, Stacy's Baby Shower. Stacy is due April 29th and I could be any more excited. It's a boy and he will be named after my brother, Anthony Lawrence :) Sunday after the shower we made our way to Santa Cruz Boardwalk. It was such a beautiful sunny day with so many people I love.

Rainy Days

Spent the day packing for our weekend trip to go visit my older brother and his girlfriend for their baby shower tomorrow. Although I will happily accept the sunshine back, I love simple snugly days at home with my BootyBear.

Oh, and most importantly, Happy 1st Birthday Lilah. we love you & miss you.

Best Valentine's Day Ever!

Yesterday was definitley the best Valentine's Day I've ever had! Barely sleeping the night before, I woke up with an anxious smile on my face. We got ready for the day and took Jude to Papa & Lita's house to spend the day. Thankfully, Michael has Mondays off work so he was able to come to both of my appointments.

My first appointment was a standard checkup at my Dr's office. Everything went well, blood pressure was great, no protein in my urine and I even lost 3 more pounds (exercise during pregnancy is a wonderful thing)! We got to hear the heartbeat, even though baby was going crazy and very hard to "catch". 

After appointment #1 Michael took me to my favorite lunch place (this week), ToGos. I was so nervous for the Ultrasound I could barely eat anything. I sat there looking at my phone every 10 seconds. I even started to annoy myself, so I'm sure Michael was having to be extra patient with me. Or maybe he was as anxious as me but just hides it much better, I'm not sure. I started drinking my 16oz+ of fluids that you are supposed to drink before the Ultrasound and felt immediately like I was needing to pee.

We finally arrive at the Ultrasound office and the receptionist informs us that they were down a tech, so appointments would be running behind. Not so good for the anxiety, but I tried to keep myself busy. Eventually I had to tell the receptionist, "Look, either I go pee in a toilet now, or I pee on someone here before I leave." She let me pee. Thank goodness. I felt a lot better after that.

Eventually it was our turn and I was pleasantly surprised to find out our tech didn't hate her life (as pretty much ever other one we have ever had, did) and that she had just eaten two large pieces of chocolate cake and was in a VERY good mood. As she started the Ultrasound, she took a few between the leg shots but didn't say anything. She kept changing the subject and within 5 minutes I figured out she was just torturing us and wouldn't be telling us until the end of the Ultrasound (which ended up being an hour long because baby was doing gymnastics) so I decided to relax and just watch baby. We saw baby put its hands up by its face and wiggle all over the place, we saw the heart beating, we saw legs kicking and it was amazing. I knew in that moment that I was indeed pregnant again and it hit me at once that we are going to have another baby! It is scary, but in the best way possible.

As the Ultrasound came to an end, the tech said, "Okay. Well since I've known since the first shot what the baby's sex is, I guess I can tell you now." She showed us in between baby's legs again and said, "See that? That is the labia." I was in shock. I looked at her and looked at Michael (who had the worlds BIGGEST smile on his face) and said, "Labia? That is what girls have, right??!" and they both laughed and said yes. I couldn't believe it. I was so happy I couldn't contain myself. We thanked the tech, wiped all the goo off my baby bump and I ran to the restroom. It felt like I skipped down the hallway. When I came into the waiting room full of pregnant women, I was very close to yelling out, "GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" but tried to contain myself.

Of course, my phone was about to die, so I hurried to the car to call my best friends, Maggie, Joanna & Brittany. I was able to conference call them and tell them the news together. They were over joyed. Then a call to our friends Jaime & Nick was necessary. They are also expecting a girl (in May) and we couldn't wait to share the news with them as well. It seemed like torture waiting to tell the rest of the world, but since we were going to dinner with out families that evening to tell them in person, I kept myself busy day dreaming about pink stuff and baby bows.

We went to Target to copy some Ultrasound pictures and frame them for our parents and sister Nicole. When we walked into the baby girl section, I was worried that Michael may not be able to contain himself either. He went around holding up cute dresses and bathing suits saying, "Look at this one!! Oh my...look at this!!!" I don't think we stopped smiling the whole rest of the day.

We went to Babies R Us to find a "little sister" onesie to help us share the news with our family. We found the perfect one and hurried home.

 I was dying to tell the girls in my Moms Group, but swore them to secrecy so we could still surprise our family & the rest of the world later that evening. It is so amazing when people share joy with you and are genuinely excited for you about such big events in your life. We are so blessed with the gift of friendship and family.

