Weekend Recap!

I haven't done a weekend recap in lord knows how long! I decided to do one from this weekend (even if it is a little late) because there were so many firsts and I loved every minute of it.

"Oh I love Christmas time"

Friday, I worked a half day and met my mother in law and Walker for lunch. We ate at Chili's and it was so good. I haven't been out with just my MIL in a long time and I really enjoyed her company. We caught up and talked about the kids and Christmas plans! Walker was so good the entire time and even watched some football that was on the T.V above us. Once we left I loaded Walker up and we headed to Hobby Lobby to meet my bestie and her little girls. I needed to find some gifts for some family members and she wanted to look at some Christmas decorations. I seriously love this store. If I received gift cards from everyone for Hobby Lobby and Kirkland's I would be one happy girl. After we checked out we headed to the grocery store to pick up some items for dinner. We decided to cook for the guys instead of going out. The menu consisted of Salad, Spaghetti, and Cookies. My husband decided to eat 6 which didn't leave much for everyone else because the second batch was accidentally burnt! While we over there my best friend was surprised with some BIG news! She's expecting Baby Ervin #3 !!!!! To say she was shocked in an understatement. I was feeding Walker and all of a sudden I hear her screaming from the bathroom. They just announced the pregnancy on Sunday and it's seriously the cutest thing ever.

"Baby #3 announcement"

Saturday, Dakota and I took Walker to the mall! We wanted our little guy to get a picture with Santa! We waited in line for about 30 minutes and I was nervous about how Walker would react. Some other kids just started at him and gave really uneasy looks to their parents. Some others screamed, and guess what my child did? He pulled on Santa's beard and gave us a big smile! He loved it & I love how the pictures turned out. We put him in some suspenders and a Santa hat and he was the cutest thing ever. I'm going to cherish these pictures forever! I can't believe it's already my baby's first Christmas! After we left the mall we headed to the Gulf Breeze Zoo to look at the Christmas lights. We met all of Dakota's family and their church friends. The lights were super cute and Walker was sitting in his stroller just staring at everything. He really enjoyed the flashing lights and I'm sure if he were in my arms he would want to get his hands on the ones that were hanging like icicles. We also went on a train ride and he smiled the entire time. It was pitch black so we didn't get to really see any of the animals, but it was still a fun time. Walker didn't cry the entire time and let me take several pictures of him. Usually he gets tired of the flash, but he was the one flashing that gummy smile!

"Walker and Santa"

"Three generations of Ward boys"

"Walker and Cole"

"Us on the train ride"

 

Sunday, Dakota took Walker to church while I stayed home and got ready to go to school. It's finals week and I had to meet my group for the second to last time. Once I got home I found Dakota in the backyard with one of his friends clearing out the trees and burning piles of sticks. I even helped out a little bit before it got dark. We are wanting to have a clean backyard with a fence and a concrete slab for Walker to play on! We live on a main road so we don't want him playing out in the front yard. Once Dakota is done clearing out all of the trees we can start building our fence! Oh I can't wait! I have an idea of how I want Walker's FIRST Birthday to go, but we can touch more on that later.

"Can't wait for the end result"

I hope everyone else had a wonderful weekend!

Thanksgiving 2015

This Thanksgiving was our first as a family of three and that made it all the more special! I knew the Holidays would be fun with a new baby, but I didn't realize how warm it would make my heart. Just seeing Walker with all of his family members and how excited everyone was to celebrate with him made my heart melt all over the place. Last year on Thanksgiving I was pregnant and we all couldn't wait for him to be here. Now that our little turkey is here and already 7 months old blows my mind.

"The cutest turkey you ever did see"

We started off the morning with a fun little Photo shoot of Walker in his cute little turkey hat! (Side note: I went to three different Targets to find this hat)! He is always so smiley and in the best mood when he first wakes up. His face is also swollen which makes his cheeks that much more juicy and adorable for pictures! I took so many cute pictures, but obviously only uploaded 1 to social media... because let's face it, really only I care to scroll through 10 of the same pictures of my child! After taking up all of my storage capacity on the camera scroll I fed Walker some breakfast and we did our daily routine. He played in his exersaucer/walker and I cleaned up the house and did some laundry. Dakota was finally up at this point and we just relaxed on the couch. We didn't need to be over at my Granny's house until 1 and she lives right next door. We all took our showers, got ready, and popped my green bean casserole in the oven! Once we got to my granny's she had a huge feast laid out. My dad brought Walker his own sweet potatoes that he ate on while eating some of my mashed potatoes. I let Walker have some Thanksgiving food and he loved it. After eating we took tons of pictures and let out food settle until digging into the dessert. My brother's girlfriend is from New Zealand and she brought a homemade dessert that was literally heaven in my mouth. Truthfully, I couldn't tell you all that was in it.. but I didn't care. It melted in my mouth and I'm ok with that.


