Who doesn't love a good giveaway huh?
Well-if you've got a bun in the oven, need a cute baby shower gift, or if you just happen to like diaper bags...make sure to stop by one of my BFF's (blog friend forever) blog and sign up for her Fab Bag giveaway.
Babbling Abby is one of my favorite mommy blogs. I think we are soul sisters from another life because we're both teachers, hate laundry, adore trashy MTV reality shows, and have ahem-really cute baby boys.
Abby-thanks for babbling!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
56 Days Ago.
56 days ago my world was just my own.
I could come and go as I pleased. I could sleep in on Saturdays. I could make my lunch and eat it right away. I could shower, shave, brush my teeth, and put on deodorant on-all in one sitting. I could run into the grocery store for a few things and be back to whip up a quick dinner for my husband and I in no time flat. I could go shopping and try clothes on with relative ease. I could return phone calls in a timely manner. I could leave the house with just my wallet. I could hit the snooze button.
56 days later...my world is no longer my own. And let me tell you-I'm more than obliged to share.
Now-there is a little life that depends on me. A sweet little boy who has turned our world upside down in the most amazing way possible. He's helped us remember what life is all about. He's made waking up in the morning the best treat, because I assure you...there's nothing like running into the nursery to get him, bringing him back into bed, and laying with my two best boys-realizing that THIS is what life is all about.
It's about a love that helped create new life. It's about a little boy who God chose for us to shape and mold into a young man. It's about watching him grow, and reach milestones-big and small. His first smile. His first laugh. His first steps. His first scrape on the knee. His first day of school. His first job. His first kiss. We'll be there to coach him through some of these milestones...and others we'll just have to sit back, cross our fingers, and hope that we did enough. And the beauty is-even though we won't always get it right-he will always be our son. And we will always love him more than anything we have ever loved in our lives.
Daddy Perks and I look at each other often and wonder what life was like before Henry. It's amazing how much life we have lived in 56 days, compared to the thousands of days that came before them.
The past 56 days may not have been glamorous. They might have included a few (or many) where our shirts smelled like puke, and our toilets went uncleaned. They may have caused bags under our eyes, and made value meals for dinner sound fancy. They may have meant less trips to the movies, and more trips to the doctor. They may have included more loads of laundry then we've done in the past year. They may have included sweatpants as the standard attire, and breastmilk as the beverage of choice.
But what they most certainly included...
LOVE.
The most indescribable, unconditional, mind-boggling, earth-shattering, rock-your-world, never-want-it-to-end, would literally kill for, amazing kind of love.
56 days in...and it gets better with every breath.
I could come and go as I pleased. I could sleep in on Saturdays. I could make my lunch and eat it right away. I could shower, shave, brush my teeth, and put on deodorant on-all in one sitting. I could run into the grocery store for a few things and be back to whip up a quick dinner for my husband and I in no time flat. I could go shopping and try clothes on with relative ease. I could return phone calls in a timely manner. I could leave the house with just my wallet. I could hit the snooze button.
56 days later...my world is no longer my own. And let me tell you-I'm more than obliged to share.
Now-there is a little life that depends on me. A sweet little boy who has turned our world upside down in the most amazing way possible. He's helped us remember what life is all about. He's made waking up in the morning the best treat, because I assure you...there's nothing like running into the nursery to get him, bringing him back into bed, and laying with my two best boys-realizing that THIS is what life is all about.
It's about a love that helped create new life. It's about a little boy who God chose for us to shape and mold into a young man. It's about watching him grow, and reach milestones-big and small. His first smile. His first laugh. His first steps. His first scrape on the knee. His first day of school. His first job. His first kiss. We'll be there to coach him through some of these milestones...and others we'll just have to sit back, cross our fingers, and hope that we did enough. And the beauty is-even though we won't always get it right-he will always be our son. And we will always love him more than anything we have ever loved in our lives.
Daddy Perks and I look at each other often and wonder what life was like before Henry. It's amazing how much life we have lived in 56 days, compared to the thousands of days that came before them.