So FINALLY it was 6:30pm, time for dinner with the family. Nana, Grandpa, Papa, Lita, Aunt Nicole, Uncle Danny & Ari. We ordered our food and squished together on a big table full of Valentine's Day gifts. Once everyone got their food, we passed out the wrapped framed Ultrasound photos and Valentine's Day cards I had made a few weeks ago.

Everyone was studying the items expecting that the cards and Ultrasound photos would indicate baby's gender, but they purposefully did not. We wanted to torture them just a little bit. I then pulled out the "little sister" onesie and held it up. Everyone cheered and was super excited. I finally felt like I could relax and enjoy the news fully. 

Thank you to everyone who shares in our joy with this news.

Oh yes, and she has a name:

Ruby Mae Reese

Stella's 1st Birthday Party

Today Jude & I attended Stella's 1st Birthday party at The Little Gym in Rocklin. We had a blast and I wanted to share a video I made of the party.  It seems like only a second ago Kelly was calling me to tell me she, too, was pregnant. We became fast friends working together in cosmetics about 6 years ago, our friendship quickly grew, so much that I asked Kelly to be a Bridesmaid in our wedding. Kelly & Sean got married 3 days after Jude was born, Michael & I knew we HAD to be their regardless to celebrate with them, so Michael helped me waddle my way to their reception. Now we share the bond of motherhood. Thanks for being in our lives :) Love you guys!

Super-Baby-Sunday :)

Jude's 16 Month Stats & Checkup

So, Jude was supposed to be seen at 15 months for his checkup, but somehow over the last year we got messed up and now all of his appointments are a month off. (We have his vaccinations scheduled a certain way that need to be a certain amount of months apart). Anyway, He & I got up bright and early this morning to take a trip to the pediatrician. She said he is doing great, 23lbs (I thought they told me he was 23lbs last time at 13 months but apparently he was 21.5lbs?) and 32.5 inches long putting him in the 90th percentile for height. 

Unfortunately, he has an ear infection in his left ear, so he will be taking some antibiotics for that. The Dr said that she is surprised that he hadn't had one since May and that most babies get them more often, so i suppose that is good. Jude did not like his shots at all (but really, who does) and stared down the nurse like she was the devil. I think I felt more sorry for her, she didn't seem to take is so well.

Place Your Bets!

I added a poll to the right for people to guess what they think baby #2 will be! Only 11 more days until our big ultrasound. We are very excited. Okay, excited is kind of an understatement. We will genuinely be over the moon no matter what the baby's gender is so long as he/she is healthy. On one hand I think a girl would be so new and exciting (I mean imagine all the bows this child would own)! I can imagine Jude being protective of her when they get into High School and her trying to impress Jude's friends when they came over to hang out. Then, I also think about Jude having a brother so close in age and how special that bond would be. Not that he wouldn't be close to his sister, but I think a bond of brothers is unique. I mean, I really wouldn't know, but that is how they make it seem in movies anyways. So basically, it is going to be awesome no matter what!

I've been feeling really great since my last appointment! Might sound weird, but I don't even really feel pregnant, except for being a little bit more tired here and there. I've been able to continue eating healthy and staying active exercising, which is a high priority to me this time around. I am getting a bump going (although I think most of it was still left over from Jude :)). No movement yet, but each baby is different so I'm not worried.

Jude is doing AWESOME! He really is getting cuter every second. Its crazy how much he is learning so many new things each day. Just in the past few weeks he has started saying, "What's that?!"and "No!". He is trying to talk so much more and can understand the things we say 90% of the time. He plays peekaboo with Daddy and can tell us where his nose and mouth are. He has been walking (running) for at least a month now and it is safe to say we are getting lots of extra cardio chasing him around everyday. I always judged those people who had their kids on leashes, which must be why I've now got a child who NEEDS a leash! Still, I'm going to fight that one for as long as I can though.

The weather has been so nice the past few weeks, we have been enjoying getting out in the sunshine as much as possible. Jude loves going to the park and playing in our front yard (thank goodness the front yard is fenced in so well!). 

We took a trip to San Francisco recently, it was so nice to take him to the beach when he could walk around! Being out in the sunshine really helps to lift my pregnant spirits on days when I am feeling a little blue. We also took him to this gigantic kids play area in Golden Gate park that we will definitley be visiting in the future! It was so adorable watching about 100 kids playing, swinging and running everywhere.

