Christmas Break Happenings

Okay, since I have been off for break, I'm loving the new developments. Will started giving blow kisses today! It is precious! He's also saying "up" quite often. Since he loves to get up on the couch, up on his chair, up in our arms, we started really encouraging this word. He's repeating it well and seems to even get what it means! Whenever we leave places, I tell Will to say bye-bye and he waves his arm. It is so neat to see him pick up so much!

I'm a sucker already

These baby girl clothes are killing me! She's not even here yet, but I am already a sucker for the adorable girl outfits. I think it's the sales that are partly to blame right now. Since we found out we were having a girl the day before Thanksgiving, I definitely went out for an hour or so on Black Friday just to make a few cute purchases for this little one. Since then, I take advantage of every opportunity to buy her something. Today I took Will to see Santa (pictures coming if I can figure out how to upload from my phone), and they gave me a 30% off card to Crazy 8. So of course, my mom and I went there and I once again left with three more cute things for Baby E!

A sneak peak at her wardrobe that resides in her room even before she does. How could I not fall for these cute buys?!

Lazy Saturday

Scrapbooking Photo Tinks by WiddlyTinks.com

4-26-11

April 26th, 2011. A big day in our future! We are excited to announce that I am (rather surprisingly) pregnant with a second baby! We recently found out that this little one is a GIRL! First, Jeff and I were shocked with the news that we were pregnant (if you know me and our experience with Will, you know that this was not something we'd planned on doing right away again). Just as I get over that shock, I am surprised to find out this baby is a girl. We couldn't be any more thrilled! I am 21 weeks, and so far so good. I have HOPE and I pray that this will go much smoother than last time.... =)
Here's a picture of what Baby E might look like right now!

Fun in Leaves

We had some family pictures taken back on Halloween, when Will was 14 months old. Will's only smiles came when we plopped him in a big pile of leaves! =)

Family Picture Time!

http://prints.wallenvyphoto.com/Portfolio/Anytime-Portraits/Alyson-Jeff-and-Will/14485859_tzWYL#1075494595_8bHt5

Catching up

Here are a few cute ones I've had on the computer for awhile and just needed to upload!

We had a great but busy Halloween! A smile would have been nice for a picture, but hey...we were just glad he wore the hat the whole time outside! It was cute! I know these pics aren't the best, but considering how hectic things have been, we're lucky to have a few pics at all! =)

We've Got a WALKER!

Starting this past Thursday, Will became a full blown walker! It is hilarious and so fun to watch. This boy is super proud of himself and stoked about his new talent! He even throws his arms up in the air when he really gets going. Tonight, we decided to test out the shoes on the driveway hill! =)

My Lil Colts Fan

Busy September

This month has been full of beautiful weather. We took Will to the Indianapolis Zoo for his first time as well as to Conner Prairie. He wasn't as into the zoo as we'd hoped, but he did enjoy the ducks at the pond next to our table eating lunch as well as the dark aquarium water world. Expecting Will to sit still for the dolphin show was waaaay too much. =) As for Conner Prairie, I'd say all of three us enjoyed the Apple Store more than anything!

Will and Da-Da at the zoo














Ma-Ma and Will with the hind end of a goat (Will was more into the giant fan behind us than the goat's hind end...can you blame him?!)














Playing with the train at the Discovery Zone

How Dare Us!

Will was SO unhappy about his getting his hair cut right after his first birthday! I mean, look at that face and those tears. While he enjoyed being in the rad car for the first minute, once he realized someone was going to wet his hair and mess with him, he was ticked! Will likes to be in full control of every part of his body. We apparently did not consult him on how he felt about cutting his curly locks. The end result was a very grown up looking, sweet little boy though!

He'll hate me later

Can't wait till the olive green TIGHTS arrive in the mail that I ordered for Will! That's right, here's a look at what he will be for Halloween this year. We went the traditional route. Plus, one of my earliest memories of Halloween is of my brother and I in a very similar pumpkin outfit (definitely not PBK though). =) I decided to jazz it up with the tights. Can't wait to see his chubby boy thighs in them! hehehe

William Zachary's 1st Birthday Bash

We had a wonderful time celebrating the big first birthday of our boy! He had a blast as well! Thank you so much to our family (and Janea) for making it a memorable day. We had beautiful weather as well. Will loved all the presents, balloons, and attention but wasn't too sure about the cake! We may have a clean boy on our hands, or one who's just more cautious in new situations. =) While he whined and wanted the lit candle the second he saw it while we sang happy b-day, he wasn't as wild about putting the cake in his mouth. He flicked the icing a few times with his hands and tasted it, but that was about it! Jeff and I cut into it for him. What was unbelievable is that he didn't get one drop of cake or icing on his outfit. How many one year old boys does this happen to?! It was cute and so "Will!"

Happy 80th Birthday Great Grams!

We Stand in Awe...

Wow....How a year can make a difference.

No one wants to hear me recount my story or be near me when I go into even the slightest detail of my experience of birthing Will one year ago. I have learned that lesson very clearly. Not that others' feelings or reactions actually stop me (or my husband) when we feel so lead, but it is something we try to limit to only necessary conversations.

What no one can stop me from telling is the miracle that our little boy who "looked like he went through a boxing round" (quote from a NICU doctor) has turned out to be. We are so very thankful for the blessing of Will!