The past 56 days may not have been glamorous. They might have included a few (or many) where our shirts smelled like puke, and our toilets went uncleaned. They may have caused bags under our eyes, and made value meals for dinner sound fancy. They may have meant less trips to the movies, and more trips to the doctor. They may have included more loads of laundry then we've done in the past year. They may have included sweatpants as the standard attire, and breastmilk as the beverage of choice.
But what they most certainly included...
LOVE.
The most indescribable, unconditional, mind-boggling, earth-shattering, rock-your-world, never-want-it-to-end, would literally kill for, amazing kind of love.
56 days in...and it gets better with every breath.
The Buggy Has Landed.
Well-we made it.
I somehow managed to get myself, my 8 week-old, one stroller, one carseat, one diaper bag, AND my carry-on suitcase from Columbus, Ohio to Ft. Myers, Florida. Take that AirTran! You won't find this mama paying $15 just to check a suitcase.
So yes-I was that Mom heaving obnoxious amounts of baggage through the terminal when I could have checked my suitcase and made my load considerably lighter. But why make life easier right?
It is true what they say-travelling with a baby is quite the ordeal. Long gone are the days when I'd have enough time before my flight to grab a drink from Starbucks and peruse the latest US Weekly before boarding the plane. After yesterday's airport experience, I've realized that travelling with a baby is an invitation to continually re-encact that infamous airport scene from the movie Home Alone.
And I did have a mini panic attack as we stood in line to get through security. God forbid they let a brand new mommy off the hook. Oh no. I was forced to take my sleeping baby out of his carseat and stroller and put those on the conveyor belt to be scanned along with my 7 million other bags. And as I walked under the metal detector, Henry in my arms, the security man also asked me to hold my baby away from me so that he could wave his fancy little wand over my chest and stomach. I assured him there were no weapons under my shirt-just my son's breakfast.
When I looked back to start grabbing my bags off the conveyor belt, there was was Henry's little pacifyer making it's way down the line all by itself, nipple touching that nasty surface where millions of people put their hands and belongings every single day. It was as if that germ-infested nipple was laughing in my face saying..."and you thought this would be easy."
And of course as we boarded the plane, luck would have it that our seats were in the second-to-last row. So as I strolled down the aisle, I saw the looks of panic ensue from my fellow passengers as they looked at me, then at my baby, and thought to themselves-"well-guess we won't be sleeping on this flight." And gosh it felt good to prove them wrong. In true Henry fashion, my little one didn't make a peep the entire flight. He slept soundly in my arms and I praised the airplane gods for taking pity on me.
Since we've got a computer down here, I'll be posting everyday about our vacation adventures. Meanwhile-Henry just went down for a nap, and the sun is calling my name :)
I somehow managed to get myself, my 8 week-old, one stroller, one carseat, one diaper bag, AND my carry-on suitcase from Columbus, Ohio to Ft. Myers, Florida. Take that AirTran! You won't find this mama paying $15 just to check a suitcase.
So yes-I was that Mom heaving obnoxious amounts of baggage through the terminal when I could have checked my suitcase and made my load considerably lighter. But why make life easier right?
It is true what they say-travelling with a baby is quite the ordeal. Long gone are the days when I'd have enough time before my flight to grab a drink from Starbucks and peruse the latest US Weekly before boarding the plane. After yesterday's airport experience, I've realized that travelling with a baby is an invitation to continually re-encact that infamous airport scene from the movie Home Alone.
And I did have a mini panic attack as we stood in line to get through security. God forbid they let a brand new mommy off the hook. Oh no. I was forced to take my sleeping baby out of his carseat and stroller and put those on the conveyor belt to be scanned along with my 7 million other bags. And as I walked under the metal detector, Henry in my arms, the security man also asked me to hold my baby away from me so that he could wave his fancy little wand over my chest and stomach. I assured him there were no weapons under my shirt-just my son's breakfast.