Here is a video of our trip:

Baby Update 1.10.11

Yesterday Michael & I went to my Dr's appointment for a checkup on the little bun-in-the-oven. All is well! We got to hear the heartbeat which was really exciting. I thought I'd tear up but instead I just had a big smile on my face. They are sending me for a few extra tests due to some protein in my urine but they are not concerned at this point and just want to be thorough. Oh! We also set our appointment for our 20 weeks ultrasound (where we will find out the sex of the baby, hopefully) which will be on Valentine's Day. {Awww!}

Hear baby's heartbeat:

New year, new milestones.

So, I didn't really talk about how our holidays were because I was so busy enjoying them! We had an awesome Christmas & New Years. We are lucky to have such wonderful family and friends in our lives and enjoyed all the time we got to spend with them. This past weekend we decided to get away for a bit and head up to Reno. Well, actually I found out about this deal Grand Sierra Resort is having in which you can stay for two nights in the month of December & January for FREE (Sun-Thurs). We thought it was waaaaay to good to pass up, so we didn't. If you want to check it out visit http://www.grandsierraresort.com

The hotel was actually pretty nice (especially for FREE). They have an inexpensive bowling ally, arcade, tons of restaurants, Starbucks, Movie Theater (only $3 a person), etc all inside the hotel. Probably the funniest part for me was watching Jude test out his new found walking abilities while we were there. The hotel has really wide walk ways, so he was free to walk/fall down all over the place.

When we got home he also decided to show us that he is finally ready to master (read: attempt to find his mouth) with a spoon.

Here is some video/pictures from our adventures:

I have another OBGYN appointment this coming Monday so I will be able to update about the pregnancy then. Have an awesome weekend!



Ultrasound Appointment!

Monday Michael & I had the pleasure of going to my second ultrasound appointment. It was so much fun getting to see the baby, especially because it is actually starting to look like one! I am measuring ahead 8 days, so my doctor may be changing my due date but I wont find out until my next appointment, January 10th. I am still getting sick here and there but overall I am feeling much better than before. Definitely still struggling with exhaustion, hoping that will improve in the next few weeks as I head further into the second trimester. My next ultrasound should take place sometime in February, when we will hopefully find out the sex of the baby!! We are very anxious/excited to find out.

Here is Jude's little sibling :)

Snow Day!

The day after Christmas we took Jude to the snow for his very first time! It was also Ari & Danny's first time (that they can remember). We had such a blast, here are some photos from our adventures :)

Merry Christmas!!!

Santa Claus is coming to town.

Decorating our tree :)

 

Jude is Going to be a Big Brother!

We are excited to share with all of our friends & family that we are expecting baby #2 come July 2011! My estimated due date is July 2nd but one thing I learned the first time around, it really is an estimation :) Michael & I had the pleasure of hosting Thanksgiving this year at our house and we decided to tell both sides of our family then, since we were all together. The news was received with happiness! We wanted to be creative this time with telling our friends and family so we decided to share our exciting news on our Christmas card (above). Thank you to everyone for your excitement and well wishes, it truly means the world to us to have your encouragement!! I will be 10 weeks as of tomorrow, so 1/4 of the way down. Although, to be honest, we're in much less of a hurry this time. Not that we are not excited, but we know what we are in for. 

I am feeling much better (weeks 4-8 were not very kind) and starting to feel like myself again (or the pregnant version of myself). Here are a few ultrasound pictures from my last doctors appointment. Just a cute little blob but with a strong heartbeat! Ultrasound taken at 8 weeks, 3 days.

PS: I also have a few pregnancy related posts you will now see below I am now able to share.

Jude's Birthday Party!

I'm excited to share the pictures from Jude's Birthday party! It was such a fun day and I was so happy with how everything turned out. Most importantly, we got to share the day with lots of close friends and family which made it even more special. 

View photos HERE!

Flashback Friday

I was looking at photos from last year around Thanksgiving and came across this:

He was so teeny tiny :)

Bloggers: 50 Free Holiday Cards from Shutterfly!

I usually don’t write about stuff like this here BUT Shutterfly is giving away 50 free photo holiday cards if you talk about your experience with them on your blog.  (Go here if you want to check it out: Bloggers can get 50 free holiday cards.)  I really like the things that we have ordered from them in the past. Its really fun giving personalized gifts to our family members; I mean who wouldn’t want stuff with Jude’s picture on it? I have used their site to make wall calendars, photo mugs, order prints, etc.  The photos are really clear and the quality is always good. I have ordered prints from Snapfish before and was not happy with their quality at all. I was thinking about ordering my Christmas cards from them Shutterfly anyhow, since they have so many cute designs, so this totally worked out in my favor :) 

Hope your week is great!