"What I'm most Thankful for"

"My sweet boy"

"<3"

"Eating his sweet potatoes"

 

After socializing with my family we had to leave them to go visit Dakota's side of the family. We switch off every year and we went to Dakota's last year, but still wanted to visit them because of it being Walker's first Thanksgiving. When we got there everyone was laying on the couch about to fall asleep. From what I could tell they had a yummy feast as well. I brought a Black Friday ad for us to look through and I didn't see that many good sales, but I still wanted to go. Dakota and I left Walker at his moms so we could go to Target. It was a bust... literally was a waste of time. Usually I go in Target and get a couple people checked off on my Christmas list, but I couldn't find anything. We ended up getting a few random things for each other, but I would have rather stayed at Dakota's parents and spent more time with them. When we got back to his parents Charlotte was still over there and they were playing and being cuties as usual. Walker loves to watch his daddy juggle which is what both of these kiddos are doing in the picture. I snapped a video of Walker laughing his little heart out, but Charlotte was either unsure of what was going on or didn't find it funny, lol. Either way it was a fun night and I enjoyed watching the kiddos!

"Watching Dakota juggle"

All in all it was a wonderful Thanksgiving and I'm so incredibly thankful for my two guys. I know with more of the Holidays coming up and Walker getting older will only make them more fun! I hope everyone else had a good Thanksgiving filled with lots of stuffing and stretchy pants!

Holland Farms & Halloween

"His First Halloween"

Saturday was Halloween, and what better way to start the day than to take Walker to his first trip to Holland Farms! His Daddy had to work, but we met my Sister In Law  and her main squeeze with their little one. We got there a little earlier than them so we went ahead and played in the corn box, and with some pumpkins. It was so cute watching him play in the corn box. He wasn't too sure what it was and mainly watched the other kids play and smiled. He's so curious of older kids and you can tell he wants to play with them. Once everyone else got there we walked around with the kids and showed them some farm animals and took pictures at photo props. Walker is around babies quite often, but for some reason when he's around Charlotte he reaches for her and wants to give her "kisses" which is usually sucking on her head. It's the funniest thing and Charlotte just sits there and looks at us like is he really doing this again? They are so precious together and I'm so glad that they will always have each other to play with.

"Playing in the corn pit"

"My sweet pumpkin"

"Watching the older kids play"

"Giving Charlotte kisses"

 

 

 

Once we left the farm we went to lunch with them and then headed home. Walker was way past overdue on his nap and cried the whole way home from lunch. I tried to lay him down before we went over to my parents house for dinner and trick or treating, but he was fighting it. Finally I gave up and let him play in his pack n play. He played the whole time until it was time to go. Once we got to my parents he was a little fussy and then after dinner when we tried getting him ready in his outfit he screamed the entire time. Poor guy was exhausted. The weather ended up being bad anyways, so all we wanted to do was take pictures. We took maybe 5 all together and only 2 turned out ok. It was the cutest outfit ever and I was so excited to see him in it, but again he's only 6 months old. If he's not having a good time it's not going to happen. Next year will be a lot more fun with the whole dressing up! After we undressed him I cuddled him in my arms and he was out like a light. 

"The cutest Lumberjack"

"Our one picture before the meltdown"

Overall, it was a perfect first Halloween with my little guy! Holidays are so much more fun with him. I'm so looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Six Months Old// 10.22.15

How is my baby already 1/2 a year old?!! Seriously, I just gave birth to him and now he's almost a year old and I've already booked his year old photo shoot. I literally can't even! The last 6 months with him have been a whirlwind of emotion. So many tears have shed all the way from happiness down to frustration. I can't imagine my life without this little guy. Being his momma is the absolute best and I'm looking forward to the next 6 months and so on with him.

"Our big 6 month old"

Walker turned 6 months old on the 22nd and had his checkup on the 26th. He is right on track with his development and doc says that he's a perfectly healthy little boy. He's very high on the growth charts and honestly always has been. Today he weighed a whopping 21 pounds and 27.5 inches! My little chunky butt also had 4 shots and let me know he was not happy about it. I feel so bad for him when he gets shots, but it's for his own good and I'll be thankful when he doesn't catch a disease or the flu for that matter.

"All smiles before getting shots"

Here's a little update on little Walker James

• He is sitting up all on his own & loves to play with toys!
• He smiles all the time and is almost always in a good mood
• He is finally enjoying tummy time and will roll all over the floor
• He is eating more of a variety of 2nd stage food and he prefers veggies over fruit any day
• He loves the outdoors and could sit out there watching cars drive by for hours
• He is such a people person and will smile and flirt with any girl who gives him attention
• He is such a little snuggle bug and I absolutely love it
• He has the cutest laugh and loves it when daddy plays with him after he gets off work
• He is literally a drool machine! We go through tons of bibs
• He still loves bath time and thinks splashing me is the funniest thing
• He still doesn't have any teeth, but boy is he working those teething toys

 

Happy 6 months, Walker!

