Got $500 to Spare?

Since Austin had SO much fun at Monkey Joe's over the weekend, it got me thinking...and looking...

I think he might be the most popular kid in the neighborhood if we bought him this:

I couldn't believe they actually sold these things, but I can apparently purchase this one for about $480 from Overstock.com

If we win the lottery, this is the FIRST thing on my list to purchase!!!

Austin's Greatest Day Ever: Part 2

Since the rain ruined our chance at more playground time, we decided to try out something new.  We had been hearing rave reviews for a place called Monkey Joe's and thought we'd give it a try.


HANDS DOWN, the BEST $5 we've EVER spent!


I have never seen Austin so happy in his life!


He jumped and bounced and slid and ran and crawled without taking a break for over an hour!  His face was red and he was almost out of breath but he wouldn't slow down!!  He had just as much fun playing on all the inflatable "stuff" as he did watching all the other kids.  He even tried to play with a few other boys and at that point I could not have been happier that he is about to get a little brother and permanent playmate.  Now if we could just give him giant inflatable toys for the backyard...we'd be set!  I guess we'll just have to be frequent visitors to Monkey Joes for now.


At 7pm we finally had to tear him away from the inflatable fun since it was past dinner time and getting really close to bed time.  We made one last stop at Chick-Fil-A for a chicken nugget dinner (complete with icedream dessert) to complete Austin's Greatest Day Ever.


He slept for 11 hours straight last night and took a 3 hour nap this afternoon.  I'd say our weekend was a success!

Austin's Greatest Day Ever: Part 1

After a week spent indoors due to yucky weather, we figured we'd better take our chances this weekend and get the little guy out of the house for some fun and exercise!  Thus began Austin's Greatest Day Ever!!

After sleeping in a bit, we went out for a late pancake breakfast.  On the way out, Austin started dozing off in his car seat  so it was back home for an early nap time.  The little guy took a great nap and then we headed out to the local playgroud for awhile.  Austin climbed through tubes, climbed up slides and up and down stairs...the boy sure loves to climb!  He got on the swing for a little bit, but that was a tad too constrictive so we had to let him back down so he could run free.

We started to head over to another playground about the time the rain started so we went ahead and made our weekly trip to Costco to stock up on the essentials.  Can you believe this boy goes through almost 3 cartons of milk a week?!

So, speaking of constrictive, another place Austin is not too fond of being strapped down is in the shopping cart.  We tried something a little different this time and I just let him ride IN the cart instead of in the seat and, wow, what a difference!  He stood up in the middle and held onto both sides while we zoomed down each aisle.  It was like he was steering a race car.  And then when that got tiring, he laid face down in the cart and watched the floor go by.  Of course, at some point we had to start putting things in the cart and that was when Austin got promoted to daddy's shoulders for the rest of the trip.

Below are some pictures from the playground.  Stay tuned for Austin's Greatest Day Ever: Part 2

Attachment

This is my sweet boy right after his nap today.  


As you can plainly see, he has his blankie, glowworm and Hugawug (the green & yellow spotted creature) from his crib all still firm within his grasp.  


You don't know how much it melts me heart to see this adorable sight...


See, Austin has had tons of blankets, lovies and stuffed animals since birth and until just recently has not cared one bit about any of them.  It made me sad...I wanted him to have a security item so bad, especially since I still have my own yellow flower baby blanket from when I was born.  I think it's important to form attachments and for children to have that sense of security that a familiar item brings.  I have also read that children who form attachments to certain items as babies grow up to be more compassionate adults...and there's no doubt that compassion is an important trait, and one I definitely want Austin carrying with him into adulthood.


Well, at 16 months the attachment phase has finally started for my baby boy!  He goes to bed with his lullaby- playing glowworm every night and wakes us up by playing its sweet sounds each morning.  He's also a big fan of his Ally Zabba blanket and reminds me of Linus from the Peanuts the way he walks around dragging that big blue blankie behind him.  His Hugawug is a new and welcome addition to the "crew."  He's also got several other items in his crib that he sleeps on and cuddles with, but the three pictured above are the only ones he wants to bring with him when I get him out of his crib. 


What a sweet, sweet sight it is!

DUCK!!!

Future Clemson Basketball star or 2027 MLB Rookie of the Year?  I'm going with the last one...

It tastes better this way....I promise!

Bittersweet

Little Layla Grace lost her battle with Neuroblastoma today.  She was diagnosed when she was 16 months old, the same age as Austin right now, so her story has really affected me.  If you have been following her story, this day is bittersweet as she is no longer in pain and has finally taken her place amongst the angels in Heaven.  If you don't know Layla's story, you can read about her fight here:  http://laylagrace.org/

Cheap Entertainment

Toys getting old and boring...

Television just doesn't do the trick...

You're tired of reading the same books over and over...

So, how do you get out of that playtime rut?

What else?  A laundry basket full of socks and an empty box!