8 Weeks Pregnant!

Posted 12/3/10
So, here I am again, basically talking to myself since this post won't be made public until we decide to share our wonderful news with the world :) Tomorrow marks 8 weeks pregnant, about 32 weeks to go! Another 6 days until Thanksgiving, when we will be telling both sides of our parents the big news. We can hardly wait! I have been feeling pretty sick, it comes and goes. I've started using these B6 lozenges & Unisom to help with the nausea/vomiting and it helps a little bit. Still feeling very tired, but I know 2nd trimester will be here in no time and I will hopefully get back to feeling like myself again. 

Monday is my first OBGYN visit and I am excited! I am going to a completely new practice, so it is a little nerve racking, but I feel positive about it. I am on the lookout for a baby doll to get Jude for Christmas. I've heard it is good practice for when the real baby comes. Even though I know I'm pregnant, it really hasn't sunk in. Maybe that's because I know how long pregnancy is and know I have a LOT of time to get used to the idea.

Ari's Soccer Game

Yesterday we got the pleasure of attending one of Ari's (M & I's niece) soccer games. It was so much fun going and watching her play! I think I may have embarrassed myself by yelling so much during the game, but I was so into it I really didn't care. Ari was trying so hard and even though she is a bit smaller than most of her team mates she definitley makes up for size in effort and gusto (also, in cuteness). Here are a few shots from the day.

 

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from The Reeses!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Jude's "12 Month" Stats :)

Jude had his one year check up today at the doctor. About three weeks late somehow. He is 21 lbs, 13oz and 31.5 inches long. The Pediatrician says he is doing great! Tomorrow is day one of operation no-more-ba-bah, sorry in advance Judee. She recommended cold turkey as the best approach, should make for an interesting day. Looking forward to lots of Fall/Halloween related fun in the next week and a half!

Budgie waiting to get weighed at the doctors office.

LA & Disneyland Adventure

We are home!!! Our trip was such a blast, like, I can't even properly describe how fun it was. We left {way too early} Sunday and drove to Northridge to attend a friends daughter's 1st birthday party. We all had an fantastic time hanging out and watching the babies play. Oh, you need to see Jude's outfit.

Ya, that IS a baby-tux-onesie (praise you, H&M).

So after a day of driving, epic fun and more driving, we arrived at our hotel. It wasn't by any means the nicest hotel I've been in, nor the worst, but it was convenient because it was right next to the entrance of Disneyland.

We went to bed before 9pm. That hasn't happened since....wait, has it ever happened?

The next morning we woke up. To rain. Not a fan. But, we were there and we drove 7+ hours so we were going to freaking Disneyland and we were going to have fun (even if it killed me). Luckily, it only sprinkled for maybe an hour all day and we were on rides almost the whole time, so it ended up being no biggie. Plus, we'd take a little rain in place of heat any day.

Once we got into the park (after taking a few pictures at the entrance, I mean...you have to) we saw Alice and the Mad Hatter from Wonderland. Jude and I introduced ourselves and took some pictures. Probably the cutest part of our day was when a few hours later we saw the Mad Hatter cruising by on a car with some other characters and he saw Jude and yelled, "Hi Jude!!" it was really cute. Also, I'm pretty sure there were a few jealous kids staring at him thinking, he must be famous!

Jude did surprisingly well on all the rides. His first ride was Pirates of the Caribbean and I think the first minute he was kind of looking at my like, "What the eff, Mom?!" but then once the ride actually got going it was more like, "Mom this is freaking awesome!!!"

We also went on Haunted Mansion (twice), Finding Nemo, Buzz Light year, Its a Small World, Storybook Land and Jungle Cruise. It worked out that one of our other friends from LA area was able to come meet us at the park (they have season passes, how lucky!) for a few hours so Jude got to share some of his day with his buddy Nathan too.

He only took one (very short) nap all day and did amazing considering!! He even stayed up through the parade that evening. After the parade we still had time (and somehow, energy) to go on Pirates of the Caribbean one more time AND watch Daddy go on Splash Mountain.

Here are pictures from our day :)

Lastly, here is how excited we were to get home:

More Fall Fun

Here are some pictures from the last week :) We have really been enjoying the beginning of fall and all it has to offer. Yesterday we went with our good friends Nick & Jaime to a local pumpkin patch. It was really cute and they had a bunch of animals which Jude loved. Here are some pictures from our adventures and below that is a video of Jude feeding the goats, which he thought was so funny.

