Monday, January 16, 2012

Dada-Baba-IGood-Byebye-Dada.

Wow. Being a parent seriously gets better every single day.
Today, my son and I woke up at the exact same time. We both blinked our eyes until we could see each other good, and then he gave me the most adorable smile in the world and started rambling away in his sweet baby talk. These moments remind me to be grateful and thankful for my wonderful life, and for getting the chance to call him mine. 






Now to the woes and worries of a mother...


Have you ever had to fold a whole room full of baby clothes? It's such tedious work, let me be the first to tell ya! You wouldn't think tiny little outfits would be much to take care of, but after folding and putting away dressers upon dressers FULL of pants, shirts, shorts, onesies, sleepers, gowns, jackets, bibs and socks - this momma got a little wore out! I think my son could give a celebrity a run for their money on who has the most outfits! It's crazy! And also finding room in my apartment for 2 different swings, a highchair, a glider baby chair, a Bumbo chair, a Jumperoo, a walker, 2 full toy boxes and a big play-pen takes some definite skills!   
Oh yeah, soon enough I will be able to put some videos up on here, so everyone else will get to hear all the "dadas" and "babas" and "byebyes" and "igoods" that my little guy says non-stop to his Daddy and I. :) And a little baby talk makes everything a little sweeter. 


But since he is up from his nap, I will let Stryder sign this blog off.


 hbbn zvb  hhgbvtc  tbtbvn,l,mmmnnb nbbv  c jh
AKA--Have a great day! Love Stryder and his Mommy! 



Saturday, January 14, 2012

The Knowledge of a Newborn.

As of Friday the 13th of this month, Stryder is a whopping 5 months old! Ashlee and I can barely believe our baby boy is getting so big on us this fast! (Wow, I wore out the letter "b" in that sentence!) One amazing gift of parenthood is getting the chance to watch my son's mind grow and expand! Every day, he learns something new and I am right there with him to receive that wide-eyed look of astonishment that says, "Look Mommy! Look what I did!" Speaking of learning things, when Stry learned how to laugh, that sound just melted our hearts. As I type this, Stryder is in the floor cackling at his Daddy and I find myself giggling too. To anyone who is expecting a child or will be one day, the sound of your baby laughing is the happiest sound in the world. You can't help but to laugh along. That's one of the best moments in my family, when Stryder, Ashlee, and I are all giggling until our cheeks hurt! It's just so sweet. 


Silly Little Stryder!



He has seriously learned so much in the past 5 months from figuring out he has hands, to using them to grab and hit things (including his Momma and Daddy!). As well as finding his toes, and trying his hardest to get them in his mouth! He is also able to sit up by himself now, which is bittersweet to us, cause that just means he is a little less dependent to his parents, wait...what am I saying? Being less dependent is a good thing right? Maybe that means I can catch a break here and there! But not for long, cause Stryder is also on the hot pursuit to crawl! He is so determined to finally get moving that I don't think it will be too much longer until I'm blogging about getting chased around my apartment by the most handsome little boy around. :)

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The First Months!

You always here people say "Parenting is harder than you think!" but, strangely for us, it came so naturally. We just knew how to comfort our son, how to hold him, how to change his diapers, and especially how to love him. I will never love something or someone as strong and pure and whole as I love my son. That's the truest statement I have ever said in my life. Things that I had thought were so important in my life are so petty now compared to being everything my son needs. But let's get back on track...






The first few weeks were all about routine. He slept, he ate, he pooped, we changed him, we bathed him, he slept, he ate, he pooped. Now repeat that 500 times! :) He was/is such a good baby. Hardly ever cries, so happy, and so alert! From the day he was born, he has always been looking at everything with his huge eyes! He pays attention to everything around him, it's truly amazing to watch him watch everything else. He didn't start smiling hardcore until he was about 2 months old, but man since he started he hasn't stopped!! He has the most amazing smile! It's so huge, from ear to ear! And he has HUGE dimples!


 People keep telling me that his dimples will make him such a lady's man when he gets older, so I'll definitely have to keep a lookout for that!! ;)

9 Months Later...

My due date was August 7th. That day came, but still no baby. Our families were going crazy, waiting for our little baby boy to make his way on out. But no one was as anxious as his awaiting parents. I honestly do not think I have ever walked that much in my life, in hopes that I would convince labor into starting. But that didn't work. I tried all the old wives tales that supposedly got labor into going, but our son was staying in there until he decided he was ready to meet the world. Then Friday night, on the 12th, I went into labor. I had no idea what labor was, so I kept calling my Momma, and between us...we just didn't think I was about to have a baby. My Daddy finally made the call to head on to the hospital at about 1 in the morning. And when my family got here, the contractions started! I ended up having about a 7 hour labor, it was rough...but I held to my birth plan and went through it all completely naturally. My sisters were amazing during the labor, they kept me strong. Ashlee didn't stay in the room much, because every time he was there I would just yell at him. In my defense, I was going through labor! :) Anywho, at 9:56 on Saturday morning, Stryder Grey Warren was born. He weighed 7lbs. 9oz. and he was 22 in. long! I saw the most beautiful thing I had ever seen when I first laid eyes on him. I was beyond elated, and beyond exhausted! But he was perfect. Ashlee and I fell absolutely in love with our son. 




Monday, January 9, 2012

The Process Of Pregnancy!

It truly is insane how a child grows inside of their mother. I never knew how amazing the process is until I went through it. Yes, the rumors are true. You do get sick, you do have heartburn, your baby will kick your ribs until you think they are broken...but, you are the home to your child. You feel them before anyone else, you are their only source of food and warmth. They learn your voice, they know you. You build the strongest bond ever to exist. You learn what love truly means. You learn what fear truly means, as well. You prepare, you grow up, you become a Mother. It's beautiful. Ashlee was terrific through the whole 9 months. He stuck it out through every mood swing, fixed me food every time I was hungry, even shaved my legs for me when I couldn't reach them! :) It was the most lovely experience!







Yes, I know what you are thinking...I WAS HUGE!









Then We Became A Family.


Ashlee and I had been living together for a couple months, and right before Christmas we got a picture of the most amazing gift the two of us had ever received in our lives. This was the first time we saw our son. The feeling of parenthood started to set in, and we couldn't have been any happier.

The Beginning...

Some say "love at first sight" doesn't exist. But I would have to disagree.

Let's backtrack about 5 years ago.

I was 15, sitting in my Biology class on the first day of school for my Sophomore year of high school.
And he walked through the door.

I couldn't take my eyes off of him, and that still hasn't changed. I thought he was a new kid. But everyone else seem to know exactly who he was. He was getting all kinds of attention, but I just sat...and stared. Our teacher called roll, she said "Ashlee Warren." And he raised his hand. All I could think about was Gone With The Wind, and that I had found my Ashlee. I fell in love.

I'm not gonna type every detail that has happened in our relationship since that moment. Like all couples, we had our ups and many many downs. BUT, in the end right after our graduation, he came back to me. When I asked "Why now? Why not in the beginning when I first fell for you?" and he simply replied, "Cause I was a stupid boy. Now we are about to begin our lives, and if I don't get you now, you will get away and forget about me." So...

Here we are now. A little over a year and half since he told me that. We have been together, and so in love. We have built our own life. We have our own home. And most importantly we created life. But I'll get to that in the next post. So that's the beginning. Now, if you want, you can be with us from here on out.