When I looked back to start grabbing my bags off the conveyor belt, there was was Henry's little pacifyer making it's way down the line all by itself, nipple touching that nasty surface where millions of people put their hands and belongings every single day. It was as if that germ-infested nipple was laughing in my face saying..."and you thought this would be easy."
And of course as we boarded the plane, luck would have it that our seats were in the second-to-last row. So as I strolled down the aisle, I saw the looks of panic ensue from my fellow passengers as they looked at me, then at my baby, and thought to themselves-"well-guess we won't be sleeping on this flight." And gosh it felt good to prove them wrong. In true Henry fashion, my little one didn't make a peep the entire flight. He slept soundly in my arms and I praised the airplane gods for taking pity on me.
Since we've got a computer down here, I'll be posting everyday about our vacation adventures. Meanwhile-Henry just went down for a nap, and the sun is calling my name :)
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Little Toes.
You never knew feet could be so sweet. Or toes. Or ankles for that matter.
(If you look closely...you'll see Henry is starting to get little creases around his ankles. And although you can't see-those same creases are showing up on his wrists too. I like to call these "rubber band wrists." OR proof that my little man is on his way to being a chunky monkey.)
I've spent the last 7 1/2 weeks realizing that I never knew life could be so sweet. And every day just keeps getting better. Henry is smiling all the time now. He's even laughing and giggling. Quite frankly-I invite you to try and find a cuter noise then a baby giggling. I think I'll try to get him giggling on video sometime soon so y'all can see what I mean.
Henry and I have an exciting adventure coming up. This Sunday we'll be getting on an airplane to go visit my parents' home in Florida where Henry's Great Nana lives. Taking an 8 week-old baby on a plane is bound to produce a few good laughs for my readers right?
Remember...the last time I was on a plane was when I was 5 months pregnant and I vomited all over the passenger next to me as we were landing. Things can't get much worse than that can they? Ohhhhh...famous last words.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Pumpkin Perks.
Oh you better believe it. We are definitely the parents that would drag our 7-week old to the pumpkin patch in the freezing cold weather...all for the pictures ahem-experience.
Although Henry couldn't tell us in words-we're pretty sure he LOVED hanging out in the hay barn, gazing at all the pumpkins, taking cheesy pictures with his silly parents, and of course-getting excited for the upcoming holiday. If you've spent any time all following this blog, then I'm sure you know exactly what we plan to dress our little man up as for Halloween at the end of this month.
Here are a few of the pictures from Saturday's chilly festivities:
Although Henry couldn't tell us in words-we're pretty sure he LOVED hanging out in the hay barn, gazing at all the pumpkins, taking cheesy pictures with his silly parents, and of course-getting excited for the upcoming holiday. If you've spent any time all following this blog, then I'm sure you know exactly what we plan to dress our little man up as for Halloween at the end of this month.
Here are a few of the pictures from Saturday's chilly festivities:
We did break out the Baby Bjorn for the first time-Henry is just now big enough to fit in it.
Happy family.
Love this little boy.
Snug as a bug.
So maybe Henry wasn't quite big enough to go down the slide...but somebody else seemed to enjoy himself playing in the hay.
Scarecrow...Pumpkin...Sunflower.
Finally...some pumpkins.
My boys. Daddy Perks-where's your dinosaur hoody?
He slept the whole time.
We can't wait to go back next year!
Happy October to all of you. We hope you're enjoying the fall as much as we are.
Love,
The Perks
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Baby vs. Clean House
Point goes to Baby.
Some serious cleaning had to be done in the Perks household last week.
We're talking about the fruit-flies-were-landing-on-the-toothpaste-caked-to-our-bathroom-sink kind of cleaning.
And I'm not even to ashamed to admit this to the whole internet world. Gosh it feels good to air out our dirty laundry-even if I lose the respect of a few of my readers for what has been a lack of attention to the cleanliness of our home. Some of you may be shocked, even appalled that I might let my house reach this state. However-those of you who know me, were my roommates with me in college, or have spent any amount of time with me-you know that I don't get my jollies from cleaning.
