Survival of the Fittest!

Today, Ben and I ventured out on a date to go see "Night at the Museum" it was hilarious and a good way to relax and spend an afternoon with my handsome husband! We bravely left our Zacky in the hands of his two oldest female cousins -- Molly and Katie! This was Katie's first babysitting job outside of her siblings and I have to admit they did a wonderful job. Of course he refused to take the breast milk from a bottle and he cried, but all in all he survived quite nicely without me for a couple of hours. I missed him so much, but it was wonderful just to be Ben's sweetheart for that couple of hours. I love my husband dearly and trying to find time to just be his wife seems to be a daunting task. Anyone have suggestions? Anyway, Zack was fussing a bit when I got in, but a moment in my arms and he was back to normal.

I understand Zacky wore Katie out; I guess we know who won the "survival of the fittest" competition! I'm very proud of her for the great job she did protecting and nurturing my little guy. So, the pic you see is him shortly after we got home, sporting his new "vacation" hat. He looks like he's ready to go "Down Under" with his Pop. He looks great and this was proof of the great job they did. Thanks Molly and Katie, I needed that date!

Question of the Day . . .

Is it so terribly wrong to be this crazy in love with your baby? I can't get enough of him. He smells so sweet, he coos and laughs when I talk to him and he just all round thinks I am the best thing in the world -- or is it that he's really just after the free meals I provide?

A Survivor!

I'm not sure who is more of a survivor, me or my precious buddy. Yesterday, I took Zack for his first round of immunizations. ACK! No one told me it would be more traumatic for me than for him. The nurse held his little legs firmly between her thighs and my Mom held his arm on one side and I held his arm on the other and they gave him 3 injections. I cried right along with my boy. I was warned that he might have a seriously bad night -- fever, crying, etc. but, he did pretty good. I woke him up about 2 a.m. and gave him more tylenol and fed him a bit. But this morning, he's been napping a lot and cooing at me. The picture above was BEFORE he got his shots, poor thing didn't have a clue. Oh, he's growing! He weighed in at 10 lbs 3.5 oz. and was 23" long! I just can't believe I'm so blessed to have this little monkey as my son.

Giggles and Grins and a touch of Sorrow

This past week, I lost a very dear friend -- Tim Flanigan. Tim was an extraordinary man. He was from a family of 14 children, his mom gave birth to 3 sets of twins, Tim being a member of one of those sets. Because of some complications at birth he had a mild case of cerebral palsy. He never let this stop him. He graduated from BYU and Law school and served a clerkship with a federal judge. He had just settled down into a career with a great position as an attorney in Washington D.C. He was very generous (I know that he donated a large sum of money to my sister's trustfund after her husband passed away.) and selfless. Tim became an endearing presence in my life. Because of Tim, I became a better person. He is quite honestly one of the choicest spirits I have ever known. He was my friend, in the pre-Ben days my confidant, my mentor, my good ol' buddy. I will miss you terribly dearest of friends. I love you!

As the days wore on after Tim's passing, the Lord blessed me with witnessing my baby's first laugh. What joy filled my heart to hold that smiley, flirty little boy. He laughed and I laughed with him. I was just sitting there holding him and talking to him about whatever odd thing was in my head and he started to laugh. Ben and I were just so tickled pink to hear this celestial sound!

I swear there will be pictures, I'll post as soon as I catch him on film!

Showers of Blessings!

It seems to me that lately there has been a considerable amount of rain fall in Oklahoma. I love the rain -- the way it smells so fresh after a spring shower, the gentle pitter patter that can lull you to sleep, even the loud crashes and light displays. But, those are not the showers I'm talking about, I'm feel so blessed to be a Mom and to be married to such a wonderful man. My baby Zack is growing like a weed and sees to be a non-stop eating machine! My bathroom is finally painted and useable, our roses are blooming, I have the coolest stroller in the world and love to go for long walks and the list goes on and on. Oh yes, life is great.

The clock sure WAS ticking . . .

The very next day after my last post, I gave birth to the most incredible baby boy! Labor was 16-1/2 hours long. It started Friday night and ended at 1:20 p.m. on Saturday, March 7th. I went more than 36 hours without sleep. Sleep? LOL, I hardly know what that is anymore! Labor turned out to be a bit more intense then I ever dreamed it would be and I was so completely grateful when after about 7 hours of labor I was finally able to have an epidural. As my neice Hannah used to say...."Ah, it was bayla tu!" I pushed more than an hour and finally, my Zackary Duane made his appearance! I am bless beyond measure to be the mother to this perfect, albeit demanding boy!

And the Clock is Ticking!

Can you hear it? *tick, tick, tick* the clock is ticking out the baby countdown. 5 more days! Imagine, I'm doing my happy pregnant, but my back is killing me dance. I've got the mini-crib up and decorated in my best neutral-gender decor. Nope, I don't know if it's a girl or boy, but I do know that I will be happy to hold this little one in my arms soon. Anyway, I've decided to do it in a green, brown and monkeys theme. That gives me time to do a girl/boy thing later. We have the names picked out, baby clothes are washed, folded and stored away. I have a cute red basket filled with newborn diapers and wipes, and I bought 4 sage green canvas baskets to act as drawers that we're putting on a bookshelf. I think I am as ready as I can be. Except . . . can I really do this? I mean, go through labor, be a good Mom (after all I have a very hard act to follow with my big sister.) and be a loving, perfect wife to my DH Ben. Well, I pray everyday that this baby will be healthy and I will be able to be the best Mommy I can be.