Hayes' 1st Birthday

Well, I figured I needed to post something about Hayes' 1st birthday before he turns 2!!! :) Ha ha!

After weeks of rain, thankfully we had decent weather for Hayes' big day! Since the ground was soggy, we changed our plans & moved the party into our garage. I thought the monkey & banana theme turned out really cute! The main colors were green, yellow, & brown & I used raffia & burlap on the tables along with stuffed monkeys & real bananas. Of course, being the procrastinator that I am, I never would've had all of the decorations out & food set up until after everyone left if it weren't for my family, especially Mrs. Ann, Angel, & Terri. They were so wonderful while I was running around like a crazy lady!! Once everything got started, I had time to relax. The party was a lot of fun, & we had a good time with family & friends that came. Thanks to those of you who were there that made Hayes' special day such a memorable time for us!

Below are a few pictures from the party...


Table decorations


Us with our birthday boy


The cake


Hayes checking out his cake


My favorite picture from the party! Hayes & his 2 best

friends, Cole & Brady

Florida Vacation Pics

Better late than never, right?

Once again, I've let too much time pass since my last post!


Let me start with June...


We took a trip to visit the in-laws in Louisiana the first weekend in June. Hayes finally got a chance to get in the pool...he loved it!! He was kicking his legs & splashing like crazy! I'm hoping he'll be a "little fish" like his daddy. We went to my niece's 3rd birthday party that Saturday, and then sent Hayes home with Ann & Don so Blaine & I could enjoy a night out. We had a great time...did a little shopping, walked around the French quarter, & ate a wonderful seafood dinner. After a nice family lunch on Sunday, we headed back home. Then I spent the next 5 days packing 2-weeks' worth of stuff for our vacation.

Our trip to Florida was absolutely wonderful...two weeks of relaxation with lots of quality family time. We stayed in Seagrove Beach in a cute little bungalow which was a short distance from the beach. Packing up & lugging all of our stuff to the beach was quite a challenging task...umbrella to keep Hayes in the shade, tent for Hayes to sleep in, beach chairs for us to sit in, inflatable boat for Hayes to play in, cooler for Hayes' food & juice, stroller for Hayes to ride to the beach, beach caddy to haul most of our stuff in, towels, sunscreen, cameras.... Thankfully, Hayes loved the beach so we were able to stay for a few hours at a time (to make it worth the effort!). He couldn't get enough of the water...he especially enjoyed getting on his belly & splashing at the waves as they came up on the shore.

We also hung out at the pool, ate at lots of great seafood restaurants, went biking, & did some shopping. And I finally found time to read a few books while we were gone! We were total beach bums & loved every minute!

Our 4th of July weekend was pretty low-key. We spent a lot of time in our pool (yes, we just had to get one....for Hayes, of course!) trying to stay cool, we grilled out, and Blaine & I had a date night Saturday while Terri & Mom kept Hayes. After a great worship service Sunday, my family all went to lunch together. Then it was back to the pool with Hayes!

Hayes' 9-month check-up was a few weeks ago, and it confirmed what we already knew...that Hayes has had a major growth spurt in the last 3 months! He now weighs 21 lbs, 12 oz & is 29 in long. (He gained almost 7 lbs!!) He pulls up really well now...I guess it won't be long before our little man starts walking!

Here's a video of Hayes playing on the beach. I'm having trouble posting photos, so I'll try again later.

May Update

I'm constantly laughing at Hayes lately...making funny faces, squealing, trying to untie the bumper pads when he's supposed to be napping, beating his toys against anything that will make a noise, finding all the imperfections in the concrete floors...I could go on & on. :) He's scooting all over the place now...crawling is just around the corner (this is so hard for me to believe)! I really need to start childproofing my house!

My 1st Mother's Day was busy but wonderful! Blaine made an appointment for me to go to the spa on Thursday, then we went to Louisiana to celebrate my niece's 5th birthday on Saturday. Sunday morning was baby dedication - what a joy it was to dedicate our son to the Lord! After church we had a great lunch at Mint (at the Renaissance) with my mom, my aunt, & Blaine's parents.

Right now we're just counting down the days until we go on vacation. We're going to Florida for 2 weeks...I can't wait!!!! I'm hoping Hayes loves the beach as much as Blaine & I do!

Below are a few pics from the last few weeks...

With our niece Alex at her 5th birthday party

At Alex's birthday party

Hayes with his cousins Elisabeth & Alex

On Mother's Day


Mother's Day

Baby Dedication/Mother's Day

Just hanging out

Swinging & loving it!

Weeee!