I am certainly not that housewife who relishes in a good scrub session with the shower. Even after all the cleaning has been done, I don't have that extra hitch in my giddy-up as many women do as they gaze at their squeaky clean home. I despise every part of the process. And let me tell you-if a newborn baby doesn't give you a justifiable reason to put the cleaning on the back burner, then I don't know what does.
It's true. Cleaning certainly takes a backseat on the "To-Do" list when one is lending their anatomical parts to aid in the feeding of a six week-old. Now-by no means am I complaining about breastfeeding. At all. In fact, I love nursing. I feel an incredible bond with Henry when I feed him, and I love knowing that I am able to help build up his immune system and give him the best possible diet as he grows into a strapping young lad. But some times you can't help but feel as if your life is operating on 2-3 hour increments when your little man eats the way mine does. This new schedule I've been adjusting to over the past 6 weeks has certainly taken it's toll on the toilets and the floors in the Perks Household.
And when certain feedings take up to a half hour, it seems like you've barely finished burping your sweet precious when he starts to make that noise again...you know the cry/fuss/grunt that says "Mom-take off your shirt and feed me. And PS...I don't care if you're in the middle of a love affair with the scrubbing bubbles and your master bath."
What's the point of me "airing out my dirty laundry" to the online world? No point really. Well-ok...maybe I'm hoping that Daddy Perks will read this and rush home from work later to unload the dishwasher, scrub the toilets, wash the floors, windex the mirrors, etc. Or maybe I'm dreaming that I'll go into Henry's nursery in the morning and all of his stuffed monkeys will have come to life, and they'll all be lined up wearing rubber gloves ready to be put to work. A far stretch? Perhaps.
Meanwhile...when he's not cashing in on the free 24-hour milk bar keeping his mama from her cleaning duties...he's pretty busy being cute...
Some serious cleaning had to be done in the Perks household last week.
We're talking about the fruit-flies-were-landing-on-the-toothpaste-caked-to-our-bathroom-sink kind of cleaning.
And I'm not even to ashamed to admit this to the whole internet world. Gosh it feels good to air out our dirty laundry-even if I lose the respect of a few of my readers for what has been a lack of attention to the cleanliness of our home. Some of you may be shocked, even appalled that I might let my house reach this state. However-those of you who know me, were my roommates with me in college, or have spent any amount of time with me-you know that I don't get my jollies from cleaning.
I am certainly not that housewife who relishes in a good scrub session with the shower. Even after all the cleaning has been done, I don't have that extra hitch in my giddy-up as many women do as they gaze at their squeaky clean home. I despise every part of the process. And let me tell you-if a newborn baby doesn't give you a justifiable reason to put the cleaning on the back burner, then I don't know what does.
It's true. Cleaning certainly takes a backseat on the "To-Do" list when one is lending their anatomical parts to aid in the feeding of a six week-old. Now-by no means am I complaining about breastfeeding. At all. In fact, I love nursing. I feel an incredible bond with Henry when I feed him, and I love knowing that I am able to help build up his immune system and give him the best possible diet as he grows into a strapping young lad. But some times you can't help but feel as if your life is operating on 2-3 hour increments when your little man eats the way mine does. This new schedule I've been adjusting to over the past 6 weeks has certainly taken it's toll on the toilets and the floors in the Perks Household.
And when certain feedings take up to a half hour, it seems like you've barely finished burping your sweet precious when he starts to make that noise again...you know the cry/fuss/grunt that says "Mom-take off your shirt and feed me. And PS...I don't care if you're in the middle of a love affair with the scrubbing bubbles and your master bath."
What's the point of me "airing out my dirty laundry" to the online world? No point really. Well-ok...maybe I'm hoping that Daddy Perks will read this and rush home from work later to unload the dishwasher, scrub the toilets, wash the floors, windex the mirrors, etc. Or maybe I'm dreaming that I'll go into Henry's nursery in the morning and all of his stuffed monkeys will have come to life, and they'll all be lined up wearing rubber gloves ready to be put to work. A far stretch? Perhaps.