Oh how we love you so!

"6 months of pure cuteness"

 

Letter

Both of my boys are sleeping in their rooms and I tried to shut my eyes, but my mind just keeps racing. I'm feeling very sentimental tonight and all I can think about when I close my eyes is my Son and how grateful to God I am for him. So, I thought I would write a letter to Walker, my first born.


Walker,

Five short months ago you came in to my life and I'll never forget how I felt when I first saw you. I always knew I wanted you, I always knew I would love you.. however what I didn't know is how much of an imprint you would make on me in such a short time. Before you were born your dad & I talked about you and wondered who you would be and if you would look like me, or him, or a mix of both! We prayed hard that God send us a healthy baby when it was his time. I knew in my heart that I was so ready and I wanted a baby so bad, but you were worth the wait and that God was saving you for us.When we found out we were pregnant I just cried tears of joy and thanked him over and over again. I really couldn't believe that you were mine and I was yours. Feeling your little kicks was the most amazing feeling and brought so much excitement. I remember you would always kick your daddy in the back at night because that's when you were most active. Being pregnant with you in the beginning was so easy! You never made me sick, you gave me a glow, and I craved healthy foods. When I was nearing the end is when it became tough. I would feel like giving up and cry because I was so exhausted and miserable because I was so swollen and big. Thinking of you gave me strength. I knew I had to stick it out for you and push myself. In week 36 I was put on bed rest. That week was probably the toughest of them all. Even though I was at home I was bed ridden and not in control of my body whatsoever.

Finally, week 37 came and they induced me. You were extremely comfy in there, but my body was getting worse by the day.  At 12:00 PM they took me in the back to get a C section. I'll be honest I was extremely scared and couldn't stop shaking. Your dad held my hand and told me that everything was going to be okay and that I needed to hold on for just a bit longer. Finally, on April 22 at 12:21 PM  I heard you cry for the first time. I couldn't see you, but I could hear you and tears just started streaming down. I knew you were perfect in every way and when your dad held you and brought you over it made everything so worth it. I wish I could freeze time and go back to that day because it was the best day of my life.

Bringing you home was an adventure. We had to learn you and you had to learn us. It wasn't easy but we made it through the first few weeks. Your newborn stage was a blur, but what I do know is that I loved being your mom and the sleepless nights were all worth it when you would just cuddle and lay on my chest. I could just stare at you for hours and be completely content. I spent many days just me and you and I loved every bit of it. April came and went, so did May and June. July hit me like a ton of bricks. July meant it was time to go back to work. Leaving you was so hard. I wasn't ready yet, but I knew I had to go back.

Since going back to work the months have flown by even faster. Now you are five months old and so much fun. You play with toys, smile all of the time, make the cutest noises, and now you are sitting up all by yourself. Watching you grow and learn has been so much fun. I know you will be crawling soonish and even walking by next year. I love that you enjoy the outdoors and want to explore already. I hope you never lose your sense of wonder! You and your dad are my world and I couldn't imagine my life without you. You have changed me in so many ways and have given me the gift of patience. However, the best gift of all is being your mommy. Everyday I look forward to greeting you with a good morning and getting the biggest smile, I look forward to cuddling you at night after your bottle when you are super drowsy and being all sweet. I know these moments won't last for long. You won't always want me to hold you, or cuddle with at night. Just know that I am always here. I'll always be your mom and I'll always love you unconditionally.

"The best day"

Thank you for choosing me.


Love,

Your Mom.

Five Months Old// 9.22.15

My little boy is 5 months old!! He is changing/growing so much and I'm loving every minute of it.  Here's just a few things that have changed from last month!

• He is starting to sit up on his own and can balance himself when playing with toys
• When we go out to eat or to a store he no longer wants to sit in his carrier and wants to sit in the highchair/stroller
• He is eating baby foods on the regular and will usually have a fruit for breakfast and veggies for dinner
• He is reaching for everything and has even put his hands in my plate a few times
• DROOLING EVERYWHERE
• Super talkative and squeals all of the time
• Still loves bath time and splashes all over the place
• Sleeping from 10PM- 8AM

"5 months old"

"3/5 months & still same scrunched up smile"

"Balancing with his toys"

"Hey Mom, I'm ready to eat!"

"Daddy gave W a Mohawk!"