32 Weeks!

Pregnancy Questionnaire #3:

How far along? 32 weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: 10 lbs.
Maternity clothes? They barely cover my giant belly anymore!
Stretch marks? Still nothing new, but old ones from last pregnancy are starting to show back up.  :-/
Sleep: I've definitely entered that uncomfortable phase and what's worse is that I can only sleep on my left side.  My hips and shoulders go numb constantly and it's such a pain, but it's better than laying on my back or right side and gasping for breath all night!
Best moment this week: I asked Austin where his baby brother was and he pointed to my belly!  It was soooo cute.  Oh...and I think we've made some progress on baby's name which is getting exciting!  Hopefully he won't remain nameless for much longer!
Movement: He is very active, especially at night and I love to look down and just see my belly move and twitch all over the place!  He's also gotten the hiccups a couple times.

Cravings: Chick-fil-a Ice Dream....I had some at the baseball game Saturday and can't stop thinking about it now!
Gender: Baby boy!
Labor Signs: I had contractions on and off for 2 hours the other night and when I talked to the Dr. at my appointment today she said I probably should have gone to the hospital to get checked out.  Oh well...we think it had to do with dehydration and hopefully that won't happen again anytime soon!
Belly Button in or out? Still in
What I miss: Having more energy, sleeping through the night, fitting into clothes, being able to get down on the floor with Austin and play for long periods of time...
What I am looking forward to: Settling on a name for this baby boy and going in for my follow-up 3D ultrasound soon!
Weekly Wisdom: Apparently if you have more than 6 contractions in an hour you need to call your Dr. or go to the hospital.  I guess I'll have to remember that for next time...if there is one!

Milestones: I've reached 32 weeks which is a milestone in fetal development meaning that most babies can be born at this point without serious complications.  I hope this little guy will stay put for a few more weeks though!

Another Salem Update

From Aaron:
     Thanks to everyone for their prayers!  Salem is quickly improving.  She is still under observation and is receiving IV fluid, but she was moved to NICU 2 tonight which is a huge blessing!  They have private rooms and allow parents to stay.  Jeff and I are finally able to hold our little girl anytime we want!  We actually just put her own clothes on her for the first time and were so excited.  We are hopeful they will send her home within the next 48 hours!

Baby Salem Update

Here is an e-mail from Aaron regarding baby Salem:

Salem Rose Willey was born on March 6th at 4:27 in the morning weighing 6 pounds 7 ounces. Late Monday afternoon Salem started having some difficulties and was admitted into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Test results should be back Monday around 4 pm and we will hopefully know more then. Please keep Salem and her family in your prayers. Attached are some pictures of our beautiful baby girl!

Aaron and Jeff Willey

Please continue to keep this sweet girl in your prayers as well as her mom and dad. Aaron and Jeff are supposed to be checked out of the hospital today but don't want to go home without their new baby girl!

1-2-3 Strikes You're Out...

Nothing says Spring like a good 'ole game of baseball! Especially when it's 60 degrees out, sunny and not a cloud in the sky!

We took advantage of the beautiful weather on Saturday and headed to Flour Field in Greenville for the Reedy River Rivalry game between the Tigers and Gamecocks. It was a packed house and we were very lucky to get some last minute tickets from Ryan's friend, Alan. Ryan, Austin and I met Alan at the game around 2pm and that precious baby boy of ours sat in our laps through the ENTIRE game without a fuss!! He was mesmerized by the game, the mascots, the cheering crowd...just taking it all in, I guess, for when it's his turn out there on the field!

It was unfortunate that the Tigers couldn't pull it out in the end, but we did get 2 out of 3 in the series vs. the Gamecocks, so I can't complain...much!

Daddy and his lil' sport!
Working hard on that bumble bee teething toy...gonna have some new teeth by the end of the week I believe!
KP! Couldn't resist including a picture of the great Clemson outfielder and quarterback!

Mommy and Austin at the end of the game...

Showing his sad face that the Tigers lost...

Prayers Please

Yesterday at 4:27 am, baby Salem Rose was born to her proud parents Aaron and Jeff! She was 6 lbs. 7 oz. and both mom and baby were doing fantastic.

I was going to go to the hospital today to visit the new family of three, but earlier this morning Aaron informed me that things weren't going so well for baby Salem and she had been taken to the NICU.

I ask of all of you, please pray for this beautiful baby girl to make a full recovery and for her parents to remain strong during this difficult time. I am patiently awaiting to hear more and will hopefully have an update later this evening. I will keep everyone updated on baby Salem's progress but this baby girl could really use your prayers right now...

Snow-my-gosh!

Yesterday was the 3rd time this season we've seen snow here in the upstate of SC. Quite the rarity indeed! It started around 10am and didn't quit for about 10 hours straight! Schools let out early and Austin and I sat around and waited for enough of that nice white stuff to pile up so we could go out and make ourselves a snowman.

Unfortunately, with the warmer than usual temps the day before and the fact that the sun kept peeking through the clouds during the day, very little of the snow stuck to the ground and what did stick ended up melting just a few hours later. It wasn't quite the perfect snow day that we were hoping for, but I did open up the shutters and Austin and I did an awful lot of this...

Wordless Wednesday