One Year Old!

What a fabulous day:)  Today was Whit's official birthday, and throughout the entire day I would see a clock and think, "last year I was..."  What a day that was!  I'm pretty sure that Luke has completely blocked it out-especially the last couple of hours.  For me, all I have to do is think about it for a moment and it's like I'm watching a movie in my mind.  I was using a different blog at that time, and because this is my primary journal, I want to share just a few moments from that day...
We drove to the hospital around 7:00, ready to go!  The morning was fairly slow, which I had expected since they were inducing me.  By early afternoon, things were moving along well, but I was experiencing back labor, so I was ready for my epidural.  That was one of my big fears going in; fortunately I had a wonderful anesthesiologist who did a great job.  After that, I was feeling good:)  The afternoon/evening were fine...our families arrived for the big moment and we had some nice time together.  By 9:00, it was time to start pushing.  Our family members came into the room and prayed for God's provision...the next few hours were some of the most difficult I have ever experienced, but I felt His presence and the prayers being offered.  I pushed for an hour and a half-trying various procedures and positions, but Whit's head was simply too large.  The worst part of the experience was that 20 minutes into pushing, my epidural wore off, so I was exhausted and in so much pain.  Eventually, it was determined that I needed a c-section, so off we went to surgery.  My medication was not kicking back in quick enough, so they had to put me out completely...I awoke around 12:30 and finally got to meet my beautiful baby boy!  It was such a long day, but completely worth it!
Now...that little tiny baby is crawling, standing, talking, laughing, discovering, learning, and growing before our eyes!  He has completely changed our lives for the better, and we loved our life before Whit was here.  I can't count the number of times Luke and I have said to each other, "We are so blessed," or "He is such a precious boy," or "How did we get so lucky?"  He is just amazing!  Today we celebrated his birthday by having lunch in Mazon with daddy during band camp, swimming in his pool this afternoon, and having homemade mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese for dinner.  We didn't have any cake, so he got to try chocolate pudding for the first time!  He seemed to be a fan and I think he had a great first birthday!  I can't imagine what the next year will bring...
Happy birthday Whit!!

First Haircut

I almost forgot to share this!!  So, we have been wanted to get a trim for quite sometime, but I'm really bad about remembering to call and schedule.  We finally got it booked and ended up making it a family affair...Luke and Whit got haircuts and I got my cut/color combo.  We were there for 3 hours total...as you can guess I will be going on my own next time!  It went great though, and Whit seemed to handle the trim just fine.  He sat on my lap, which was a pretty funny sight, and was mostly interested in the comb Heidi used for his hair.  Each time she would go in for a snip he wold lean as far away as possible, but once we handed him a comb to play with, he was good to go!  She even used the buzzer on him and he didn't freak out.  He's such a good-natured kid!  All in all, it was another successful first!

Birthday Fun!

It's CRAZY that we celebrated Whit's birthday this past weekend.  I think back to one year ago and am amazed by all this year has held-for our family as well as those we love.  There have been so many wonderful moments along the way...too many to name, but they were great!  One year ago, Whit was a dream...I hadn't met him, held him, kissed him-only imagined and anticipated how wonderful he would be and how much I would love him.  He has far surpassed any expectation we had, melting our hearts from day one.  He is a very loved boy, and that was evident at his party this weekend!  Our house was filled with family and friends from different parts of our life, each connected to our son...to look around our home and take it all in was truly amazing.  I think Whit was in awe as well.  He seemed so fascinated by all the action and attention on him.  He eventually seemed to accept it an go about enjoying his party-especially the cake!  What a wonderful day of celebration:)  Here are a few pictures from the big day.

Growing up...

So for some reason, I really feel like we've "grown up" a lot this summer.  It's hard to explain, but I said it to Luke earlier today and he said "I know what you mean..."  I'm sure much of it has to do with Whit being around to keep us productive this summer.  Also, we're both teaching lessons, so we have been forced to keep the house in order.  It feels good though.  Regardless of what is pushing us in this direction, it's one I am enjoying and excited about.  I feel much more disciplined and driven than ever, and have found some great outlets for myself this summer...running, singing, business...Luke continues to find new things to learn and ways to hone his musical skills.  It's exciting to me that even with the addition of a son, full-time jobs (9 months of the year) and a crazy daschund we are still motivated to be better.  We have become more involved in our church in the last few months, and I know that has had a positive impact on our lives.  I am convinced that we are doing something right because while this summer has been so wonderful and full of great moments, it has also brought some difficulty and criticism from various directions.  I would be lying if I said it didn't bother me-it certainly isn't fun to hear and I am still working on letting it go and placing my hurt at the feet of my Father so that healing can happen.  However, I feel like God has shown me to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly through the crossfire...I trust in His faithfulness and pray that our response to this negativity will honor Him.  I know that any time growing occurs, there is pain.  Just hoping today that the end is in sight and we can move on to a new challenge.