Lord help me if I ever decide to go down this road again... It is so hard to see the truth and feel the hurt of these birth pictures as well as see the drug-induced daze and pain that my eyes portray.

Regardless, we are blessed to have a healthy one year old thriving boy today!
Love,
Aly

















































Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.
Ecclesiastes 5:7

First Steps

YES!! I just witnessed them! It was amazing! I could not believe my eyes! And he acted like it was no big deal/nothing special! Sure was for me though. =) Since we've moved, I have been terrible about taking pictures, but I promise to get better! I couldn't help but share this news though!

Wow

It is hard to believe that tomorrow is Aug. 9th, the day my SAHM status expires and I turn back into a working mom. I will miss this babe incredibly. We have had the BEST summer together. From first time swimming to a real pool champ, from being frustrated that he couldn't move to crawling and cruising all over the place, from not so much a schedule to a sort of schedule, from 4 bottles a day to 3 bottles a day, from no sippy to totally into the sippy cup at meals and b/n bottles, from gagging on thicker 3rd stage baby foods to eating real finger foods, from no babbling to some babbling (including mo-ma)...this has been one of the most memorable summers of my life. I thank God every day for letting me be a part of this journey! What a blessing it has been to stay at home with Will this summer as well as sell and buy our house, move into an incredible neighborhood, and now returning to school where I have to think I can somehow be a blessing in the tiniest bit of way to other parent's kids. Oh...it won't be easy though!

Thank you, Stacie, for the picture!

Amazed...

Dear Blog Readers,
Tonight I went through the mail and lost it when I saw we were invited to Clarian North's NICU reunion celebration. They were the people who provided the one positive experience we had from that whole week of our life. I will always be grateful for the way those nurses and doctors cared for us and truly gave a listening ear when I just needed to cry or ask questions about all of my worries/concerns. Along with the social workers, the NICU by far should receive credit for helping us through that incredibly difficult time in our life. Jeff and I loved those nurses and are grateful for everything they taught us. We are so sad that the reunion celebration is on the SAME day/time as Will's first birthday party! How ironic that our little big guy is turning one right when they're having their first reunion?! We both really hope to bring Will by the NICU earlier that day to see who we can visit with and say hello to. In case we don't see everyone, I put together and sent a tribute/collage that gives thanks to them and shows how a year & love can make a huge difference... =) It's a word file that includes pictures, so I am having trouble uploading it to blogger. Do any of you know how to go about uploading a word document that includes pictures? If I can't figure it out, I will put together a blog post tribute of pictures from how Will's changed in one year instead of posting my document thanking the NICU.
Love,
Aly

Back Up and Running

Just a week and a couple hundred dollars later, we have our laptop back in tip top shape! Now I can share a couple pictures of Will around our house which is in shambles as we're packing.

Here it looks like Will is saying, "What's that?! You mean I gotta learn a new address already?!"

Stuff

Our laptop has been sick and is currently away getting help, so I have not been able to upload and post pictures of Will lately. We are also super busy with packing and Will is of course keeping us on the go! He is all over, into everything, as boys will be boys right?!

Cute story...we have been working on clapping non stop for about three months. Will finally decided to do it (on his own sweet timing) when my mom and I were at Tuesday Morning busy discussing the details of the new house and trying to decide what rug would work. All of a sudden, we see Will (who was getting quite bored by this time) sitting in the cart with a toy in one hand and clapping it together with his other hand! Mom and I freaked out and clapped and praised him for finally doing this milestone! He loved it and kept clapping over and over and even started to lift his hands high above his head when we said "How big is Will? THIS BIG!" I swear that stinker just knew we weren't paying attention to him in that moment since we had our brains wrapped around rugs and decor, so he decided to spice up the moment by doing what he KNEW we wanted him to do! I mean, never under estimate what a little one understands or thinks! =)

Will went to the St. Chris church fish fry & fair with my parents and their friends on Friday so Jeff and I could spend the evening packing. Fun. We did knock out quite a bit but there's so much left. We took today off and are getting back at it tomorrow (in the midst of also playing with and caring for Will)...it should be interesting!

Today I started to dive into planning for Will's first birthday. I picked a theme: rubber duckies. I also picked the theme decor basics on my fave website, Etsy. Oh, how fun that site has become over the past few months with the new house and with Will's birthday planning! Here's a sneak peak at the personalized cupcake toppers (you can't quite see his name in this picture though). I'm thinking we'll buy the fondant ducky and bubbles to top Will's little egg free cake that I'm attempting to make b/c I'm not promising anything fancy (can't remember the last time I made a cake)!
We are doing a small family only party at the end of August. I figure I better start planning now b/c once we get in the new house, that's where my focus will be (along with enjoying my last two weeks of summer...ugh). Then once I go back to school, I'll want to spend all my spare time with Will and Jeff instead of planning b-day stuff. So I'm getting it going now!

would you consider voting?

I got sucked into an online add for Gerber and posted a picture of Will. Now that the voting is on, I am actually really hoping to go for it! Anything free, not to mention the grand prize scholarship, would be unbelievable. If you feel inclined, you can vote once a day at
http://www.gerber.com/photo/?entryid=2163&/#/detail/

Thank for voting and most of all...Thank you for not thinking I'm a crazy mom!
Love,
Alyson

Stuck

Sometimes when I crawl around, I get stuck in these weird spots. Mom said the office was fair game b/c the spindels don't need baby proofed (only my hands and feet are small enough to fit through them).