Meanwhile...when he's not cashing in on the free 24-hour milk bar keeping his mama from her cleaning duties...he's pretty busy being cute...
The eyelashes will get you every time.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
One Magnificent Month.
We never knew 31 days could be so sweet.
Last week we celebrated Henry's 1-month birthday.
And if you're wondering what that consisted of-it started out with a lovely trip to the pediatrician where Henry once again, passed his baby tests with flying colors.
A little smirk while we were in the waiting room at the Doctor.
The "quick stats" are as follows:
Weight...9 lbs. 5 oz. 50th percentile.
Height...22 inches. 75th percentile.
Head...little. 25th percentile. (I can't remember the exact measurements of his head...but it's still pretty tiny.)
We spent the evening having Henry's very first photo shoot. Thanks to my sweetestest southern friend, Rachel-Henry looked adorable in his first of 12 onesies to help commemorate each month of the first year of his life. Here are a few of our favorite shots...
Holy Cow! I'm one month old!
Verdict is still out on if he actually likes his monkeys.
Hank LOVES his pacifier.
Can't get enough of those baby blues and yummy toes.
We're going to take pictures of Henry next to his monkey every month to see how much he's grown.
He looks like he's up to no good...OR...relieving himself of a little gas.
And then things went a little south...
So pathetic and sweet at the same time.
Apparently he did NOT want any smooches from his monkey pal.
And just 'cause we have to end on a goodie...
Just delicious.
And a few things that stick out in my mind about Henry's first month...
*He hardly cries. When he does it's simply to tell us that he's hungry, sleepy, or would appreciate a new diaper. I know I'm partial-but every time we take him somewhere, or have people over-he's always on his best behavior...letting people cuddle with him and hold him. He's a charmer.
*He LOVES his hands. If he doesn't have his paci, he is usually sucking on his thumb or fingers. He's been that way since he came out of the womb. When he wakes up in the morning, he doesn't cry-he just lays in his crib, sucking away, staring up at his monkeys.
*Henry eats about every 2-3 hours. Nursing is going very well. He only takes a bottle if Daddy is feeding him and Mommy has plenty of pumped milk for these occasions.
*He almost always has his legs and feet crossed. It's too cute.
*He loves his car seat. He's very cozy in it, and as soon as we put him in the car and start driving, he almost always falls asleep.
*He burps and farts with the best of the boys.
*He loves watching football with his Daddy.
*Most of his facial expressions are very serious. He furrows his eyebrows all the time, and is extremely alert and wide-eyed when he's awake.
*Sometime during the first couple weeks of his life, he acquired the nickname "Buggy." Daddy Perks and I have no idea how it came about, but that's what we call him most of the time-so if I refer to him as Buggy, know that I am in fact talking about my son.
*Henry loves his bouncy seat, swing, and play mat. He also loves being on his tummy. He can already hold his head up all by himself, and pretty much has since the day he was born.
*He loves to snuggle with Mommy and Daddy. He takes naps on our chests and can stay that way for hours.
*Henry is a GREAT sleeper. For the first few weeks of his life, he would get up once during the middle of the night to eat. Now he is sleeping through the night consistently. Once he goes down for the night, he sleeps for 7-8 hours straight. (We know how lucky we are.)
Happy 1 month Buggy!
Anniversary Perks.
A few weeks ago Daddy Perks & I celebrated 2 years of marital bliss...
Here are a few shots of us through the years...
Valentine's Day...Chicago...February '06
Engagement Photos...Louisville, Kentucky...April '07
Wedding...Columbus...September '07
1 Year Anniversary...Our House...September '08
And just a few weeks ago...
2 year Anniversary...Columbus...September '09
And of course...the newest, sweetest, best PERK about being in love...
Our sweet baby boy.
(Who was LESS than thrilled to be having his photo taken that day.)
Who would have thought 12 years ago my very first "crush" would later turn into my husband, the father of my baby boy, and my best friend.
Perk of the day...
LOVE.
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