At the park

Hangin' Out

I'm off work today, and Hayes & I have been enjoying a lazy day at home. I finished my workout this morning while Hayes was napping & then we went for a jog when he woke up. So, if I accomplish nothing else today, at least having burned some calories will give me a sense of being semi-productive! Wishing everyone a happy Friday!!

Proud Mommy

I must share my proud mommy moment...Hayes said "mama" last week!! Well, it was actually "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma" & he had no idea what he was saying, but I was beaming & cheering him on nonetheless!

Also, in other breaking news, Hayes has now mastered sitting up! See for yourself....

6 years & Moe

It seems like I'm always playing catch-up! Here's the recap of this past month...

• Blaine & I celebrated our 6-year anniversary 2 weeks ago!! What a wonderful 6 years it has been!

• Only 5 weeks left in our P90X workout program...yay!!! I'm seeing some results, but there's still a lot of room for improvement...

• Hayes' 6-month check-up went well. He weighed 15 lbs (still in the 10th percentile). His appetite is great, and he's still enjoying his baby food...well, all except for green beans! We got him a new lovie, actually 3 new lovies. It was a tough decision...he loved Lenny, but we were never able to find a second Lenny (it was getting difficult to keep just one clean!). So we made the switch to Moe the monkey. He's a good fit!

Hayes with Moe

At lunch on Easter

Spring is in the air!

Well, we've been really busy since I last wrote... We celebrated Blaine's 30th birthday in February, Blaine & I started a new workout program, and work has been VERY busy for me (I don't get off early too much anymore) :(


I'm soooo glad spring is finally here!!! I'm LOVING this warm weather! Now all I need is a tan...but when am I supposed to make time for that??

Hayes is growing so fast! I just packed up a storage bin full of clothes he has outgrown. He will be 6 months old next week...I'm in a little bit of denial!! He has been eating cereal for a few weeks now, and we started him on baby food this past weekend. We can't get the spoon in his mouth fast enough! He rolls over really well now, and we think he'll be sitting up soon. He has the sweetest little personality -- so curious and so content. He's still a great sleeper, usually between 10 and 12 hours/night. (Thankfully those 2 a.m. wake-ups lasted only 1 1/2 weeks!)

Here are a few photos from the past month...

Green peas...yum!

"Flying" with Daddy


Lovin' on Lenny (his favorite blanket)

Such a little sweetheart!

First ride in his jogging stroller

Blog-slacker

I know I've been a blog-slacker, but with good reason. Work has been keeping me busy, so I haven’t been getting off early much lately. When I get home I want to spend all of my time with my family. I’m also a little sleep-deprived since Hayes has started waking up around 2 am almost every night for the past 1 ½ weeks. He usually won’t settle down until he eats & then he wants to play for a while before going back to bed! I get up with him when Blaine has to work the next day, and Blaine gets up with him on the days that I work. Maybe he's going through a growth spurt??

Last week was Hayes’ 4-month check-up. He finally made it to 12 lbs! We realized right before Christmas that he had lost some weight when we weighed him at home. After talking to our pediatrician, we decided that my milk supply was low & we started supplementing with formula. So his length is still in the 50th percentile but his weight is now in the 10th percentile. He may be a little thin but he's healthy (and totally adorable!), so for that I am thankful!

Hayes helping Blaine with his lunch

Waking up from his nap this morning

Future Singer?

Hayes loves for us to sing to him! Right now his favorite song seems to be the ABC's. It almost sounds like he's trying to sing with me!!

Working & Reflecting

I've been away from my blog for awhile...we've been so busy lately! We had a great Christmas with Hayes. Most of his new toys have already found their way to his mouth! Since Christmas we've been putting up decorations & trying to finish repacking and reorganizing our upstairs storage space. Of course, this takes a lot longer when we're using the "Lauren method." Seriously, most people would laugh! I'll have to post a picture when we're finished.

I also went back to work last week. Thankfully, the transition was pretty smooth, and it helped that it was a holiday week so I worked only Monday & Tuesday. This week will be my first full week back. Blaine has been at home with Hayes on the days I've worked so far, and he's been so great at keeping me updated on their day together. He sends picture or video messages to my cell phone throughout the day - I love it!

Hayes is doing so well! His favorite thing to do right now is see how many fingers he can fit in his mouth! He's been holding his head up pretty well for awhile, but it's getting increasingly more steady. So I thought it was time to try out his Bumbo...

I've also spent some time marveling over 2008. It will definitely be the most memorable year of my life! Where do I even begin? Loving my pregnancy, building a house, celebrating 5 wonderful years with my husband, becoming a parent, spending 3 amazing months with my precious son...God's blessings are truly awesome!! I'll leave you with just a few of the endless memories from my 2008.