Fall Fun from Tiffany Reese on Vimeo.

Jude feeding some cute goats. from Tiffany Reese on Vimeo.

This week/month has been pretty busy but we are enjoying every second of it. Only a few days left until we leave for LA/DISNEYLAND!!!!!

Picnic in the Park

Some of Everitt's family came into town yesterday so Jude & I drove up to Auburn to join them for a picnic. It was so nice meeting everyone! Uncle Bobby, Aunt Brandi & Lilah were there as well :) The kids very much enjoyed swinging in the swing together.

Nana, Lilah & Jude Enjoying the Swings from Tiffany Reese on Vimeo.

Apple Hill

Well, of course I will have to blog about Jude's party and how incredibly awesome it was, but I am waiting to do so until I get our photos back :). I will say breifly that it was such an honor to us to have so many people that we love join us to help celebrate Jude's first year of life. 

For our friends near and far away who couldn't make it to the party,

here is the slideshow of Jude's 1st year if you are interested.

Jude's 1st Year! from Tiffany Reese on Vimeo.

SO. Yesterday we were all recovering from the day of chaos, fun & excitement so we decided to take a  relaxing drive up to Apple Hill. It didn't really hit me until we were in the car on the way there, but now that Jude is a year old, we are coming back around to all the things we did for the first time with him last year. Apple Hill for example, it was one of the first things we did with Jude last year, he was about 4-5 weeks old. He slept the entire time. This year he slept in the car on the way but was definitely wide awake the moment the car stopped and ready for good times. It made me very sentimental taking him there again and reflecting on all that has happened since we brought him there the first time. Michael and I decided it is a new permanent tradition in our household and I couldn't agree with more happiness. 

Buggy got to do something he certainly couldn't have done on his first trip, eat junk food (guess whose idea that was) and take his first pony ride! Oh my word, it was the most precious thing. Afterward I said to Michael, "I don't think I've smiled that hard since.... yesterday." I guess that's how you know you are blessed.

Here is Jude's 1st pony ride:

Jude's First Pony Ride!! from Tiffany Reese on Vimeo.

 Also, if you would like to see pictures from our day, you can check those out here:

5 Weeks, 5 Days Pregnant!

 Posted 12/3/10
Even though we won't be announcing our pregnancy to everyone until Thanksgiving, I still wanted to write some updates in the mean time. I just wont be publishing them until people know "we" are pregnant. I am really a crappy secret keeper. It is totally something I need to work on. Christmas is usually like torture for me because I want to tell people the presents I got them the second I buy them. Since Jude was somewhat of a surprise, we were in so much shock, we didn't even think about keeping the pregnancy a secret. This time, we figured the "right thing" to do was wait a bit longer, and if we wait until Thanksgiving we will be able to tell most of our family while we are all together, which seems really fun! If I can set up a way to video tape their reactions, that would be really awesome!!

So far I've been feeling mostly good. I have some nausea here and there but no throwing up. I am really hoping to have less morning sickness with this baby. I have been continuing my workouts and also hoping that might help things. I made my first (official) OBGYN appointment yesterday. It will be Monday Nov 22nd. I'm sort of hoping they might do an ultra sound, but trying not to get my hopes up.

Although we are SO incredibly excited, I think we know we are in for a long wait and I think we will be a lot more laid back and less stressed with this pregnancy. Before, when I was pregnant with Jude, I just wanted the 9 (well, 10.3) months to be OVER. But now, as much as I am excited for baby#2, I don't want to rush any amount of time in Jude's life because it goes by so fast as it is. He will be 2 months away from being 2 by the time the baby comes. I want to appreciate all the time we have "just us" even  though I know it will only get BETTER when the baby comes.

Well, that is enough rambling for now :)

Jude's Birthday Recap

 Jude had an awesome birthday! Thank you to everyone who helped make it special for him!! He started his day being woken up by Michael & myself and then got to open a toy we got him from Ikea. For breakfast he had a blueberry pancake, followed by an hour of playing with his new truck he received from his pal Stella. Nap time then commenced and after he woke I took him on a lunch date to Daddy's work. I guess that must have been a pretty good time because he was ready for nap #2 right after lunch. Perhaps it was the chicken fingers Michael insisted he have, you know, since it was his "birthday lunch". After his nap, Jude was surprised by a BIG box brought by the UPS man. Inside it was a giant slide/climb and play thingy from Auntie Ann & Uncle Dave. 