I want to remember...

Whit is at such a fun age right  now!!  He is constantly making us laugh and I am so thankful we have gotten to be home with him this summer.  Luke and I continue saying to each other how blessed we feel to have these months at home as a family.
Today when I got him up from his nap, it struck me how much I wanted to remember him at this time in his life, so I decided I would make a list of some of my favorite "moments with Whit"...

• He has the sweetest little voice and I love how he talks to his stuffed animals and toys.
• Sometimes his sweet voice gets very loud!  He wants to be heard so he'll yell nonsense or "hmmm" or squeal-mostly with a smile on his face.
• When we listen to the monitor to see if he's awake yet, we have to leave it on for awhile to hear him.  After a minute or so we'll he "da," nothing else.
• Lately he's been choosing all the "non-toys" in the house to play with...he especially loves eating his shoes.
• When he naps or is tired, he puts his head on his pillow (if he's in his crib), tucks his arms under his belly, and sticks his butt up in the air.  Today when I got him out of his crib he laid his head on my shoulder and stuck his hands between him and me...my heart melted a little:)
• He's really starting to interact more with Lucy...he'll follow her around and grab her skin or mouth or tail...she's being very patient with his new discovery!
• He seems to have little "plans" with his toys or with where he wants to be and as he executes them you can tell he is on a mission
• When we put him in his walker-WATCH OUT!  He'll go after you and crash into anything that stands in his way.  He's great at maneuvering it these days.
• Whit is independent.  I love that he will sit in the middle of the room or in his play pen for 20 minutes and just play with whatever toys or books are within his reach.  He doesn't like to snuggle or be held unless you're going somewhere or he is really sleepy, which is OK most of the time.
• His new trick is pointing to daddy.  I'll be holding him and ask "Where's Daddy?" and he'll point right at Luke.
• He understands so much of what we say to him now!  He knows when we tell him "no" that he should stop whatever he is doing...does he always listen-no :-)  I'm glad he's a little mischievous though!  It just amazes me how much he seems to understand and pick up on at such a young age.  

Well...I guess that's it for now.  Time is going so quickly and I've heard many veteran parents tell me how fast they grow up.  I knew it was true, but I'm enjoying every moment and trying my best to remember/document them as they come along.  Today I am just so thankful for our sweet little Whittaker.

Southern Excursion!

Last week we had an unexpected trip to southern Illinois for four days.  It was a great "mini-vacation" for our family and we really enjoyed our visits!  We started off in Lincoln with Luke's family.  His grandma Iris was visiting from Texas, and Miriam's brother Bob was also visiting from Texas.  It was wonderful to spend time with them, as well as the rest of Luke's family who live in Lincoln.  We did a lot of relaxing, eating and were so glad we could spend a couple of days with our Texas family!

Our next stop was St. Louis for a Cardinal's game with my parents.  We were excited to take Whit to his first baseball game-even if it was the Cardinals;)  It was a HOT day, but my dad did a great job of finding tickets in the shade, so we survived the heat just fine!  Whit did a great job at the game, and made it through 11 innings...I thought it was a coincidence that he made it 11 innings and he is 11 months old.  We had a great time with my parents and I think they enjoyed getting to take Whittaker to his first game!

Our final stop was in Mascoutah, where we spent a couple of days with some great friends from college.  Tim, Liz and Hannah were wonderful hosts and it was so fun to catch up with them and all the awesome things God is doing in their life!  Hannah and Whit played great together, although I don't think Hannah was a big fan of Lucy:(  Hannah is about 8 months older than Whit, so it was fun to see all the things she is doing and think about Whit hitting those milestones in the coming months.  Tim has a great new job, so on Friday Liz, Hannah, Luke, Whit and I went to the St. Louis Zoo to check out the animals and have lunch.  Our favorite exhibit was probably the stingrays...we got to watch them swim and "pet" them as they went past us.  The kids seemed to enjoy the day even though it was pretty warm.  We got there early and I think we beat the worst heat.  We grilled that night and stayed up way too late, but it was well worth it!  We loved our visit and it means a lot to us that we are able to stay so connected with our friends from WIU.  Can't wait for our next visit!  I'm pretty sure it will involve a run:)

So Big!