He is so much fun and keeps me busy. This stage is so much fun and I know it's only going to get better! He isn't my content little baby anymore that just wants to lay and cuddle. He always has to have something to play with or chew on. He is seriously the cutest baby ever & I love that he's all mine. The Holidays are upon us and I really can't contain my excitement. Next month kicks off the festivities and I am itching to get my chunky butt in a pumpkin! :)

Labor Day Weekend!

This year I celebrated Labor Day a little differently. My best friend Jordan is getting married in October and the wedding party/ friends all headed out to Panama City for her Bachelorette. We left Saturday morning around 10 and got to Panama around 1. We stopped at an outdoor mall and did some shopping and then got lunch at Panera bread. Once we were all done we headed to the beach house at 4. It accommodated 17 people and it was really nice. Tons of space and places to sleep. Once we walked in it was decorated and had goodie bags for us. It was so cute! Once we got settled in we got ready for the fun night ahead of us.

We all wore black and Jordan wore black and white so she would stand out. It was fun getting ready with all the girls. We did each others hair and makeup and of course had to take tons of pictures. Chandler made us some sailor hats to pin in our hair. The theme was last sail before the veil and tie the knot. Once we all got ready we walked about 15 minutes to a restaurant/club called spinnakers. We all ate at around 6 and I ordered the bang bang shrimp wrap. It was really good and of course I ordered some tasty drinks. My favorite was called the waverunner. Once we finished eating/drinking we walked back to the house to waste some time before going back to Spinnakers around 10. We played beer pong, and danced the night away. It's real easy to have some fun with a house full of girls. Instead of walking back we called a bus to come get us! We danced the night away and sang some karaoke. It was a super fun night and one that I will remember. It was my first Bachelorette as a Bridesmaid and it was my first time leaving Walker for the weekend.

"selfie"

"Me & the beautiful Bride"

"Me & Bev"

"Chan, Me, Zuri, and Jo"

"More of the ladies before going out"

"All the ladies at Spinnakers"

 

The next morning we all woke up around 8 and Jordan/Chandler made all of us breakfast. We had grits and sausage casserole. It was delicious!!! We hung out for a while and then got ready to walk across the street to go to the beach. We stayed maybe an hour before it started to rain on us which stunk because I didn't even flip sides yet.. Once we got back to the house some of the girls said their goodbyes and others like myself took a nice hard nap. That night we watched The Wedding Ringer & The Longest Ride and ate pizza in bed. Basically it was a huge slumber party and I loved it. I got my hair braided and had pillow talk. I think the girls night in was my favorite part of the whole trip.

Monday morning came and before we left at 9 we had to clean up. Once we left we hit traffic hard!! Panama is only about 2 hours away from us and it took us until 2:00 PM to get home. Literally just sat in traffic for an hour. Everyone had the same idea as us to get up early and leave before the crowd! Once I got home I came home to my two boys, a clean house, and pretty flowers! I think it's safe to say that they missed me.

That night my sweet hubby took me out on a date to Tokyo! It was nice to spend time with just him. I missed him so much! Today is a relaxing day for me to catch up on my sleep and spend time with my boys. Tomorrow is back to work/reality!



I hope the rest of you had a wonderful Labor Day weekend!!

Four months old// 8.22.15

"love those cheeks"

Walker is 4 months old!! I feel like he just turned 3 months last week. I know I say this all of the time, but time is seriously flying... before I know it he will be half a year old. Excuse me while I go cry in the corner. Lol


Last Thursday Walker had his 4 month checkup! We got all great news, except that Walker needed to slow down his eating because he's growing too fast. I couldn't make this checkup because I was training with my new job at Baptist. So it was Daddy who gave me all the good news.

Walker is 17 solid pounds and 25 inches! His heart murmur has completely healed (thank the good Lord) and he's 70th percentile in height, 80 in weight, and 90 in head circumference. His Doctor also cleared us for solids which I have been anxiously awaiting for! I couldn't wait to start buying the baby food and feeing it to him.

That night we tried to just give him formula mixed with rice cereal and feed it to him by spoon and he was just not having it. So we broke out the applesauce and W really enjoyed it. He didn't really know what was going on or how to keep it in his mouth, but I expected that the first night trying a new thing. We are trying to feed him solids for lunch and dinner. He gets a bottle in the morning and then at night before he goes to bed around 9:30. So far we have tried Apples, Bananas, Pears, and Peas. He has liked all of them! We are going to try squash and carrots next. This stage is just so much fun. I love my smiley, happy baby! He is just so much fun right now. He is starting to play with toys and drooling ALL over the place. I swear I'm constantly changing clothes/bibs and giving him a bath every day.



Happy 4 months baby boy! I love you so much!


Here are a few pictures of my not so little guy! Enjoy :)

"Mr. Chunky at his checkup" 

"All smiles before his shots"

"Eating Applesauce"