Boy was he excited! Michael came home early from work and put it together right away. Jury is still out about who was more excited between the two. Lots of sliding and laughing took place and soon it was time to go to the Splashpark (or so we thought). Unfortunately, the Splashpark hours had changed so we took him over to the play place at Whole Foods where we met up with Nana, Grandpa, Papa, Lita, Aunt Nicole & Ari. We had a blast watching Budge play and eat his enormous cup cake (which he seemed to have no trouble nearly finishing). Lastly, Jude got a surprise when we found out Papa & Lita had brought him this:

He was lucky his cousin Ari was there to push him all over. They had a wonderful time zooming around everywhere. All and all is was an fun-filled special day. Since we missed out on the Splashpark yesterday we took him this afternoon. I love taking him there and watching him scream and cheer with excitement.
We can't wait for his party this Sunday!!

Here is a recap of Jude's 1st Birthday :)

Jude's 1st Birthday from Tiffany Reese on Vimeo.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUDE!

Dearest Jude,

Happy first birthday to the sunshine of my life!!! I can’t believe it has already been a year and yet, in the same thought I can’t remember what life was like without you. You are our world. I am so lucky everyday to get to be your Mom. Daddy & I can’t help but beam and brag about you everywhere we go. Each morning as I walk into your room and see you standing in your crib (usually bouncing up and down) my heart skips, because it really does seem that you actually DO get cuter every day! When you are around I feel complete happiness and euphoria.

You are such a darling boy, always giving your Mama kisses and waving to Daddy (to welcome him home at the end of his long days from work). Usually, you wait at the window in the living room in the late afternoon anticipating his arrival.

You have such a giving spirit and always offer to share an animal cracker or a bite of your grape with us.

You are quite sneaky and like to “investigate” and “destroy” many things around the house. Daddy and I often burn many calories chasing you down trying to retrieve paper, dead flies, screws, etc from your mouth.

Oh, your dance moves!! If music is on, you are dancing. You get so excited and clap your hands and everyone wants to laugh and dance right along with you.

I like to think you save a special smile just for me. It often brings tears to my eyes. Every day I think about how lucky I am just to spend the day with you, just to hang out with you. Jude, you have such a glow about you. It is obvious how much excitement you have for life and how interested you are in everything the world has to offer.

Your father has such deep and profound love for you. He is the kind of Dad who makes you dinner, gives you baths and gets up in the middle of the night to bring you a bottle when you cry. He gets up early to spend time with you before work and I often wake up to the sound of you giggling away at some inside joke between the two of you. His biggest fear is that you would ever doubt his love for a second and that you would think poorly of him in some way, yet he would never give you a reason to think such things.

We have enjoyed many fun adventures in your first year of life. Traveling, playing and exploring. One of my most fond memories was when we recently took you to the ocean for your first time. Your face lit up with joy as you approached the water and you clapped your hands. This is one of the best parts of being your parents; we get to see the beauty in life again for the first time through your eyes.

Know that the love we have for you grows with every second. When you fall and bump your head, I often cry before you do because as your Mother I wish I could stop any sadness or pain from ever crossing your path. Yet, life will happen. But know that we are always here, you will never be alone.

I can’t help but think back to the day you were born. It wasn’t the way we planned, it wasn’t the “perfect” timing but as soon as we saw your face nothing in the world, aside you, mattered. As they laid you on my chest, tears of flooding emotion fell unto your tiny head as I held you as closely as I could. I will never forget that day because it is the most important one we’ve ever shared. I didn’t mind the lack of sleep because reality was better than any dream I’ve ever had.

Your victories became ours. I remember your first bath, the first day you held up your head, your first bite of rice cereal, the first day you crawled and the first time I heard you say “Dada!” One of my favorite memories happened only a few weeks ago, when I asked you if I could please have a kiss and you leaded over and gave me the sweetest kiss on the cheek I could ever imagine.

With all the joy, love, admiration, excitement (and a bit of sadness) we wish you the happiest birthday! To another year filled with adventure and happiness.

Love you to the moon,

Mama

 

Birthday Week!

Jude's "Birthday Week" as Michael & I like to call it begins! We are so excited for Jude's big day and his party on Sunday. Can't wait to see all of our family & friends!!!

 I wanted to share this video I made of Jude's dancing skills, in case anyone missed it on Facebook:

PS! Jude's Aunt Nicole got him a really adorable Garden Gnome costume

which he is going to wear to one of his Halloween parties but Michael & I also wanted to get him another costume (we have already been invited to 3 parties, go Jude!) So, you should help us pick by voting in the poll to the right :)!