Whit turned 11 months old on Monday!!  We keep thinking back to last summer when we were a month away from delivery, putting the final touches on the nursery, enjoying a "baby-moon" in Galena, and trying to wrap our heads around what parenthood would be like.  Now-just one short year later-Whit is no longer a baby!  We've heard from several people lately that he lost his "baby-face."  We could not agree more!  I guess I would be lying if I didn't say that I was a bit sad to see the baby stage disappearing, but watching him grow & learn and acquire new skills each day is far outweighing any sadness.  In the last week he has become adept at pulling himself up to a standing position, and I think he feels the need to try out this new trick on every piece of furniture in our home!  Hopefully he'll figure out which ones are the most stable so there aren't many injuries along the way.  Today he was trying out a cabinet in the dining room, and grabbed onto his walker for support...that ended in a minor disaster, but was quickly fixed with some mommy love.  

Now that Whit is an expert at pulling himself up, he's working on getting himself back down.  It's pretty funny to watch him "test the waters" as he prepares for his descent.  He really seems to be cautious and thoughtful before plopping himself down.  

The other big accomplishment/change for Whit is that he is now a whole-milk drinker!  My goal was to nurse for one year, and it has gone really well.  But with some changes in childcare this fall and my new passion for running, we decided to start weaning him when he turned 11 months-hopeful he would be completely weaned by August.  The process went much quicker than I had expected, and he was doing great with the whole milk, so we just went for it!  By day 4 he was done and is doing great.  He continues to amaze us with his pleasant demeanor and flexibility.  

Now that Whit is a little boy and no longer a baby, we are seeing more and more of his personality come through.  He is currently sitting in his high chair doing some kind of happy dance, flailing his arms, shaking his head, babbling, and grinning from ear to ear.  I'm cracking up at this little burst of joy as I type.  It's rare that he pushes the limits, but we have had to begin some "disciplining."  We have been working hard on table manners-not smacking the tray or putting hands in the mouth; staying out of Lucy's dog food-for some reason he heads for every time he's in the kitchen; having independent play time in his pack and play.  I really think he understands when we tell him not to do something.  Every time we say no, he stops and looks at us, then seems to ponder if it's worth trying again or if he should move on to something else.  It seems so strange to be implementing "discipline" on an 11 month old, but so far it has been minimal and effective.  Now he just beelines for Lucy's food and points to it rather than putting his hand in it:)  

One of my favorite moments with Whittaker lately has been putting him down for naps/bedtime.  He's just so unbelievably sweet!!!  We talk and play as he gets his jammies on and we pick music for him to listen to.  I usually rock him for a few minutes until he lays his head on my chest, then I put him in his crib and he scrambles over to his pillow, lays down his head and looks at me with the most content little face.  It gets me every time!  I hope I can always remember these little moments as he grows over the years.  I have to say that we feel INCREDIBLY blessed and are so grateful for this summer at home as a family of three:)

I got to record a song!!

So a couple of weeks ago a producer emailed to see if I would be interested in recording a demo for him of a song he and a friend wrote.  I worked with him on another band's CD singing background vocals and really enjoyed the experience.  Monday night I went to his studio and recorded "You Ain't All That" by Alby Odum & Lance Gehl.  Check out the link of the final cut!  Just click below, then download & run:)
You Ain't All That

Dentist...

Totally random, but it was a funny thought and I want to remember it!

We're becoming more certain that Whit may be interested in dentistry someday.  Whenever he gets to see Pappy (Luke's dad), he always tries to "push" one of his teeth in to line up with the rest.  He has consistently done this, so it was not just an isolated incident.  Then today he was really interested in Luke's teeth.  He kept trying to touch them with one of his toys, and eventually ended up dropping the toy and sticking his entire hand in Luke's mouth.  It was pretty funny!  Maybe all babies have this fascination, but it's new to us, so naturally we will assume that he is going to be the top dentist in his graduating class someday;)

Pictures-for the visual people in my life:)

We LOVE being parents to this awesome kid!  

We feel so BLESSED to have each other to share this joyful life with!

We are THANKFUL for the amazing support and love we receive from our family and friends!

We PRAISE GOD for his abundant gifts.

Family time in Morton.  Ella was a big helper with Whit.

Whit's first trip to Chicago!  We went to "Taste of Chicago" on July 3rd-very busy but lots of fun!

Whit's first trip to the zoo-we went  to Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington.  It was a great day for our family:)

Checking out the birds...they were pretty friendly; not sure how Whit felt about that.

He did however LOVE the petting zoo!  We stood outside the fence where Whit could see for a bit and he practically threw himself out of the stroller to get to the animals, then we had to pry his little hands off the goat!